book review if we were villains

• ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

IF WE WERE VILLAINS

by M.L. Rio ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2017

This novel about obsession at the conservatory will thoroughly obsess you.

For a clique of aspiring Shakespearean actors at an elite arts academy, the line between performance and reality dissolves, with disastrous results.

In the prologue to this bloody, melodramatic, suspenseful debut novel, we meet former drama student Oliver Marks, now finishing up a 10-year prison sentence. He is visited by the cop who brought him to justice on the eve of his retirement, asking if Marks will finally tell him the truth of what happened that night at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. He agrees to do so after his upcoming release, on the condition that there are no repercussions for revealing his secrets. And so he begins. “Enter the players. There were seven of us then, seven bright young things with wide precious futures ahead of us…surrounded by words and books and poetry, all the fierce passions of the world bound in leather and vellum.” They are in their fourth year, the kings and queens of the campus, dividing among them all the best roles in the productions of Macbeth and Julius Caesar planned for that fall. But as the semester progresses it becomes clear that just as Shakespeare’s language has taken over their speech—they address each other constantly in quotes from the poetry and bits of repartee from the plays—his characters have taken over their souls, and the power struggles, jealousies, and murderous rages that fill the dramas have crossed into their real lives. “I have ransacked Shakespeare’s entire oeuvre with giddy abandon,” Rio confesses in her Author’s Note, managing to cleverly weave a whole new story from the poetry and plots of Macbeth , Caesar , Romeo and Juliet , and King Lear . "Do you blame Shakespeare for any of it?" the retired detective asks the released convict. "I blame him for all of it," the narrator replies.

Pub Date: April 11, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-250-09528-2

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017

LITERARY FICTION | SUSPENSE | SUSPENSE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

Share your opinion of this book

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

More by Max Brooks

BOOK REVIEW

by Max Brooks

More About This Book

BOOK TO SCREEN

THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD

by Claire Lombardo ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

Characters flip between bottomless self-regard and pitiless self-loathing while, as late as the second-to-last chapter, yet...

Four Chicago sisters anchor a sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt.

Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. In the opening scene, Liza Sorenson, daughter No. 3, flirts with a groomsman at her sister’s wedding. “There’s four of you?” he asked. “What’s that like?” Her retort: “It’s a vast hormonal hellscape. A marathon of instability and hair products.” Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. When Wendy, the oldest, sets her sights on a mate, she “made sure she left her mark throughout his house—soy milk in the fridge, box of tampons under the sink, surreptitious spritzes of her Bulgari musk on the sheets.” Turbulent Wendy is the novel’s best character, exuding a delectable bratty-ness. The parents—Marilyn, all pluck and busy optimism, and David, a genial family doctor—strike their offspring as impossibly happy. Lombardo levels this vision by interspersing chapters of the Sorenson parents’ early lean times with chapters about their daughters’ wobbly forays into adulthood. The central story unfurls over a single event-choked year, begun by Wendy, who unlatches a closed adoption and springs on her family the boy her stuffy married sister, Violet, gave away 15 years earlier. (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) Into this churn, Lombardo adds cancer, infidelity, a heart attack, another unplanned pregnancy, a stillbirth, and an office crush for David. Meanwhile, youngest daughter Grace perpetrates a whopper, and “every day the lie was growing like mold, furring her judgment.” The writing here is silky, if occasionally overwrought. Still, the deft touches—a neighborhood fundraiser for a Little Free Library, a Twilight character as erotic touchstone—delight. The class calibrations are divine even as the utter apolitical whiteness of the Sorenson world becomes hard to fathom.

Pub Date: June 25, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-385-54425-2

Page Count: 544

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019

LITERARY FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

SEEN & HEARD

• Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
• News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
• Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
• Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
• Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
• More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
• About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

• Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Contact us: 1-800-316-9361 or email [email protected].

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

Review: ‘If We Were Villains’ leaves readers thinking

Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

With themes of tragedy, dark academia and mystery, M.L. Rio’s “If We Were Villains” creates a story leaving readers thinking about every detail long after finishing the book.

