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A review by liteartha
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
it’s been a long while since i picked up a book quite as hyped as if we were villains, nor a book that had sat untouched on my shelf for quite so long. i've been intimated by it for ages!
i’ll first say that i’m immensely glad to have finally read it! and relieved, too, that my trepidation was largely unwarranted. while the story didn’t affect me quite as wholly as i think it would’ve if i had a background in shakespeare or a penchant for theatre, this is a hell of a novel all the same. it took me a couple of days to make it past the first act, but i absolutely sped through it once the messy, spiralling feeling of the book took hold
i split my time between the print and audio formats of the book and i have to say that the audiobook helped immensely in drawing me in, owed both to the narrator’s voice acting and evident experience with shakespeare (a relief, as i’d been butchering the many many quotes used)
i listened while i read along for act v and the epilogue, which was an excellent choice. i’d found certain things quite predictable but had totally misunderstood where things were heading in the end, which was so good! so good. love to be wrong sometimes
there is something i can’t quite put my finger on that i didn’t love here. a certain lack of attachment to the characters, maybe, or simply my aforementioned disconnect from shakespeare/theatre but all the same, quite impressed by this one. the hype may be a touch overblown but really, when isn’t it?
i’ll first say that i’m immensely glad to have finally read it! and relieved, too, that my trepidation was largely unwarranted. while the story didn’t affect me quite as wholly as i think it would’ve if i had a background in shakespeare or a penchant for theatre, this is a hell of a novel all the same. it took me a couple of days to make it past the first act, but i absolutely sped through it once the messy, spiralling feeling of the book took hold
i split my time between the print and audio formats of the book and i have to say that the audiobook helped immensely in drawing me in, owed both to the narrator’s voice acting and evident experience with shakespeare (a relief, as i’d been butchering the many many quotes used)
i listened while i read along for act v and the epilogue, which was an excellent choice. i’d found certain things quite predictable but had totally misunderstood where things were heading in the end, which was so good! so good. love to be wrong sometimes
there is something i can’t quite put my finger on that i didn’t love here. a certain lack of attachment to the characters, maybe, or simply my aforementioned disconnect from shakespeare/theatre but all the same, quite impressed by this one. the hype may be a touch overblown but really, when isn’t it?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Homophobia, and Biphobia
Minor: Eating disorder and Body shaming