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A review by parmyc
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
5.0
If I had a dollar for every time I compared this book to The Secret History in my head, I would’ve been so rich, I could pay people to pay more people to buy all The Secret History copies around the world and burn them for me. And there would still be enough money left to pay for an assassin to assassinate you know who… anyway
I’m not gonna compare IWWV to TSH because that would be unfair to IWWV. Why would I compare such a great novel to an excuse of a story with no actual plot that wasted so many ink and trees to exist like literally what was the fucking poin—
I started reading both of these books with the intention of reading about a bunch of scholars doing nasty stuff while being obsessed with literature. Unfortunately for Donna Tartt, only one of them succeeded in giving me the pleasure of reading what I was looking for.
If we were villains, gave me everything The secret history didn’t (because it couldn’t!!!):
Strong build-up? Check.
Valid context of their career and classes? Check.
The thrill I expected to feel? Check.
Murder Complexity and enough Drama? Double check.
Characters I actually fell in love with? Without feeling like everything is overplayed? While focusing on all the 7 characters and not just one of them because god knows why I would do that? Triple Check.
I was impressed. I really was. How everything happened exactly when they were supposed to happen, how I didn’t trust any of them (even the MC) for almost half of the book, how they kept me on my toes wondering who is hiding what and why. I loved their plays, the passion they had for Shakespeare, how they were so tangled with him sometimes they couldn’t get out of their roles.
The characters? I loved them all! Even Richard who was a dick at times still had my love and respect. James I loved the most. Probably. because I’m not sure whether I loved him more than Oliver or not. Oliver, the best narrator for such story, was witty and sarcastic enough to make me fall in love for his stupid romantic ass from the beginning. Alexander, the apple of my eye, reminded me of Jesper in SOC so much.
Meredith, Flippa and Wren: I couldn’t help but compare them to Camilla, the only female figure in TSH. These three, unlike Camilla, had something to say! They had sharp wits and bright minds! Neither of them was overplayed nor downsized.
In conclusion, all the bad and hateful critiques goes to The secret history because honestly, fuck that book. There goes literally nothing.
If we were villains will be my new personality for the next 6 months or maybe more because this shit deserves it.
I’m not gonna compare IWWV to TSH because that would be unfair to IWWV. Why would I compare such a great novel to an excuse of a story with no actual plot that wasted so many ink and trees to exist like literally what was the fucking poin—
I started reading both of these books with the intention of reading about a bunch of scholars doing nasty stuff while being obsessed with literature. Unfortunately for Donna Tartt, only one of them succeeded in giving me the pleasure of reading what I was looking for.
If we were villains, gave me everything The secret history didn’t (because it couldn’t!!!):
Strong build-up? Check.
Valid context of their career and classes? Check.
The thrill I expected to feel? Check.
Murder Complexity and enough Drama? Double check.
Characters I actually fell in love with? Without feeling like everything is overplayed? While focusing on all the 7 characters and not just one of them because god knows why I would do that? Triple Check.
I was impressed. I really was. How everything happened exactly when they were supposed to happen, how I didn’t trust any of them (even the MC) for almost half of the book, how they kept me on my toes wondering who is hiding what and why. I loved their plays, the passion they had for Shakespeare, how they were so tangled with him sometimes they couldn’t get out of their roles.
The characters? I loved them all! Even Richard who was a dick at times still had my love and respect. James I loved the most. Probably. because I’m not sure whether I loved him more than Oliver or not. Oliver, the best narrator for such story, was witty and sarcastic enough to make me fall in love for his stupid romantic ass from the beginning. Alexander, the apple of my eye, reminded me of Jesper in SOC so much.
Meredith, Flippa and Wren: I couldn’t help but compare them to Camilla, the only female figure in TSH. These three, unlike Camilla, had something to say! They had sharp wits and bright minds! Neither of them was overplayed nor downsized.
In conclusion, all the bad and hateful critiques goes to The secret history because honestly, fuck that book. There goes literally nothing.
If we were villains will be my new personality for the next 6 months or maybe more because this shit deserves it.