Set in the late 1990s, the main focus is on seven fourth-year students at an arts conservatory’s acting program focused on William Shakespeare. We meet the book’s narrator Oliver in the prologue of Act I, which is set 10 years after the events of those final years at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, throwing the reader into some non-linear storytelling.

The factor that comes into play throughout the book is Shakespeare. There are references, quotes and full-on parallels to the works of the British playwright, specifically in “King Lear” as it’s performed in the book.

Through Oliver’s point of view, the reader sees events unfold with other characters and their relationship dynamic with him. The entire book contains a mystery looming over the pages, as the very first time we meet Oliver is him getting out of prison. The reader now has to figure out how Oliver got to where he is now.

Some might consider the “If We Were Villains” narrator unreliable , but Oliver’s perspective should be taken with a grain of salt.  Rather, it is up to the reader whether to think like Oliver or not.

The layout of the story is much like a play itself to tie together the drama. In the five acts, each scene presents as chapters, making solving the book’s mystery well-paced.

The story provides small details of foreshadowing and parallels that lead to the ultimate conclusion that Oliver, while in jail for Richard’s murder, is not responsible.

Rio is clever in connecting dots that are hard to see. For example, a repeated comment the characters in the novel make is that Richard, who plays King Lear in their current production, dies in Act III. It is no coincidence when Richard himself dies in the third act of this book.

What makes the book the obsessive read that it is, has to be the connections between the characters.

There is a sense of found family between the seven of them as the environment of this college equivalent is competitive but tight-knit. The characters are surrounded by like-minded individuals and fellow actors, and it shows in how they interact.

While each character is a clear example of the tortured artist trope, all of the actors are type-casted in roles that become a highlight of their personality: James; the hero, Oliver; his sidekick, Meredith; the femme fatale, Alexander; the villain, and so the list goes on.

Becoming attached to the characters and how they all speak to each other is easy because they all understand how important their words are as actors and people. Rio does an amazing job portraying the different levels of passion and work ethic these characters hold.

Probably the most well-done aspect of “If We Were Villains” has to be the relationship between James and Oliver. The two boys were roommates the entirety of their time at Dellecher and bonded in more ways than just best friends.

As the story unfolds, the reader can observe the characters were in love, willing to do anything for one another.

In the last act, it is no surprise when the truth reveals James is the real culprit behind Richard’s murder. By this point in the book, it just makes sense that Oliver would take his love’s blame.

The real gut-wrenching moment comes in the epilogue. Oliver is out of prison, ready to see James after the time he served in his place, but that’s not possible as James is said to have taken his own life in the time they were apart.

The reader gets one last taste of what might have been between James and Oliver through the letter James left him, and there lies Rio’s cliffhanger. Up to the reader now, they decide whether they believe James is still alive or not.

“If We Were Villains” does not have a dull moment as every page holds relevance to the story, whether through how the characters connect or how Shakespeare shaped them all to be, details are not something to skim. It is a book that will leave you thinking for days even after it is all over.

[email protected]

You may also like

Frontier Fiesta 101: How to prepare

Ask the Cougar: Dealing with being ghosted...

Frontier Fiesta announces JID as headliner of the 2024...

Budget Baddies, part 4: The radical

Abusive privacy policies in video games a grim sign...

Indomitable: UH student barrels through injury...

Leave a comment x.

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (Review by Marie Nguyen)

Rating: 4.8/5*

4.8/5 For M.L. Rio’s debut novel, it’s impressive how she brought together so many intriguing elements into If We Were Villains. The novel transitions between the day Oliver Marks is released from jail and ten years previous, when he was a student at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. Oliver, along with six of his friends, was a theater student living and breathing Shakespeare – each one of the seven consistently cast in defining roles: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, and extra. The blurring of lines amongst these roles in the first part of the novel is the trigger by which their own Shakespeare-like tragedy unfolds. In the beginning, we see how incredibly tight-knit (and sometimes uncomfortably so) this small group of friends is and how it all slowly starts to unravel, leading towards the murder of one of the seven and its aftermath.

I found it hard to classify this complex novel into any one category. I could see this being a great young adult or contemporary read, while having plenty of suspense and references to Shakespeare. I really liked the splitting of the book into acts, where much of the dialogue between characters flows as if part of a written script.

I didn’t connect personally with the characters, they’re very uniquely drawn from character types from Shakespeare, but their larger-than-life personalities still drew me in by how their relationships evolved. The ending was what really clinched the near five star rating for me, it was smartly written and executed as a final act in the tragedy. If We Were Villains has depth and intelligence, while holding you at the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next – like many of the best plays.

Check it out on Amazon

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Review: ‘If We Were Villains’ by M. L. Rio

B y combining a modern gothic setting, a group of believably flawed characters and a cruel use of foreshadowing, M. L. Rio’s debut novel, If We Were Villains, manages to tell a haunting tale of modern tragedy in a classic Shakespearean fashion. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite books from the past year as it tells a story with crushing consequences and an uncontrollable trajectory I was constantly willing to turn out well.

In brief, If We Were Villains is the story of Oliver Marks and his close knit group of fellow fourth year students at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. Each of them are actors but despite being constantly cast in the same roles on stage, shock and discomfort follow as they discover who they truly are off-stage. With each other they have no secrets but when everything is laid bare, their love turns bitter and they have nowhere to hide. A death in the group has unseen repercussions that threaten to tear each of them apart unless they can find solace in each other’s company, which is easier said than done.

What initially drew me to If We Were Villains was the title. I love the idea it expresses. It hints at the chaos which can ensue from betrayal and broken bonds and seemed to have a sinister appeal despite filling me with an immediate sense of dread.

Overall though, the complexity in the narrative is what kept me turning the pages well past a healthy limit

Rio opens the narrative on the day Oliver is released from prison, ten years on from his final year at Dellecher. However, it is not yet clear how or why he has ended up in this position. Rio’s structure is cruel on the reader, playing with their expectations and fears. Each ‘Act’ begins with a scene from the present day and while in the first couple of acts I didn’t spare much time for these glimpses of the future, it soon took all my effort not to scream in frustration as Oliver reveals all that led up to his final fate. Rio shows how foreshadowing can and should be used and it adds to the overriding tension of the novel without giving anything away.

Overall though, the complexity in the narrative is what kept me turning the pages well past a healthy limit. It is impossible not to feel some sense of affection for each of Oliver’s group. Behind their facades, they are each weak in their own right, leaving them open to abuse and exploitation. They only have each other to lean on when they are inevitably brought to ruin – a scary prospect because as young people, it is far too easy to relate to.

Helplessness was the overriding feeling that each new page inspired. The realisation that events are spiralling out of control grows over the course of the plot and there is something eerily fragile about the relationships in this novel which makes disharmony an even more terrifying concept.

As a new student about to move to university, Rio’s novel filled me with hope for the friendships such a close proximity can build

As the title suggests, the plot focuses on the role of the villain yet there is never a clear distinction. Every character has their secrets and none are truly the innocents that they at first might appear. There is no simple explanation of what triggers events to turn sour and culminate in murder but what’s more important to understanding the characters is the repercussions that strike the group. Everything they have built is threatened and Oliver becomes truly lonely even in his friends’ company.

As a new student about to move to university, Rio’s novel filled me with hope for the friendships such a close proximity can build but also terrified me as the tragedy approached its conclusion. It is a powerful novel which made me want to open up to others around me, but also built defence mechanisms into my mind. Maybe it wasn’t the perfect novel to read before going off to meet new people, but nonetheless, this is a story that drew a genuine response from me as a reader,  which I think serves as a testament to the skill in Rio’s writing. This is a stunning novel with a dark and sinister beauty that will make you question everything you know.

Comments are closed here.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

This doesn’t usually happen, but I got If We Were Villains as a recommendation from an aesthetic thread. Despite starting a thread myself, I tend to not go on just aesthetic tweets about whether or not I’ll like the book because hey, it’s called aesthetics for a reason. The plot could be something terrible, awful characters, but that’s some damn good lighting in that picture of a forest. So when I saw a tweet about If We Were Villains , a book I’d never heard of, I tried to keep a level head despite it being exactly my kind of book.

If We Were Villains basically feels like The Secret History , except it’s not as long winded, and the characters are actually likeable. I do see the appeal of unlikable characters when done properly (and I did like The Secret History), but it does take a lot of effort to enjoy reading about a whole cast of characters that I could very easily punch in the face. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case for the Shakespearean actors of Dellecher Classical Conservatory and I only mildly disliked Oliver Marks, our protagonist and narrator.

A lot of the novel just happened too. Of course, that’s how a novel works, but because it was a ‘murder mystery’, I expected more to happen surrounding that fact. But actually, it was more about getting over the death of one of their frenemies while being suspicious of each other. But because the death is ruled as accidental, and because Oliver didn’t even like the person who dies in the first place, the story mostly takes place while some are recovering from the trauma whilst also dealing with other traumatic things which, sometimes were a little dramatic…but then I remembered I was reading about a bunch of Shakespeare actors who are surrounded by dancers and philosophers and Latin majors. There’s gonna be some drama.

A big thing for me when finding recs is checking up on Goodreads to see what people have tagged the book. I don’t know if this is a normal thing to do, but I like to see just in case people have tagged it something that I really don’t like or aren’t into. I also use it to see whether a book is LGBT or not. It’s actually quite frustrating when you decide to read something that readers claim have rep and it technically doesn’t, but it’s also important that sometimes other readers are unreliable. I’ve read books that so many people have labelled LGBT when what they really mean is one background character with two lines mentions they’re gay. While I’m not denying the rep, it’s another thing to call the book an LGBT book. A book shouldn’t get kudos for letting LGBT people merely exist in their fictional world.

For about 80% of If We Were Villains , I was pissed off at these labels on Goodreads. I felt like I’d been Punk’d. There is one canon gay character, and everything else is up to interpretation. However, the ending is what makes this book, and so I gotta give the other readers who tagged it LGBT credit. This is a novel that does lead up to an interesting finale, but please don’t pick this up because you’re looking for more LGBT rep; there is better, healthy, and well-written queer novels that don’t make you pick it up on false pretences. At the same time, I can see where other readers are coming from.

If you like reading about post rich kids having problems a la The Secret History and The Riot Club, then If We Were Villains is for you. If you enjoy good LGBT+ rep that isn’t sad and kind of same-y, then don’t come to this book expecting it.

On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it.

Ten years ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extra. But in their fourth and final year, the balance of power begins to shift, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent.

Publisher: Titan/Flatiron Books Release Date: April 2017 Goodreads

Bookshop  •  waterstones  •  hive  •  blackwells, share this:, other posts you might like, comments (2).

tasya @ the literary huntress

April 21, 2018 at 4:44 pm

I’ve been seeing this book a lot on my local bookstore and it always seem to be calling me… I mean it has a black pages! I’m glad you love it and I can’t wait to read it myself! I agree, unlikeable characters can feel like a chore to read, but if it’s done really well, it will boost the reading experience!

Yaiza @ Ravenclaw Book Club

May 25, 2018 at 12:11 pm

Fantastic review!! I love The Secret History and have seen so many people compare this to it that I’m definitely going to pick it up eventually. Good point about the queer rep too!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Bright We Burn by Kiersten White

Satellite by Nick Lake

• Member Login
• Library Patron Login

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR

FREE NEWSLETTERS

Search: Title Author Article Search String:

BookBrowse Reviews If We Were Villains by M L. Rio

Summary  |  Excerpt  |  Reading Guide  |  Reviews  |  Beyond the book  |  Read-Alikes  |  Genres & Themes  |  Author Bio

If We Were Villains

by M L. Rio

Critics' Opinion:

Readers' Opinion:

• Literary Fiction
• Midwest, USA
• Contemporary

Rate this book

About this Book

• Reading Guide
• Media Reviews
• Reader Reviews

A captivating story of the enduring power and passion of words that asks do we adopt the role of hero or villain, or is the role assigned to us?

