PAGES: 296 (Ebook)SYNOPSIS: A collection of stories about villains. Stories are based from challenges given by booktubers to authors.
OVERALL RATING: 3.7/5
REVIEW:
I had high expectations in this book probably because I know and love most of the booktubers listed. I wasn't super amazed but it wasn't bad. It could have been better but overall it was still okay. I enjoyed the middle part of this collection (Starting from Marissa Meyer to Adam Silvera). There were some authors that spot on created a villain you love to hate but some I was really confused as to why they are villains. Some had villainous stories while others just used 'villainous' characters.
I love the icon on top of the titles of the stories. They represent what the stories are about and I love how on point most of them are.
1. CHRISTINE RICCIO'S CHALLENGE: The Grandson of an Evil, Matriarchal Dictator who Tried to Rule over the Universe Wants to Follow in Her Footsteps and Accidentally Loses His Temper, Killing his Sibling in a Game of Chess.
THE BLOOD OF IMURIV BY RENEE AHDIEH
REVIEW: The story really followed the prompt. It was interesting but I wanted more. Renee Ahdieh's writing is really beautiful. I can imagine the world that she built for this short story. I wasn't satisfied though because I think that it could be expanded to a full fledged novel. Rhone was such an interesting character and I want to see what would happen after what he did.
THE EVIL VACCINE: KEEP THE DARKNESS AT BAY GET VACCINATED TODAY! BY CHRISTINE RICCIO (PolandbananasBOOKS)
I had a fun time reading Christine's piece. I love Christine and I could imagine her narrating the things she wrote. I love that she used Harry Potter a lot in her references (Dumbledore, Deathly Hallows, Lord, Loss of your nose). The remedies for the signs were funny.
2. TINA BURKE'S CHALLENGE: "Jack and the Beanstalk" Meets Phalaris of Agrigento
JACK BY AMERIEE
REVIEW: I really don't know who Phalaris or Ameriee or Tina Burke is but they managed to make a nice story. I really wanted to skip this at first because I really don't like Jack and the Beanstalk but I'm glad I didn't. Reading about the friendship that blossomed between Jack and the Princess of the Giants was wonderful. I liked that the Jack here was much more interesting than the original one. He's an adventurer and he told many tales to the Giant. I really liked this because of the plot twist. Oh my god I didn't see it coming but I loved it. It was evil and it felt so in theme with this collection of short stories.
GIANTS AND TYRANTS BY TINA BURKE (The Lushables)
I don't know who Tina Burke is but her explanations of the parts of the story was interesting to read about. It gives a in-depth discussion of what happened in the story.
3. CHALLENGE: A Modern-Day Mash-Up of the King Arthur Legend and Persephone-Hades Myth
4. CHALLENGE: A Young Moriarty
SHIRLEY & JIM BY SUSAN DENNARD
8. CHALLENGE: Hades Wakes Up after Being Unconscious at the Bottom of a Well in Ireland
DEATH KNELL BY VICTORIA SCHWAB
REVIEW: Victoria Schwab's writing is so perfect. The story was very beautiful. Reading about Death and his actions was very interesting and entertaining. It also had heartbreaking aspects especially because of Grace. Correct me if I'm wrong though, the one who dies gets to replace the previous Death? If so, that's an interesting and cool concept.
DEAR DEATH BY JESSE GEORGE (jessethereader)
I love Jesse. His piece was very amazing. The message to death was very heartbreaking and heartfelt. It was also very relatable.
9. CHALLENGE: Erl-Queen Retelling in Nineteenth-Century London
MARIGOLD BY SAMANTHA SHANNON
REVIEW: I don't usually like Fae stories but this one was very beautiful. I love the story Samantha Shannon wrote and she wrote it beautifully. The twist that happened in the end was very entertaining. You would not expect it from a fairytale like story.
EVIL REVEALED BY REGAN PERUSSE (peruseproject)
Regan's explanation about the story was wonderful. She discussed how much women were viewed as weak creatures with no freedom during the Nineteenth-Century.
10. CHALLENGE: A Female Teen Crime Lord Concealed by a Mask
YOU, YOU, IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU BY ADAM SILVERA
REVIEW: This story is amazing. It felt really in sync with the theme of this collection. The twist in the end was shocking. The fact that Slate sells memory drugs is interesting. A memory can be a powerful thing to use against someone. I found Slate awesome and scary. She was not someone you want to mess around with. SLATE IS NOT TO BE BETRAYED.
