#detective colborne

[areyouboredyet05]

Is it scary that I find pieces of myself in James

#if we were villains #james farrow #oliver marks #detective colborne #literature

[poppletonink]

Review: If We Were Villains

★★★★★ - 5 stars

"You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough."

Oliver Marks has finally been released from prison, after serving 10 years for a crime he didn't commit. As Detective Colborne goes into retirement, he wants to know the story - the real story - of what happened. 10 years ago, there were seven. Seven friends making their way through their final year of university together. Seven drama students living in their respective Shakespeare roles on and off stage. There were seven, until one was found dead in the aftermath of altercations caused by changes to the casting list. However, for the remaining six, they found that the play was only just beginning; convincing everyone around them, and each other, that they are innocent of murder may just be their greatest acting challenge yet.

You say Shakespeare gays and Dark Academia murder gang in one book and you have my undivided attention... It's September and in my world September means Autumn and Autumn, well, Autumn means I become emotionally attached to oversized jumpers and addicted to Dark Academia. That's how we ended up here, where I became completely and utterly addicted to If We Were Villains.

This book is the dictionary definition of pain and you go through the seven stages of grief. At several points I genuinely wanted to kill Richard myself and at other times I was on the verge of tears with my Shakespeare-obsessed "If I Killed Someone For You" type of tragic lovers. The foreshadowing was immaculate, but also so subtle that it's near impossible to predict (unless you actually are Sherlock Holmes). To summarise, M.L. Rio's writing is beautiful, heartbreaking and hilarious all in one - it's completely and utterly wonderful, and astounding that this is only her debut.

Unlike in Donna Tartt's The Secret History, a reasonable point of comparison (just with more Shakespeare in the case of If We Were Villains), the characters were actually bearable. Almost everyone in this book (excluding Richard) are characters you can genuinely sympathize with and feel emotions other than an extreme need to throw a chair at their head. It's definitely a large part of what makes If We Were Villains so emotionally difficult to read - you become attached to the characters and then have to witness them undergo all sorts of physical and emotional pain. Yet, it's also undoubtedly what makes it so thrilling to read; your love of the characters makes you turn the page or think "I'll just read one more chapter".

It's commonplace in the dark academia community to describe the aesthetic (and the books) as a whole as 'be gay, do crime'. If We Were Villains is this phrase in summary. It's a tragic love story, it's a tale of murder and pain and it has pretentious drama students who quote Shakespeare as though it's a common turn of phrase. Buy it, read it, love it - that is what I implore you to do.

#iwwv #if we were villains #dark academia books #books #dark academia #dark academia blog #dark academic aesthetic #book blog #booklr #readblr #book reccs #book recommendations #bookaddict #bookblr #books and reading #book review #iwwv review #iwwv spoilers #iwwv aesthetic #tsh #the secret history #dark acadamia aesthetic #dark academia vibes #dark academism #dark acamedia #shakespeare #william shakespeare #lgbtq #gay #tragedy

[welivetodream]

The Secret History × If We Were Villains

Where it's just Detective Colborne finding Richard and asking him about the two murders and Henry Winter's suicide.

Colborne: So you also did all this for the person you loved?

Richard: Nah, I did it for the 💫 Aesthetics💫

Colborne, to himself: this one is even worse than Oliver Marks.

#tsh #the secret history #if we were villains #iwwv #dark academia #choatic academia #richard papen #henry winter #oliver marks #tsh memes #iwwv spoilers

[noemyreads]

if we were villains - m. l. rio

synopsis

oliver marks has just served a ten year sentence in prison for a murder he may or may not have committed. on the day of his release, he is sought after by the man who was responsible for arresting him. detective colborne is about to retire, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

seven young actors study shakespeare at a top arts college, oliver and his friends play the same roles both on stage and in real life: hero, villain, tyrant, seductress, maiden, extras, but when the casting changes and secondary characters steal the place of the stars, the plays begin to take a dangerous dip in reality, and one of the friends is found dead. the rest then face the biggest theatrical challenge of their lives: convincing the police (and each other) that they are innocent.

