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Market of Monsters #3
When Villains Rise
Dexter meets Victoria Schwab in this dark and compelling fantasy about a girl who is determined to take down the black market once and for all in the conclusion to the trilogy that started with the critically acclaimed Not Even Bones.
Nita finally has Fabricio, the boy who betrayed her to the black market, within her grasp. But when proof that Kovit’s a zannie—a monster who eats pain in order to survive—is leaked to the world, Nita must reevalute her plans.
With enemies closing in on all sides, the only way out is for Nita and Kovit to take on the most dangerous man in the world: Fabricio’s father. He protects the secrets of the monsters who run the black market. Stealing those secrets could be the one thing that stands between Nita and Kovit and certain death in the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that began with the critically acclaimed Not Even Bones.
Nita finally has Fabricio, the boy who betrayed her to the black market, within her grasp. But when proof that Kovit’s a zannie—a monster who eats pain in order to survive—is leaked to the world, Nita must reevalute her plans.
With enemies closing in on all sides, the only way out is for Nita and Kovit to take on the most dangerous man in the world: Fabricio’s father. He protects the secrets of the monsters who run the black market. Stealing those secrets could be the one thing that stands between Nita and Kovit and certain death in the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that began with the critically acclaimed Not Even Bones.
384 pages, ebook
First published September 8, 2020
About the author
Rebecca Schaeffer
6 books1,479 followersRebecca Schaeffer is the critically acclaimed author of Not Even Bones, Only Ashes Remain, and When Villains Rise. The Webtoon adaptation of the trilogy has garnered over a hundred million reads and nearly 2 million subscribers. Her next book, City of Nightmares, comes out in January 2023.
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I read a lot of books and have a lot of opinions, so the only books I put up and rate on Goodreads are ones I absolutely loved and would heartily recommend to my fans.
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I also don't add friends and I don't have time to keep up on all platforms, so Goodreads is just for posting book reviews. If you want to contact me, there's a form on my website ^_^
*******
I read a lot of books and have a lot of opinions, so the only books I put up and rate on Goodreads are ones I absolutely loved and would heartily recommend to my fans.
****
I also don't add friends and I don't have time to keep up on all platforms, so Goodreads is just for posting book reviews. If you want to contact me, there's a form on my website ^_^
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 642 reviews
January 25, 2020
I love the cover,how it's looks like Kovit knife blade and Nita's scalpel entangled 😎✌️
![Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1647896333i/31792110._UX200_CR0,96,200,200_.jpg)
April 10, 2020
The finale, plot-wise, was everything I could have wished for.
My only issue is with the romance, which - to frame it bluntly - took a long walk off a short pier. More details in the spoiler tag.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
My only issue is with the romance, which - to frame it bluntly - took a long walk off a short pier. More details in the spoiler tag.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
Want to read
June 9, 2020NetGalley is too good to me
October 9, 2020
After three books I still find this series so odd but at the same time very brave for making a trilogy focused on characters who are essentially monsters and making me root for them to win in the end.
“When Villains Rise” finds Kovit and Nita trying to figure out what to do with the two people they are holding hostage and how to save Kovit from finding himself on the list and being hunted by those who believe they are following the law by killing him as soon as possible and with the final stages of the plan in motion Nita finds that sometimes the true monsters are those closest to home.
Like I said about this is such a strange series because with a different POV these two characters are the villains we root against and through the entirety of their journey they embrace the wickedness within themselves and don’t bother pretending that they’re good people. They’re loyalty extends to each other and each other alone and anyone else is easy prey and though they have conversation about their limits there’s still some innocent person who they’re both okay with hurting and it’s such a strange feeling to want them to win at the end of this.
They all have gone through so much and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more especially from Adair as there was so much to this world and the morally grey that all of these characters stand in that I wanted to explore and I think that’s a credit to the author for giving so much and still leave me wanting.
This is such a great series and though I recommend it to all its not for the faint of heart as the bloody creatures in the night get their fill of pain and torture and the heroes are few and far between.
**special thanks to the publishers and edelweiss for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
“When Villains Rise” finds Kovit and Nita trying to figure out what to do with the two people they are holding hostage and how to save Kovit from finding himself on the list and being hunted by those who believe they are following the law by killing him as soon as possible and with the final stages of the plan in motion Nita finds that sometimes the true monsters are those closest to home.
Like I said about this is such a strange series because with a different POV these two characters are the villains we root against and through the entirety of their journey they embrace the wickedness within themselves and don’t bother pretending that they’re good people. They’re loyalty extends to each other and each other alone and anyone else is easy prey and though they have conversation about their limits there’s still some innocent person who they’re both okay with hurting and it’s such a strange feeling to want them to win at the end of this.
They all have gone through so much and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more especially from Adair as there was so much to this world and the morally grey that all of these characters stand in that I wanted to explore and I think that’s a credit to the author for giving so much and still leave me wanting.
This is such a great series and though I recommend it to all its not for the faint of heart as the bloody creatures in the night get their fill of pain and torture and the heroes are few and far between.
**special thanks to the publishers and edelweiss for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
September 26, 2020
Man, this is one of the only series that I've been following in the last few years and now I'm done with it as well, this is so sad. Review to come!
January 11, 2021
Amazing ending to an extremely unique trilogy!! I loved the morally grey characters and the writing style definitely got so much better as the series went on - So glad I decided to keep reading after the first book❤️
January 20, 2021
Uff. Final book in a one-of-a-kind trilogy! What a wild ride this series has been!
Market of Monsters is truly very different from many other YA paranormals. A story following morally ambiguous characters maaaybe turning full on villain-y, but do they really? The truth is, not a single character in this trilogy is just good or bad and often you can't really tell even the third book in. (If you don't count the corrupt rich people or black market traders, nothing to question here.) But overall, nobody here was just good or just bad. This YA book gave us less of the hero-or-villain YA fairytale and more of complex look into the world. Not only the morally grey (villain) characters, but also made a lot of important observations about the world in general - power, money, privilege (or lack of it), the way not everone is afforded the privilege of growing up safely or having good parental influence. Nature vs. nurture. The power of information - and the use of information as a means to win the masses on your side and get what you want (a situation where both sides use a little bit of truth mixed with a whole slew of lies to win the public opinion, another parallel to this world?). Forgiveness, vengeance. Safety or the lack of it. There's so many important themes woven into the trilogy and it's reall great that a YA book can contain these things too without being one dimensional.
My favourite instalment is still the first book - I found the plot of the first book by far the best (largely set in the unnatural black market), but the sequels are amazing as well and this last book is a worthy conclusion to the series. I hope more people will give this underrated gem a try. Especially if you want to read something a little bit different.
Market of Monsters is truly very different from many other YA paranormals. A story following morally ambiguous characters maaaybe turning full on villain-y, but do they really? The truth is, not a single character in this trilogy is just good or bad and often you can't really tell even the third book in. (If you don't count the corrupt rich people or black market traders, nothing to question here.) But overall, nobody here was just good or just bad. This YA book gave us less of the hero-or-villain YA fairytale and more of complex look into the world. Not only the morally grey (villain) characters, but also made a lot of important observations about the world in general - power, money, privilege (or lack of it), the way not everone is afforded the privilege of growing up safely or having good parental influence. Nature vs. nurture. The power of information - and the use of information as a means to win the masses on your side and get what you want (a situation where both sides use a little bit of truth mixed with a whole slew of lies to win the public opinion, another parallel to this world?). Forgiveness, vengeance. Safety or the lack of it. There's so many important themes woven into the trilogy and it's reall great that a YA book can contain these things too without being one dimensional.
My favourite instalment is still the first book - I found the plot of the first book by far the best (largely set in the unnatural black market), but the sequels are amazing as well and this last book is a worthy conclusion to the series. I hope more people will give this underrated gem a try. Especially if you want to read something a little bit different.
September 9, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Laura Erne
When Villains Rise by Rebecca Schaeffer left me utterly speechless. For days. I couldn’t even talk about it until now. I was captivated from start to finish and although the plot deviated from my own expectations, I was left satisfied with how it all ended. That’s an amazing feat for any writer and their work. I’m sad to see these characters and their stories end, I will miss them dearly, but my goodness these books are amazing. I can sincerely say that I have never read anything quite like the Market of Monsters trilogy. Nita will always be one of my most favourite morally grey, badass main characters that have graced the YA genre.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
When Villains Rise by Rebecca Schaeffer left me utterly speechless. For days. I couldn’t even talk about it until now. I was captivated from start to finish and although the plot deviated from my own expectations, I was left satisfied with how it all ended. That’s an amazing feat for any writer and their work. I’m sad to see these characters and their stories end, I will miss them dearly, but my goodness these books are amazing. I can sincerely say that I have never read anything quite like the Market of Monsters trilogy. Nita will always be one of my most favourite morally grey, badass main characters that have graced the YA genre.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
Want to read
March 6, 2020read the webtoon ... it is amazinggggg...
