Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Teatr złoczyńców

This book fluctuated between 2 and 3 stars like nobody’s business. Overall, I’m giving it a 3 purely because of the last line, but this book was overwhelmingly average and, frankly, disappointing.

I heard that this was essentially The Secret History fanfiction, and because I love both The Secret History and fanfiction, I assumed I would enjoy this. Alas, I did not. It was less fanfiction and more a blatant rip-off, with all of the insufferability of the characters from The Secret History and none of the nuance and beauty. Speaking of nuance and beauty, this book tried entirely too hard to have quotable, beautiful lines of prose. It felt like the beautiful prose was being saved for the final line of every chapter. I understand wanting to leave each chapter on a powerful note, but it felt out of place and inconsistent. I will admit that some of the lines were well-written, but their inconsistent nature meant that it felt like Rio was trying way too hard, which made me cringe and took me out of the story. It was hard to fully immerse myself when the writing was choppy and the pacing was weird.

This book follows Oliver, a man who has just been released from prison for a murder he may or may not have committed or been complicit in. He tells the story of the events leading up to the death and the fallout after it. The story centres around an incestuous group of theatre kids (aren’t they all a little bit incestuous) at a prestigious arts college (read: cult). The narrative style is nice, with each Act starting with a present-day prologue and diving into the college years. Oliver is an unreliable but kind of lovable narrator and also a Mary Sue. He’s just so nice and perfect, and everyone wants to protect him and also have sex with him, but he doesn’t see himself like that, blah blah. Plot-wise, this is a less exciting Secret History, setting-wise, a more unrealistic Secret History, and character-wise, you guessed it, a worse Secret History.

The characters all felt like one-dimensional archetypes, and Oliver mentions this, which is nice. We love self-awareness. But, we have enough pages in this book to give each character more than two personality traits, but Rio doesn’t. Additionally, the archetypes were kind of gross and misogynistic, Meredith deserved more, and she especially deserved not to be slut-shamed by her own friends? Wren deserved a personality outside of her relationships with the men in the book (also ew at the implied incest from Richard). And Filippa deserved to have a personality other than ‘extremely mysterious’ and 'someone no one pays attention to'. I also didn’t like that the one canonically gay character (at that point) was the one who was the most ok with what was essentially murder. Also, there is no growth. (As an aside, I had a giggle over Frederick literally being a cheap Julian rip-off. He even takes his classes in an intimate gallery and makes everyone drink tea lmao Rio didn't even try to make her imitation subtle).

Overall, this book was fine. Some parts were fun and funny, and the final line is *chefs kiss*, but other parts made me angry and uncomfortable (and not in an intentional confronting way, in a “this book is badly written and these characters suck way”). Maybe I had too high hopes for this book, and when it turned out to be average, I was personally offended, or maybe this book is just genuinely not great.

Content Warnings

itsheyfay's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

lillythebluepaladin's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

For someone who loved words as much as I did,
It was amazing how often they failed me”.

The easiest 5🌟 review I will ever give. Wow. I have no words.

If we were villains is one of those books that will never leave you. Every page was written in a way that just tore open my head and chest and jumped right into my brain and heart. This is probably just as pretentious as this book someeetimeeees gets, but f it, it seriously deserves the poetic praise. Our Shakespearean students deserve it and ten times more.
I have never read a book this slow, and only because I never wanted to let go of it. I will definitely give this a reread in the future, possibly in October or December.

OLIVER, JAMES AND PHILIPPA OWN MY HEART, I CANNOT EVEN COPE 😭 Alexander was a vibe too, and Wren was the cutest. Meredith was awesomely written too, and RICHARD??? GOOSEBUMPS ALL AROUND, Just WOW!

Is M. L. Rio the reason why I’m two steps away from dropping my plans of my current studies and try to become an actor? Yup! I am currently watching all Shakespeare I can find on YouTube, and trying to find a way to read em too ahah.

IF YOU LIKE THE SHAKESPEARE PART OF THIS BOOK, TRY THE BOOK HAMNET!❤️❤️❤️

Content Warnings

li_reading's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

jacobandthefrogs's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Give this books all the trigger warnings ever.
Theatre troupe of 7 turns to a shatter 6 when one of them is dead after the opening night of their first show of the year.
The characters in this book took me as a reader by storm, with terrible decisions but realistic voices. If someone spoke to me any of their dialogue in real life I would tinge on the feeling of unsafeness and insanity around them, because their voices are dipped and coated in that old English of Shakespeare in at least 25% of their words on paper. I knew this book would highlight many of Shakespeare’s plays given the synopsis but the depth and thought given to how they are interpreted really adds a much deeper level to how I appreciated the novel.