BEHIND THE VILLAIN'S MASK BY CATRIONA FEENEY (littlebookowl)
Caz's explanation about Slate is so on point and her piece about the masks was interesting.
11. CHALLENGE: A Psychopath in a Futuristic Setting
RATING: 2/5
REVIEW: I did not like Andrew Smith's writing and I did not like Julian. I don't see why he's a psychopath and how this story is set in a futuristic setting. I was kind of annoyed at how much Julian says that he hate Steven Kemple and 'foreshadowing'.
JULIAN POWELL: TEEN PSYCHO EXTRAORDINAIRE BY RAELEEN LEMAY (padfootandprongs07)
Raeleen had interesting thoughts about Julian but I didn't feel the same way.
12. CHALLENGE: Beauty and the Beast: Suitor's Revenge
RATING: 3/5
REVIEW: I don't really get the challenge to be honest but I like April Tucholke's writing (I love her short story in the Slasher Girls and Demon Boys anthology). Her story version of Beauty and the Beast is really interesting. I love what she did to the characters but I'm kind of confused what happened in the ending. How Valois became like that. How he got the curse.
GLAMORIZED RECOVERY: EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY BY WHITNEY ATKINSON
Whitney had an interesting take on the expectations and realities that heroes and villains face in their lives. Plus, her writing is beautiful.
13. CHALLENGE: Gender-flipped God of War.
RATING: 3.8/5
REVIEW: I found it quite funny when I realized the title for Nicola Yoon's story is just the reversed version of Ares. I found the story quite cool and the writing is beautiful. I really felt bad for Sera because she just wanted to belong. Can't really blame her much for what happened for Calliope because she tried to suppress her powers (and Calliope is a bitch). It's not her fault for being so different. I want to know though why she has powers when her family is clearly normal. I can't stop thinking that some God impersonated Patrick and got pregnant. Typical Greek Gods.
THE BAD GIRLS' GUIDE TO VILLAINY BY STEPH SINCLAIR AND KAT KENNEDY
Their piece was pretty fun to read. It's kind of like a motivational speaker for female villains.
THE BLOOD OF IMURIV BY RENEE AHDIEH
Rhone fell to his knees, the guilt rocketing to his core.The relief washing across his skin.RATING: 3.6/5
REVIEW: The story really followed the prompt. It was interesting but I wanted more. Renee Ahdieh's writing is really beautiful. I can imagine the world that she built for this short story. I wasn't satisfied though because I think that it could be expanded to a full fledged novel. Rhone was such an interesting character and I want to see what would happen after what he did.
THE EVIL VACCINE: KEEP THE DARKNESS AT BAY GET VACCINATED TODAY! BY CHRISTINE RICCIO (PolandbananasBOOKS)
I had a fun time reading Christine's piece. I love Christine and I could imagine her narrating the things she wrote. I love that she used Harry Potter a lot in her references (Dumbledore, Deathly Hallows, Lord, Loss of your nose). The remedies for the signs were funny.
2. TINA BURKE'S CHALLENGE: "Jack and the Beanstalk" Meets Phalaris of Agrigento
JACK BY AMERIEE
The world was ours, once. Fee fi fo fum. Perhaps it can be ours again.RATING: 4/5
REVIEW: I really don't know who Phalaris or Ameriee or Tina Burke is but they managed to make a nice story. I really wanted to skip this at first because I really don't like Jack and the Beanstalk but I'm glad I didn't. Reading about the friendship that blossomed between Jack and the Princess of the Giants was wonderful. I liked that the Jack here was much more interesting than the original one. He's an adventurer and he told many tales to the Giant. I really liked this because of the plot twist. Oh my god I didn't see it coming but I loved it. It was evil and it felt so in theme with this collection of short stories.
GIANTS AND TYRANTS BY TINA BURKE (The Lushables)
I don't know who Tina Burke is but her explanations of the parts of the story was interesting to read about. It gives a in-depth discussion of what happened in the story.
3. CHALLENGE: A Modern-Day Mash-Up of the King Arthur Legend and Persephone-Hades Myth
GWEN AND ART AND LANCE BY SOMAN CHAINANI
Rich or poor; ugly or fair; young or old; inside and out. I love you. I love you. I love you.
