Smile and Be a Villain

This book was genuinely one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I was desperately looking forward to getting my hands on it in April and reading it, and so when it came up on NetGalley i LEPT at the opportunity to read it, and luckily for me it did not disappoint!! As a Hamlet-enjoyer, a Hamlet retelling was something I've always wanted, and to see elements of fantasy mixed in with it, I just knew I was going to love it!

The book begins with Hamlet being sent away to Wittenberg university after being caught with a stableboy, and Ophelia is left trapped in Helsingør; and it is under the watchful eye of her father (and occasionally her brother, when he is not in Paris) that Ophelia must attempt to use her witch-like powers in order to protect the castle from Corruption - the sinister byproduct of casting large-scale magical spells - but for some reason, Helsingør is dripping in it, and she must find out why before it is too late.

It took me a little while to get to grips with the magic system of this book, but I got there eventually and when I did, I found myself rather enjoying it - I quite enjoy the idea of magic leaving some kind of sinister, corrupting trace. It is this sinister Corruption that seems to signal the beginning of Hamlet's 'descent into madness' towards the end of the book, after being introduced to it by Rosencrantz and Guildendtern, and again I really enjoyed this aspect - as a whole, I quite enjoy watching my characters decline (a little evil of me, I know!), and I think giving it a fantastical reason quite increases the stakes - it perhaps gives Ophelia a chance to save him, her attempts to do so I'm sure we'll see in book 2.

Another strong aspect of this book was the characters. Hamlet is suitably pathetic, unaware and intelligent - as he is in the play - and Ophelia seems to be the only one with her head on straight, which again, a perfect reflection of the play and I will take NO criticism on this. She is witty, thoughtful, and her and Hamlet bicker like siblings, which I thoroughly enjoyed! Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are also rather witty, bouncing off of each other and quip after quip (again, I thoroughly enjoyed this!) with hidden dimensions that are revealed to us towards the end. Fortinbras was a surprisingly strong character, given that in the original play he only appears literally at the end - I love the history that him and Hamlet have, and what that means for the final battle. Horatio wasn't all that present, but I look forward to seeing more of him.

The perhaps ONE criticism of this book that I have, and maybe criticism is a harsh word, is that I wish this book was longer. Saying this from a technical perspective, I wish we'd gotten more of Hamlet's time at Wittenberg, more of Ophelia's attempts to keep up her wards at Helsingør, and more time to get to know Rosencrantz and Guildenstern before everything is turned on its head. We perhaps could've been introduced to Claudius a little earlier - even if it was an offhand mentioning of how much of a bastard he was, or something like that. I just think the experience would've been more immersive if it was just THAT bit longer.

This made me want to reread the original Hamlet so badly.

Every one of the characters not only reflect their play counterparts, but it delightfully expands upon them. The relationship between Hamlet and his dad is further developed, we get more background on Ophelia and her family, Fortinbras becomes so much more complex and dynamic, I could practically see how much thought and care Donlon put into their reimagining/expansion of some of Shakespeare's most famous characters. The additional queer aspect is also done really well, too. Ophelia is strongly implied to be ace, Hamlet is (at least) bisexual, several of the male side characters (Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Fortinbras, etc.) are Achillean, and Ophelia has a pair of married aunts who have strong presence/impact on the story. Queerness, especially when portraying it in a historical setting, always adds a layer of depth in stories, and I absolutely loved how naturally Donlon integrated it with Hamlet and crew.

The story, much like its source, focuses on the descent into madness all the characters go through (Or, in this case, will go through, since this story is a prequel to the original events). How Donlon chose to portray this was introducing a magic system and the Corruption, a consequence of using too much magic that sticks to places/people and corrupts them. It was very interesting, and watching Ophelia stubbornly try to cleanse her home and her loved ones from the Corruption made her so sympathetic, particularly because, no matter how much she tries, the inevitable will come. The dramatic irony of it all is so good and I loved it.

All in all, this is a fantastic book. I will be waiting with baited breath for the sequel!

