Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Das verborgene Spiel

Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Das verborgene Spiel by M.L. Rio

546 reviews

courtneykfong's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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rainydayswithbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Omg...A masterpiece! The story unfolds in an incredibly special way, poetically and emotionally. An all-round successful work that is special in so many ways. The writing style is unique and ingenious, as it incorporates Shakespeare's quotes and yet tells a completely new story. The quotes, plays and characters from Shakespeare are always closely intertwined with the main characters and the actual story. The division of the book into the 5 acts and scenes give the impression of a script, which is reinforced by the partially inserted stage directions. At the beginning, you get the atmosphere of seven motivated students who are passionate about their art. I would have loved to have been part of the group of friends myself, watching one of the improvised plays or reading books by the fireplace with the group in the castle library... Dark academia vibes at their finest! But then everything changes and becomes more and more dark, sinister and mysterious. You no longer really trust anyone and can't predict the ending. I find it amazing how the author allows the characters to merge more and more with the characters they play on stage. As a reader, you realise how much you can lose yourself in art, but also the dangers this harbours. You quickly lose sight of reality. I liked Oliver's words that as an actor you feel all emotions twice - your own from real life and the fictional feelings of the characters. The two merge together, making it much more intense. You can also see this in the group's friendship: every relationship is always characterised by a charged intensity. Hate, love, mistrust, betrayal, solidarity, hero, victim- always close together, constantly changing. Filippa was the most consistent member of the group, although we can assume that this is more of a mask than an actual strong character. Oliver once said to her that she was the pillar of the friendgroup and had to stay strong and not doubt. If she had given up, everything might have fallen apart sooner or turned out very differently. Ironically, this is one of the best proofs of her extraordinary acting ability, although she is always the one who is least expected to play the big roles. A literary tragedy by a contemporary author who we will hopefully be reading a lot more of in the future!

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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4.5

Reading this book traps you in a spiral, coiling tighter and tighter until its inevitable end. The tension builds and builds and builds and builds and snaps in the most gloriously messy Shakespearean way. I actually wish I knew more about Shakespeare after reading this book. I feel like I missed references. Not just in the direct quotes, but in the roles the characters play, in the narrative structure, in relationships, in the ending. I suspect this book, as good as it is as a first read, will fare better for me as a reread.

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adyn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is like if the breakfast club was made up of a bunch of pretentious (but loveable) Shakespearean theater nerds and also it was a murder mystery.

Vibes were exquisite, made me want to read shakespeare, loved the characters, plot made sense without being predictable. The pacing was also great, I think this would be a good book to get out of a reading slump. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is bc I’m stingy with 5 stars and it didn’t have a deep personal impact on me lol

The ending

was a bit confusing, but it’s kind of impressive if a book can make me do research on Shakespearean plays after I finish it, right?

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thequiltyreader's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Compelling story and characters. I found the writing style a little verbose at times and must admit to skimming the Shakespeare quotes a few times which is the only reason it's been knocked down on review.

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carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

These little assholes were sooo annoying omg. God, I get you're Shakespeare acting students but damnnn I could really have done without every other line of dialogue being a Shakespeare quote. Same goes for the author. This is my only complaint about the writing, but it's a very large complaint. And, ok, I get it "Rebecca, you picked up a book about Shakespeare students, what did you expect?" but I am still allowed to complain. And complain I will. I rolled my eyes so much I feared they would get stuck like that. Otherwise, I think the characters and their relationships had a lot of potential, but I just wished the author would go deeper. Like yea there's this homoerotic best friendship between

James and Oliver

, but you're telling me more than showing me. Same with

Meredith and Oliver

, like I didn't really buy that. And also that whole "Oliver, you're so good" thing, sure he wasn't a terrible person, but I couldn't really see what they were talking about. Like, yes, we come into this group 4 years into their friendship, so I get that there's history, but it's the author's job to convey that and it fell a bit short.

I guessed the killer immediately. Clocked that shit right away.

"I'm not drinking tonight" *throwing up in the bathroom 3 hours later* "yea I just drank too much" am I some sort of idiot??? James, my darling, I do hope you're still alive but c'mon. Also, fuck! how tragic. Bro, if I was Oliver and I went to jail to save my friend and then he killed himself because the guilt was too much, I'd jump off a cliff fr.

IMO, this book had a fair bit of overall unrealized potential, even though it was enjoyable.

Hm. I think I don't rate books harshly enough.

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