Schwab has amazing imagination and builds truly original characters. While her characters are 3 dimensional in that they are always flawed in some way, she sometimes neglects to create a level of empathy in the readers for her protagonists as the characters typically commit death and violence without hesitation or reflection. 
 Many of her young characters seems to embrace violence and murder readily, as if they have always been capable of such deeds, but the fact is that killing people, can be rather difficult for first timers. 
 I have only read Schwab's adult books Vicious and A Darker Shade of Magic so far, and this sticks out rather obviously in both books. I wonder if the characters' lack of empathy are symptomatic of Schwab's interpretation of the "Adult" genre, or stems from her writing style in general. 
 Overall, Vicious is an engaging read with a sardonic sense of humor. I truly did enjoy her books, and would really appreciate a more realistic approach in portraying how people reacts to violence.