Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - If We Were Villains

Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

308 reviews

greendog95's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.75

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aksmith92's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

The Setup: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio is a masterful blend of dark academia and psychological thriller that captivates readers with its intricate plot and rich Shakespearean elements. Set in the fictional but elite Dellecher Classical Conservatory, the novel follows a group of seven acting students whose lives start to mirror the tragedies they perform on stage.

The book is organized in Acts, and each prologue, the story is framed by Oliver Marks' release from prison after ten years. On the day of his release, he recounts the events leading up to a classmate's death to Detective Colborne, the retiring investigator who never quite believed the official story. Each proceeding Scene then details the fateful year where the classmates and friends fall apart. As the students' final year progresses, their tight-knit group fractures under the weight of secrets and the pressures of the roles they play. The death, *cough cough*, murder of their classmate becomes the catalyst for the unraveling of their lives.

What I Loved: The writing was absolutely beautiful - truly. I was not only immersed but awed. M.L. Rio clearly knew what she was doing. Her portrayal of the Dellecher Conservatory was absorbing, capturing the intensity and passion of young actors devoted to their craft. The characters, each representing a Shakespearean archetype, were vividly drawn and complex. Additionally, the novel's exploration of themes such as ambition, jealousy, loyalty, and artistry's cost was thought-provoking and emotionally resonant.

I think what I loved most was M.L. Rio's ability to make almost unlikeable characters real. What do I mean? She made unlikeable characters that you didn't necessarily and automatically like by the end, but unlikeable characters that you still want to read about. It was gripping and interesting; you were curious about what came next, what they would do, and how they would break. I was captured! It takes well-done artistry to make me love a book with characters I wasn't fond of. I've heard that some folks find the pacing of this book slow, but I didn't, and I was enamored the whole way, particularly at the end when we learn the entire truth about the events that occurred at Dellecher.

Why Not 5 Stars? For one, I completely guessed the events that occurred to that fateful classmate. I had thought it the moment his classmates and friends found his body. Therefore, it wasn't as mysterious and surprising ("thriller-like") as I had imagined. However, I didn't mind too much because I still enjoyed reading.

Additionally, Rio's use of Shakespearean dialogue and references no doubt enriched the story - the characters frequently quoted and drew parallels from Shakespeare's plays, adding depth to their interactions and the unfolding drama. It was a precise literary device to enhance the novel, making it atmospheric and underscoring the themes explored's timeless nature. I wholeheartedly understood the point, but here's the thing: I struggle with Shakespeare so much. I knew that going into this book, I didn't like reading Shakespeare, and I didn't like the language and prose. My brain breaks. So, I braced myself. I did a pretty good job for someone who doesn't love Shakespeare, but it still meant I struggled along the way.

With all that said, this novel was clearly compelling and beautifully written, offering a fresh take on the dark academia genre. I know this book will linger in my mind, including that interesting and obscure ending.

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madalina0_0's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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eleasofia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i absolutely loved this book.

regarding the plot, i liked that you can figure out what's going on from the clues that are dropped, but you're not 100% sure until the truth is revealed, so it is exciting, but you can also feel clever about having it figured out in the end. it offered the right amount of surprise and suspense for me personally. i thought it was very well-paced and i loved the structure, the book being devided into acts.

also, having a narrator that sees and describes themselves as very "plain" and then slowly finding out how much there is to them is always exciting. i liked oliver as the narrator/ the way the book is written because he is very descriptive and detailed, a great mix between facts, feelings, thoughts, descriptions, and dialogue. i liked how the other characters and their relationships were portrayed and described from his perspective. the story is very tightly connected to how the relationships and characters themselves develop and everything felt very natural. besides oliver, i really liked meredith and james.

i enjoyed the writing a lot. it was easy to read and very clear. i'm not a big Shakespeare lover, but with my basic knowledge i definitely understood enough to enjoy the dialogue and the scenes where they were acting. i'm sure i missed out on a ton of clever symbolism and hints and clues and whatever. i will most definitely re-read this book one day, and i might brush up on my Shakespeare knowledge before that. i think it might make it even more enjoyable.

i was hooked from the first page, and by the end of the book i was crying my eyes out. what more could i wish for? i will definitely be thinking of this for some time.

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Even with my limited Shakespeare knowledge, I still really enjoyed this book. Though I feel like a true thespian would get a lot more out of this book and recognize many intentional parallels the author drew to Shakespeare’s work. I hope to revisit this book in the future when I am more acquainted with his body of work. This novel felt theatrical and dramatic but in a way that is realistic to collegiate theater students. I found the overall descent into madness fascinating and I was intrigued by the characterization of the entire cast. I wish there was more depth/backstory to some characters though, like Richard especially. I also loved the idea of Macbeth by the lake and Romeo and Juliet in the middle of a ball! I didn’t particularly like the ambiguous ending because of how I feel the characters would have likely acted; I’m not convinced the ending honors how I feel the characters would have acted, but overall I could see the character progression and understand if not agree with their choices. The course of the mystery was pretty predictable but that made it satisfying.

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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

This book is exactly what it says on the tin, for good and for bad. After a somewhat slow climb, it gets exponentially more engaging in its back half, but it never quite feels like the throes of its passion are earned. It does get close at the end there, though. The biggest hurdle I encountered as a reader in 2024 is that the particular white wealthy 2017-flavor of pretentiousness of the characters leads to some… ickiness. Read the content warnings, I beg.

Content Warnings