📆 Publication Date: 6th October 2026
⭐️4/5 stars
📖 Length: 544 pages
📱 Format: ePUB
⏳ Read Time: 9 days
Synopsis
The ExtraOrdinary of Merit City, a secret group of individuals gifted with a power connected to their manner of near-death experience, have been keeping a low profile, avoiding the ever-watchful eye of EON in the wake of the showdown with Marcella, Eli, and Serena.
But when EON—and its relationship to the ExtraOrdinaries— begins to change under the leadership of a new director with a terrifying agenda, the time for hiding is over. The path to the truth of what happened to EON leads Victor, Sydney, Mitch and the rest into the enemy’s lair at EON headquarters, where they encounter unexpected allies, shocking new abilities, and the ultimate confrontation.
Against all the years, the betrayals, and the odds—the arch rivals and their allies will meet for a final time, on a chess board laid out by a rival they didn’t expect.
What I thought
Well… it’s over. And I’m genuinely a little gutted about it.
After finishing a re-read of books 1 & 2, I fell straight back into the timeline whiplash of this series (IYKYK!) and honestly, I enjoyed being back in this world. I absolutely loved the concept from the get-go, and apparently my brain had no problem remembering who was alive, who wasn’t, and which particular version of events we were dealing with. 😂
One of my favourite things about this final instalment was the way the OG characters we’ve grown to love (and hate!) were blended with the newer characters. It could have been very easy for the newer additions to feel like they’d been wheeled in at the last minute because someone realised there was a final book to fill, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. They were really well pieced into the story, and I loved seeing everyone’s paths eventually (and literally) collide. The characters are such a huge part of what makes this series work for me, and even the ones I wanted to launch into the nearest body of water, still had me invested in what happened to them.
That said, we do need to talk about the proofreading. Because… Hello? Hello?
Around 20% in, I started noticing grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and bits of writing that just felt… lazy. I know this is an ARC and some mistakes are expected, so I’m absolutely not expecting a pristine copy…. But there were a lot. Enough that I found myself getting pulled out of the story to highlight them, and when I’m highlighting more things that annoy me than things I love, that’s generally a bad sign.
Once I started noticing them, I couldn’t stop. I’d be completely immersed in the story and then another one would jump out at me, and suddenly I was highlighting most pages instead of reading them. Eventually, I felt less like a reader and more like an unpaid proofreader.
Potential career move?
Maybe. 😂
Did this improve throughout the book? No.
Did this affect my rating? A little.
If I wasn’t waiting for the finale, would I have DNF’d on errors alone? Possibly.
I also found the ending a little abrupt and, dare I say, rushed? I wanted just a little more time with everything, particularly after investing so much time in these characters. But, in all fairness, that could very easily be because I didn’t want it to end.
Despite those criticisms, I really did enjoy Victorious. I love V.E. Schwab and the quirkiness of her writing, and I think that really shines through in this series. I love the concept, I love the characters and I love the ridiculous amount of chaos they’ve managed to create along the way.
Seeing everything finally come together was satisfying, even if saying goodbye was considerably less so. I’m just not quite ready to admit that it’s actually over.
Overall
I’m genuinely gutted that this series is over. I loved the concept, the characters and the chaos, and despite the proofreading issues, I’d absolutely recommend.
Will I reread the series once it’s released? Yep.
4 stars from me.
Interested in picking this up? Pre-order Links below
Amazon – here
Bookshop.Org – here
Thanks to NetGalley, Titan Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Until next time…. I have a fictional bereavement to deal with. 🖤
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