The best kind of villain is the kind you can almost sympathize with. The kind you can almost root for, or can at least understand. The kind that you almost don't want to see get defeated because they're just that good at being bad.
Because You Love to Hate Me is an anthology of 13 stories about villains. Each of these stories are written by different authors (advertised as famous, but I've never heard of some of them // some of them don't have stories published?), with prompts from 13 famous book tubers. That's actually how it came to my attention. I find it amazing how these authors built fascinating worlds from the short little prompts. Like many bind ups of multiple stories, some stories were a hit with me and others were a miss. I'll give a quick overview of how I felt about each story.
While reading this, I almost wanted to sleep while I continued reading it. See, I was tired and some stories I was just so done with, but others were actually worth the time.
Synopsis:
Leave it to the heroes to save the world--villains just want to rule the world.
In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view.
These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage--and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!
Featuring writing from . . .
Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon
BookTubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoë Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel).
The Blood of Imuriv by Renee Ahdieh
Prompt given by Christine Riccio (PolandbannasBOOKS) (aka my favorite booktuber)
This story was good, despite my issues wth Ahdieh's books, she is a good writer. And the prompt? A hilarious prompt that only Christine would come up with. The story gives a good villain origin story, and actually made me want to read more. See the hero this villain would one day be up against, and the story that could come out of this world. 7/10 stars. (Also Christine's bit at the end was fantastic)
Jack by Ameriie
Prompt given by Tina Burke (The Lushables)
I'm going to be honest here, I did not like this story. The writing felt like something a seventh grader might write and the story and main character weren't compelling. In fact, this was one of those stories that I just wanted to be done with. This was not a villain I loved to hate, this was a villain that I didn't like in the slightest and found to be actually really irritating. Wait-- that's actually how I would describe how I would feel about the entire short story. 4/10 stars.
Gwen and Art and Lance by Soman Chainani
Prompt Given by Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes)
Pretty good story, and while sure, Gwen did manipulate, I wouldn't exactly consider her a villain. This story is told in the from of texts, which made it rather unique and cool. I did enjoy reading this one-- it was a quick read, that actually did tell a story as well. 6.9/10 stars
Shirley & Jim by Susan Dennard
Prompt Given by Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia)
Two people I absolutely love! And this story was actually a lot of fun to read. Dennard is a great author, she wrote an intriguing story that I really wanted to see more of. In fact, could we get more of it? Haha. Even though I don't know anything about Sherlock, I still really enjoyed this story. 7.5/10 stars.
The Blessing of Little Wants by Sarah Enni
Prompt by Sophia Lee (thebookbasement)
This story was okay. I didn't really care for it, but it was well written and the only reason it felt a little rushed was because it had to be a short story. The protagonist (or shall I say antagonist?) wasn't all that interesting. I didn't find myself rooting for her. 6/10
The Sea Witch by Marissa Meyer
Prompt given by Zoe Herdt (readbyzoe)
Marissa Meyer is a great author, and of course she gave us a well written story. While it was a good story... I was definitely rooting against the main character (she's a little creepy), but you know... it's a good origin story for a villain, and this girl is definitely going to become a villain. It was a good story, though. 7/10 stars.
Beautiful Venom by Cindy Pon
Prompt given by Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes)
THIS STORY WAS AMAZING. I've never even heard of Cindy Pon before, but her writing is beautiful. This was probably my favorite short story, scratch that. It was my favorite short story. 8/10 stars.
Death Knell by Victoria Schwab
Prompt given by Jesse George (JessetheReader)
Wow, I've never read anything by Victoria before, but her writing is beautiful. I'm definitely going to pick some of her books up soon. I liked this story, didn't love it but I liked it. It was beautifully written with a good story to tell. 7/10 stars.
Marigold by Samantha Shannon
Prompt by Regan Peruse (PeruseProject)
I do love the Victorian Era type feel of this story, and the twist of it was fun. It really was a fun read, just not one that I absolutely loved, I mean I could see where it was going before it even got halfway through. 7/10 stars.
You, You, it's All About You by Adam Silvera
Prompt by Catriona Feeney (Littlebookowl)
Interestingly, this is written in 2nd person. I wasn't all that into the villain, but... I really enjoyed the twist at the end of the story with Karl. That made me want to read more into the story and the going ons in this world. 6.8/10 stars
Julian Breaks Every Rule by Andrew Smith
Prompt given by Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07)
This story was fun, but not all that interesting. It had a plot, but barely. 6/10 stars.
Indigo and Shade by April Genevieve Tucholke
Prompt by Whitney Atkinson (WittyNovels)
It had a haunting feel and I could see exactly where it was going. The protagonist wasn't really a villain at all, he was kind of dull, but I still did enjoy reading the story. 6.5/10 stars.
Sera by Niccola Yoon
Prompt given by Steph Sinclair and Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery)
This story had an eerie feel to it. It wasn't anything riveting or that I was particularly attached to, though. It was okay. 6/10 stars.
Something I found surprising about these stories was that a lot of the "villains" didn't actually feel like villains. Not in the way where they're supposed to be likable villains but in the way that they actually just don't really count as villains at all.
Anyway, the average for this book is 6.6/10 stars. Overall, it's a fun read if you have the time to sit down.
