Introduction
A Stage Set for Villains is a new standalone dark fantasy novel, published in February 2026 by Shannon J. Spann. This is her debut novel, and has captured the hearts, minds and souls of her readers with it as she chose to step away from the typical tropes of the genre and shock everyone.
A Summary
Riven Hesper is cursed. She remembers the Player that did it, but no matter what she does, she cannot find evidence that the Player exists. She has seen the faces of the 5 remaining Players, and none of them match the one that did this to her. She has spent the last 10 years coated in anger and loneliness. When the Playhouse announces an opportunity for a mortal to become a Player, the world is thrown into chaos. But all Riven sees is a chance to be normal. To be uncursed. She infiltrates the competition, and slowly but surely, she begins to question the reality she is in. But one thing is for certain, she will stay true to who she is.
Writing Style
A Stage Set for Villains is a single POV standalone novel, with a lot of emphasis on world building. This means there is quite a bit of description of settings, people and experiences, but not once does it become boring. The dialogue in this book can feel slightly odd at first, but trust me, it makes sense, and looking back, it is absolutely perfect.
What I Loved
To me, there was nothing wrong with this book. Everything was perfect. I will avoid major spoilers (which is the most difficult thing ever) and just try to tell you why I found it so perfect.
For starters, worldbuilding is unlike any other fantasy world I have read. It does follow a similar pattern with the war-torn world split into north and the south but there is so much depth to it. Everyone in the North is marked, and in fear of the Players, and that is shown in the way they live their lives. Everything’s grey, because colour summons Players. There are no stories or singing, because they summon Players. There are no mirrors, because it can summon Players. But like every society, rules are usually quietly broken, people hide mirrors in the deep corners of their dressers, they find small ways to enjoy colour through the food they eat. It genuinely feels like what reality would be if the events before would have occurred. Speaking of the events before, we are given a rich history throughout the book, of the legends and the myths of how the Players were made. You never quite know what to believe though, and I truly love that, because it blends into the book’s premise so well.
The characters in this novel are truly astonishing, because they are exactly what they needed to be, and they played their part spectacularly. Titus is seen as this drunken brute, big and beefy and overconfident, yet we see as the book progresses, this is not all he is. There is more beneath the surface. The same goes for Parrish, Mattia and Arius. Arius by far is my favourite side character, despite the fact that we don’t see too much of him. The juxtaposition between him being a supposed healer as well as a vicious beast really caught my attention, and when everything is explained later in the book, I felt that his character was done justice.
And we can’t forget about Jude, whose character is so complex, with so many layers. He is the most loyal of them all, but he is also extremely selfish. Ultimately, he is an actor and throughout the book, you have to ask yourself what is real and what isn’t, even when you want nothing more than to believe he is being honest. I can’t say too much more without spoiling it, but Jude’s character is so perfectly done.
I suppose this book is an ‘enemies to lovers’ on the surface, but I don’t know if I could categorise it as that in good faith. This book has endless layers and it had me crying on the bedroom floor because I felt betrayed and lied to but I loved every second of it.
The plot itself is incredibly well-crafted, with it often making the reader feel on edge in anticipation of what could happen next. The beginning almost feels like the beginning of The Hunger Games, but then it took a hard twist and became something I have never experienced before and don’t know if I ever will again. Every aspect of the base plot gets tied up, and my favourite was Riven’s curse because it fits into the story so well.
Recommendation
Go read it. If you love an unreliable narrator, a dark fantasy with real stakes and a romance that transcends life itself, then GO READ IT!
(I read it yesterday and I am still reeling from it. God help me.)
Songs
Songs that I find reminiscent of the book:
Welcome to the Circus by Skittish
Tourner Dans le Vide by Indila
Skyfall by Adele
Mind Games by Sickick
(P.S. We made them links so feel free to click on them and get teleported straight into the vibes.)
