What do you think?
Rate this book
Monster #2
Villain: A Young Adult Horror Novel - The Gone Series Continues with Superpowered Heroes
Acclaimed author Michael Grant’s globally bestselling Gone series continues with Villain , where old foes return and new ones rise, with action-packed scenes, gory battles, and plot twists that will leave readers scrambling for more. It’s been four years since the events of GONE. The Perdido Beach dome is down, but the horrors within have spread. The alien virus-infested rock that created the FAYZ is creating monsters—monsters that walk the cities and countryside, terrorizing all. There are tanks in the street and predator drones in the sky, doomed efforts to stop the disintegration of civilization. Into this chaos comes a villain with the power to control anyone with just the sound of his voice. Dillon Poe wanted to be a comedian once . . . but everyone made fun of him. Dillon the loser . Dillon the freak . Now he’s sending thousands to their death. Who’s laughing now? The only people who can stop a superpowered villain are superpowered heroes. Dekka, Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo, and a new mutant with unmatched powers, are all that stand in Dillon’s way. But when the lines begin to blur between hero and villain—some begin to wonder who’s really the monster. Praise for Monster : “Ratchets up the gore and action, and features a diverse cast of characters. An evocative, intricately plotted companion series.” –ALA Booklist Read the entire
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2018
404 people are currently reading
6645 people want to read
About the author
Michael Grant
75 books11.3k followersCo-author with Katherine Applegate of Ocean City, Making Out, Summer, Animorphs, Everworld, Remnants, Eve and Adam.
Pseudonymous coauthor with KA of Christy (the TV spin-off books), Sweet Valley Twins, Girl Talk and various Disney spin-offs.
Pseudonymous author of Barf-O-Rama.
Author of Gone, BZRK, The Magnificent 12, Messenger of Fear, Front Lines, Monster and A Sudden Death in Cyprus.
AKA Michael Robinson (restaurant reviews and newspaper features).
AKA Michael Reynolds (legal name) political media producer. (Team Blue).
Pseudonymous coauthor with KA of Christy (the TV spin-off books), Sweet Valley Twins, Girl Talk and various Disney spin-offs.
Pseudonymous author of Barf-O-Rama.
Author of Gone, BZRK, The Magnificent 12, Messenger of Fear, Front Lines, Monster and A Sudden Death in Cyprus.
AKA Michael Robinson (restaurant reviews and newspaper features).
AKA Michael Reynolds (legal name) political media producer. (Team Blue).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
November 9, 2018
2 1/2 stars. Hmm. I didn't expect to have much to say about the second book in a spin-off series of another popular six-book series, but I guess there's still things I want to talk about.
I'm a huge fan of Grant's Gone series, and also enjoyed the first book in this spin-off - Monster. I love the action, the grit, the diverse and flawed characters. I've definitely had some issues with parts of it but, overall, the positive has outweighed the negative.
The problem is that this book makes it feel like the series is losing steam. Monster appeared to breathe new life into the story by introducing new characters and higher stakes... yet this book feels like filler, propelled by mindless action and ever more ludicrous additions to the mutants. I think the addition of cyborgs is an odd choice and doesn't quite work-- it reads like a desperate attempt to drag something new into a series that is running out of ideas.
I also felt nothing towards the villain. I'm not talking about Drake - who gets very little page time here - but the new guy, Dillon, who Grant tries to turn into a complex villain. His story is somewhat interesting at first, but he quickly became lame and comical. His decision to cause so much trouble and kill people is done almost on a whim. A lot of this book feels a little like that - pointless action and gore without meaning or something bigger behind it.
And a quick warning-- this book is gross. It is gory and graphic and there were scenes that literally made me feel ill . There's descriptions of Drake's torture victims, some of which he even crucified. This is truly one of the most gruesome books I've ever read, and I don't just mean in YA.
Also not sure why we need to be reminded every chapter that Dekka is a lesbian. Like, I get it. Your rep of LGBTQ characters has been noted already. Let's move on.
I do think Grant is a great writer, but I also think I'm ready for something new from him. Mindless action scenes have never really been my thing and sometimes the most important part of writing a good series is knowing when to stop. Who knows? Maybe the story will get a boost in the next book, but right now it feels stale.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
I'm a huge fan of Grant's Gone series, and also enjoyed the first book in this spin-off - Monster. I love the action, the grit, the diverse and flawed characters. I've definitely had some issues with parts of it but, overall, the positive has outweighed the negative.