Thanks for reading,
Anj
Because You Love to Hate Me is an anthology of 13 stories about villains. Each of these stories are written by different authors (advertised as famous, but I've never heard of some of them // some of them don't have stories published?), with prompts from 13 famous book tubers. That's actually how it came to my attention. I find it amazing how these authors built fascinating worlds from the short little prompts. Like many bind ups of multiple stories, some stories were a hit with me and others were a miss. I'll give a quick overview of how I felt about each story.
While reading this, I almost wanted to sleep while I continued reading it. See, I was tired and some stories I was just so done with, but others were actually worth the time.
Synopsis:
Leave it to the heroes to save the world--villains just want to rule the world.
In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view.
These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage--and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!
Featuring writing from . . .
Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon
BookTubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoë Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel).
The Blood of Imuriv by Renee Ahdieh
Prompt given by Christine Riccio (PolandbannasBOOKS) (aka my favorite booktuber)
This story was good, despite my issues wth Ahdieh's books, she is a good writer. And the prompt? A hilarious prompt that only Christine would come up with. The story gives a good villain origin story, and actually made me want to read more. See the hero this villain would one day be up against, and the story that could come out of this world. 7/10 stars. (Also Christine's bit at the end was fantastic)
Jack by Ameriie
Prompt given by Tina Burke (The Lushables)
I'm going to be honest here, I did not like this story. The writing felt like something a seventh grader might write and the story and main character weren't compelling. In fact, this was one of those stories that I just wanted to be done with. This was not a villain I loved to hate, this was a villain that I didn't like in the slightest and found to be actually really irritating. Wait-- that's actually how I would describe how I would feel about the entire short story. 4/10 stars.
Gwen and Art and Lance by Soman Chainani
Prompt Given by Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes)
Pretty good story, and while sure, Gwen did manipulate, I wouldn't exactly consider her a villain. This story is told in the from of texts, which made it rather unique and cool. I did enjoy reading this one-- it was a quick read, that actually did tell a story as well. 6.9/10 stars
Shirley & Jim by Susan Dennard
Prompt Given by Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia)
Two people I absolutely love! And this story was actually a lot of fun to read. Dennard is a great author, she wrote an intriguing story that I really wanted to see more of. In fact, could we get more of it? Haha. Even though I don't know anything about Sherlock, I still really enjoyed this story. 7.5/10 stars.
The Blessing of Little Wants by Sarah Enni
Prompt by Sophia Lee (thebookbasement)
This story was okay. I didn't really care for it, but it was well written and the only reason it felt a little rushed was because it had to be a short story. The protagonist (or shall I say antagonist?) wasn't all that interesting. I didn't find myself rooting for her. 6/10
The Sea Witch by Marissa Meyer
Prompt given by Zoe Herdt (readbyzoe)
Marissa Meyer is a great author, and of course she gave us a well written story. While it was a good story... I was definitely rooting against the main character (she's a little creepy), but you know... it's a good origin story for a villain, and this girl is definitely going to become a villain. It was a good story, though. 7/10 stars.
Beautiful Venom by Cindy Pon
Prompt given by Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes)
THIS STORY WAS AMAZING. I've never even heard of Cindy Pon before, but her writing is beautiful. This was probably my favorite short story, scratch that. It was my favorite short story. 8/10 stars.
Death Knell by Victoria Schwab
Prompt given by Jesse George (JessetheReader)
Wow, I've never read anything by Victoria before, but her writing is beautiful. I'm definitely going to pick some of her books up soon. I liked this story, didn't love it but I liked it. It was beautifully written with a good story to tell. 7/10 stars.
Marigold by Samantha Shannon
Prompt by Regan Peruse (PeruseProject)
I do love the Victorian Era type feel of this story, and the twist of it was fun. It really was a fun read, just not one that I absolutely loved, I mean I could see where it was going before it even got halfway through. 7/10 stars.
You, You, it's All About You by Adam Silvera
Prompt by Catriona Feeney (Littlebookowl)
Interestingly, this is written in 2nd person. I wasn't all that into the villain, but... I really enjoyed the twist at the end of the story with Karl. That made me want to read more into the story and the going ons in this world. 6.8/10 stars
Julian Breaks Every Rule by Andrew Smith
Prompt given by Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07)
This story was fun, but not all that interesting. It had a plot, but barely. 6/10 stars.
Indigo and Shade by April Genevieve Tucholke
Prompt by Whitney Atkinson (WittyNovels)
It had a haunting feel and I could see exactly where it was going. The protagonist wasn't really a villain at all, he was kind of dull, but I still did enjoy reading the story. 6.5/10 stars.
Sera by Niccola Yoon
Prompt given by Steph Sinclair and Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery)
This story had an eerie feel to it. It wasn't anything riveting or that I was particularly attached to, though. It was okay. 6/10 stars.
Something I found surprising about these stories was that a lot of the "villains" didn't actually feel like villains. Not in the way where they're supposed to be likable villains but in the way that they actually just don't really count as villains at all.
Anyway, the average for this book is 6.6/10 stars. Overall, it's a fun read if you have the time to sit down.
Thanks for reading,
Anj
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