—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.


This is the first book in a unique series. The title pulled me in and i fell in love. This was so unexpected and interesting. Nothing like i’ve read before. Truly a unique experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing by NetGalley for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available April 16,2024

This is another Hamlet retelling but it has epic LGTBQIA rep. Honestly it was that rep that kept me reading. The plot was easily followable, characters were engaging but the story just didn’t hit with me. All in all it was a good book and truly deserves to be read.

oh yes. give me the queer hamlet retelling. donlon seems to have really done her work here and made a wonderful reimagining of the classic. and it's magical! what a cool concept.

A loose retelling of Hamlet with magic. I don't know Shakespeare's Hamlet, nor the story of Amleth, well. As such I do not know if the diversions from those stories will frustrate or delight fans of the 'originals'.
I personally was enthralled by the story and its characters. The intrigue and relationships are well developed and the pacing ensured it didn't drag. I was a little disappointed with Ophelia's character later in the book but think it leaves things open to interpretation of the reader. This is the first in a set so although I think it can be read as a standalone there is more to come.

I received this book via Netgalley. I was not required to provide a review and all opinions in this review 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.

I hope everyone gets to read this book. This book was SO worth the time. It is a little heavy on world building and is at time slow. But stick with it, you will not be disappointed and you will most definitely fall in love with the characters.

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 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!

Hamlet has always held a special place in my heart, I even named my cat after the titular character. I almost wish I had gone back and reread the play to freshen up on the storyline but as soon as I got my hands on the ARC, I couldn’t help myself. I just had to sit down and read it that moment!
The magic system used was so intriguing and unique from a lot of books I’ve read before. I really hope to see more of it be explored in the sequel! The imagery that was used whenever it came to the Corruption was so beautifully visceral. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, but the way that some of the scenes were described made my skin crawl and react in such a way I was worried the Corruption may have kept out of the story and into the real world. The writing was very beautiful and was almost poetic at times, I could really see the influence of the original play. The relationships the characters have with one another were one of my favorite parts. Everyone was complex and multifaceted, especially both Hamlet and Ophelia. Not to mention the queer representation was heartwarming to see, even if it caused a lot of conflict within the story. I’m so excited for the sequel! The one bad thing about getting ARCs and reading the story early means having to wait even more for the next installment.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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.