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A review by youreawizardjerry
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
1.75
Damn, didn't love it like I thought I would.
I found that the prose & dialogue lacked subtlety, the relationships lacked depth,(wanted more out of the Filippa and The Marks family situations, and wished Rio added some additional concrete Oliver/James' development instead of getting this nebulous gray area of consistently telling rather than showing. I get it you're paralleling theater but it's not theater you gotta SHOW ME. Granted there are a few showcasings of their questioning relationship but enough to take the fall for a murder charge? No way. I could believe that Oliver had feelings for James (barely) but wasn't sold through the text that he would give up everything for him. Just wasn't well done imo.) and overall that the book lacked gay! LOL
I want my money back, there's like hardly any gay at all, dude! *Kevin Sorbo Hercules voice* DISAAAPPOINTED.
If you dig dark academia, predictability, and frankly one-dimensional characters (brief mentions about bad parents is the extent of most of them) that will break into Shakepearean quotes at every given chance, boy is this the read for you.
In all fairness, this book is for the theater folk. Those that will find the references and structure endearing and commendable and thats genuinely lovely, but for me (not-a-theater-folk) taking it solely from a narrative-standpoint-- it was cliché, YA tropey, and superficial. I liked it in theory, but it wasn't a satisfying read.
I found that the prose & dialogue lacked subtlety, the relationships lacked depth,
I want my money back, there's like hardly any gay at all, dude! *Kevin Sorbo Hercules voice* DISAAAPPOINTED.
If you dig dark academia, predictability, and frankly one-dimensional characters (brief mentions about bad parents is the extent of most of them) that will break into Shakepearean quotes at every given chance, boy is this the read for you.
In all fairness, this book is for the theater folk. Those that will find the references and structure endearing and commendable and thats genuinely lovely, but for me (not-a-theater-folk) taking it solely from a narrative-standpoint-- it was cliché, YA tropey, and superficial. I liked it in theory, but it wasn't a satisfying read.