"do you blame shakespeare for some of the things that happened?" "I blame him for everything."

my opinion

at first, the narrative bothered me a lot, the constant references to shakespeare and the theater made me feel lost in the narrative, but as the reading flowed, i learned to like the references (even tho i don't understand it)

I loved the story and read the book very quickly, I think it was very insightful of the author to have taken her time to get to the main point of the story. before what happened, it was possible to understand the dynamics of the group and where each one fit within the group, following their respective roles. and after what happened, we could see how everything affected each one of them, and it was possible for us to see how they were affected by it and even look at them with a human gaze.

I was very pleased with all the characters, normally i don't like the main characters, but Oliver won me me, I found him very easy to identify with. I would like to have a deeper look at wren, fillipa and alexander, we know so little about them throughout history.

"— when did we become such horrible people? — I asked. — maybe we've always been horrible."

I want to read more books involved in this theme, I wonder if the dark academia aesthetic follows the same rules, cause this book is similar in many aspects to another book I read, the secret history, both bring a lot about the cult of art, obsession and select group of friends with a feeling of superiority.

I find it curious to see how a murder affects groups, normally it is expected that they will unite to protect themselves, but there is no way to escape the human side and the guilt that people carry as a result. SPOILER the “murder” didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, I was conflicted about it, I hated richard, I don't care what happens to him, I was more upset at how it affected the group as a whole. they imploded after that. SPOILER.

I would have loved to have seen the point of view of the other characters, I wanted to know what each one thought of the situation they were in, especially what james thought of oliver.

— you can justify anything if you do it poetically enough

#bookblr #livros #resenha #review #book #dark academia #m l rio #if we were villains #como se fôssemos vilões

[mediaevalmusereads]

If We Were Villains. By M. L. Rio. Flatiron Books, 2017.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Genre: thriller

Series: N/A

Summary: Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: violence, misogyny, suicide, blood

Overview: I followed the author of this book on tumblr way back in the day while she was blogging about her writing journey. To be honest, I didn't have a strong opinion about her one way or the other, but I found the premise of her book intriguing. As a lover of premodern and early modern English literature, I figured I should give the finished product a whirl. Well, I finally was in the mood. Overall, my opinions on this book are a little mixed, but leaning towards positive. While I do think Rio does a good job creating a Dark Academia atmosphere and the emotional devastation of the last half of the book was well-executed, I think her characters and prose leave a little something to be desired. Still, for a debut novel, this was fairly memorable, so it gets 3.5 stars from me.

Writing: Rio's prose has its ups and downs, with some parts flowing quite well and others not so much. When the scenes were full of action (for example, the Macbeth performance and the Julius Caesar rehearsal afterwards), I was fairly engrossed in the story, so I think Rio does best when there are moments of tension inserted into performances or just after (like at various parties).

However, I also think Rio could have done more to show rather than tell. Because this book is told in first person, our narrator, Oliver, tends to be very straightforward about what he is feeling as well as side comments about background or context info. Personally, I felt like Rio could have held back a little more or been more abstract about how characters were feeling and acting.

Furthermore, I had some mixed feelings about using Shakespeare quotes as dialogue. Looking at the author's note in the back, it seems like Rio took this quirk from real-life grad students she knew at King's College. So while I don't doubt that some people do this, in a novel, it comes across less as realistic and more as pretentious. Maybe that's the point; after all, most of these characters aren't "good guys" and Oliver does say at one point that the school felt like a cult. But for me, I couldn't quite determine if Rio was deliberately creating a pretentious atmosphere to heighten the Dark Academic mood or if she was simply showing off her knowledge of Shakespeare's works. Either way, I felt the quotes a bit over-used and would have preferred if they were sprinkled in less liberally.

Overall, though, I did like the pace and the ease at which I could move through the novel. I was able to read this book fairly quickly, and things were straightforward enough that I never felt confused or lost.

Characters: There are a number of characters in this book, but I'm going to focus on the 7 protagonists, just to keep things brief (ish).

Plot: The plot of this book follows fourth-year theater student Oliver Marks as he and his classmates defend themselves from a bully while putting on Julius Caesar at their exclusive, elite arts school. (Obviously, it's a little more complicated than that, but I'm trying to avoid major spoilers).

This book is strongest in the second half when all the students grow more and more tormented by their actions and begin fracturing. Rio does a fairly good job of showing how characters began acting irrationally, and in a lot of ways, their descent mirrors some of Shakespeare's works.

I also thing the devastation of the end worked out well, and it was heightened by the emotional tension between Oliver and James. I do want to caution readers that if you're sensitive to the depiction of deaths of queer characters, you should skip this book. But personally, I found it somewhat fitting given the subject matter and the thematic connections to Shakespeare's works.

The main part of the plot that I didn't think flowed well was the beginning. The beginning was a little awkward in that Rio spoon feeds us a lot of information: characters narrate their family situations one after another, like Rio just wanted to get it out of the way. On top of that, there is a scene where one of the instructors interrogates a student until they disclose their greatest strength and greatest insecurity. To me, this seemed a lazy way to communicate characterization, and it almost soured me on the rest of the novel.

As a unit, I really did like the idea of these 7 characters essentially standing in for archetypes. I think it meshed with the themes of the book fairly well, and I liked the easy companionship that a lot of them had. I also liked that their relationships were often messy, especially during the second half of the book; it made them more interesting and when they began to break down, it felt all the more chaotic.

As individuals, however, I think things get a little murky.

Oliver, our narrator, is somewhat of a blank slate in that he doesn't seem to have a very defined personality, but maybe that's the point. He's stereotyped as the "support" or even the "nice guy," and there were times when I could see that shine through. He does seem to care about his friends and does admit to being naive, so I don't want to give the impression that he's entirely without merit. The main thing I didn't like about him was his attitude towards his sister, who has an eating disorder. He's not very considerate of her, and while I can understand being upset that his future at school is financially threatened by her, he snaps at her and says some pretty awful things. He also seems to characterize his family as awful, and while I understand the negativity there, compared to other characters, he has somewhat of a normal suburban middle class family. His whining about them, then, felt entitled.

James, Oliver's roommate and best friend, is stereotyped as a heroic figure, and I could see some of that come out in his actions. What I liked most about James, however, was his relationship with Oliver; the two are best friends, but there are times when their closeness tipped over into homoerotic and romantic intimacy. I enjoyed the tension there, and it did make for a more devastating ending.

Meredith, who is figured as the temptress, could have been written with a little more grace. While I think it's ok that Meredith exists as a sexual woman who is anxious about people overlooking her as a person, it also seems like the narrative does just that, at least until the midpoint of the novel. I very much did not appreciate the misogynistic comments thrown her way, even if they were partially in jest. Her character grew on me more in the second half, though, so she wasn't all bad.

Wren and Philippa are a little harder to define. Wren, I think, is supposed to be the ingenue, but it was hard to see that in the way she was written. Philippa is described as someone who is always overlooked, and I think parts of the narrative do a good job of showing moments when she has a great impact. As individual characters, however, I felt like there wasn't much to distinguish them.

Alexander is a character who is always typecast as (I think) a fool, and off stage, he seems to be mainly defined by his excessive smoking, drinking, and gay sexuality. I didn't quite know how to react to him, in part because his hedonism felt repetitive, but his drug use in the second half made some sense, given all that was going on.

Richard, the "bully," was interesting in that he was simultaneously loved and hated. I liked that the other characters had a complex relationship with him; they agreed he was a phenomenal actor but also loathed his ego. They see him as part of their group and as a friend, but also frequently argue with him. Having this complexity meant that I couldn't quite see him purely as an antagonist, and I like living in that delicious grey area.

TL;DR: If We Were Villains suffers from a few missteps (mainly prose and some characterization), but is rescued by the deft handling of a friend group's ultimate descent into madness. While I think Rio could have done some things to reduce the appearance of pretense and more solidly set up the exposition of the novel, this was a fairly solid debut that delivered an emotional punch towards the end.

[thecasualbookreviewer]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If we were villains, M. L. Rio

Summary:

ENTER THE PLAYERS. There were seven of us then, seven bright young things with wide precious futures ahead of us. Until that year, we saw no farther than the books in front of our faces.

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.

A decade 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, ingenue, extra.

But in their fourth and final year, 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.

Review:

Amazing, captivating, and tragic.

Even when reading thrillers or horrors I try to say clear of ambiguous endings, but this book just kept calling for me so I finally gave in and got it. I don't regret it all.

The story is absolutely captivating and narrated in a way that keeps you guessing and wanting more and more; I went in knowing it would have an open ending, but I was so wrong about what the open ending would be about, and yet I was pleasantly surprised by it! From the very beginning the author does a great job setting up the tension between the characters and the seeds of foreshadowing are planted so beautifully than when everything starts to fall into place you get excited about it.

The last two acts were specially so interesting to read and learn as new bits of information kept coming up, and I loved every single page. I'm sure that if I knew Shakespeare little bit more in depth I would've caught more of the foreshadowing that the author put down, since it was very obvious they chose the plays and casting for a reason.

All around it was an excellent book, and I loved reading it!

#the casual book reviewer reviews #if we were villains #ml rio #booklr #book review

[unravelingthepages]

If We Were Villians- a review (read: an explanation for my adoration for this book)

If We Were Villians by M. L Rio is a dark academia book that I will probably always remember fondly. I loved the writing, the characters, and their respective personalities so so much. I definitely found it a 5 star read. Read below to find out more about why I would recommend it to you too :))

(I do have a word of warning- please do not try to compare it to The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I went in with this impression that it's similar and though it has surface level similarities, it is very different. While that impression did not affect my love for this book, it did give me expectations that were not fair to this book and the author's writing. Yes, both are within the realm of dark academia but If We Were Villians is much faster paced and should not be compared to The Secret History which for me atleast was a book to slowly digest and not binge read like I did the former. That being said, I loved and highly recommend reading both!! You can read my review of The Secret History by Donna Tartt here in case you're interested- https://unravelingthepages.wordpress.com/2023/02/18/the-secret-history-reasons-i-loved-it/)

Book blurb

Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

Why you should read it

-I think I had a rather limited understanding of how Shakespeare's plays were meant to be acted until now. But after this book- the way Shakespeare is almost an active character in this book… chef's kiss

“Do you blame Shakespeare for any of it?” The question is so unlikely, so nonsensical coming from such a sensible man, that I can’t suppress a smile. “I blame him for all of it.”

The characters were frankly amazing. I loved how each character was, their personalities were so dynamic and just so real. A large part of it was how Oliver (the narrator and protagonist) describes them and how we get to see them through his lenses.

“For us, everything was a performance.” A small, private smile catches me off guard and I glance down, hoping he won’t see it. “Everything poetic.”

“When did we become such terrible people?” “Maybe we’ve always been terrible.”

The conversations between the characters. They were full of dry humor, pain, hidden meanings and literary references- sometimes all at once! They lived deep in the world of theatre and the author's writing transports you right into the world where pretty words masked tragedies alongside the characters.

“When we first walked through those doors, we did so without knowing that we were now part of some strange fanatic religion where anything could be excused so long as it was offered at the altar of the Muses. Ritual madness, ecstasy, human sacrifice.”

All-in-all, while I do think you need to read this book to understand exactly what I'm talking about, this should give you a brief delve into the world and help you decide whether this is something you would pick up. If it IS something you would pick up, I hope you love it as much as I did!! It's the kind of read that sticks with you as a fond memory of a read you loved and one can get engrossed in during your fifth re-read, just as easily as you had the first time.