December 10, 2019
This series is SO GOOD and OMG the ending is intense! I'm not ready for it to be over (this book completes the story as is, but will there be more? I HOPE SO) I can't wait to see what Rebecca has done with it since I got my hands on it (I was a beta reader) but even before several rounds of revisions and edits, this book was GOOD. So I'm super pumped for it! <3
September 22, 2020
You know the kind of review where you don't even know where to begin and the only thing you're sure of is that your feelings could be translated into one long inhuman screech devoted to your love for the book? Well, it's that kind of review for me.
I can't exactly remember how I came across the Market of Monsters series; I just know that I read the summary of the first book and immediately thought, YES, PLEASE. I absolutely adored it, just like I was ready to die for the second book and its new cast of characters and breathtaking, neck-breaking plot pace. But then, it was time to read the third book, and I was truly scared of it - I admit I'm extremely picky when it comes to endings, they're usually way too rushed and simple to my taste. But THERE. My God, I honestly think it was my favorite in the series, and I'm being truly honest.
Let's begin with the plot itself, alright? To say the least, it's thrilling. It's brillant. When it comes to reading, I've been in a weird mood this entire year, and I've had a hard time finding books I really really loved. But this one completely sucked me into the story from the very first pages and I found myself captivated for hours - I hadn't been reading that much in a long, long while. What I really love about Nita and Kovit's story, is that while they share their meticulous plan with the reader, you can never expect what's going to happen. It's hard to surprise me, if I may so, but I kept gasping and commenting out loud throughout the entire book - including when it was 2 A.M and I could have awaken the entire neighborhood. It's such an intense, fast plot with so many layers and locations and plot-twists, you're completely sucked into a whirpool of emotion - but it's also incredibly well-thought and put together, it's clever and snarky and edgy (in a good way.) I raced through the last chapters in pure agony because I was both so entraced by the plot and extremely fearful for the characters' well-being.
While we're on the topic of the characters - THEY. ARE. THE. BEST. And no, I don't take constructive criticism. I could go on and on and scream from every single rooftop around me that Nita and Kovit are some of my favorite characters EVER. Usually, it's quite hard for me to even come close to liking a character because the plot is often much more interesting than them, they're just taken along the story and there's not much space to really understand or feel for them. But in that book, my GOD. It's so strange (and I think it was the point, but still) that they're both such "horrible" people but you can't help but loving them. They've hurt and killed more people, they usually have zero regrets and they're basically little shits - and I adore them. Their characterization is stellar, it's absolutely excellent: you can literally see them evolve through the entire series, but also throughout each book. They become stronger and more mature, but also more emotionally vulnerable. Their characters keep on giving, slowly peeling layers after layers until you feel like you've known them for your entire lives.
I love Nita so, so much - she's the strong female character I deserve. She's completely insane and merciless, but she's also so profoundly flawed in a human way. She doubts and she knows something is wrong with her, but she learns to accept it, and her character is likeable because of this morally-gray approach. Same goes with Kovit, even though I admit I have the softest spot for him and I'm perhaps too biased to analyze him: he's the most complex, kindest, most adorable character I've read in a while. His story completely broke my heart, and like Nita I couldn't forget what he had done in his past and what he still could do, but I also saw every other parts of him, those that were soft and broken and vulnerable. He is the polar opposite of the brooding-bad-boy stereotype you see everywhere in YA, which is surprising considering his story. But no, he's soft and gentle, and I could feel my heart aching for him throughout the entire story. (That's me keeping myself from admitting I said "he's baby" out loud way too many times when I read this book.)
I also feel like it's necessary for me to comment on their relationship. The first book in the series has absolutely no romance. Second book sees the blooming of what could be love. Third book takes all this and blows it to dust - creating the most interesting, complex and swooning relationship I've ever seen in a while - if not ever. What Nita and Kovit share is so pure and innocent, yet so profound and heartbreaking. I'm usually not a fan of romance at all in books, because I feel like it often takes too much time in the plot, but there, I was rooting for them all the way - because in the end it's not romance. Not really. Their relationship evolves enormously throughout the story, from enemies to allies to friends to, well, something more: what almost made me scream in delight was how much it was based on trust and, wait for it: COMMUNICATION . Unlike 99% of the pairings in YA, they realize they can only work when they talk to each other and make sure they agree on what they're doing. Hell, I almost cried when they talked about what they wanted with each other, realizing they both had no interest in sex or intimacy. Their relationship is just the most healthy and enviable I've ever seen, no matter how odd the context is. More than that, it defies every label: it's not friendship yet it's not really romantic love, it just is. It just feels so good and genuine, I can honestly say I tear up just thinking about it.
To go back to the plot, it wouldn't be be a review for the last book in a series if I didn't talk about the ending. I was so, so afraid that one, something bad would happen, and two, that I would be disappointed by the end. I've stopped counting the books and series I adored but that left me bittersweet with a too-optimistic or just too bland ending. But once again, this book transcended every single of my expectations: the ending is mindblowing, to say the least. It manages to cut every loose thread and wrap the story up in a very satisfying and convincing way that I'm not going to spoil you. The only thing I can say is that my heart nearly burst with joy when I read it, and that I feel both so happy to have found this series, and so mournful that it's over now. I could honestly still read about Nita and Kovit for hundreds and hundreds of pages, no matter if just to read about them being cute.
(Dear Rebecca Schaeffer, if you read this, I owe you my life and can't wait to read more from your brillant mind.)
I can't exactly remember how I came across the Market of Monsters series; I just know that I read the summary of the first book and immediately thought, YES, PLEASE. I absolutely adored it, just like I was ready to die for the second book and its new cast of characters and breathtaking, neck-breaking plot pace. But then, it was time to read the third book, and I was truly scared of it - I admit I'm extremely picky when it comes to endings, they're usually way too rushed and simple to my taste. But THERE. My God, I honestly think it was my favorite in the series, and I'm being truly honest.
Let's begin with the plot itself, alright? To say the least, it's thrilling. It's brillant. When it comes to reading, I've been in a weird mood this entire year, and I've had a hard time finding books I really really loved. But this one completely sucked me into the story from the very first pages and I found myself captivated for hours - I hadn't been reading that much in a long, long while. What I really love about Nita and Kovit's story, is that while they share their meticulous plan with the reader, you can never expect what's going to happen. It's hard to surprise me, if I may so, but I kept gasping and commenting out loud throughout the entire book - including when it was 2 A.M and I could have awaken the entire neighborhood. It's such an intense, fast plot with so many layers and locations and plot-twists, you're completely sucked into a whirpool of emotion - but it's also incredibly well-thought and put together, it's clever and snarky and edgy (in a good way.) I raced through the last chapters in pure agony because I was both so entraced by the plot and extremely fearful for the characters' well-being.
While we're on the topic of the characters - THEY. ARE. THE. BEST. And no, I don't take constructive criticism. I could go on and on and scream from every single rooftop around me that Nita and Kovit are some of my favorite characters EVER. Usually, it's quite hard for me to even come close to liking a character because the plot is often much more interesting than them, they're just taken along the story and there's not much space to really understand or feel for them. But in that book, my GOD. It's so strange (and I think it was the point, but still) that they're both such "horrible" people but you can't help but loving them. They've hurt and killed more people, they usually have zero regrets and they're basically little shits - and I adore them. Their characterization is stellar, it's absolutely excellent: you can literally see them evolve through the entire series, but also throughout each book. They become stronger and more mature, but also more emotionally vulnerable. Their characters keep on giving, slowly peeling layers after layers until you feel like you've known them for your entire lives.
I love Nita so, so much - she's the strong female character I deserve. She's completely insane and merciless, but she's also so profoundly flawed in a human way. She doubts and she knows something is wrong with her, but she learns to accept it, and her character is likeable because of this morally-gray approach. Same goes with Kovit, even though I admit I have the softest spot for him and I'm perhaps too biased to analyze him: he's the most complex, kindest, most adorable character I've read in a while. His story completely broke my heart, and like Nita I couldn't forget what he had done in his past and what he still could do, but I also saw every other parts of him, those that were soft and broken and vulnerable. He is the polar opposite of the brooding-bad-boy stereotype you see everywhere in YA, which is surprising considering his story. But no, he's soft and gentle, and I could feel my heart aching for him throughout the entire story. (That's me keeping myself from admitting I said "he's baby" out loud way too many times when I read this book.)
