Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

39 reviews

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

kristinamv's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Murder

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

madalina0_0's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

sleepypandaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

lottie_wolf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

dexlud's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book- This book is honestly one of the best pieces of literature I have consumed in my life. I adored this book, the tension it built so magnificently, the descriptions, the plays. I love how it builds everything up, but everything still goes so fast and smoothly. The layout of ‘Acts’ and ‘Scenes’ made my theatre loving heart cry out! This book needs so much more attention than it already has.

also i’m sorry but James and Oliver’s relationship was SO HEARTWARMING AND CUTE AHHHHHH!

the twist at the end actually made my jaw drop to the floor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual harassment

thequiltyreader's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

3.75

Compelling story and characters. I found the writing style a little verbose at times and must admit to skimming the Shakespeare quotes a few times which is the only reason it's been knocked down on review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

anni_o's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I liked it! I am not a Shakespear Fan and I did not know beforehand that this book was so committed to the bit. I did start to wonder if there were actual real life people who spoke like this...
Anyway! Overall the story was very compelling, and towards the end I was truly glued to the page. I do enjoy a good murder mystery! I also liked the resolution, though;
 

I would have liked to actually know what made Richard like, freak out like that so much. I would have loved to find out what made him escalate. Can't just have been Shakespear or smth. That boy needed therapy badly. I did like that it was a tragedy through and through. You saw it coming and until the end you have a hopeful lil spark going 'I'm sure they'll all be fine'. V nicely played. 

 
One star taken because the citations were really getting on my nerves by the end and I guess I'm really not enough of a theatre nerd for this. I did enjoy myself though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, and Murder

A lot of Shakespear. Like a lot. Only read if you like, really love Shakespear. I'm serious.

shahad_086's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Self harm, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder