Review - Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy Edited by Ameriie

Because you Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy Edited by Ameriie

Published 24th July 2017 by Bloomsbury Childrens

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 14/75

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

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)

My Thoughts

So I've read a couple of adult short story collections before as I always love the sound of them but often they never hit the spot for me. This is the first YA anthology I've read and this was just what I have been looking for!

There wasn't a story in this collection that I didn't enjoy. Some I liked more than others but I had fun reading each and every one. They all had their own personal take on what they perceived as villainy and I loved reading these. I'm also ashamed to say that I've only read work from one of the authors featured in this collection however, I do own books from several others and I will definitely be picking up some of these very soon. My favorite stories included Venom by Cindy Pon, The Blood of Imuriv by Renee Ahdieh, Death Knell by V E Shwab and You, You, It's all About You by Adam Silvera.

Each of these stories were paired with a prompt from a popular booktuber and although I found these interesting I didn't feel they really added much to the stories. It also would of be beneficial, in my opinion, to have these prompts at the beginning of the story as opposed to the end. So we could get a fuller picture about what the author was trying to depict within their story. I also didn't feel their essays added a massive amount to the collection however, I did really enjoy Ben's essay paired with Cindy Pon's story. 
Here are my thoughts on each individual story. 
The Blood of Imuriv by Renee Ahdieh
What a great way to start this anthology off! I really enjoyed this story. I loved her writing style. The way she was able to create such an interesting and complex world full of politics and a fascinating social structure in just a few pages was fantastic. I'd love to see this turned into a full length novel!

Jack by Ameriie
This was another enjoyable one, this time a spin on Jack and the Beanstalk which was interesting, especially as I've been enjoying retellings lately. This one went in a bit of a different direction than I expected, with a little bit of a twist near the end. It amazes me how authors can lead you in unexpected directions in such a small amount of pages!

Gwen and Art and Lance by Soman Chainani
This is one of my least favorites but that's not saying I didn't enjoy it. The text format it was written in was interesting but I don't think it worked for a short story as I felt it lacked the detail that the others had. I think it did a good job of portraying a different type of villainy though.

Shirley and Jim by Susan Dennard
This is another one that didn't necessarily blow me away. It was a take on Sherlock Holmes and although the story was enjoyable whilst I was reading it didn't stand out to me. I wasn't a massive fan of this one. 

The Blessing of Little Wants by Sarah Enni
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It was an original story, not based on another fairy tale, and it felt quite unique but I'm not sure I really connected with any of the characters, which I know is hard to do in a short story but still I like to feel something.

The Sea Witch by Marissa Meyer
I knew I would enjoy this one! I love Marissa Meyers writing and story telling and I also love mermaid stories so this was a winner for me. An interesting twist on The Little Mermaid where the main character was not necessary what you would call a villain but definitely morally grey.

Beautiful Venom by Cindy Pon
This is one of my favorite stories in this anthology. It was such an interesting and unique twist on the Medusa legend and it really got me thinking about what truly makes a villain. I thought it commented on the emphasis put into woman to be beautiful and perfect fantastically and Ben's essay on the topic was so insightful.

Death Knell by V E Shwab
This one was definitely another favorite. I've never read anything by V E Shwab but I will be picking up something very soon, I love the way she writes! Another interesting take on a perceived villain and you could feel the emotion written into the one.

Marigold by Samantha Shannon
Yet another favorite and another author whose books I now need to read! I loved the idea behind this story and the way she depicted strong female characters. This was another one that was able to create a great twist in a short amount of pages.

You, You, It's All About You by Adam Silvera
I was looking forward to reading Adam Silvera's story. I've heard such good things about him as an author but I don't really read contemporary so haven't actually read any of his work but it's safe to say he didn't disappoint! This story was dark and gruesome and his character was ruthless. Definitely what I could call a true villain!  

Julian Breaks Every Rule by Andrew Smith
I wasn't a massive fan of this one. I could understand his take on the villain prompt and I thought his ideas were good I just didn't like the way it was written. I wasn't a fan of the writing style and this stopped me from becoming involved in the story.

Indigo and Shade by April Genevieve Tucholke 
This was another enjoyable one. Before even reading the prompt you could see it was a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast but with a gender swap which I quite enjoyed. The author did a good job of depicting the 'beasts' internal struggle with being 'evil'.

Sera by Nicola Yoon
I thought this final story was a great way to end. I enjoyed this one too. The flashbacks created such an ominous feeling and the ending felt quite powerful. The story, and in fact the whole collection, really ended with a bang!

Overall I really enjoyed this collection. It was a great opportunity to experience several popular YA authors and now, because of this, I'm sure my TBR is larger than ever. I would recommend picking this one up and I for one will be seeking out more YA anthologies in the future. 

Overall Rating