Shelf Life: V.E. Schwab
3 min readWelcome to Shelf Life, ELLE’s books column. In this ongoing series, authors share an assortment of their most memorable reads: the books that have shaped their lives as writers and as human beings. Every month, ELLE will feature authors with a new and upcoming release of their own, asking them which stories have impacted their work most—and which stories they recommend you pick up next. Whether you’re on the hunt for a book to move you, calm you, or change you, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series. Perhaps one of their favorite titles will become one of yours, too.
With her books, V.E. Schwab has a gift for giving us a different interpretation of the superhero story. Victorious, the final book in her Villains trilogy, follows rivals Eli and Victor, who were once close friends, for the final stage of their battle. It’s a thrill for fans who have been anxiously awaiting the third installment in the series since Vengeful was published in 2018.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the intimate origins of sweeping rivalries, the fallacy that superpowers make someone a superhero, and the idea that the labels of hero and villain are often applied in very subjective ways,” the fantasy writer says. “Victorious looks at the lengths once-friends-turned-enemies will go to defeat—even destroy—each other,” Schwab says. She recommends the book to fans of the sci-fi elegance in Blake Crouch’s Recursion, the interpersonal drama of The Secret History by Donna Tartt, or Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House “for powers and the deals struck for them.”
Schwab, who splits her time between living in Denver and in Edinburgh, Scotland, published her debut novel The Near Witch while still a student and followed it up with hits like A Darker Shade of Magic and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. She’s now written over 25 books and has a podcast called No Write Way with V.E. Schwab.
Dive deep into her book recommendations below.
The book that:
…I wish I’d written:
Probably The Secret History by Donna Tartt, or Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, but honestly, no one could have done it like them.
…I’ve reread the most:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I read it for the first time when I was maybe 14 and have revisited every few years. There’s a reason this one stands the test of time. It manages to be by turns dry, sharp, gut-wrenching, and lovely.
…is my favorite book of the year (so far):
The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher. It’s the story of a pair of friends who dream of going to a magical school, only for one to get in and the other to be left behind. The book is set seven years later, when the one left behind takes a job as a custodian, only to discover her once-friend is now the most powerful—and evil—student at the school. I didn’t want it to end.
…has the best plot twist:
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Waters is a legend when it comes to playing with reader expectations, and this work manages to be a lush historical, a deep story of identity and longing, and a thriller with a twist that left my jaw on the floor.
…has the best magic system (for fantasy/speculative books):
Definitely Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. It’s a complex system with intuitive roots, making it easy to follow and visualize while also being dazzlingly nuanced.
…is the best vacation read:
The Shining by Stephen King. Admittedly, it depends on what kind of mood you’re in on vacation, but you couldn’t tear me away from it.
…taught me an important life lesson:
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. I’ve been trying to learn about a new subject every month, and the more I learn about dendrology, the more in awe I am, and the more I want to know.
…got me out of a reading slump:
King Sorrow by Joe Hill. For a long book, the pages flew by, and I found myself riveted, looking for excuses to steal one more chapter.
Bonus Questions
If I could have dinner with one author, living or dead, it would be:
Probably Oscar Wilde, just because I think it would be an eventful evening.
My favorite audiobook narrator:
Julia Whelan and Will Patton. If I see they’ve narrated a book, I’m listening to it.
I would describe my reading taste as:
Thoroughly eclectic.
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