22 out of 28 of our reviewers rated If We Were Villains four or five stars, giving it an overall grade of 4.4. What it's about : If We Were Villains raises questions of loyalty, sacrifice and selfishness. And the question remains, do we adopt the role of hero or villain, or is the role assigned to us? (Carol S) We meet the novel's protagonist, Oliver Marks, the day he is released from incarceration, ten years after being sentenced for a crime he may not have committed: the murder of a fellow classmate at an elite theater arts school. We also encounter the policeman who was instrumental in sending him to prison and who, as it happens, has never been completely satisfied that the right person was convicted. As Oliver narrates his story we gradually learn what led to the death of one of seven very talented students in the Shakespeare program (Anna S). There are many layers to be peeled back before the truth is uncovered. There are heroes and damsels, tragedy and comedy, lovers and friends (Rebecca L). The story is part murder mystery, part unrequited love story, and part tale of the consequences of obsession - all the elements one would find in one of the Bard's classics (Diana C). Many readers mentioned the riveting murder mystery at the book's core : The tension held taut until the final page (Susan L). As with any good mystery, there are many plausible suspects (Anna S). The suspense builds toward the end of the book, with expert foreshadowing delivered in the Bard's own words, delivered by each potential murderer (Jackie W). Every page you wonder if this is when you'll learn what really happened (John W). The mystery kept me guessing until the reveal (Carol N). This is so cleverly done, even as you read the last page, you're saying, "Wait! WHAAAAT?" (Judy K). Several readers agreed that the group dynamics were a highlight: What a treat it was to read this dramatic debut novel, with each character so well rendered that one can virtually step into this circle of friends and join them as one of the characters in their Shakespearean school performances (Jackie W). There is certainly plenty of drama in the plot, but as with any good drama, the characters drive the story (Molly B) . The book is a gripping examination of the roles that individuals adopt as part of a group that is as close as, or closer than family (Carol S). We learn so much about these characters, not only from the roles they play but in how they treat each other, how they behave when their loyalty is tested (Diane S). One of the things I loved most about this book was how well it portrayed that love and hate are on the same spectrum of emotion, and if you feel one it is very easily turned to the other side of the spectrum when a person is pushed to their limit (Rebecca L). The story is told in five acts and the characters play the roles common in all Shakespeare's works – the hero, villain, tyrant and the femme fatale. The author has made each of the characters genuine, likable, and sympathetic (John W). Even when I did put the book down, the characters didn't leave me (Melinda H). Almost every reviewer mentioned the extensive Shakespeare quotations used throughout the novel : I liked having Shakespeare dialogue inserted, it was very effective (Joyce W). The heavy use of the quotes added an interesting dimension to the characters and the book (Chris W). As the theater student's curriculum centers mostly around Shakespeare, there were many different passages from his various works woven into the story line and the conversations, and I just loved it (Rebecca L). One of the highlights for me in getting acquainted with the characters was "hearing" them converse in quotations from the plays (Anna S). I would recommend brushing up on your Shakespeare as I was more than a bit rusty and had to pause several times to do a bit of quick side research to reacquaint with plots, characters etc (Shaun D). Some readers did feel the book had a slow start, partially due to the strong emphasis on Shakespeare's works : I found the novel plodding and difficult to connect with (Bonnie B). The plot of the book was dragged down for me by my lack of interest in Shakespeare. The character development and pace were slow and lacking (Leah M). The book will not be for everyone. It requires at least a rudimentary knowledge of Shakespeare (there's a reference to Shakespeare on nearly every page), and in the beginning, requires close attention to keep track of the players (Jill S). At the end of 40 pages, I was thinking of dumping this book and not finishing it, that it was not my kind of book (Dorinne D). Recommended especially for book groups, mystery fans, Shakespeare aficionados and admirers of Donna Tartt's The Secret History : Creative arts-focused book groups take note! Here is a novel that will excite your discussion with its many layered references to the classics, the art of theater, and the coming of age of a group of earnest and dedicated young actors (Claire M). I think this book will be a surefire hit with book clubs! (Anna S). If you're into the Bard, then you've hit the jackpot. If you like a good mystery, a good story, then you, too, will enjoy this book (Judy K). Excellent for Shakespeare lovers and fans of gripping tales (Susan L). I have already recommended this book to a friend who enjoys reading Shakespeare (Dorinne D). This novel is clever in the way that Donna Tartt's The Secret History is clever -- expertly layered, gradually revealing its secrets. Take that book, merge it with Shakespeare, and you have a thriller that takes "literary" to a new level (Jill S). Overall the book garnered rave reviews from our members : She has an incredible gift for prose. I can hardly wait for her next book! (Melinda H). If We Were Villains is an incredible read even if you are not a Shakespeare fan (John W). I loved every minute of it, thought it was brilliantly done, and was thoroughly captivated by the players and curious how it would end. A very special, well-thought-out, and well-executed debut novel (Diane S). This is one of the most intriguing, intricate and clever novels I've read in a long while. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it (Shaun D). I am still thinking about it days after finishing it (Chris W). If I could give If We Were Villains in excess of 5 stars, I would (Diana C).

