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A review by aissatoudiallo
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
mysterious
tense
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
2.75
This is a difficult one to rate but…
I did not like how the main villain just seemed to be a villain for the sake of being a villain. Richard was jealous yes, but to the point of abusing all his friends? For what? What were his motives? I feel like it would have been a lot stronger if we knew more about what moved Richard.
Besides that the who-did-it was kind od mediocre, as I could guess who had done it. It did make sense, but Oliver taking the fall made less sense. We needed more explanation on his reasons as well. I get his reasons, but more depth was needed.
The constant Shakespearean dialogue was beyond annoying, but that’s just my personal preference. The heavy emphasis on Shakespeare made the plot predictable as well.
The connection between Oliver and James felt like it was thrown in halfway of the book. There was no foundation for it, I just had to believe that it had been there all along. I would have appreciated the tiniest hints but their homoerotic relationship seems to come out of nowhere.
Oh, and the characters were not particularly likeable. But despite all my complaining, it was easy to read and the writing style was inoffensive. For a debut novel it’s decent enough.
Besides that the who-did-it was kind od mediocre, as I could guess who had done it. It did make sense, but Oliver taking the fall made less sense. We needed more explanation on his reasons as well. I get his reasons, but more depth was needed.
The constant Shakespearean dialogue was beyond annoying, but that’s just my personal preference. The heavy emphasis on Shakespeare made the plot predictable as well.
The connection between Oliver and James felt like it was thrown in halfway of the book. There was no foundation for it, I just had to believe that it had been there all along. I would have appreciated the tiniest hints but their homoerotic relationship seems to come out of nowhere.
Oh, and the characters were not particularly likeable. But despite all my complaining, it was easy to read and the writing style was inoffensive. For a debut novel it’s decent enough.