Smile and Be aVillain is one of those retellings that has the literary strength to stand alone, but is so authentic to the original, that you cannot help but have them side by side.

This book is a retalling of Shakespeare's famous play, Hamlet. (Secondary school gave me a healthy disdain for Shakespeares plays, but reading them again in my 20s without the yoke of curriculum requirements, helped me to find a way to enjoy them. This retelling is exactly one of those ways. Authentic to the original but so very much more.

The Corruption is absolutely genius and Yves Donlon absolutely captures each characters idiosyncracies, but enhances them to embrace their queerness and I am happy to see it. This is the beauty of great literature. It is made to explore themes and expand upon ideas, build worlds and define characters. Flipping wonderful and this is only the beginning of the series!

Thank you to Netgalley, the wonderful Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and the hugely talented author Yves Donlon for this stunning ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This is one of the best adaptations of Hamlet I’ve read. It not only stands on its own, and provides an original story, but the characters are delightfully queer and true to the original. It nails the vibe of 16th century Europe perfectly, and the author’s prose is clean. I loved this book so much.

Excellent read. Really enjoyable. Exquisitely written with relatable and likable characters and beautiful world-building. 100% would recommend to all of my friends and fellow book lovers.

I had the opportunity to read an ARC of Smile and Be a Villain (Book 1 of Goodnight Sweet Prince) by Yves Donlon thanks to NetGalley! It’s a queer retelling of Hamlet, with fantasy elements and a lot of insightful social commentary woven throughout.

Yves’ writing and language was the first thing that stood out to me about this book. In the absolute best way, it has the Shakespearean vibe while maintaining an understandable vocabulary and modern flow. It fits the nature and tone of this book extremely well, making it even easier to get lost in the world hidden between its pages.

The main characters – Hamlet and Ophelia – are likeable, making it very easy to root for them. The depth of their relationship is compelling, and never once did I feel like I had any questions about it – it was just Hal and Fee, friends since they were kids, and that was that. Their internal monologues did a lot for their likeability. Ophelia’s internal monologue talks a lot about what it means to be a woman, while also being strikingly relatable at times, despite the 500-odd years between us. (Fond mention to: “more than anything, she craved cheese”). Hamlet, on the other hand, explores a lot of what it means to be touch-starved and yearn for companionship, and also the hunger to earn the approval of a parental figure. He’s also… slightly pathetic, especially at the start, but in a good way? Like a soaked kitten you find on the side of the road and take in.

I mentioned the social commentary earlier. It absolutely knocked me off my feet: it was nothing more than a sentence here and there at times, but it packed a punch with the simplicity of it. The complex thoughts expressed in simple sentences that cut straight for the heart. Ophelia (and Alessandra) discussing what it means to be a woman and the change when one grows from a girl into a woman and the way people perceive that stood out to me. Fond mention to the religious commentary, that faith is to believe that god will love you in the end no matter what – in a book in which the differences between Lutheranism and Catholicism seemed woven into its very core, it was a lovely touch.

I will try and refrain from major spoilers, but I will say that the foreshadowing had me second-guessing everything I believed to be true. The last 10-15% of the book had me unable to stop reading with my jaw on the floor as everything unravelled before my eyes.

Side notes; I loved Laertes and Horatio, though they were certainly not the main focus of the book in the slightest. Horatio’s last appearance in the book had my heart breaking for reasons I couldn’t put into words (as someone who hasn’t read the original Hamlet, though I am starting to think I should).

The line in chapter 40, scene 10, “there is nothing in Denmark that is worth this” made me feel far too much for how brief that scene was. I felt like I’d been stabbed, and I cried like it too.

Overall, the book was a very strong 4.5/5, rounded up to 5! My only critique is that the book took a touch too long to get started, and I did find it hard to convince myself to pick it up at the beginning. Once it got going, however, it was great.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Disclaimer: I have not read Hamlet, and therefor my experience with this book might be different than someone who has (E.G plot twists etc.)

