A review by readinabyss
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

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

3.5

edit

upgrading the rating to 4 stars after sitting with the book for 1 day

I don't think the mystery is the central or main point of this book, it is the tragedy of it all, best described by this quote
“But that is how a tragedy like ours or King Lear breaks your heart—by making you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute.”


I liked this book, it has the same beats as the secret history while being a very different book.
I think this is for people who know Shakespeare very well, to understand references and quotes and the way the story flows with the different plays as they are enacted by the characters and how the line between their own personalities and that of the characters they play, blur. As for me I know some of the plays, so when they were referenced, I was able to get more from the story than the other times when I did not know a play well or did not remember the quotes.
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