Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Como se Fôssemos Vilões by M.L. Rio

86 reviews

sashasgarden's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

"But that is how a tragedy like ours or King Lear breaks your heart— by making sure you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute."

If We Were Villains tells the story of Oliver, an ex convict that was just now released from jail. He recalls that which got him there in the first place; it was murder.

I'd say that the book may be a comfort book for me, since it handles different topics that I love: theatre, murder, and betrayal.
 
We are told the story through Oliver's eyes, which means things can get subjective really quickly. Going back to his college years, we are introduced to Oliver's university friends, and recurrent characters in the annual Shakespeare plays:

The hero, the sweetheart, the antagonist, the tyrant, the femme fatale, and the sidekick.

Now, roles are established, the stage is set. Right? No. Let's turn everything upside down.

What happens when their assigned roles take a turn in real life? When the antagonist is no longer an antagonist, and the hero is no longer a hero? 

A murder takes place in that prestigious theatre college, and the victim is the only person nobody thought possible. There is mistrust, there is conflict and mixed emotions as the characters begin to question everything they know about their friends— and about themselves. 

 Narrative-wise, If We Were Villains has a solid plot, full of mystery and twists along the way. It's the part I liked the most, other than the relationship between our main character and those he loves (no, we don't get focus on all the friends within the group; that's the negative side to it).

I thoroughly enjoyed the read, being a theatre kid myself. Their incessant quoting of Shakespeare didn't throw me off. It's a way they find to communicate with each other; people may relate to that way of reasoning. 

It's a book with an open end, I'll say that much. But definitely worth a read if you like a partial murder mystery... with some forbidden romance sprinkled on the side. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Alcohol, Drug use, and Murder

lialovesbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny

Moderate: Eating disorder

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Biphobia, Body shaming, Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Addiction, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Transphobia, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Mental illness, and Outing

b0ygenius's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

jesus christ where do i start. this book is marketed as being similar to the secret history and i LOVED the secret history so i really thought i would like this but …. oh my god i hated it. it’s so bad. the idea is kinda good in theory but the execution is just terrible. like i really cannot think of a single aspect of this book that i liked. the only thing is that it was easy to read i guess ? like i read it pretty fast. but i think that’s mostly because i didn’t want to dnf and i wanted to get through fast so i could move onto something better 💀

the characterization is so bad and since this story seems like it is supposed to be character driven it is a huuuuge issue and i think this is really what ruins the whole story. all my other complaints are just the nails in the coffin that is the terrible characterization. the amount of characters in the friend group we follow is way too many and it feels like there is no time taken to really let us get to know any of them. they all have one and only one personality trait and everything they do is centered around that one trait. meredith’s is repeatedly being called a slut and her only defining characteristic (at least, in oliver’s eyes) is her body which made me deeply uncomfortable the whole time. and speaking of that her relationship with oliver was so bad i really could not stand it they had no chemistry at all.

the plot was just so bad too. it was way too predictable and just fucking dumb so many parts of the story made me literally roll my eyes because it was just so bad. the prologues of each act were terrible who let those be kept in it just completely draws you out of the story while adding absolutely nothing to the plot.

the writing is terrible.. the shakespeare quoting was unbearable i usually like pretentious things but i just could not stand this it was so forced and unrealistic. there are so many times where it is blatantly obvious the author was trying to be deep but failed miserably and it just came off as cheesy and it was unbearable. there is zero nuance in anything in this story everything is so surface level. there is ZERO suspense like this is marketed as a mystery/thriller but nothing is mysterious bc anyone with half a brain could guess the ending and nothing felt suspenseful.

anyways this is so rambly and bad but i just want to be done writing this and i never want to think about this book again in my life

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Murder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Body horror, Bullying, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Eating disorder and Cursing

li_reading's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I would go as far as saying that M. L. Rio's If We Were Villains is a masterpiece. 

With characters you cannot help but love, while driving you to hair-pulling frustration, Rio weaves the line of morality wonderfully. As the characters are drawn into the world of Shakespeare, you are drawn into theirs. 

Just when you think you have it figured out, Rio pulls the rug out from under you, time and time again, ending with a finale that will leave you in a daze. 

The intricacies of language Rio uses tell the reader exactly what is going to happen, while still maintaining tension, is genius. Upon re-reading the book you will find yourself laughing out loud at how boldly she spelled it all out. 

If We Were Villains is a book you can sink your teeth into, and I intend to, many times over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Body horror, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Drug use, Mental illness, Addiction, Suicide, and Physical abuse

Minor: Confinement, Animal death, Racism, Rape, and Eating disorder

emmacartlidge's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Alcohol

Moderate: Misogyny, Drug abuse, Violence, Suicide, and Grief

sofipitch's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This book is entertaining, I spent all day reading it, but it matches up so completly with Donna Tartt's The Secret History it sets itself up for a comparison in which it's going to fall flat. Everything about it feels less well done than The Secret History, including the lgbt romance, I feel like this book doesn't deserve to be in the lgbt genre category for the slim amount it has, the subtext that Richard is gay in TSH seems like so much more. The plot was good, but again not very original, but the prose was just meh, it's not literary which from a book where the set up is about literary/pretentious characters feels like a let down.
Again, I enjoyed this in that it was entertaining but I expected more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Drug use

Moderate: Murder and Suicide attempt

Minor: Misogyny, Body shaming, Homophobia, and Violence

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, and Death

Moderate: Blood, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Confinement, Drug use, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Sexism, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Suicide, Biphobia, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Rape, Transphobia, and Infidelity

Slut shaming. Overdose (non-graphic, non-POV character). Date rape/assault "jokes"; various bigoted comments and similes (one use of the G slur, "sex change" joke, descriptions such as "like a slave trader at auction" and "savage tribal drum beat"). Weird handling of EDs and addiction.

evnfig's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I LOVED this one! Told from the perspective of one of the seniors ten years later, after he is released from jail. This book really covered all it's bases and then some. Intrigue? Suspense? Lovable characters? Pacing? Well written plot twists? Non-cheesy use of Shakespeare? It made me feel all my emotions. I know I'll be looking forward to any books by this author in the future. Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, and Body horror

Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Suicide, Homophobia, and Misogyny

Minor: Eating disorder and Mental illness

thevieira's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Death, Violence, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Grief, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Suicide, Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit, Body shaming, and Sexual content