RATING: 3.5/5
REVIEW: It was a nice read but I don't feel that the story is within the theme. I don't really know much about King Arthur except that he's the one with the Excalibur. I was kind of sad because the main focus was King Arthur and not Persephone and Hades. Still, the format of the short story was interesting (it's different from the others because it's in a text format). I liked how complicated it felt even if it's just because of a High School Prom. I felt bad for Art though because being bullied is a bad thing. I had mixed feelings for Gwen but I loved Lance.
THE BAD GIRL HALL OF FAME BY SAMANTHA LEE (Thoughts on Tomes)
I love the format of Samantha's piece. It was very interesting and entertaining to read about.
4. CHALLENGE: A Young Moriarty
SHIRLEY & JIM BY SUSAN DENNARD
"What's wrong with believing in fairy tales?""Reality will never live up."RATING: 3/5
REVIEW: Susan Dennard's writing is very beautiful. I liked the story but I wasn't amazed by it. It felt like a fanfic of Sherlock and Moriarty but if you don't think of it in that way, it's a beautifully written story about Moriarty's past. The gender swap that occurred felt very wrong. I wish she just wrote another story or just retained the genders.
DEAR SASHA, THE 411 FOR VILLAINS by SASHA ALSBERG (abookutopia)
I love Sasha's piece. I can imagine her saying it because I watch her videos. Plus, the ending was amazing.
5. CHALLENGE: A Dark Sorcerer's Motives for Seeking Immortality or Omnipotence
THE BLESSING OF LITTLE WANTS BY SARAH ENNI
“Why be extraordinary if that’s the cost?” Thomas grabbed her wrist. “Because of the cost of doing nothing.”
RATING: 2.5/5
REVIEW: I really liked the start. It was a beginning of something interesting. I liked the friendship between Sigrid and Thomas. However, when we get to the adventure part things got really fast. I was really confused as to how it ended. I'm still not sure what really happened to be honest.
REVIEW: I really liked the start. It was a beginning of something interesting. I liked the friendship between Sigrid and Thomas. However, when we get to the adventure part things got really fast. I was really confused as to how it ended. I'm still not sure what really happened to be honest.
WILL THE REAL VILLAIN PLEASE STAND UP? by SOPHIA LEE (thebookbasement)
I love the word play with the title of this piece. I love the fact that Sophia stated her thoughts about the piece in a way where she stated what she wants.
6. CHALLENGE: What if the Sea Witch Had Previously Been in the Little Mermaid's Shoes but Decided to Kill the Love Interest and Turn Back into a Mermaid Instead?
THE SEA WITCH BY MARISSA MEYER
Who was he to belittle what I had gone through, the suffering I had endured, when he could have prevented all of it with nothing more than a smile and a word of kindness?
RATING: 5/5
REVIEW: I haven't really read anything by Marissa Meyer (I tried to read Cinder but I really don't like Cyborgs and Space stuffs). I was amazed by how beautiful this story is. You would really feel bad for Nerit because of what she had experience just because she's different. You really can't blame her for the decisions she made in her life because some of it was influenced by what she experienced and how others treated her. I thought at first that it was going to be sort off a new character (I didn't read the prompt beforehand) and not Ursula but I was glad it was her. The version that Marissa Meyer created was really amazing.
VILLAIN OR HERO? YOU DECIDE! by Zoe Herdt (readbyzoe)
I love that Zoe created a quiz for deciding if you are a villain or a hero. Her piece's introduction was quite interesting and fun to read.
7. CHALLENGE: Medusa. Go!
BEAUTIFUL VENOM by CINDY PON
"You are now as ugly and horrifying as you were once beautiful and alluring."
RATING: 4.8/5
REVIEW: This was a beautifully written retelling of Medusa's story. I really don't get why Medusa is a villain. Sure, she turned people into stone but shouldn't Athena be blamed? If she hadn't turned Medusa into a Gorgon none of that stone turning stuff would happen? This version just made that thought more intense. I really hated the Goddess of Purity in this book. Purity my ass. I felt really bad for Mei Fang because she really did nothing wrong. She was the victim yet she was the one blamed. Like what other people do in the real world. It was heartbreaking.
WITHOUT THE EVIL IN THE WORLD, HOW DO WE SEE THE GOOD? by BENJAMIN ALDERSON (Benjaminoftomes)
She is filled with bitterness and jealousy and portrays herself in the most perfect way, as the evil b... eing she is.
I love Benjamin and I loved his discussion about Beautiful Venom. I love that line (the one above) because it made me laugh because I know what kind of evil b she is. Damn that Goddess of Purity.