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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

sauvageloup's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

an absolutely compelling and disturbing ride of a book

(spoilers throughout this review)
Pros:
- the whole book is written like a tragedy, unfolding in a meta way that isn't obvious at first but becomes slowly clearer. the more we learn about the characters - Oliver's obsession with James, Richard's anger, Alexander's substance use, Filippa's unflappability and desperation for a family, James' steady collapse and Wren's fragility - the more inescapable the ending is. i sensed from the first time it's stated that James and Oliver meet in the bathroom that it might've been James but that didn't make it any less gripping. it doesn't end as tragically as a tragedy could have but it kept me wrapped up and guessing throughout, utterly hooked into the early hours. the sense of being totally immersed in the poetry and the cultish world the characters inhabit is as obsessively compelling as the characters themselves find it and the book was impossible to put down.
- the writing is direct and simple, in-between beautiful figurative turns of phrase and the quotes and verse. the dialogue is very convincing as Shakespeare-obsessed thespians and i'm not surprised to find out that the author is a Shakespeare scholar. the poetry was woven into the prose and James being unable to escape the words of Edmund, the villain, at the end was so well-written and perfect for the story. like the characters, I was drawn into the quotations, with all their layers, and then eventually trapped within them. the plays and the story become one and the same as the characters can't escape their roles, just as the title quotes says in the later pages - that the characters become as they were cast.
- at the start, i wasn't impressed with the type casting - the dull sidekick, the angelic hero, the angry drunkard boyfriend, the seductress, etc. - but that's the point. the whole story is a meta reflection on how Shakespearean, extreme emotions might play out in a dark academia scenario. the premise or even the plot isn't that complicated or original, but the writing and how it unfolds really makes it something special.
- bits i also enjoyed was the queer aspect, in that it wasn't strictly put into a box for James or Oliver but wasn't brushed under the rug either. it signals to the homoerotic tension that's never realised in classical lit that you can do a tragedy with the queerness out there in the open.
- the trauma was also dealt with, through all of their breaking-aparts, though perhaps Oliver is the most composed of them really, or maybe Filippa. whilst it's partly the guilt that makes them breakdown like Macbeth, there's also the PTSD from the death itself that's addressed and explored in the different ways it comes up in each of the characters.

Cons:
- the ending confused me. i suppose its supposed to be a glimpse of hope - that real life doesn't have to be a tragedy if only James asks for help, like any of them could've earlier on (Meredith and James after Richard's abuse, Alexander with his substance abuse, Wren with her nerves, etc.) But i felt it was also kind of circular and tragic in a different way - just as we see the possibility of Oliver living a new life with Meredith in NYC, there's this new shock. Will Oliver ever escape James' influence as long as James is alive?
- i did read it quickly and struggled not to skip bits, but i did find the number of characters confusing. I'm still not sure who Camilo was exactly, and i didn't get a good feeling of who Filippa and Wren were really, except as fairly vague side characters - i had more of a sense of Frederick and Gwendolyn than the other two members of the seven.
- whilst Oliver got better, I still felt like he was the dullest of the characters. I suppose that's part of his role - Nick to James' Gatsby - always the sidekick to the hero, but i did think it might've been better if there'd been switching POVs, or if Oliver had been more active from earlier on.
- Oliver is very disrespectful towards eating disorders, which makes him really dislikable. i assume the author doesn't really condone such behaviour, but it felt unnecessary, and the book didn't really show any consequences for his callousness towards his seriously ill sister. There were other bits of insensitivity too and whilst maybe they were supposed to have a narrative purpose, some bits just felt carelessly cruel and unneeded.
- i wasn't convinced that 10 years of prison really had such little impact on Oliver, he seems unchanged between the before and after and that seemed odd. that he and Meredith fall right back into it was strange too, but i guess the idea is that time has been suspended for them (?).
(- personally, i'm still not a fan of the first person, i find it difficult to get a real idea of the main character when 'I' is being used all the time, but that's my preference, not a fault with the story.)

overall its a hugely unnerving and fascinating book that made me want to reread Shakespeare, to save the book to read again sometime, and to read anything else Rio has written. it wasn't perfect but it was definitely addictive and there were some absolutely beautiful lines in there.

Content Warnings

alliegator13's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.0

Not sure what qualifies as a spoiler so you’ve been warned.

Entertaining and at times suspenseful, but somewhat shallow. Character driven but paradoxically the characters are mostly flat and stereotypical, especially the female and LGBTQ+ ones. An LGBTQ+ character is frequently described as both sexually promiscuous and predatory. Additionally, the author hints at bisexual representation, but it never really comes to fruition. Also, considering it’s LGBTQ label, I would have liked to see some wlw, even in the periphery characters.

But the women were not given clear motivations, complex personalities, and (with the exception of seductress Meredith) no sexual desires. Meredith’s sexuality too is flawed- she’s mostly an object of lust for every single male character. Actually yes all four main male characters lust after her. Other women characters, like Filippa, are almost sexless, or motherly, a bit like a therapist. And they seem to resent Meredith for her attractiveness. All characters call Meredith a slut, but it’s only portrayed as insulting when the antagonist does it.

You know it’s a tragedy going in but it’s rushed. The vibes are nice. Read if you want a thriller you don’t have to think about. In fact, don’t think about it, or you’ll get upset. Also it’s pretentious, but it’s Shakespeare, so you knew that too. But still. For a book about ambition and cutthroat competition among friends, there is neither enough hate nor enough love to make the characters truly villainous, making it difficult for me to care about their sins and relationships.

Also, and I cannot emphasize enough, read content warnings. There are some heavy topics- suicide, eating disorders, homophobia, just to name some. And the author does not handle them with delicacy. In fact, I’d say she skims over them, or used them to make the book appear more deep. Many of the characters are downright bigoted.

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