Today, I’m excited to share another #FearlessWomen title. It’s an excerpt from Vicious by V. E. Schwab, which releases today. This is a reissue of Vicious in anticipation of the publication of the sequel VENGEFUL on September 25, 2018. I read and enjoyed this one quite a bit, check out my full review. With this one, we were also given the option of doing black out poetry. At first I was a little hesitant as I’m not particularly artistic, and also did not want to mark my actual book. But I decided I could take a picture and play with digital “art” (I’m using the term lightly here). It was fun, but coming up with the poetry part was definitely easier for me. So check out an excerpt below, in addition to my first attempt at blackout poetry!
About FearlessWomen
(from Tor Books)
Women are shining in every genre of speculative fiction, and it is no longer enough to say “Women are here.” Instead, #FearlessWomen everywhere are taking a stand to say “Women will thrive here.”
Highlighting major titles from bestselling authors V.E. Schwab, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jacqueline Carey as well as titles from acclaimed and debut authors such as Mary Robinette Kowal, Tessa Gratton, Sam Hawke, and Robyn Bennis, #FearlessWomen will be a coordinated social media celebration encouraging fans to start a dialogue about women in publishing, their worlds, their voices, and their unique stories.
Tor Books’ handles across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@torbooks) will be using the hashtags #FearlessWomen (and #FearlessFantasy and #FearlessSF) to promote excerpts, exclusive content, quizzes and giveaways beginning in May. There will also be exclusive giveaways at BookCon, San Diego Comic-Con, and New York Comic Con. Follow Tor Books online, join the conversation – and get reading!
Blackout Poetry
About the Book
Vicious (Villains, #1) Published by Tor Books on May 29, 2018
Pages: 400 
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.
Exclusive Excerpt:
TEN YEARS AGO
LOCKLAND UNIVERSITY
Victor had always been a problem- solver. His problems had certainly been growing bigger, but the rules still held. The steps to solving a problem, from elementary math to breaking out of a police station, remained the same. A simple matter of understanding the problem, and selecting the best solution. Victor was now in a cell. The cell was small and square and came complete with bars and a man who was twice his age and smelled like piss and tobacco. A guard sat at the end of a hallway reading a paper.
The most obvious solution was to kill the cellmate, call the guard over, and kill the guard. The alternative was to wait until morning, and hope that Eli failed a breathalyzer, that the security cameras were limited to the entryways, and that he’d left no material evidence in the lab to link him to the death.
Picking the best solution really depended on your definition of best. Victor examined the man slumped against the cot, and got to work.
He took the long way home.
The first touches of dawn warmed the sky as he walked, rubbing the dried blood from his wrists. At least, he consoled himself, he hadn’t killed anyone. Victor was, in fact, quite proud of his restraint. He thought, for a moment, that the chain- smoking cell-mate might be dead, but he was still breathing, the last time Victor had checked. Admittedly, he hadn’t wanted to get too close. As he made his way home, he felt a trickle of wet on his face and touched the place below his nose. It came away red. Victor wiped his face on his sleeve, and made a mental note to be more careful. He’d pushed himself a lot in one night, especially considering he’d died first.
Sleep. Sleep would help. But it would have to wait. Because first, he had to deal with Eli.
About the V. E. Schwab
VICTORIA (V.E.) SCHWAB is the author of the NYT bestselling Shades of Magic series, as well as a number of MG and YA novels, including This Savage Song. She has been called “the heir to Diana Wynne Jones.” Her dynamic work has caught the attention of major TV and film studios. Schwab has a Masters degree in Art History from the University of Edinburgh. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, but frequents Edinburgh. You can visit her at https://www.veschwab.com/
Check out more #FearlessWomen content, reviews and excerpts at these blogs:
- This is a Metaphor
- Dark Faerie Tales
- Cherry Blossoms & Maple Syrup
- SciFiChick
- Books, Bones, & Buffy
- The Bibliosanctum
- Itching for Books
- Across the Words
- Fantasy Literature
I’m so glad you did the poetry, I was totally intimidated by that, plus I didn’t really understand how we were supposed to do it. Yours turned out great!
Tammy @Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…#FearlessWomen Blog Tour: VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab
That poem turned out really great! I hope you had fun with it 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Liz recently posted…Throwback Thursday: The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
I really want to try this series!
Melliane recently posted…Volatile Bonds by Jaye Wells
Good job on the black out poetry! I am not good at that kind of creativity at all, so I am totally envious of the results you came up with, it’s excellent!
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…#FearlessWomen: Vicious by V.E. Schwab Exclusive Spotlight & Excerpt
I love the black out poetry, that’s really cool!
Also, this book looks interesting. I kind of like the friend turned foe angle.
Lisa recently posted…This Week in Reading: More Dragons, More Dresden, Steampunk Geomancy, and Magic Schools