The problem is that this book makes it feel like the series is losing steam. Monster appeared to breathe new life into the story by introducing new characters and higher stakes... yet this book feels like filler, propelled by mindless action and ever more ludicrous additions to the mutants. I think the addition of cyborgs is an odd choice and doesn't quite work-- it reads like a desperate attempt to drag something new into a series that is running out of ideas.
I also felt nothing towards the villain. I'm not talking about Drake - who gets very little page time here - but the new guy, Dillon, who Grant tries to turn into a complex villain. His story is somewhat interesting at first, but he quickly became lame and comical. His decision to cause so much trouble and kill people is done almost on a whim. A lot of this book feels a little like that - pointless action and gore without meaning or something bigger behind it.
And a quick warning-- this book is gross. It is gory and graphic and there were scenes that literally made me feel ill . There's descriptions of Drake's torture victims, some of which he even crucified. This is truly one of the most gruesome books I've ever read, and I don't just mean in YA.
Also not sure why we need to be reminded every chapter that Dekka is a lesbian. Like, I get it. Your rep of LGBTQ characters has been noted already. Let's move on.
I do think Grant is a great writer, but I also think I'm ready for something new from him. Mindless action scenes have never really been my thing and sometimes the most important part of writing a good series is knowing when to stop. Who knows? Maybe the story will get a boost in the next book, but right now it feels stale.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
October 26, 2018
Me: It’ll be hard for Grant to top the disturbing, psychologically and physically violent nature of the BZRK series.
Me, after reading Villain: Oh
Me, after reading Villain: Oh
September 18, 2018
So, I wandered into one of my usual bookshops in Dublin City to find, sitting on a shelf, two copies of Michael Grant’s Villain. After reading Monster I was excited to read the follow up and I thought that other people would be too - So why were there only two copies out?
I shrugged my shoulders, proceeded to the checkout and bought the book.
I went online to check out the reviews. That’s when I found out that the book isn’t out yet!
I don’t know why the book was out on the shop floor, maybe it was a mistake, but I’m glad it was because I was not disappointed with Monster’s sequel.
Here’s the deal, I’m not going to spoil this story for anyone, but if you’re one of these people who likes to know absolutely nothing about a story before you read it, well you’ve been warned. And anyway, if you really are one of these people then you shouldn’t be on Goodreads looking up books that haven’t come out yet.
Villain!
“He contemplated an amazing fact: he, Dillon Poe, was quite likely the most powerful person on earth.”
Michael Grant so aptly named this title, Villain, and so, the book is just about that. Villains in general and a villain in particular. And man is Dillon Poe sick!
One piece of advice they give writers when introducing a villain to a story is to have them do something bad just to show how evil they really are. Well, Michael Grant decided to dedicate a whole first chapter doing this.
Like I said, no spoilers, but what I will say is as a grown man, I cringed through the first chapter, thinking whoa, I don’t know how Dekka, Armo, Shade, Cruz and Malik are going to handle this guy. But man I had a lot fun finding out.
My advice, have a light lunch before getting into this one.
Marvel VS DC VS Michael Grant:
People often compare Marvel and DC when it comes to the comic book/movie superhero scene. Marvel is often described as fun, optimistic and humorous and DC is described as dark and more serious.
Then Michael Grant came along and said, “You think DC is dark? Well here’s Villain!”
Michael does not let up on the gory details, nor is he short on ideas of how innocent people can be tortured.
What makes this more eerily dark is the fact that Dillon Poe is a wannabe comedian. So he tries to find the funny side to the absolute carnage happening around him and it makes for a disturbing yet entertaining read.
Dekka is back!
Dekka, who was a lot of people’s favourite character from the Gone series, is back, doing what she does best. Leading. Fans can also look forward to other Gone favourites, such as none other than Sam Temple and Astrid Ellison.
The scenes with Dekka are what to be expected. Her and her unlikely companion, Armo, make for some intense action movie type scenes.
Shade, Cruz and Malik also get up to some daring stuff. Shade’s sharp mind gives the US government exactly what it needs. A huge kick up the arse.
Also did I mention the cyborgs? Yeah, there’re cyborgs.
Conclusion:
So if that rush you get when you watch a high impact action movie is what you’re after then Villain is the book for you. Monster set up the scenario and introduced you to the characters. Since all of that all of that is out of the way, watch their stories unfold in this thrilling sequel.