I also feel like it's necessary for me to comment on their relationship. The first book in the series has absolutely no romance. Second book sees the blooming of what could be love. Third book takes all this and blows it to dust - creating the most interesting, complex and swooning relationship I've ever seen in a while - if not ever. What Nita and Kovit share is so pure and innocent, yet so profound and heartbreaking. I'm usually not a fan of romance at all in books, because I feel like it often takes too much time in the plot, but there, I was rooting for them all the way - because in the end it's not romance. Not really. Their relationship evolves enormously throughout the story, from enemies to allies to friends to, well, something more: what almost made me scream in delight was how much it was based on trust and, wait for it: COMMUNICATION . Unlike 99% of the pairings in YA, they realize they can only work when they talk to each other and make sure they agree on what they're doing. Hell, I almost cried when they talked about what they wanted with each other, realizing they both had no interest in sex or intimacy. Their relationship is just the most healthy and enviable I've ever seen, no matter how odd the context is. More than that, it defies every label: it's not friendship yet it's not really romantic love, it just is. It just feels so good and genuine, I can honestly say I tear up just thinking about it.
To go back to the plot, it wouldn't be be a review for the last book in a series if I didn't talk about the ending. I was so, so afraid that one, something bad would happen, and two, that I would be disappointed by the end. I've stopped counting the books and series I adored but that left me bittersweet with a too-optimistic or just too bland ending. But once again, this book transcended every single of my expectations: the ending is mindblowing, to say the least. It manages to cut every loose thread and wrap the story up in a very satisfying and convincing way that I'm not going to spoil you. The only thing I can say is that my heart nearly burst with joy when I read it, and that I feel both so happy to have found this series, and so mournful that it's over now. I could honestly still read about Nita and Kovit for hundreds and hundreds of pages, no matter if just to read about them being cute.
(Dear Rebecca Schaeffer, if you read this, I owe you my life and can't wait to read more from your brillant mind.)
January 7, 2022
What a satisfying ending. Monster Market never misses! This one had it all. Very understated yet perfectly explained ace romance slow burn. Characters that don't learn their lesson and just keep murdering people down to the bitter end. Addressing of the fact that they were serial killers and meh about it. Letting some of the bad guys get away because of pragmatism. I just...LOVE. this series.
January 17, 2021
I am a huge fan of this series, but the last book of the trilogy let me down.
***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Plot: 3/5
The plot was average. It was not too bad nor too good. There were some elements that were impressive and some that were disappointing. There were some gaps, which made the story vague, rushed and incomplete, ruining my overall experience.
There was a slow pace within the 1/3 of the story. There was not a lot of action. The characters were not doing anything, except torturing Fabricio and forcing Gold to forgive Kovit for him being a zanny. It was just a waste of time, which easily could be cut off.
Still, I liked the plot twist where Fabricio showed his true motive and deceiving Nita and Kovit in the process. I was surprised how Fabricio easily and effortlessly manipulated Nita and Kovit into killing his father when indeed was an imposter. An imposter who murder Fabricio’s father and tortured Fabricio so he can gain all the power of the Tacunan Law firm as well as other businesses. In addition, I loved how Nita’s mother was the main antagonist as she was working with the INHUP with an identity that I never truly discovered, which was a shame. She was able to manipulate the INHUP by killing her best friend and forcing Nita to believe that INHUP was the real enemy. An enemy that was actually in front of her the whole time and forcing her to come back to her mother by killing Kovit in the process.
However, that was not enough to satisfy me because there was a lot of vagueness and at the end, I got very frustrated that it was not worth the money and wait for this book. Firstly, I was annoyed by the ending. Personally, there was no conclusion to the story. Nita wanted to be an unnatural researcher, which was never shown or told at the end if she really succeeded. She could have quit her ambitions and worked for Adair for instance. I do not know. Secondly, what happened with Kovit and the trial. Even if the trial was successful, was he able to be truly free and live his life happily? Thirdly, what happened to Fabricio in the end. I never understood what kind of freedom he really desired. Yes, I understand that he wants to remove himself from his father’s business, but he is such a mysterious and complex character that it was not fair that he had such a generalized motive. I did not like how Fabricio was thrown out of the window when he was just as significant as Nita and Kovit. He has been portrayed as a horrible person when Nita and Kovit are the same, if not even worse.
Characters: 2.5/5
The characters were not that intriguing at this point anymore. They are the same from the first and second book. There was no character development at all. The only character development I have seen is from Fabricio who is actually supposed to be the bad guy. Fabricio truly understood that what he did was wrong, but he valued his life and freedom more than to save one innocent and naïve girl who saved his life once. He understood the consequences of his actions and he truly feels guilty. However, Nita never changed. She is so stubborn and does not listen to reasoning, believing that she is always the victim. Yes, she does listen to Kovit but it is only because she does not want to lose him. She has no one else to rely on except him.
In addition, I hated the relationship between Kovit and his sister. I am sorry but she is just an irrelevant character that it was better if she did not exist. She had no purpose in the story. She did not do anything to stop the INHUP from releasing Kovit’s identity to the public. Then, she realizes that Kovit is a monster and was trying to kill him because he killed her best friend. She hates him so much that she never wants to see him and that’s it. That was her appearance. She did not do anything because Kovit still lived his life even though she was gone. In addition, she hates him so much just because he is a zanny, showing how much of a horrible sister she truly is. She did not understand the difficulties he was forced to endure to survive. She did not understand that a young child is vulnerable and can easily be indoctrinated to do things that are immoral.
Another relationship that irritated me was between Nita and her mother. Nita portrays her as this merciless, manipulative and highly clever but somehow Nita was able to easily kill her. WHAT! Nita’s actions contradict her mother’s characteristics. If her mother is so clever and perceptive, then she would have easily spotted the bomb being inside the bag. She is an experienced hunter at the end of the day, and she failed to miss this significant part that was laying down easily in Nita’s bag. Speaking of Nita killing her mother, this links to the story being rushed and vague because Nita killed her mother just in one chapter when it should be a whole arc or couple of chapters at least. She is the main antagonist, which means she could not possibly kill her that easily when Nita says that it was impossible.
Overall: 2/5
I was a huge fan of this series, but the book was vague, incomplete, rushed and quite confusing. There was no character development to the point they seemed really annoying. The plot was average and most of the time not very interesting so I would not really recommend buying it. You are not missing much at all.
***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Plot: 3/5
The plot was average. It was not too bad nor too good. There were some elements that were impressive and some that were disappointing. There were some gaps, which made the story vague, rushed and incomplete, ruining my overall experience.
There was a slow pace within the 1/3 of the story. There was not a lot of action. The characters were not doing anything, except torturing Fabricio and forcing Gold to forgive Kovit for him being a zanny. It was just a waste of time, which easily could be cut off.
Still, I liked the plot twist where Fabricio showed his true motive and deceiving Nita and Kovit in the process. I was surprised how Fabricio easily and effortlessly manipulated Nita and Kovit into killing his father when indeed was an imposter. An imposter who murder Fabricio’s father and tortured Fabricio so he can gain all the power of the Tacunan Law firm as well as other businesses. In addition, I loved how Nita’s mother was the main antagonist as she was working with the INHUP with an identity that I never truly discovered, which was a shame. She was able to manipulate the INHUP by killing her best friend and forcing Nita to believe that INHUP was the real enemy. An enemy that was actually in front of her the whole time and forcing her to come back to her mother by killing Kovit in the process.
However, that was not enough to satisfy me because there was a lot of vagueness and at the end, I got very frustrated that it was not worth the money and wait for this book. Firstly, I was annoyed by the ending. Personally, there was no conclusion to the story. Nita wanted to be an unnatural researcher, which was never shown or told at the end if she really succeeded. She could have quit her ambitions and worked for Adair for instance. I do not know. Secondly, what happened with Kovit and the trial. Even if the trial was successful, was he able to be truly free and live his life happily? Thirdly, what happened to Fabricio in the end. I never understood what kind of freedom he really desired. Yes, I understand that he wants to remove himself from his father’s business, but he is such a mysterious and complex character that it was not fair that he had such a generalized motive. I did not like how Fabricio was thrown out of the window when he was just as significant as Nita and Kovit. He has been portrayed as a horrible person when Nita and Kovit are the same, if not even worse.
Characters: 2.5/5
The characters were not that intriguing at this point anymore. They are the same from the first and second book. There was no character development at all. The only character development I have seen is from Fabricio who is actually supposed to be the bad guy. Fabricio truly understood that what he did was wrong, but he valued his life and freedom more than to save one innocent and naïve girl who saved his life once. He understood the consequences of his actions and he truly feels guilty. However, Nita never changed. She is so stubborn and does not listen to reasoning, believing that she is always the victim. Yes, she does listen to Kovit but it is only because she does not want to lose him. She has no one else to rely on except him.
In addition, I hated the relationship between Kovit and his sister. I am sorry but she is just an irrelevant character that it was better if she did not exist. She had no purpose in the story. She did not do anything to stop the INHUP from releasing Kovit’s identity to the public. Then, she realizes that Kovit is a monster and was trying to kill him because he killed her best friend. She hates him so much that she never wants to see him and that’s it. That was her appearance. She did not do anything because Kovit still lived his life even though she was gone. In addition, she hates him so much just because he is a zanny, showing how much of a horrible sister she truly is. She did not understand the difficulties he was forced to endure to survive. She did not understand that a young child is vulnerable and can easily be indoctrinated to do things that are immoral.
Another relationship that irritated me was between Nita and her mother. Nita portrays her as this merciless, manipulative and highly clever but somehow Nita was able to easily kill her. WHAT! Nita’s actions contradict her mother’s characteristics. If her mother is so clever and perceptive, then she would have easily spotted the bomb being inside the bag. She is an experienced hunter at the end of the day, and she failed to miss this significant part that was laying down easily in Nita’s bag. Speaking of Nita killing her mother, this links to the story being rushed and vague because Nita killed her mother just in one chapter when it should be a whole arc or couple of chapters at least. She is the main antagonist, which means she could not possibly kill her that easily when Nita says that it was impossible.
Overall: 2/5
I was a huge fan of this series, but the book was vague, incomplete, rushed and quite confusing. There was no character development to the point they seemed really annoying. The plot was average and most of the time not very interesting so I would not really recommend buying it. You are not missing much at all.
April 27, 2020
*Begins panicked chant whilst breathing into a paper bag*
"This can't be over. This can't be over."
IT'S OVER.
If you haven't read this series yet, drop what you're doing to GO READ THEM. This is probably one of the best YA trilogies out there. I haven't been this sad about a series ending since the last episode of Jericho, and that shouldn't have ended when it did. Alas, this last book had a better ending and wrapped things up rather nicely, despite my tantrums.
I've never ever rooted for the villains before reading this book. But were they really villains? Nita and Kovik are still in hiding, trying to figure out how to get Kovit off the kill list all while Nita plots to murder Zebra-stripes (the vamp who killed her dad) and avoid her psycho mother. Oh, and Fabricio is still their captive so there's that problem.
Like the last books, this book has all the murder and all the violence. What is was missing was the romance-the tension that we had in book two-but the author wrapped that up in a really unexpected way. At first, I thought, all right so I was thinking we had some asexual reps here and if I'm wrong, please let me know. Those were the vibes I got. Nonetheless, I loved the conclusion.
These books will go down as some of the weirdest but totally addicting books I have ever read. I love that Nita has never apologetic for who she is and that she found understanding in Kovit. The themes are there, finding peace, coming to terms with your past, changing into something better than who you were before and the author weaved those into such morally gray characters with expertise.
The way this ended gave me hope that-MAYBE- there will spinoffs. I'd love to see more of Adair and Diana.
*Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to read all three books year after year ahead of their release dates. I am forever grateful for this amazing series.*
"This can't be over. This can't be over."
IT'S OVER.
If you haven't read this series yet, drop what you're doing to GO READ THEM. This is probably one of the best YA trilogies out there. I haven't been this sad about a series ending since the last episode of Jericho, and that shouldn't have ended when it did. Alas, this last book had a better ending and wrapped things up rather nicely, despite my tantrums.
I've never ever rooted for the villains before reading this book. But were they really villains? Nita and Kovik are still in hiding, trying to figure out how to get Kovit off the kill list all while Nita plots to murder Zebra-stripes (the vamp who killed her dad) and avoid her psycho mother. Oh, and Fabricio is still their captive so there's that problem.
Like the last books, this book has all the murder and all the violence. What is was missing was the romance-the tension that we had in book two-but the author wrapped that up in a really unexpected way. At first, I thought, all right so I was thinking we had some asexual reps here and if I'm wrong, please let me know. Those were the vibes I got. Nonetheless, I loved the conclusion.
These books will go down as some of the weirdest but totally addicting books I have ever read. I love that Nita has never apologetic for who she is and that she found understanding in Kovit. The themes are there, finding peace, coming to terms with your past, changing into something better than who you were before and the author weaved those into such morally gray characters with expertise.
The way this ended gave me hope that-MAYBE- there will spinoffs. I'd love to see more of Adair and Diana.
*Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to read all three books year after year ahead of their release dates. I am forever grateful for this amazing series.*
August 11, 2021
Unfortunately, this trilogy progressively tanked as the books went on. What started with a great premise, packed action, and character arc promise just petered out. And took a sour turn in book two with offensive political subtext.
Book three surprised me with how slow it became. Unfortunately I found myself waiting for the tempo to pick up throughout the entire book. Additionally, the character arcs really seemed to stalemate. If I knew the rapid decline I personally would experience in my enjoyment of this trilogy, I probably wouldn't have read them. Oh well... better luck next time.
I'd rate this book an R for violence, gore, torture, swearing, and some other adult themes.
Book three surprised me with how slow it became. Unfortunately I found myself waiting for the tempo to pick up throughout the entire book. Additionally, the character arcs really seemed to stalemate. If I knew the rapid decline I personally would experience in my enjoyment of this trilogy, I probably wouldn't have read them. Oh well... better luck next time.
I'd rate this book an R for violence, gore, torture, swearing, and some other adult themes.
July 3, 2021
I had hoped that we would finally have some development.
What’s almost upsetting is that I could have written this story. And I don’t mean that I could have written something similar. I mean that I could have written this exact story. The pros is juvenile enough; the world building is vague enough; the characters’ are on a CW-scale of bipolar. It’s easy. Too easy.
My main issue, which I realised roughly 200 pages before the end, is that the characters are never challenged. Sure, sometimes there are a few roadblocks, but amazingly enough there will always be another option. Always. They will never be faced with defeat. They will never lose. Always, they’ll find another way. One that won’t be too difficult.
This whole series feel like a fanfic. And not the more interesting one.
The people you think will betray do. The people you expect to be betrayed are. There are no surprises. Even though you’re given twist after twist.
There is vague corporation lingo that makes no sense. Information about corrupt people is laid out in the same way that it would be on an episode of CSI. There’s the introduction of the mafia family. I don’t know what to say about that except that this is a fanfic. This series, which should have been 1 book, is a fanfic.
I’m also upset that there’s no romance. It’s kind of set up in the first one. There’s a hint of it. And then there’s more in the second book. And now they’ve decided they’re just friends but feel feelings for on another. Like, the romance could have written itself. One of the characters lives off of the pain of other people. The other character heals quickly. Do you see how easy it could have been? How good it could have been? Instead, we’re treated to these two possibly being asexual. That's obviously not an issue. But it doesn’t escape my notice that both of these characters are written as if they're sociopaths because of how they were raised. Neither of them has good social skills. And they’re both asexual? I don’t think the author intended to make that sort of connection, but the way they “expressed their feelings for one another” with the context that they’re both kind of damaged just made it feel a bit messy for me.
The first book was good because it has such an interesting story where cryptid creatures walk among humans. The writing style was juvenile in a fan-fic way.
The second book was okay because it followed up this interesting story and expanded the world a bit.
Now. With this third book I expected some development. It wasn’t until a I was a couple chapters in when I realised, I wasn’t going to get that. Because this entire series has happened over the course of less than one (1) month. The way that an hour in this universe works out like a day in our universe is quite remarkable. So much happens. And yet nothing happens.
This is a fanfic.
There is no reason for the characters’ to be in their late teens. They could have EASILY been early twenties. Were they aged down? Or was this the author’s intent from the start? Because something under the YA age bracket sells better?
Something I noticed but didn’t write down is that “Pardon?” in that exact format, is used too frequently throughout the book. In one instance it’s used four times within the same chapter. Ever heard of a thesaurus, Rebecca?
Somewhere in this series there is a good story about the value of human life and what constitutes human life. Who are the real monsters? Probably not the ones you’ve labelled as such.
But it’s all bogged down by an unimaginative vision and juvenile writing.
SPOILER:
I am honestly upset at the way Nita’s mother was killed. Where was the poetry in having her end up on Nita’s dissection table? But no, it had to be a bomb. Just a fucking bomb.
What’s almost upsetting is that I could have written this story. And I don’t mean that I could have written something similar. I mean that I could have written this exact story. The pros is juvenile enough; the world building is vague enough; the characters’ are on a CW-scale of bipolar. It’s easy. Too easy.
My main issue, which I realised roughly 200 pages before the end, is that the characters are never challenged. Sure, sometimes there are a few roadblocks, but amazingly enough there will always be another option. Always. They will never be faced with defeat. They will never lose. Always, they’ll find another way. One that won’t be too difficult.
This whole series feel like a fanfic. And not the more interesting one.
The people you think will betray do. The people you expect to be betrayed are. There are no surprises. Even though you’re given twist after twist.
There is vague corporation lingo that makes no sense. Information about corrupt people is laid out in the same way that it would be on an episode of CSI. There’s the introduction of the mafia family. I don’t know what to say about that except that this is a fanfic. This series, which should have been 1 book, is a fanfic.
I’m also upset that there’s no romance. It’s kind of set up in the first one. There’s a hint of it. And then there’s more in the second book. And now they’ve decided they’re just friends but feel feelings for on another. Like, the romance could have written itself. One of the characters lives off of the pain of other people. The other character heals quickly. Do you see how easy it could have been? How good it could have been? Instead, we’re treated to these two possibly being asexual. That's obviously not an issue. But it doesn’t escape my notice that both of these characters are written as if they're sociopaths because of how they were raised. Neither of them has good social skills. And they’re both asexual? I don’t think the author intended to make that sort of connection, but the way they “expressed their feelings for one another” with the context that they’re both kind of damaged just made it feel a bit messy for me.
The first book was good because it has such an interesting story where cryptid creatures walk among humans. The writing style was juvenile in a fan-fic way.
The second book was okay because it followed up this interesting story and expanded the world a bit.
Now. With this third book I expected some development. It wasn’t until a I was a couple chapters in when I realised, I wasn’t going to get that. Because this entire series has happened over the course of less than one (1) month. The way that an hour in this universe works out like a day in our universe is quite remarkable. So much happens. And yet nothing happens.
This is a fanfic.
There is no reason for the characters’ to be in their late teens. They could have EASILY been early twenties. Were they aged down? Or was this the author’s intent from the start? Because something under the YA age bracket sells better?
Something I noticed but didn’t write down is that “Pardon?” in that exact format, is used too frequently throughout the book. In one instance it’s used four times within the same chapter. Ever heard of a thesaurus, Rebecca?
Somewhere in this series there is a good story about the value of human life and what constitutes human life. Who are the real monsters? Probably not the ones you’ve labelled as such.
But it’s all bogged down by an unimaginative vision and juvenile writing.
SPOILER:
I am honestly upset at the way Nita’s mother was killed. Where was the poetry in having her end up on Nita’s dissection table? But no, it had to be a bomb. Just a fucking bomb.
September 11, 2020
This is my most anticipated release of 2020. Please don't be like the year.
Hush! It's good nothing like 2020.
With Aro Ace characters!!
Hush! It's good nothing like 2020.
With Aro Ace characters!!
December 26, 2021
THIS SERIES ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED ME, AND THE LAST BOOK MADE UP FOR IT ALL
Why?
-“But not even bones, only ashes remained when Nita rose” UHM YES I NOTICED THAT
-Nita’s steely determination to kill her mother
-FABRICIO’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 👏
-Kovit’s near-death scene (when I tell you I almost cried)
-The fact that the story didn’t end perfectly
-“he’s a monster.” “Aren’t we all?”
-NITA AND KOVIT PLATONICALLY CUDDLING 🥺
-Watching Nita’s plan unfold on the internet
-smug Adair
-NITA DRINKING BLOOD!?!?
-NITA BECOMING AN INFO BROKER BY NIGHT
-Mirella being an activist and making HUGE impact
Why?
-“But not even bones, only ashes remained when Nita rose” UHM YES I NOTICED THAT
-Nita’s steely determination to kill her mother
-FABRICIO’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 👏
-Kovit’s near-death scene (when I tell you I almost cried)
-The fact that the story didn’t end perfectly
-“he’s a monster.” “Aren’t we all?”
-NITA AND KOVIT PLATONICALLY CUDDLING 🥺
-Watching Nita’s plan unfold on the internet
-smug Adair
-NITA DRINKING BLOOD!?!?
-NITA BECOMING AN INFO BROKER BY NIGHT
-Mirella being an activist and making HUGE impact
August 26, 2020
When you deal with bad people, sometimes there are no good choices. And if you keep dealing with them, well, you might just find it’s no longer about bad choices, but the choice to be bad. To be monstrous.
Monstrousness has always been the heart of this trilogy, and the question of what makes a monster is all the more pertinent in When Villains Rise. Is it birth, nothing more than a genetic quirk that somehow plunks people to one side or the other of a moral black and white? Is it upbringing? The nature vs. nurture question is old, and Schaeffer doesn’t debate it so much as explode it entirely. What if your nature and your nurture were both on the wrong side of the moral line—would you then have to judge yourself by degrees, make morality a spectrum? And who would this morality be for—for yourself? For society? Whose society? Whose laws do you abide by when your nature, your existence, is a crime?
In this final volume, it’s not people Schaeffer is examining but whole institutions. We know that the INHUP, the Inhuman Police, are corrupt. And now we begin to see how their corruption interplays with politics, with the cycles of profit and exploitation on the black market, and with the media perception of supernatural beings, aka “inhumans.”
If the world doesn’t let you be human, then whose fault is it, exactly, when you act according to their expectations? The whole trilogy has been wrestling with this question as well, and it comes to some very interesting conclusions through Nina and Kovit, our beleaguered duo whom we last saw having a heart-to-heart as two prisoners awaited torture in other rooms.
Ah, sweet murder-babies. It’s good to see you again.
Nina and Kovit have more to worry about in this book than vengeance. Their survival is now interlinked with their fellow inhumans, and with the system that judges whether they’re safe or dangerous—aka, whether they can be killed on sight without consequences. (Let that one sink in for a second.) The INHUP is behind the policies, but it’s the public that effectively “enforces” them, supporting and even participating in government-sanctioned killing. The media is a constant threat across all three books, not always immanent but always at least in the back of everyone’s minds. Nita has always thought privacy was safety, but in When Villains Rise, she realizes she can take control of her narrative. And she’s going to do so as thoroughly as she knows how: by getting to the roots of the INHUP and all their secrets.
In this battle of information, Nita and Kovit’s self-knowledge isn’t trivial. What they know of each other, and how they understand their relationships, matters on a large scale. Rarely do I see someone so skillfully blend the larger themes and issues of the book’s plot into the intimate and interpersonal issues that the characters are struggling with.
I don’t know if this book will resonate with everyone who has experienced abuse, but it certainly resonated with me. Each of the teen characters has a parent or parental figure who treats or treated them with extreme violence and manipulation. Kovit, Nita, and Fabricio each emerged from uniquely bad situations, but they share a common understanding of the intense love and intense fear that accompanies long-term abuse. The intense feeling of monstrousness: both of the perpetrator and of yourself as you struggle to disentangle yourself from what they call “love.”
Learning to recognize abuse isn’t easy. It only really happens when there’s something to contrast it with, something that makes you realize that it isn’t normal. And once you do, it’s not as if feelings and relationships stop. I was particularly moved by Kovit’s mourning for his “mentor,” the man who forced him into torturing others. Henry was evil in every way imaginable, and yet he provided the only structure and support Kovit received for much of his life. Reconciling—or at least encompassing—those many contradictory feelings is a difficult process, and Schaeffer gives us a window on it without any tint of judgement.
She similarly gives us a window into Nita’s relationships with her parents, only in this case, Nita is looking at her own life alongside us. Nita has never fully understood the strangeness and terror of her upbringing, but as she fights to save Kovit and understand his past, she’s forced to reckon with her own, too. Schaeffer ties it into the larger issues with the INHUP very nicely, making for a very emotionally charged mystery, and a very thoughtful conclusion.
Although it fortunately never goes the trite route with “the monsters were the humans all along,” there is an important dimension of the book that asks how we can have compassion for people who do monstrous things, and what boundaries can (or should) still exist. This is a complex, real-world compassion that can be powerful, but maybe isn’t so nice. This whole book is not nice. It does not end with the tearful redemption of every evil deed in a blindingly bright act of self-sacrifice and romantic love. It takes the much more difficult tack of forcing characters to live with their remorse, accept their guilt, and do something about it. That’s not as neat and pretty, but it’s honest, and it also leaves room for real, meaningful relationships.
It’s nice to see some Asexual representation and exploration. Nita and Kovit may have a very unusual bond, but Schaeffer makes clear that being Ace is completely normal (perhaps the most normal thing about either of them). Both characters’ ability to be thoughtful and honest about their emotional and physical desires is incredibly sweet.
I especially adore how Nita still finds a way to grow and develop her relationships, discover her sexuality, and develop herself as a person—one who knows how to ask for help! and makes collaborative, not unilateral, decisions!—while also being increasingly ruthless and murderous. Pushed a little further, it would be hilarious YA satire. As it is, When Villains Rise still plays it straight. We get to take Nita’s progress and also her violence seriously, which I think is the right call. 2020 isn’t really the time to be treating extreme violence as a laugh, but it’s definitely the right time to think about the political and psychological ramifications of violence. How Nita, Kovit, and others cope with violence—either directed against them or directed by them—is far more interesting than whether they participate.
Schaeffer walks that line to the very end, never falling. The tightrope metaphor breaks down a bit, though, when you think about how many, many lines she’s walking. It’s more like she’s skipping from tightrope to tightrope, discussing wealth and power and the political ramifications of unchecked violence, and doing so through characters marked by complex trauma. It’s a virtuoso performance.
I’m sorry to say goodbye to these characters, but this really was a perfect place to end the trilogy. I’m hopeful that this isn’t goodbye to this strange, scary parallel world. It’s a great setting, and there’s a lot of incredible potential for more stories. But regardless, I know I’m not saying goodbye to Rebecca Schaeffer. Her dark, insightful work has a proud place on my shelves, and I look forward to when I can add more of her books to my collection.
Monstrousness has always been the heart of this trilogy, and the question of what makes a monster is all the more pertinent in When Villains Rise. Is it birth, nothing more than a genetic quirk that somehow plunks people to one side or the other of a moral black and white? Is it upbringing? The nature vs. nurture question is old, and Schaeffer doesn’t debate it so much as explode it entirely. What if your nature and your nurture were both on the wrong side of the moral line—would you then have to judge yourself by degrees, make morality a spectrum? And who would this morality be for—for yourself? For society? Whose society? Whose laws do you abide by when your nature, your existence, is a crime?
In this final volume, it’s not people Schaeffer is examining but whole institutions. We know that the INHUP, the Inhuman Police, are corrupt. And now we begin to see how their corruption interplays with politics, with the cycles of profit and exploitation on the black market, and with the media perception of supernatural beings, aka “inhumans.”
If the world doesn’t let you be human, then whose fault is it, exactly, when you act according to their expectations? The whole trilogy has been wrestling with this question as well, and it comes to some very interesting conclusions through Nina and Kovit, our beleaguered duo whom we last saw having a heart-to-heart as two prisoners awaited torture in other rooms.
Ah, sweet murder-babies. It’s good to see you again.
Nina and Kovit have more to worry about in this book than vengeance. Their survival is now interlinked with their fellow inhumans, and with the system that judges whether they’re safe or dangerous—aka, whether they can be killed on sight without consequences. (Let that one sink in for a second.) The INHUP is behind the policies, but it’s the public that effectively “enforces” them, supporting and even participating in government-sanctioned killing. The media is a constant threat across all three books, not always immanent but always at least in the back of everyone’s minds. Nita has always thought privacy was safety, but in When Villains Rise, she realizes she can take control of her narrative. And she’s going to do so as thoroughly as she knows how: by getting to the roots of the INHUP and all their secrets.
In this battle of information, Nita and Kovit’s self-knowledge isn’t trivial. What they know of each other, and how they understand their relationships, matters on a large scale. Rarely do I see someone so skillfully blend the larger themes and issues of the book’s plot into the intimate and interpersonal issues that the characters are struggling with.
I don’t know if this book will resonate with everyone who has experienced abuse, but it certainly resonated with me. Each of the teen characters has a parent or parental figure who treats or treated them with extreme violence and manipulation. Kovit, Nita, and Fabricio each emerged from uniquely bad situations, but they share a common understanding of the intense love and intense fear that accompanies long-term abuse. The intense feeling of monstrousness: both of the perpetrator and of yourself as you struggle to disentangle yourself from what they call “love.”
Learning to recognize abuse isn’t easy. It only really happens when there’s something to contrast it with, something that makes you realize that it isn’t normal. And once you do, it’s not as if feelings and relationships stop. I was particularly moved by Kovit’s mourning for his “mentor,” the man who forced him into torturing others. Henry was evil in every way imaginable, and yet he provided the only structure and support Kovit received for much of his life. Reconciling—or at least encompassing—those many contradictory feelings is a difficult process, and Schaeffer gives us a window on it without any tint of judgement.
She similarly gives us a window into Nita’s relationships with her parents, only in this case, Nita is looking at her own life alongside us. Nita has never fully understood the strangeness and terror of her upbringing, but as she fights to save Kovit and understand his past, she’s forced to reckon with her own, too. Schaeffer ties it into the larger issues with the INHUP very nicely, making for a very emotionally charged mystery, and a very thoughtful conclusion.
Although it fortunately never goes the trite route with “the monsters were the humans all along,” there is an important dimension of the book that asks how we can have compassion for people who do monstrous things, and what boundaries can (or should) still exist. This is a complex, real-world compassion that can be powerful, but maybe isn’t so nice. This whole book is not nice. It does not end with the tearful redemption of every evil deed in a blindingly bright act of self-sacrifice and romantic love. It takes the much more difficult tack of forcing characters to live with their remorse, accept their guilt, and do something about it. That’s not as neat and pretty, but it’s honest, and it also leaves room for real, meaningful relationships.
It’s nice to see some Asexual representation and exploration. Nita and Kovit may have a very unusual bond, but Schaeffer makes clear that being Ace is completely normal (perhaps the most normal thing about either of them). Both characters’ ability to be thoughtful and honest about their emotional and physical desires is incredibly sweet.
I especially adore how Nita still finds a way to grow and develop her relationships, discover her sexuality, and develop herself as a person—one who knows how to ask for help! and makes collaborative, not unilateral, decisions!—while also being increasingly ruthless and murderous. Pushed a little further, it would be hilarious YA satire. As it is, When Villains Rise still plays it straight. We get to take Nita’s progress and also her violence seriously, which I think is the right call. 2020 isn’t really the time to be treating extreme violence as a laugh, but it’s definitely the right time to think about the political and psychological ramifications of violence. How Nita, Kovit, and others cope with violence—either directed against them or directed by them—is far more interesting than whether they participate.
Schaeffer walks that line to the very end, never falling. The tightrope metaphor breaks down a bit, though, when you think about how many, many lines she’s walking. It’s more like she’s skipping from tightrope to tightrope, discussing wealth and power and the political ramifications of unchecked violence, and doing so through characters marked by complex trauma. It’s a virtuoso performance.
I’m sorry to say goodbye to these characters, but this really was a perfect place to end the trilogy. I’m hopeful that this isn’t goodbye to this strange, scary parallel world. It’s a great setting, and there’s a lot of incredible potential for more stories. But regardless, I know I’m not saying goodbye to Rebecca Schaeffer. Her dark, insightful work has a proud place on my shelves, and I look forward to when I can add more of her books to my collection.
November 1, 2024
If you are in a book slump, PLEASE PICK THIS UP!
The amount of WHIPLASH in this series is insane!
I devoured this series. Like three books within three days. The chapters are short, the protagonists are so morally grey they’re closer to villains, it’s fast-paced, and it had me psycho-analysing myself.
Henry, Kovit's surrogate father and former employer, had sold Kovit's information to the International Non-Human Police. His information would be made public in one week. Nita is still being tracked by the Black Market.
Nita needs a plan to make her and him more valuable alive and safe. This involves using Fabrico, enemy no.1, to break into his father's office so they can steal his company's information.
The black market would grovel at her feet.
And she would annihilate the corrupt INHUP.
Nita is really forced to question who she is becoming. Paralleled from book one, Fabrico is being tortured, but this time it is Nita playing her mother’s role.
We are really forced to question nature vs nurture, experience vs desires. For a YA series, this went dark and deep and I ate it up.
Asking what-ifs about people stole their agency for the choices they made in this life. But what could be. That was another question.
Nita learns that she can’t control others. The character growth from book one and the development through all forms of agency and decision-making was really fascinating to watch.
There is ACE REPRESENTATION!! I think this was handled beautifully! It wasn’t overdone and it was explained well without it feeling contrived. I felt SEEN.
"I don't know. I just don't think my feelings match what people say they re supposed to be." Nita couldn't explain it more than that. There was a disconnect between what she thought her feelings were supposed to be big, all-consuming, rose-tinted glasses, giddy with love and what she actually felt. Something strong and warm and fierce, but not really ... that. She didn't feel lust, she didn't want to rip his clothes off She didn't feel like he was perfect, his flaws were all still striking and real. But she did feel warm when she was with him, content and relaxed.
Finally, I hate Nita’s mother. She is making my top villain list for sure.
Bookstagram
The amount of WHIPLASH in this series is insane!
I devoured this series. Like three books within three days. The chapters are short, the protagonists are so morally grey they’re closer to villains, it’s fast-paced, and it had me psycho-analysing myself.
Henry, Kovit's surrogate father and former employer, had sold Kovit's information to the International Non-Human Police. His information would be made public in one week. Nita is still being tracked by the Black Market.
Nita needs a plan to make her and him more valuable alive and safe. This involves using Fabrico, enemy no.1, to break into his father's office so they can steal his company's information.
The black market would grovel at her feet.
And she would annihilate the corrupt INHUP.
Nita is really forced to question who she is becoming. Paralleled from book one, Fabrico is being tortured, but this time it is Nita playing her mother’s role.
We are really forced to question nature vs nurture, experience vs desires. For a YA series, this went dark and deep and I ate it up.
Asking what-ifs about people stole their agency for the choices they made in this life. But what could be. That was another question.
Nita learns that she can’t control others. The character growth from book one and the development through all forms of agency and decision-making was really fascinating to watch.
There is ACE REPRESENTATION!! I think this was handled beautifully! It wasn’t overdone and it was explained well without it feeling contrived. I felt SEEN.
"I don't know. I just don't think my feelings match what people say they re supposed to be." Nita couldn't explain it more than that. There was a disconnect between what she thought her feelings were supposed to be big, all-consuming, rose-tinted glasses, giddy with love and what she actually felt. Something strong and warm and fierce, but not really ... that. She didn't feel lust, she didn't want to rip his clothes off She didn't feel like he was perfect, his flaws were all still striking and real. But she did feel warm when she was with him, content and relaxed.
Finally, I hate Nita’s mother. She is making my top villain list for sure.
Bookstagram
December 18, 2020
"So much murder, so little time."
From the beginning right until the end, this trilogy has been a wild, gruesome, all consuming journey and I've loved every moment of it. It defied all my expectations. For not one moment upon picking up book one did I expect to read such a self aware exploration of humanity, morality and what it means to be human yet that's exactly what I found hidden under the brilliantly unrestrained murder and gore.
Spending three books inside the complexities of Nita's mind was fascinating. She's selfish and ruthless and is not only aware of the evil inside her, but welcomes it and I loved that Rebecca Schaeffer never back peddled the villainous part of her character. Nita has a brilliant character arc and growth throughout the three books but it's not the journey we often expect from 'villains' or morally grey characters and I have to give Schaeffer major props for that. Nita's journey of self analysing, questioning and acceptance was a wild ride and one that constantly took paths I didn't expect and it was so much fun.
The world building in this series is fabulous. Perfectly blending a 'real world' setting and issues with supernatural creatures, it felt like urban fantasy at its finest. The conversations throughout the trilogy surrounding social and political issues such as privilege, prejudice, racism and colonisation made what could have been a fun but base level fantasy a real depth and sense of self awareness.
Overall, this dark, graphic, murderous, gritty trilogy is one that will live on in my reading memory as one of the strangest yet interesting, unique and impossibly gripping series I've come across in a long time. If a fast paced, action packed book featuring a protagonist who's both morally grey and a straight up villain, grisly murders and dissections and a monstrous cast of characters (both literally and figuratively) making deductions that will have you questioning your own morals sounds like something you'd enjoy, I couldn't recommend this trilogy more highly.
From the beginning right until the end, this trilogy has been a wild, gruesome, all consuming journey and I've loved every moment of it. It defied all my expectations. For not one moment upon picking up book one did I expect to read such a self aware exploration of humanity, morality and what it means to be human yet that's exactly what I found hidden under the brilliantly unrestrained murder and gore.
Spending three books inside the complexities of Nita's mind was fascinating. She's selfish and ruthless and is not only aware of the evil inside her, but welcomes it and I loved that Rebecca Schaeffer never back peddled the villainous part of her character. Nita has a brilliant character arc and growth throughout the three books but it's not the journey we often expect from 'villains' or morally grey characters and I have to give Schaeffer major props for that. Nita's journey of self analysing, questioning and acceptance was a wild ride and one that constantly took paths I didn't expect and it was so much fun.
The world building in this series is fabulous. Perfectly blending a 'real world' setting and issues with supernatural creatures, it felt like urban fantasy at its finest. The conversations throughout the trilogy surrounding social and political issues such as privilege, prejudice, racism and colonisation made what could have been a fun but base level fantasy a real depth and sense of self awareness.
Overall, this dark, graphic, murderous, gritty trilogy is one that will live on in my reading memory as one of the strangest yet interesting, unique and impossibly gripping series I've come across in a long time. If a fast paced, action packed book featuring a protagonist who's both morally grey and a straight up villain, grisly murders and dissections and a monstrous cast of characters (both literally and figuratively) making deductions that will have you questioning your own morals sounds like something you'd enjoy, I couldn't recommend this trilogy more highly.
November 30, 2022
Pokušavam da ne budem skroz subjektivna i ne dam ovome 5 zvezdica, ali svakako mogu reći da mi je ovo jedan od omiljenih serijala.
Molim vas još knjiga sa morally grey likovima🙏🏻
Molim vas još knjiga sa morally grey likovima🙏🏻
September 8, 2020
I was so looking forward to this that I read it in one day!
Warning there are spoilers.... I'm giving this more a 3.5 stars.
Time - everything between all three books has taken place in the space of literally days and... it just wasn't believable that they were flying all over Europe and Canda, lighting places on fire, kidnapping, murdering, burning underground markets down, etc. in just a handful of days especially when some of the places they are going to would take nearly an entire to get to even by plane.
Romance - As in there was none. All the hints that Nita and Kovit will end up being knife and scalpal crossed lovers were gone within the first 80 pages. Turns out they are asexual. However, this WAS briefly hinted at by Henry in book 2 when he said something along the lines of Kovit never seemed to be interested in sex. I hoped that this was only because Kovit and Nita hadn't exactly had time to develop relationships before but nope. They both talk and agree that neither of them wants to have sex, ever. I just felt like this was something that should have been more strongly pushed beforehand so that so many readers wouldn't end up disappointed. I know I was. So if you're reading for the romance, don't.
Politics/PC - I don't mind some politics being thrown in. Politics are real, movements are real, the world is a shitty place sometimes but (and this goes for the series as a whole) these books were constantly projecting USA bad, Canada awesome, and everywhere else hates brown people. It took me out of the story every time. I read to get AWAY from these things, I get enough of it through all other media these days (and before you complain, I'm a WoC).
Otherwise, I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the violence, the no shits were given attitude. I enjoyed everything about the story except for those three issues above. I'll probably be the only person to mention it but I liked that Kovit was short. We don't get enough love for short guys in books and media, even the WEBTOON comic makes it out like Kovit is taller than Nita when he isn't, it was stated more than once that he was shorter than she was.
Warning there are spoilers.... I'm giving this more a 3.5 stars.
Time - everything between all three books has taken place in the space of literally days and... it just wasn't believable that they were flying all over Europe and Canda, lighting places on fire, kidnapping, murdering, burning underground markets down, etc. in just a handful of days especially when some of the places they are going to would take nearly an entire to get to even by plane.
Romance - As in there was none. All the hints that Nita and Kovit will end up being knife and scalpal crossed lovers were gone within the first 80 pages. Turns out they are asexual. However, this WAS briefly hinted at by Henry in book 2 when he said something along the lines of Kovit never seemed to be interested in sex. I hoped that this was only because Kovit and Nita hadn't exactly had time to develop relationships before but nope. They both talk and agree that neither of them wants to have sex, ever. I just felt like this was something that should have been more strongly pushed beforehand so that so many readers wouldn't end up disappointed. I know I was. So if you're reading for the romance, don't.