I knew I would love this book the moment I heard the premise; "Hamlet but queer". I've been fascinated by Shakespear for a while now, and having previously only read 'If We Were Villains', I thought a Hamlet retelling would be perfect to further fuel this fascination, and boy oh boy was I correct.

This book was, with its beautiful writing style, fast pace and short chapters, addicting. I had to force myself to put it down, and had I not, I would've devoured this in only 2 or 3 sittings. Though, I'm glad I took my time, as this meant I had more time with these characters whom I absolutely adored. Magical, badass Ophelia who loves her father, her brother, her Otherworld family and who just wants to do whats best for Denmark, and the queer mess that is Prince Hamlet. They were filled with unique personality and I could do nothing but root for them the entire time. I loved reading about Ophelia and her struggles as a lady in a royal court, alongside her struggles of using her magic to try and keep Denmark free of the corruption, and the love she shared with Hamlet was so sweet. Oh and the fact that she's ACE, god she's just like me. Now, Hamlet. He was such a troubled boy, and reading about his yearning and internalised homophobia saddened me. Though, I really enjoyed the banter he shared with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz (and the rest of the characters, but especially these two). It was heartbreaking reading about the betrayals tragedies they both went through (though, I might've seen them coming, had I actually read the original source material, but whatever, it only added to my misery and enjoyment). The characters in general were so lovable (except for you, Claudius), unique and complex that I just wanted to learn more about them and never felt the "Urgh when does this character stop talking" feeling.

The magic system with the corruption and the Otherworlds and the seight guids and everything was so well done, and fascinated me a lot. The descriptions of the corruption and the corruption-creatures were gross, and I LOVED it. The whole thing felt so original, and I just wanted to read more.

I might not have read a lot of historical fiction, but Yves Donlon managed to capture the time period perfectly, which only made me enjoy this book even more. The writing style was, as previously mentioned, beautiful and only added to this. I know I will think about this book in the next forseeable future because Oh my god. I know this review probably made no sense, and was just me yapping without actually saying anything intelligent, but trust me, you will not want to miss out on this book once it releases.

I might be a bit biased as a Dane, but shh it only made the story feel more special to me.

SABAV is a queer Hamlet retelling, and one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

The story is told from two POV’s, Hamlet’s and Ophelia’s. Hamlet has been sent away to study at Wittenberg after being caught in a compromising position with Ophelia and the stable boy. There he meets Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and ends up living with them.

Ophelia, who is now alone and disgraced in the castle, is struggling to try and keep corruption from taking over. Corrupting is the by-product of using magic, and the castle is overflowing with. Ophelia needs to do her best to get rid of it because it starts to rot away at the people.

I loved everything about this book, and I especially loved Hamlet. I want to wrap him in a big hug and give him all the love he deserves. He’s struggles a lot with inner homophobia, but still has his heart open to loving others like he just can’t help it. On the outside he is ever the Prince he was raised to be, keeping up appearances with a smile on his face. But inside he is struggling and feels like there is a monster living within him.

Hamlet is seventeen and he feels that way. The author did a great job of writing him to feel like a teenager, but one who has been raised in court and is expected to make good decisions. He never feels immature, or too old for his age.

Ophelia is truly a character to admire. She is trying so hard to save everyone’s lives with a hint of recognition or even acceptance from some. She is smart and confident in her goal and honestly everyone should be bowing at her feet for all she’s doing to keep them alive.

You don’t need any prior info of Hamlet to read this book. The whole of this book is set before the timeline to the original, so it’s a sort of prequel retelling. Yves Donlon has added enough of their own twist to the whole story that I really have no idea what to expect from the sequel but I’m super excited, and a little nervous too.

Yves Donlon's debut is a charming, magical, haunting retelling of Hamlet, set before the events of the play. With queer characters and striking but still accessible prose, Donlon breathes new life into the story, and the addition of fantasy elements helps set SABAV apart from other Shakespearean retellings. I'm excited to see what the author does next.

Thanks for the e-arc!