” 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. “

If you have ever read VE Schwab, then you know this is going to be a great story. This is a great magical realism/science fiction book that has quite a bit of action in it. It is sort of like a graphic novel, good guy vs. bad guy (if there is even a good guy between Victor and Eli) type without the graphic panels. While I love to read, I don’t come across many books where all I think about is the story. This was one of those books. Victor and Eli are left with odd powers after testing Eli’s thesis of near death experiences. But getting those powers cost them something great and now both characters are out to get each other.

This story is written like a puzzle and you get bits and pieces throughout the text. When everything starts falling in place and you can start to see the big picture, it is absolutely amazing. I believe there was one night I woke up from a deep sleep having deciphered something within the book. That is how great this series is, you dream about it. Schwab’s writing always hooks me, but this series is my favorite of theirs. Did I mention series? Yes! This is one of two books, so you know you have another story with Victor and Eli after this one. 🙂

If you are interested in reading this book and are part of the Lindenwood community, you can request a copy through MOBIUS. You can also check your local library!