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A review by hotties4literacy
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
spoilers
I find the actual contrivance of the plot to be quite unbelievable. No person in this group of six determined that leaving a man to die would have devastating impacts on their future? Their friend is drowning in a lake. Abusive or not, it’s not only a shitty thing to do but also illogical. This decision kept me from sympathizing with many of the characters as the aftermath of the event was detailed in the novel. Additionally, I just … don’t like theatre people that much? And while all of the characters were believable and honestly well written, it could be exhausting to read about their lives and studies. And while I can appreciate some of the creative actions the author took like how the characters often quoted Shakespeare or the dialog was written like a play’s — it felt like the author couldn’t commit to a format that was daring, experimental and interesting. She was simply toeing the line which just didn’t work for me. Lastly, I would have given this book four stars had it not been for the ending. Yes, I was devastated when it was revealed James killed himself and wished it wasn’t so. However, I felt that this choice was bold and very poetic. A good showcase of how character’s decisions have devastating consequences and considering that this book revolves around four of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies — I thought it was a really great choice and highly impactful. For the author to literally throw that all away in the last line did not feel hopeful or exciting, it felt like an abrupt cop out of making your reader’s upset. What the author didn’t seem to understand is that to devastate your readers is to emotionally captivate them. Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, nor King Lear would be remembered as great works of literature if Shakespeare said “jk they’re actually alive” at the end of his shows. So take your inspiration for this dark academia and actually put it to good use.
I find the actual contrivance of the plot to be quite unbelievable. No person in this group of six determined that leaving a man to die would have devastating impacts on their future? Their friend is drowning in a lake. Abusive or not, it’s not only a shitty thing to do but also illogical. This decision kept me from sympathizing with many of the characters as the aftermath of the event was detailed in the novel. Additionally, I just … don’t like theatre people that much? And while all of the characters were believable and honestly well written, it could be exhausting to read about their lives and studies. And while I can appreciate some of the creative actions the author took like how the characters often quoted Shakespeare or the dialog was written like a play’s — it felt like the author couldn’t commit to a format that was daring, experimental and interesting. She was simply toeing the line which just didn’t work for me. Lastly, I would have given this book four stars had it not been for the ending. Yes, I was devastated when it was revealed James killed himself and wished it wasn’t so. However, I felt that this choice was bold and very poetic. A good showcase of how character’s decisions have devastating consequences and considering that this book revolves around four of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies — I thought it was a really great choice and highly impactful. For the author to literally throw that all away in the last line did not feel hopeful or exciting, it felt like an abrupt cop out of making your reader’s upset. What the author didn’t seem to understand is that to devastate your readers is to emotionally captivate them. Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, nor King Lear would be remembered as great works of literature if Shakespeare said “jk they’re actually alive” at the end of his shows. So take your inspiration for this dark academia and actually put it to good use.