• "Beyond the Book" articles
• Free books to read and review (US only)
• Find books by time period, setting & theme
• Read-alike suggestions by book and author
• Book club discussions
• and much more!
• Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
• More about membership!

Beyond the Book:    Shakespeare by Any Other Name

Read-alikes.

• Genres & Themes

If you liked If We Were Villains, try these:

Eight Perfect Murders

by Peter Swanson

Published 2021

About this book

More by this author

From the hugely talented author of Before She Knew Him comes a chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction's most ingenious murders.

Saving Hamlet

by Molly Booth

Published 2017

A teenager working on her high school's production of Hamlet and falls through the stage trap door, into the basement of The Globe Playhouse in 1601.

Support BookBrowse

Join our inner reading circle, go ad-free and get way more!

Find out more

BookBrowse Book Club

Members Recommend

The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim

A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.

The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson

From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.

Win This Book

The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.

Solve this clue:

and be entered to win..

Your guide to exceptional           books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email.

If We Were Villains

by M.L. Rio

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio has all the ingredients to make an English-teacher-theatre-nerd-true-crime-clown (quite) happy: an elite Hogwarts style arts school, big chunky-chunks of Shakespeare and MMMMUUUUURRRRRDDDDDEEEERRRRR.

As the blurb states, Oliver Marks (a nice guy) has just been released from prison after ten years for a crime he may or may not have committed. The detective who put him away is approaching retirement and wants to know the truth. This premise serves as the framework in which Oliver can tell his story from ten years earlier (pretty simple literary device). Upon his release they return to the exclusive Dellecher Classical Conservatory in Broadwater, Illinois. There they retrace the steps of his fourth year as one of only seven acting students (studying and performing exclusively Shakespeare – have you ever heard of such a thing?) who are all friends and good-natured rivals. As readers, we go back in time to the charmed life these students led until tragedy strikes.

Instead of chapters, the book is divided into acts and scenes (ah yes, like a play, very clever) and the words of Shakespeare are shrewdly woven into the plot and dialogue. I loved the descriptions of performances of Macbeth and Julius Caesar, and the set design of King Lear is stellar. The story moves along nicely and despite some unnecessarily poncey language, it is an accessible and compelling read that is vividly written. At times I found the Shakespeare dialogue a bit heavy-handed and long-winded and the symbolism the tiniest bit forced (which I recognise is RICH coming from an English teacher, but well, it be what it be).

