Book: Pretty Vicious by Lexi Davis
Reviewed by Weird | weird.reads.books
Rating: 4/5
Pretty Vicious came in wearing the dark academia romance label, but Lexi Davis absolutely stacks the deck. She gave us a FMC who’s actually clever ; not “plot says she’s smart,” but genuinely sharp, observant, and always a few moves ahead. I swear that’s rarer than it should be in the dark romance lane, and I ate it up. Add in that slow-creeping Southern Gothic dread, a secret society with a chokehold on the entire place, and a tension-soaked connection that feels like a loaded weapon pointed at everyone in the room and this becomes explosive.
There are a lot of moving parts here, but in a way that feels intentional. Like Davis is laying a solid foundation for what’s coming next. We get to see how Carrson becomes Carrson: the ruthless MMC at the top of the food chain, and the trials he had to survive to earn his spot. He’s unapologetically callous, but the way he’s soft for Laurel somehow makes you melt.
I devoured this in under 24 hours. It’s fast, addictive, and the kind of read where “one more chapter” turns into “oops, it’s 2 a.m.” And when I finished, I was immediately offended that book two wasn’t already in my hands. I needed it yesterday. If you love dark romance + dark academia, I’d absolutely recommend this , but please check the trigger warnings first, because some of the darker elements are not everyone’s cup of tea.
Thank you to Lexi Davis and The Nerd Fam for the ARC. All opinions are my own.