Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

491 reviews

miyothecat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Homophobia

boaabie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I haven’t had a book make me emotional in a long time, the ending ripped out my heart and gave me hope, stomped on the hope and breathed new life into it all at once. 
The writing is beautiful, I can only hope to have a small amount of skill this author has to create such beautifully tragic scenes they have

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Alcohol

mainereading's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

I loved this book so much and the writing was fantastic! I can't believe this was her debut novel. If you're a fan of The Secret History by Donna Tartt or even if you didn't like it but liked the idea of that book, you might really enjoy this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Eating disorder and Suicide

hdkroon's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Vomit

Minor: Sexual content and Suicide

hantopearl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Eating disorder

megmei's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

God do I love a college setting dark-academia with a cast of characters where each person has an archetype. I just eat these up like crazy. 

I see a lot of people dislike this book because they can’t stand the characters. I hate to say it, but as someone who has been friends with actors and theatre people… this is what they’re like. They never turn off, they are just constantly ‘in it’ and honestly props to the author for capturing that so well. 

Rio writes with skill, weaving Shakespeare in and out of her tale to create an evocative and compelling atmosphere. To these characters, embroiled in a murder mystery as they are, there is NOTHING more important than Shakespeare. And honestly, if I lived like them, I’d get it. Everyone is alluring and beautiful, and made to be on stage, and the whole time they’re quoting these heavy lines of dialogue from Hamlet, Macbeth, Caesar. There’s constant emotional manipulation because everyone is forced to keep their emotions on the surface in order to act. They live like this for years in close proximity. Coupled with the unhealthy coping mechanisms, it is not shocking that everyone is whipped up into cult-like levels of heightened tension; everything must feel like life or death, even when it’s just Shakespeare to the rest of us. 

While I felt that the Shakespearean elements were a strength, I am sure that for many readers, the frequent quotations and references might feel overwhelming and cringey. The dialogue can seem a bit much which I can sympathise with. While I feel like the characters were perfect for the narrative, it does feel that some of the characters were slightly less developed, or fell into their trope a little too much, which left them feeling a little under-utilised. 

There is also the subject of the books rather subtle approach to the implied LGBTQ representation. I personally felt that that the author approached the delicate complexities of identity and attraction within this already dramatic story with a lot of subtlety. It’s not a dark academia if there isn’t something a little gay going on, but it’s not the focus of the story, and as such I appreciated the vagueness and ephemeral nature of this subplot. It didn’t need to be explicit for me, but it was enough that the elements we got really did add to the final story and weren’t just there for flavour. Some readers will feel that these themes should have been more at the forefront, so be aware that a gay romance subplot is not the focus of this story. 

I found ‘If We Were Villains’ to be a captivating study on the darkest parts of ambition and it lingered with me long after I finished it. It will resonate with anyone who enjoys a dark, tense, tale with seduction, violence and betrayal with a beautiful and tragic tale of friendship at its core. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Violence

Minor: Suicide

asafae26's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Violence

ketsia_1412's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, and Vomit

aksmith92's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Body shaming and Sexual violence

jacklynp's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Alcohol