This novel explores intricate rivalries amongst friends, the age-old theme from the bard himself – appearance versus reality and what it is to love and be jealous. It is fascinating, thrilling at times, somewhat pretentious and carefully crafted – well worth a read.

Other reviews

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Share review.

Free downloadable reading journal

Download your free printable reading journal.

Welcome to our cosy, nerdy online bookshelf! Join our happy book community and discover a world of books with us.

Connect with us

Privacy Policy   |  Terms & Conditions

I Would Rather Be Reading

my life as a bibliophile

Book Review: If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

There has been an interesting trend so far this year with my reading, in that the first novel I read in a given month is mind-blowingly phenomenal. For January, it was If Cats Disappeared From The World by Genki Kawamura , and then for February, it was Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward . While I have been throwing out quite a lot of five-star reviews lately, I just have to rave about the fantastic When We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. This book had me completely addicted from the start, and my only regret is that it took me this long to write a review about the experience! It’s that good! While it has been some time since I read a work of dark academia, I fear this may become my new obsession (recommend some others please).

If We Were Villains is set at a prestigious arts college called Dellecher, and as our protagonist reflects, it “was less an academic institution than a cult.” Oliver Marks and his six fellow theatre students are going into their fourth and final year, and getting to this point has not been an easy road. To say these students are experts in Shakespeare is an understatement; Oliver and his friends have spent the last three years truly immersing themselves in the works of the Bard, where normal conversations can suddenly transition into Shakespearean quotes. Words from the plays drip like honey from their mouths, and sometimes, they have difficulties separating their identities from the characters they portray on the stage. Over the years, Oliver and his friends have typically been typecast into certain roles based on their personalities (ingenue, temptress, hero, sidekick, villain, tyrant, chameleon), and their final year proves to be quite special, for they are performing Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. But then a change is made to the casting, setting in motion a chain of events that turn fiction into reality. Hearts will be broken, a life lost, and soon Oliver’s life will be transformed into a tragedy of its own.

“Actors are by nature volatile-alchemic creatures composed of incendiary elements, emotion, and ego and envy. Heat them up, stir them together, and sometimes you get gold. Sometimes disaster.”

If We Were Villains is such an intricate, multi-faceted novel that I’m sure I missed so much that I’ll have to do a reread in the near future. It can be enjoyed as a tragedy, a suspense thriller, and as a romance (although we don’t realize that one right away). The seven main characters were just as unique as they were similar, speaking in a language so like our own, but so very different instead. Their complete infatuation of William Shakespeare, of poetry, of words, creates a whole new world that only they are living and we feel like an audience watching everything slowly unfold.

This book has been written so beautifully, and I loved every word of it. It was such a delight in the complete immersion of Shakespearean dialogue, with these characters alternating between modern speech and prose as easily as taking a breath. The author does a wonderful job of structuring this novel into a five-act tragedy. While this is written as a novel, there are so many clever intricacies, such as when Oliver and his friends are together, the dialogue shifts into reading it out like a play. Such fun inventiveness! This book is so intelligent, so all-consuming, that even if Shakespeare isn’t your jam, it would be hard not to enjoy this one. 

The book is full of tension from the very beginning, as Oliver is telling his story from ten years ahead. You know bad events are going to happen, but you have no clue as to when or to who they will happen. I said this was a tragedy, and it truly is that, right through to the ending. While I have no doubt that many readers will be left unsatisfied by the ending, I can honestly say, it felt perfect to me. Sometimes the right ending to a story doesn’t have to be “Happily Ever After” or even pretty, it just has to feel right in regards to the story that has been told. In this case, I say it was the right ending.  If We Were Villains  is a masterful tale of dark academia, fueling my desire to read more works in the genre. Once again, recommendations are appreciated. Also, much thanks to my lovely wife for getting me this book, as well as her continued support for my little blog.

“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.”

Have you read this book i’d love to know your thoughts let me know with a comment below., share this:, 5 thoughts on “ book review: if we were villains by m. l. rio ”.

