Short and Sweet: Vicious and Circe

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Published by Tor on September 24, 2013
Pages: 368
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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?

One part of me thinks this is a case of hype and expectations not living up to the thing itself after years and years of build up. Another part thinks, maybe I missed the point because I’m kind of slumpy in my reading. And the last part of me thinks, I think I have just read so many amazing graphic novels about morally gray characters, people with unusual gifts in usual settings, etc. All of those things combined, and I just didn’t love it. No one is more bummed than me about that.

*****

Circe by Madeline Miller
on April 10, 2018
Pages: 393
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In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

I don’t think any review I could write could accurately capture the delicate and quiet beauty of Circe. If Homer’s Odyssey ever made you curious about this clever witch alone on her island, this feminist repositioning of her familiar tale is a must read – or a must listen if that’s your cuppa. The audio is amazing. I know in my heart, this is a story I will return to again and again over the years. It is truly special.

XOXO