8. CHALLENGE: Hades Wakes Up after Being Unconscious at the Bottom of a Well in Ireland
DEATH KNELL BY VICTORIA SCHWAB
"Death stares at the girl.The girl stares at Death."RATING: 4.5/5
REVIEW: Victoria Schwab's writing is so perfect. The story was very beautiful. Reading about Death and his actions was very interesting and entertaining. It also had heartbreaking aspects especially because of Grace. Correct me if I'm wrong though, the one who dies gets to replace the previous Death? If so, that's an interesting and cool concept.
DEAR DEATH BY JESSE GEORGE (jessethereader)
I love Jesse. His piece was very amazing. The message to death was very heartbreaking and heartfelt. It was also very relatable.
9. CHALLENGE: Erl-Queen Retelling in Nineteenth-Century London
MARIGOLD BY SAMANTHA SHANNON
"This story has a happy ending. Marigold is safe at last from the monsters who imprisoned her."RATING: 4/5
REVIEW: I don't usually like Fae stories but this one was very beautiful. I love the story Samantha Shannon wrote and she wrote it beautifully. The twist that happened in the end was very entertaining. You would not expect it from a fairytale like story.
EVIL REVEALED BY REGAN PERUSSE (peruseproject)
Regan's explanation about the story was wonderful. She discussed how much women were viewed as weak creatures with no freedom during the Nineteenth-Century.
10. CHALLENGE: A Female Teen Crime Lord Concealed by a Mask
YOU, YOU, IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU BY ADAM SILVERA
You're worshiped for the way Daze can make the city forget. You're celebrated for the way Token can revive memories as far back as childhood. You're feared for the way Trance can implant false stories others forge.RATING: 4.25/5
REVIEW: This story is amazing. It felt really in sync with the theme of this collection. The twist in the end was shocking. The fact that Slate sells memory drugs is interesting. A memory can be a powerful thing to use against someone. I found Slate awesome and scary. She was not someone you want to mess around with. SLATE IS NOT TO BE BETRAYED.
BEHIND THE VILLAIN'S MASK BY CATRIONA FEENEY (littlebookowl)
Caz's explanation about Slate is so on point and her piece about the masks was interesting.
11. CHALLENGE: A Psychopath in a Futuristic Setting
Don't skip ahead. But the fucker would not die.JULIAN BREAKS EVERY RULE BY ANDREW SMITH
RATING: 2/5
REVIEW: I did not like Andrew Smith's writing and I did not like Julian. I don't see why he's a psychopath and how this story is set in a futuristic setting. I was kind of annoyed at how much Julian says that he hate Steven Kemple and 'foreshadowing'.
JULIAN POWELL: TEEN PSYCHO EXTRAORDINAIRE BY RAELEEN LEMAY (padfootandprongs07)
Raeleen had interesting thoughts about Julian but I didn't feel the same way.
12. CHALLENGE: Beauty and the Beast: Suitor's Revenge
Sooner or later she will come. But this time she won't be alone. This time she will have me.INDIGO AND SHADE BY APRIL GENEVIEVE TUCHOLKE
RATING: 3/5
REVIEW: I don't really get the challenge to be honest but I like April Tucholke's writing (I love her short story in the Slasher Girls and Demon Boys anthology). Her story version of Beauty and the Beast is really interesting. I love what she did to the characters but I'm kind of confused what happened in the ending. How Valois became like that. How he got the curse.
GLAMORIZED RECOVERY: EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY BY WHITNEY ATKINSON
Whitney had an interesting take on the expectations and realities that heroes and villains face in their lives. Plus, her writing is beautiful.
13. CHALLENGE: Gender-flipped God of War.
I am the curse of men. I am War. And this world is mine.SERA BY NICOLA YOON
RATING: 3.8/5
REVIEW: I found it quite funny when I realized the title for Nicola Yoon's story is just the reversed version of Ares. I found the story quite cool and the writing is beautiful. I really felt bad for Sera because she just wanted to belong. Can't really blame her much for what happened for Calliope because she tried to suppress her powers (and Calliope is a bitch). It's not her fault for being so different. I want to know though why she has powers when her family is clearly normal. I can't stop thinking that some God impersonated Patrick and got pregnant. Typical Greek Gods.
THE BAD GIRLS' GUIDE TO VILLAINY BY STEPH SINCLAIR AND KAT KENNEDY
Their piece was pretty fun to read. It's kind of like a motivational speaker for female villains.
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