Vengeful (Villains, 2)

The second book in #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author V.E. Schwab's beloved Villains series- a masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, and superpowers.

A super-powered collision of extraordinary minds and vengeful intentions—V. E. Schwab returns with the thrilling follow-up to Vicious.

Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Victor Vale and Eli Ever.

Great partnerships—now soured on the vine.

But Marcella Riggins needs no one.

Flush from her brush with death, she’s gained the control she always sought—and will use her newfound power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She’ll do whatever it takes, from taking over the mob to collecting her own sidekicks, and even leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

With Marcella's rise, new enmities create surprising opportunity—and the stage of Merit will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.

“In Vengeful, V.E. Schwab is at the top of her game, with twisty action, oddball family pairings and unexpected antiheroes you can’t help but root for.” —Washington Post

“Schwab's characters feel vital and real, never reduced to simple archetypes... In a genre that tends toward the flippant or pretentious, this is a rare superhero novel as epic and gripping as any classic comic. Schwab's tale of betrayal, self-hatred, and survival will resonate with superhero fans as well as readers who have never heard of Charles Xavier or Victor von Doom.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

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Published Jan 7, 2020

480 pages

Average rating: 7.86

76 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

TheCleverReader
Feb 03, 2023
10/10 stars
I can't even describe how much I love this series. The anti-hero/anti-villains are everything! With each new character introduced in this series you get a new story line and a new ability added. The book is so well written and complex that you feel as if you are living it.

Victor is one of my favorite characters. I love his loyalty to Mitch and Sydney despite him not wanting them to fall into the dangers that follow him.

If you love books like Scythe by Neal Shusterman and Renegades by Marissa Meyer than you'll love these books! Schwab is brilliant in everything she writes and I can't wait to continue reading all her books!
Jonathan Willis
Jan 13, 2026
10/10 stars
Wow! Amazing from start to finish. June is definitely one of my favorite characters (Mitch is still my favorite) and a great addition to the story. The ending had me reeling! Such an amazing story!
kjolley
Nov 03, 2025
9/10 stars
Loved it, easy read!
postcoffeepoop
Oct 21, 2025
8/10 stars
Just as good as the first book, WOW. The team that Victor put together was fantastic. I loved the team that Marcella had around her and the way they were intertwined was insane.

Brilliant storytelling, brilliant plot, brilliant ending (which I did not believe and did not want to accept, but alas...)

Don't skip this serie!
Hoeforau
Jul 26, 2025
8/10 stars
Good but not as gay

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