Reviews

Teatr złoczyńców by M.L. Rio

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ally_rb's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Loved the writing and the way the story was told. I was a little bit bored with the plays they were acting and characters were very pretentious. However that ending although predictable still has me tearing up

reader_astray's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

cqs's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

An absolutely delicious setting but somewhat predictable plot twists; I do enjoy

a more open-ended conclusion in which the reader is invited to speculate

hadestorm's review against another edition

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5.0

my soul is altered, my heart shattered, my brain unable to form any coherent thought. the mosaic of feelings that is structuring itself inside me is indescribable, i am truly at loss of words.

annakh16'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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a fast, easy and intriguing read.

The crime/thriller aspect and the unlikeable characters (I thought) were a bit out of my reading comfort zone and it turns out that I was right those things are not my favourite, so quality aside, this partly informed my personal rating. It sure was fascinating though and I especially enjoyed the book‘s take on the intense (cult-like, as Oliver would have it) nature of Dellecher school and how it impacts the obsessive emotions of its students. There was less focus on the mystery as such, but because it made space for those kind of elaborations, I only half minded.

A lot of the Shakespeare quotes and references flew right over my head, which is a shame cause there are a lot of them. You can enjoy the book without knowing much Shakespeare or being very good at understanding him - I did - but for me, the quotes that hit, they hit hard, so I assume it adds a lot to the story.

The major plot point -

the characters deciding to just leave Richard for dead

- felt somewhat unearned, partly because the key events leading up to this had happened in the space of only a few months. The more you get to know the characters, the more their decision makes sense (from their pov), but I still thought it was extreme and hence somewhat unbelievable.

Re the other major plot point -

James and Oliver: this really only developed for me in the second half of the book. I really want to go back now and see if I was just incredibly oblivious for the first half of the book. But it means the final twist of Oliver actually being in prison for James, and them potentially getting together again at the very end (?), was an interesting surprise

The writing was vivid. There were some great lines (they won’t make much sense without context but I‘ll hide them just in case):

“There is no comfort like complicity“. ; “He was handsome the way you think of the devil as handsome - forbiddingly so.“ ; “Eighteen and vulnerable, I‘d felt for the first time the extraordinary dread of wanting something desperately and watching it slip through my fingers.“ ; “But that is how a tragedy like ours or King Lear breaks your heart - by making you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute.“

(among others).

Ultimately, it‘s a story I won’t forget for a while and it makes me excited to explore more dark academia, though books less focused on crime maybe.

Content Warnings

wedthursday's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

kylereads_'s review against another edition

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4.0

"Make art, make mistakes, and have no regrets."

I really love the aesthetics of the story especially how the school was described. The things that a school theatre has is definitely nostalgic but I admit, I am not a fan of Shakespeare. The deep and flowery phrases are not for me. I love the mystery and the thrill though.

I hated the way Oliver's decision at the end of the book. I wished he did not admit anything to the police. But of course, he wouldn't do that because of Love, because of James. I was really saddened by the decision of James at the end of the book. It was shocking but not new especially James isn't that mentally stable. The ending though! I don't know if that is a cliff hanger or what.

Also, trigger warnings. This book contains sex, drugs, death, violence, and suicide.

Great book! 4 stars.