Politics/PC - I don't mind some politics being thrown in. Politics are real, movements are real, the world is a shitty place sometimes but (and this goes for the series as a whole) these books were constantly projecting USA bad, Canada awesome, and everywhere else hates brown people. It took me out of the story every time. I read to get AWAY from these things, I get enough of it through all other media these days (and before you complain, I'm a WoC).
Otherwise, I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the violence, the no shits were given attitude. I enjoyed everything about the story except for those three issues above. I'll probably be the only person to mention it but I liked that Kovit was short. We don't get enough love for short guys in books and media, even the WEBTOON comic makes it out like Kovit is taller than Nita when he isn't, it was stated more than once that he was shorter than she was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2021
//I never really get tangled with unpublished books. So many are already out there, only waiting for me to pick them up, so why should I get angsty over a novel that isn't published yet?
WELL
Bc volume 1 and 2 literally got me through quarantine and I got so tied up with the story I need to know what happens to Kovit and Nita this second.
//Having actually read the book I am so glad I got involved with this saga. One of my favorite things in series is character growth and book 3 definitely caps it. Nita and Kovit, and Fabricio too, all show an incredible development, that always remains coherent with the characters we first met but doesn’t leave them stagnant but rather shows the maturation derived by the whole ordeal they’re tangled with.
I’m also really happy with how sexuality was portrayed. I loved that without ever putting labels on anyone the queerness of certain characters was very explicit and described in such a way I couldn’t help understanding exactly their feelings.
It’s certainly not an easy task or given for granted.
I liked this book not being described as LGBTQ+ but featuring characters that perfectly fit in the community. I don’t feel the need to boast the appearance of queer people in a novel, honestly it should be a given that among characters these should be diversity, in all its shades, because that’s what happens in reality and should just as truthfully be portrayed in books.
WELL
Bc volume 1 and 2 literally got me through quarantine and I got so tied up with the story I need to know what happens to Kovit and Nita this second.
//Having actually read the book I am so glad I got involved with this saga. One of my favorite things in series is character growth and book 3 definitely caps it. Nita and Kovit, and Fabricio too, all show an incredible development, that always remains coherent with the characters we first met but doesn’t leave them stagnant but rather shows the maturation derived by the whole ordeal they’re tangled with.
I’m also really happy with how sexuality was portrayed. I loved that without ever putting labels on anyone the queerness of certain characters was very explicit and described in such a way I couldn’t help understanding exactly their feelings.
It’s certainly not an easy task or given for granted.
I liked this book not being described as LGBTQ+ but featuring characters that perfectly fit in the community. I don’t feel the need to boast the appearance of queer people in a novel, honestly it should be a given that among characters these should be diversity, in all its shades, because that’s what happens in reality and should just as truthfully be portrayed in books.
February 4, 2023
there’s only so much “they did this because they are morally grey characters! did i getcha!” i can take before i start to yawn. should have read the first book as a standalone…. all the plot and novelty find a cold place to die in the second and third books.
September 21, 2020
This series has a lot of representation and a cast of very intriguing characters. However, I didn't enjoy the plot at all. I read the whole thing only for Nita and Kovit.
I believe the author is onto something, and I'll be keeping an eye out for her future novels. I would like to see more books like these published, even if I didn't particularly enjoy this series.
I believe the author is onto something, and I'll be keeping an eye out for her future novels. I would like to see more books like these published, even if I didn't particularly enjoy this series.
August 14, 2020
I think I actually screamed for real when I saw this ARC approved on my Edelweiss profile, and I'm so grateful for it, because I already felt like my life didn't make much sense after I finished Only Ashes Remain. But this didn't disappoint. Fortunately, it was everything I ever wanted from this conclusion.
The book took off right after the events of the previous book, and this time, Nita and Kovit found themselves trapped by new impossible circumstances. After the videos of Kovit torturing people were supposed to go out, with him ending up on the Dangerous Unnaturals List, the two of them are faced with new threats, new enemies, and also allies. But it's not always easy to recognize which are which.
Even though the stakes here were so much higher than in the previous books, I felt like some of the plot points resolved way to easily. However, that didn't bother me, because Rebecca proved once again how brilliantly she is able to organize and set up everything, and some of the plot twists literally made me gasp in disbelief. It was amazing, and I loved every second of it.
This installment also focused on exploring complex human relationships, how love can come in various forms, and how it doesn't need to be strictly romantic in order to matter. I was really satisfed when it turned out that Nita and Kovit are somewhere on the asexuality spectrum, and Nita is also aromantic. This addition was a wonderful way to showcase the importance of communication, because the mutual agreement is the foundation of building healthy relationships.
Overall, I'm so incredibly satisfied with this conclusion and the way the story ended. This was one of the weirdest, most positive reading experinces I had this year, and I'm absolutely in love with everything about this story. Just sign me up for everything Rebecca Schaeffer writes next.
Thanks to the Edelweiss and HMH Books for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book took off right after the events of the previous book, and this time, Nita and Kovit found themselves trapped by new impossible circumstances. After the videos of Kovit torturing people were supposed to go out, with him ending up on the Dangerous Unnaturals List, the two of them are faced with new threats, new enemies, and also allies. But it's not always easy to recognize which are which.
Even though the stakes here were so much higher than in the previous books, I felt like some of the plot points resolved way to easily. However, that didn't bother me, because Rebecca proved once again how brilliantly she is able to organize and set up everything, and some of the plot twists literally made me gasp in disbelief. It was amazing, and I loved every second of it.
This installment also focused on exploring complex human relationships, how love can come in various forms, and how it doesn't need to be strictly romantic in order to matter. I was really satisfed when it turned out that Nita and Kovit are somewhere on the asexuality spectrum, and Nita is also aromantic. This addition was a wonderful way to showcase the importance of communication, because the mutual agreement is the foundation of building healthy relationships.
Overall, I'm so incredibly satisfied with this conclusion and the way the story ended. This was one of the weirdest, most positive reading experinces I had this year, and I'm absolutely in love with everything about this story. Just sign me up for everything Rebecca Schaeffer writes next.
Thanks to the Edelweiss and HMH Books for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 2, 2021
❐ Overall Rating 4¼ | Narration 4¼
❐ Narrated by Almarie Guerra
❐ Listening Length: 10H 45M
❐ Market of Monsters #3
❐ Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
❐ Dark, with morally gray characters
This series really brings something different to the urban fantasy/paranormal genre...and even has a bit of a dystopian-ish feel to it. Which I loved, because sometimes for me the paranormal genre feels too saturated with cheesy romance, featuring shifters or vampires that make humans googly-eyed for them. There is none of that here...this series gives you main characters that are part supernatural-ish, partly disturbed, and all parts confused. They have a way of getting under your skin and will have you rooting for them despite them being monsters of a sort.
The romance took an unexpected direction than I thought it was going to go...it delved into asexuality, which was interesting and definitely kept up the theme that this book has going on with being something uniquely different.
The narration was very well performed by Almarie Guerra...she could roll her R's quite nicely. One little weird tidbit, that wouldn't have even mattered if it wasn't for the shit-show we got going on in the world today; most of the time when she said Kovit's name, it sounded like Covid😔😔😔so very tired of that word.
❐ Narrated by Almarie Guerra
❐ Listening Length: 10H 45M
❐ Market of Monsters #3
❐ Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
❐ Dark, with morally gray characters
This series really brings something different to the urban fantasy/paranormal genre...and even has a bit of a dystopian-ish feel to it. Which I loved, because sometimes for me the paranormal genre feels too saturated with cheesy romance, featuring shifters or vampires that make humans googly-eyed for them. There is none of that here...this series gives you main characters that are part supernatural-ish, partly disturbed, and all parts confused. They have a way of getting under your skin and will have you rooting for them despite them being monsters of a sort.
The romance took an unexpected direction than I thought it was going to go...it delved into asexuality, which was interesting and definitely kept up the theme that this book has going on with being something uniquely different.
The narration was very well performed by Almarie Guerra...she could roll her R's quite nicely. One little weird tidbit, that wouldn't have even mattered if it wasn't for the shit-show we got going on in the world today; most of the time when she said Kovit's name, it sounded like Covid😔😔😔so very tired of that word.
November 17, 2023
Was für eine Reihe! Grausam, spannend und vor allem im letzten Teil ungemein tiefgehend. Ich liebe es, wie die Protagonisten ihre Beziehung definieren. Nicht nur in dieser Hinsicht hebt sich die Trilogie vom YA-Einheitsbrei ab. Unglaublich lesenswert, auch wenn man teilweise einen stabilen Magen braucht.
September 22, 2020
how is it possible that this book is in the same trilogy as the first two.
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