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incefloscen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicide
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Rape, and Vomit
thewinterizzy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape
aquariusvintage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicide, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
foxo_cube's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Right, so, first, I will say that I do think Rio is a talented writer: she has a huge vocabulary and knows how to use it. Her love of Shakespeare shines through - something I don't have in common with her, but which I can't help but appreciate. Inexplicably, she has a real knack for writing convincing, yet incredibly elegant, sexual tension, which I know is terribly specific, but what can I say? I rarely come across sexual tension in books that I find draws me in like that. The framed narrative is done really well, and the Acts and Scenes as chapter divisions is a cute touch. These reasons are why I give the book the stars I have given it.
Unfortunately, a talent for sentence construction does not always come with a talent for storytelling. The characters are flat and while I think what she's going for is a cool concept, it just didn't do it for me. I love a good descent into madness and blurring of the lines between reality and imagination, but I feel it necessitates a greater depth of character to work than what we're given.
This is my main issue with the book: we have seven main characters, and maaaybe seven personality traits between them.
We have Richard, who is aggressive. Meredith is sexy. Alexander is gay (vaguely implied to be bi at one point) and smokes weed. Nobody gives a shit about Filippa. James... exists. Wren also exists, but barely. And Oliver is into James, and also sort of Meredith, but only really because she is, as we have established, very sexy. All of them quote Shakespeare at any time, any place, even those that are grossly inappropriate moments to quote one's favourite media. Thing is, these characters just aren't very likeable. I know what it's like to have interests that are niche and which I absolutely breathe, and I've always hovered on the lower end of any social hierarchy, yet even I felt an overwhelming urge to bully these people. It took half the book for me to remember who was who aside from Meredith and Richard because they have the strongest personalities (and because I have a Caterpie on Pokemon Go called Meredith and my grandad's called Richard).
That the characters are so flat ruined the plot because nobody really has any motivation behind their actions. Oliver's into Meredith because she's sexy. Richard starts committing random acts of violence and it's implied it's because he's mad about a casting decision and everyone aside from Meredith is surprisingly unbothered
A nitpicky thing that shouldn't bother me, but absolutely did, was that this is an arts school that's incredibly prestigious and well-known for the high quality of its alumni and the shows put on by the students are really popular. That's all good, whatever. But this group of fourth-years - these people who have survived the culling of students that happens every academic year - because they can't stop harming each other or kissing each other or whatever when they're meant to be performing a play. And yeah, I know it's meant to be because they're so into their roles or whatever, but the lack of professionalism should have been trained out of them at that point, surely? I mean, you'd think the reputation of the university would at least be marred for some time after the second scandalous loss of control on the actors' part during a performance in half an academic year, but it's never mentioned. I'm not enough of a romantic for this, am I?
Even more insignificant nitpick: this school has no costume degree. There's a costumers' department, but who are they? Do they outsource them? Their set design is in-house, made by students studying set design, but the costumers are like the wallpaper - a given. Unless they're meant to be the art students? Ugh, art (assuming it's fine art, because it's never specified) and costume design are different enough disciplines, let alone costume <i>making</i>. That's a whole additional skillset.
Okay, back to a piece of criticism I have that's actually relevant. So, Meredith's sexy, right? And she and Oliver start sleeping together
Honestly, the way women are written in general is a bit iffy. It's not like the men are especially fleshed out, but Oliver seems to see women as slightly strange, foreign creatures. It's one of those things where maybe that's how Rio thinks men see women, and she's trying to convey this as one of Oliver's flaws, but if so, it has so little bearing on the story in any way that it seems more like the author's bias than the character's. Women with eating disorders, confirmed or implied, are described oddly viciously.
I think the last thing that I'll mention is the inexplicable "gateway drug" story arc. Alexander smokes weed all the time and gives the other characters spliffs from time to time. I'm not exactly experienced when it comes to consuming intoxicating substances, particularly illegal ones, but even to me, the way it's spoken about is rather... quaint. Very "Teehee, Alexander's always a little stoned, but from time to time, even we partake in a little puff!". But then, out of nowhere, Alexander's on the cocaine! I mean, honestly, bunch of kids in a posh twat art school, I'm surprised they aren't all on the stuff. There's a little falling-out between Oliver and Alexander which just doesn't really go anywhere until Alexander gives him the spiked spliff, and then, later on again, overdoses on something. Was it deliberate? Was it an accident? We don't find out and nobody seems interested to know. It's just sort of put in there and then Alexander's like "No more illegal substances for me!" and that's the end of that. I suppose Alexander's drug storyline facilitates Oliver's equally narratively-unimportant rape, and, like Wren's mental breakdown (which also doesn't really go anywhere), shows that Alexander's not doing too well.
This certainly has been one of the most frustrating books I've read in a long time, which is a shame. The concept is great and it's so clearly a labour of love, but I found it predictable and dull and just couldn't bring myself to like it.
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide and Grief
li_reading's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
With characters you cannot help but love, while driving you to hair-pulling frustration, Rio weaves the line of morality wonderfully. As the characters are drawn into the world of Shakespeare, you are drawn into theirs.
Just when you think you have it figured out, Rio pulls the rug out from under you, time and time again, ending with a finale that will leave you in a daze.
The intricacies of language Rio uses tell the reader exactly what is going to happen, while still maintaining tension, is genius. Upon re-reading the book you will find yourself laughing out loud at how boldly she spelled it all out.
If We Were Villains is a book you can sink your teeth into, and I intend to, many times over.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Eating disorder, Racism, and Rape
holyloewe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Rape
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Transphobia, and Vomit
Slut shaming. Overdose (non-graphic, non-POV character). Date rape/assault "jokes"; various bigoted comments and similes (one use of the G slur, "sex change" joke, descriptions such as "like a slave trader at auction" and "savage tribal drum beat"). Weird handling of EDs and addiction.librarychild's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
To list a few:
- The story was predictable
- It relied way too heavily on quotes. It was excessive and a lot of the time did nothing to further the plot.
- It felt like Meredith's only personality traits were being sexy and angry. Super two dimensional in my opinion, and honestly this goes for all the female characters. They did not feel fleshed out and sometimes I felt it was downright mysoginistic.
- The treatment of illnesses like drug addiction and eating disorders was not done in a way that felt purposeful to the plot or sensitive to readers.
- We get background info about the characters but most of it is never to be mentioned again. Felt unnecessary
- The date rape joke!! Unacceptable to me. Act 2 Scene 8. No thank you.
- The formating of dialogue as: 'Character name: "dialogue". Character name: "dialogue"' was distracting and felt lazy
And that's just what I can think of at the top of my head. I sort of regret not writing down every moment that made me feel this way while I was reading it. Was so close to DNFing it so many times.
So while the premise of the book sounded great to me in theory, I just can't justify anything over 2.5 stars.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Drug abuse and Eating disorder
Minor: Rape
yvy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault