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. If you need a refresher before I start things off with the latest and last book in this ruthless trilogy, feel free to check out my review for the book that came before, Only Ashes Remain and if you haven’t already read this series, check it out!
Spoilers ahead!
Having Nita burn down the Black Market was a monumental feat for her in the Market of Monsters trilogy, but I wasn’t so sure what would happen in its next instalment as both books featured this storyline. That being said, I’m glad to report that this was an absolute stunning conclusion with a strong story and wrapped up plot that will satisfy any reader. When Villains Rise follows the threat of Kovit joining the kill on sight list of unnaturals. Everyone will be given the okay to kill him if they see him, which coincided with their victory of burning down the market, so any safety they felt went out the window with this threat. Nita and Kovit are inseparable and despite this being a ‘Kovit only’ issue, she remains by his side and does anything she can to save him, much like Katniss Everdeen with Peeta Mellark in Catching Fire.
I couldn’t believe how many villains came to rise (pardon the pun) in this conclusion. They were either defeated or resolved, new and old. Zebra Stripes makes an appearance and his demise is swift, which might leave a few stunned because he seemed to be very centre-stage in the other novels. However, this didn’t bother me because the shocking, an unexpected villain made sense and it was thematically dramatic (I won’t spoil because it was thrilling to see that twist happen, it was fast and vicious). I liked what happened with Fabricio as well, no spoilers but it seemed to fit with Nita’s growth as well as his own. But the most important theme which I loved and found completely fitting for these books was the great debate on what makes someone a monster. At one point, Nita is discussing this exact question with Gold, the girl with the mafia connections, and when Gold says that she will rid every monster, she wasn’t talking about the human ones like Henry who tortured Kovit and forced him to do the same to others for his own gain. Despite already loving the vicious and ruthless Nita, she calls her out on it and if she didn’t, I would have been angry because I would expect nothing less from this confident girl who’s grown so much since being sold on the black market.
‘It’s an honest question. Henry was human, but I would argue he was a far worse monster than Kovit,’ Nita commented mildly.
Unlike Gold, Nita isn’t blind or ignorant when it comes to humans and monsters and their less than favourable proclivities, dangerous or otherwise, and this quote below is an important message to take away from these books.
“Kovit is evil. I’ve never denied it.’ Nita admitted easily. ‘But he’s still human, and he has good sides. I won’t disagree with calling him evil, but I will always disagree with painting him as a one-dimensional monster from a slasher film.”
There’s never only one side to anything, whether it be a story or a person because life is complicated and it’s never that simple. You can never assume and this suits these books to a tee. As soon as you think you have the story all figured out, Schaeffer throws a well-written, beautifully crafted curveball that will knock the reader on their ass (in an amazing way). This is what makes these books addictive and thrilling! There’s no beating around the proverbial bush with Nita and there’s nothing better than that. If she thinks it’s BS, she says so.
As weird as it sounds, I was forgetting how evil Kovit could be in this last book. He was introduced right away as a terrifying zannie who lives for pain and has to feed on it to feel good. He was even tasked with torturing Nita during captivity and yet I couldn’t stop feeling bad for him the whole way through this book. You see this side of him reach out and ask for help and being his friend, Nita strives to help him. He wants to be seen for who he is apart from his zannie side, the side he cannot change and you see him as himself quite a lot like here with Fabricio. There’s a common joke that’s gone around these books because Kovit is a walking contradictory. He doesn’t like keeping prisoners but rather wants to befriend and only wants see the good which doesn’t work when he’s tasked to hurt them and torture them. This is a prime example of him as Kovit, not as a zannie.
“Kovit sighed, closing his eyes. ‘Because for all his manipulation, he saw me. He looked at me, even after I hurt him, and he didn’t see a monster. He saw a human to be understood. He might be manipulating me, but he thinks I’m a real person.’ His voice was small. ‘You’ve seen how rare that is.”
And this is how he wants to be seen by everyone. It’s sad and tragic because he can’t help that he was born with this evil side, but he does fight it every chance that he gets and that is very prominent in this book. It was a great way to let his character now shine and grow just like Nita got to, and it was done the exact same way as her where situations forced them to adapt and that’s something that Nita and Kovit are experts in. Seeing this side makes you feel for Kovit, differently than the first two books because we finally see the depth in which he hates that one part of him, that part he can’t change and this is relatable to everyone. We all have things (granted not as drastic as Kovit) that we would like to change, but sometimes that’s not in the cards and you have to work hard at it.
“His smile was soft and genuine, and he shifted slightly to press their foreheads together for a moment and whisper, ‘Thank you.’ Nita wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. ‘Always.’ They curled up like that, arms wrapped around each other, as they slowly drifted to sleep.”
One thing I do want to address (because for me I was seriously hoping for more of that romance teased in Only Ashes Remain) was the potential love match of Nita and Kovit. Although what I got wasn’t exactly how I thought it would go, I was completely for it. To me, it made sense and stayed true to the characters and how they are different and process relationships in a non-traditional way that has so much to do with how their lives are going. It was definitely a welcome surprise and one that I think people won’t understand in the beginning, but will by the time they reach the end of the series. I’m a hopeless romantic so I know where and why readers will be disappointed, but I hope you keep your minds open to it and respect the characters that Schaeffer has brought to life for us because I do think that this angle she makes is appropriate and 100 % in character for these two.
“But it felt empty. Hollow. Like the whole world had lost its colour. She didn’t need Kovit to achieve her dreams. She didn’t need his help against the market. Kovit wasn’t a tool she’d lost, or a change of plans. Kovit was Kovit. He was the person who held her when she cried. Who entwined his enemies with hers, so that she wouldn’t be alone. He bought her breakfast and told corny jokes. He slaughtered the people who tried to hurt her. He made her smile.”
I loved the romance I did get between these two because they were so cute and most importantly, they value each other and have seen all the dark that comes with the light.
When Villains Rise is equal parts Nita and Kovit. They both grow so much by the end, it’s crazy! And for all things considered, Fabricio is kind of like Jon Murphy from The 100 TV series in the fact that although you hate him, he is a survivor and only does what is necessary to live another day. You’ll hate these characters or you’ll love them and for me, by the time I finished this book, I came to understand him much like Nita did (that’s all I’ll say on that). He does what many of us deem impolite and he has no shame on it because at the end of the day, he’s alive and that’s also something we as humans like to forget because when it comes down to it, if it was your life or a strangers, you would pick your own and for Fabricio, he doesn’t let that guilt bog him down. He shows what humanity would do but would like to forget. These books are all about human nature, good and bad. It showcases beauty and betrayal, the lovely and the ugly and the everything in between.
I will recommend this series until I am blue in the face because although it sounds gritty and gory (which it is), it has so much substance and it really stands out as different in the YA genre. I have never read anything like these books so I don’t have any similar books to recommend, but if you haven’t read these already, go do it! This is a great series to get you out a slump because of its unique story and lovely and ferocious morally grey characters. There are definitely no ‘good girl’ stereotypes, or ‘dumb naive’ characters to be found in Nita or any of the other characters. They’re all bad and they embrace it, which will lead you to love them and hate them and enjoy the rollercoaster that Schaeffer throws you on because you’ll end up loving the ride even if the story doesn’t go your way. The dark nature of these books is perfect for the fall which I know a lot of people are looking forward to and these are perfect to get you in the mood for Halloween!
When Villains Rise is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 8th 2020.
Will you be picking up When Villains Rise? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