If you’re planning on purchasing this read, please consider using the following amazon affiliate link to purchase it. It would be at no extra cost to you and would really help me out, thank you!

purchase this read: https://amzn.to/4a8BhkR

“..I need language to live, like food—lexemes and morphemes and morsels of meaning nourish me with the knowledge that, yes, there is a word for this. Someone else has felt it before.” M.L. Rio, If We Were Villians

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#book blog #book recommendations #book review #book reviews #dark academia books #must read #reading #if we were villains #dark academia

[fearfulsymmetryyrtemmyslufraef]

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

#free books #if we were villains #ml rio

[rubireads]

if we were villains by m.l. rio

3.75 stars

this dark academia read is a story of a tightly-knit group immersed in the study of shakespeare at the elusive dellecher classical conservatory. it begins with the narrator, oliver marks, ready to put the past behind him as he leaves prison and promises to tell former detective colborne his version of events of what happened ten years prior.

it took me reading the physical book, ebook and audiobook to finish this book. that isn’t to say i wasn’t completely immersed whilst reading it, just that i didn’t feel the same urge to pick it up like i usually do - shocking considering that the themes of the book are my favourite ones. i did find the audiobook the most enjoyable which i think is due to the nature of the book being a thriller mystery.

there were very clear remnants of the secret history without the same compelling pull of the characters and insight into the subject of choice. tsh only multiplied my obsession with the study of greek whereas i did not find the same need to explore more with iwwv and shakespeare, although this could just be due to preference rather than just the writing. considering my obsession with the secret history and this book’s constant comparison with it, it seems my disappointment was inevitable. if we were villains is often described as a shakespearen version of the secret history but if this is the case, it is a rather pale comparison indeed. whilst they both are richly layered with obsession, death and love, the secret history seems to truly shock and question the morals of character and reader alike whereas if we were villains do not. however, the last act of the book, more specifically the ending, definitely redeemed some of my opinions of the book as it turned tragically intoxicating, with the last sentence leaving me in awe.

i do think the fact that it’s so famously compared to tsh is what ruined it for me because on its own it, it is a good book. i loved the style of it as a play and the feel of being part of a secret society conversing mainly through literary quotes (even if i didn’t understand half of it).

#if we were villains #dark academia #dark acadamia quotes #bookstagram #book reviews #book #reading #booklr #book worm #bookblr #m.l. rio #the secret history #dark acadamia aesthetic

[thereadinghobbit]

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

“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Oliver Marks has just been released from prison, and is finally ready to tell Detective Colborne what really happened when his classmate was killed ten years ago. As young actors at an elite conservatory, Oliver and his classmates played the same roles – villain, hero, temptress – over and over again, both off stage and…

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#book blog #book blogger #bookblr #booklr #books #if we were villains #m.l. rio #mystery #reading #shakespeare #thriller

[unboundbooksuggestions]

If We Were Villains , 2017

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

author: M.L. Rio

genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime

rating: ★★★★☆ (4.2/5 on Goodreads)

synopsis: Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

#if we were villains #m.l. rio #mystery #thriller #crime #mystery thriller #bookblr #book recommendations #book recs #booklr #book quotes

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"TWO SAW WAY OUT OF JAIL MAKE LADDER, SCALE WALL," Toronto Star. May 14, 1943. Page 3. --- Cut Six Iron Bars on Window at Welland, Tear Boards Out of Shed --- ONE FROM TORONTO --- Special to The Star Welland, May 14 - Police in the Niagara peninsula today are hunting for John Stark, alias Stack, 24, Crowland, and Peter Max, 27, Toronto, who escaped from the county jail here during the night.

Stark and Max sawed their way out of their cell with hacksaws, crossed the corridor and sawed through six iron bars on a new window in the north side of the jail. They also sawed away the iron sash and crossbars of the window itself. Dropping down six feet from the window into the jail yard, they went to an old woodshed and broke away a part of the shed. With this lumber they fashioned a ladder to scale the jail wall and dropped 25 feet to the street.

The escaped men had been on remand for the past two weeks. They were arrested by provincial police near Port Colborne. They allegedly were carrying three revolvers, one an automatic. Police said they picked them up in a stolen car,

("We want these men in Toronto," stated Inspector of Detectives Arthur Levitt of Toronto police. "They are wanted on housebreaking and car theft charges. One of the revolvers found on them was stolen from Oriole Parkway in Toronto."

(Police also stated the men are wanted in Hamilton on theft and shopbreaking charges.)

The men's escape was discovered by a night guard, Harry Herman.

"We suspect they got outside help in some way," said Sheriff V. L. Davidson of Welland county. "They have had visitors."

C. F. Neelands, deputy provincial secretary, said the men would be wearing civilian clothes. "There are about 25 prisoners in the jail," he said.

#welland #hamilton #toronto #wanted fugitives #jailbreak #jailbreakers #prison break #county jail #housebreakers #car thieves #canada during world war 2 #crime and punishment in canada #history of crime and punishment in canada #port colborne #armed with a revolver

[wildwood-reader]

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

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.

A decade 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, extras.

But in their fourth and final year, 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.

#recent reads as moodboards #if we were villains #m. l. rio #books #reading #booklr #jengmoodboards

[ajsbookreviews]

If We Were Villains Book Review

If We Were Villains

Author: M. L. Rio

Description: Oliver Marks has just served ten years for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day of his release, he is greeted by the detective who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, and he wants to know what really happened a decade before.

As a young actor at an elite conservatory, Oliver noticed that his talented classmates seem to play the same characters onstage and off – villain, hero, temptress – though he was always a supporting role. But when the teachers change the casting, a good-natured rivalry turns ugly, and the plays spill dangerously over into real life.

When tragedy strikes, one of the seven friends is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless...

Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Review: If We Were Villains is a novel written for those who appreciate the art of plays, the magic behind Shakespears words and how thought-consuming they can be to the right people. It’s astonishingly profound, yet hollow if the reader lacks interest in the subject. 

Its seven protagonists felt alive within he pages, their actions and mannerisms well defined and present in a way that felt real. With emotionally raw scenes interlaced between stunted silences and exultant reenactments. In addition to its lyrical magnificence, the element of drama is certain to be a strong factor to bringing the characters alive. 

It wasn’t as villainous as my expectations leading up to it, rather more poetic in its villainy. However, there were visceral moments that cut deep, awaking rage and similar emotions in me like no other book has ever managed. 

Apart from this, I’m in the belief that my opinions on certain characters and relationships may differ from the popular opinion. It’s not prevalent to my rating nor my review, thus maybe not worth dwelling on. 

Theres not much else to say, for everything else lay within the lines and sentences of If We Were Villains. 

#if we were villains #book review #m l rio #oliver marks #meredith dardenne #alexander vass #wren stirling #james farrow #filippa kosta #richard stirling #books

[readingcottage]

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago. As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

4.21 / 5 Goodreads | 4.4 / 5 Amazon

BUY IT NOW

#if we were villains #ML Rio #m.l. rio #Mystery #Fiction #Thriller #LGBT #Crime #Book #What to Read #Buy it Now

[queerographies]

[If we were villains][M. L. Rio]

Quando gli amici diventano nemici, non c'è limite al male che possono farci. If we were villains (Non è colpa della luna) di M. L. Rio

Oliver Marks ha scontato dieci anni di carcere per l’omicidio di un compagno di college. Ai tempi della condanna, non tutti erano convinti della sua colpevolezza, in primis il detective Colborne, che ora lo attende fuori dal carcere per sapere finalmente la verità. La storia che Oliver si accinge a raccontargli si svolge alla Dellecher, una delle più prestigiose scuole di arte drammatica degli…

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#2022 #Angie Hoffmeister #dark academia #Elena Orlandi #fiction #Frassinelli #If We Were Villains #LGBT #LGBTQ #M. L. Rio #mistery #Narrativa #Non è colpa della luna #Reissue #Sperling & Kupfer #USA