This sounds amazing…it’s going on my TBR! I’m trying to do a readthrough of the complete works of Shakespeare this year, so it will fit in nicely. Have you ever read any of the Hogarth Shakespeare books? They’re well-known authors retelling (or otherwise riffing on) Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve read most of them, and they are excellent.

Like Liked by 2 people

I’ve read three of the Hogarth versions: Gap of Time, New Boy, and Vinegar Girl. I thought New Boy was a really interesting take on Othello, being set on a playground with children. I remember enjoying Vinegar Girl as well. I’m having difficulty remembering Gap of Time, but I thought I liked that one too.

That’s so awesome that you’re doing a complete readthrough of Shakespeare. It’s something I want to accomplish at some point.

Like Liked by 1 person

This does sound brilliant, I can’t think of any dark academia titles at all! The Hogarth versions are news to me too, so there’s even more to explore!

I think you would definitely like the Hogarth versions.

Pingback: March 2024 In the Books – I Would Rather Be Reading

Leave a comment Cancel reply

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Review of If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Home » All Reviews » Review of If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

“For someone who loved words as much as I did, it was amazing how often they failed me.”

The story is told from the point of view of Oliver, one of a group of seven students. He is reminiscing and filling in the blanks after serving ten years for the murder of another in his group of seven. Did he really do it? Why? The memories have the fascinating quality of real, often-revisited recollections: they were gilded, sharpened to put unconscious emphasis on certain points, made fuzzier with time in others. There was always a small hint of suspicion that maybe Oliver was still playing a part, that he was in truth an unreliable narrator.

The lives of the students reminded me a little bit of the movie Dead Poets Society in that the group was incredibly close and they were fully immersed in their own way of thinking, up to the fact that it even affected their speech. Where in Dead Poets Society , you see the group often quoting poetry, If We Were Villains finds them using the Bard’s verse to speak truths that they otherwise hide. It is enthralling and made me appreciate Shakespeare, something that is new for me (I’ve never been a fan). The author uses the anger, fear, and desperation felt by the characters to bring the quotes into a different context. Or maybe she uses the quotes to bring a new dimension to the characters?

The characters themselves were engrossing. They were both more and less than the parts they played. There’s the fill-ins who find themselves chameleons onstage and in the group dynamic, the villain, the hero, the love interest, the ingénue, and the antihero. The students play their roles so well it left me wondering if they were, in fact, only acting. And that’s half of the brilliance of If We Were Villains .

There’s a microworld that I was drawn into, one that is very much real to the characters despite being centered around a dead writer. The atmosphere is fascinating: like a play, everything is heightened and larger than life. The stakes are higher, the relationships more intense yet brittle. The break, when it happens, is on an epic scale. This small world suddenly feels huge.

It is difficult to pick one particular thing that made me love the book as much as I did. I can’t take the characters separately from the language, the atmosphere, the pacing. It all moved together so well that there wasn’t a single thing that I didn’t love. From the very first sentence to the final curtain, everything was perfect.

I enjoyed the book so much that I didn’t want it to end. The ending itself, however, was perfect. The story was ended satisfactorily, but with room left to wonder. I continue to find myself thinking about it, questioning my reactions, and moving pieces of the narrative around in my mind.

If We Were Villains is smart and compelling. If you’re looking for a book to suck you in and leave you floored, this one is for you.

If We Were Villains •

Jodie crump, previous post review - vampire: the masquerade: dark prince by keith herber, next post bride by ali hazelwood review, related posts.

Before We Go Blog is a collective of Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Graphic Novel fans from around the world, passionate about providing awesome, enjoyable reviews for anyone who loves a good book!

Quick Links

• All Reviews
• #IndieSpotlight
• Review Policy and Request Form
• Find me on Goodreads

SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© 2024 BEFOREWEGOBLOG. All Rights Reserved.

Build a website. Sell your stuff. Write a blog. And so much more.

Start your website