And explosions. There are lots of explosions.
Note: If you liked this review, then add and follow me. I’ll be getting more reviews up in the not so distant future.
I shrugged my shoulders, proceeded to the checkout and bought the book.
I went online to check out the reviews. That’s when I found out that the book isn’t out yet!
I don’t know why the book was out on the shop floor, maybe it was a mistake, but I’m glad it was because I was not disappointed with Monster’s sequel.
Here’s the deal, I’m not going to spoil this story for anyone, but if you’re one of these people who likes to know absolutely nothing about a story before you read it, well you’ve been warned. And anyway, if you really are one of these people then you shouldn’t be on Goodreads looking up books that haven’t come out yet.
Villain!
“He contemplated an amazing fact: he, Dillon Poe, was quite likely the most powerful person on earth.”
Michael Grant so aptly named this title, Villain, and so, the book is just about that. Villains in general and a villain in particular. And man is Dillon Poe sick!
One piece of advice they give writers when introducing a villain to a story is to have them do something bad just to show how evil they really are. Well, Michael Grant decided to dedicate a whole first chapter doing this.
Like I said, no spoilers, but what I will say is as a grown man, I cringed through the first chapter, thinking whoa, I don’t know how Dekka, Armo, Shade, Cruz and Malik are going to handle this guy. But man I had a lot fun finding out.
My advice, have a light lunch before getting into this one.
Marvel VS DC VS Michael Grant:
People often compare Marvel and DC when it comes to the comic book/movie superhero scene. Marvel is often described as fun, optimistic and humorous and DC is described as dark and more serious.
Then Michael Grant came along and said, “You think DC is dark? Well here’s Villain!”
Michael does not let up on the gory details, nor is he short on ideas of how innocent people can be tortured.
What makes this more eerily dark is the fact that Dillon Poe is a wannabe comedian. So he tries to find the funny side to the absolute carnage happening around him and it makes for a disturbing yet entertaining read.
Dekka is back!
Dekka, who was a lot of people’s favourite character from the Gone series, is back, doing what she does best. Leading. Fans can also look forward to other Gone favourites, such as none other than Sam Temple and Astrid Ellison.
The scenes with Dekka are what to be expected. Her and her unlikely companion, Armo, make for some intense action movie type scenes.
Shade, Cruz and Malik also get up to some daring stuff. Shade’s sharp mind gives the US government exactly what it needs. A huge kick up the arse.
Also did I mention the cyborgs? Yeah, there’re cyborgs.
Conclusion:
So if that rush you get when you watch a high impact action movie is what you’re after then Villain is the book for you. Monster set up the scenario and introduced you to the characters. Since all of that all of that is out of the way, watch their stories unfold in this thrilling sequel.
And explosions. There are lots of explosions.
Note: If you liked this review, then add and follow me. I’ll be getting more reviews up in the not so distant future.
August 12, 2019
actual rating: 3.5/5 stars
Ok so i'm not a huge fan of this second book in the sequel but i was happy to see some more characters return from the original series.
Plot: This book is has higher stakes and starts of really quickly with so much information thrown at you all in one go. I feel like this story has started to slowly go off and start a whole new story and i don't think how much more i can invest myself into this story much more.
This story is the most gruesome and stomach churning with how much detail it goes into with so many different things and it made me had to stop a few times because i couldn't stomach it and it usually takes me a bit to feel grossed out but this book did it. So i would say be careful before reading this book because it does get a little gross.
Astrid and Sam both make an appearance in this novel and these two have completely changed from the events of the main series and it goes to show how much the events of being in that dome for so long and how much PTSD these characters have from the events.
The huge battle towards the end of the book is something i really enjoyed because so much was happened but i was able to keep up with it all. Even with so much death i'm glad the group were able to stop Dillion and what he was planning to do.
However i'm not sure how much you could do with this series, because i loved the main series so much i don't want it to make me dislike this series and i really don't want that.
Ok so i'm not a huge fan of this second book in the sequel but i was happy to see some more characters return from the original series.
Plot: This book is has higher stakes and starts of really quickly with so much information thrown at you all in one go. I feel like this story has started to slowly go off and start a whole new story and i don't think how much more i can invest myself into this story much more.
This story is the most gruesome and stomach churning with how much detail it goes into with so many different things and it made me had to stop a few times because i couldn't stomach it and it usually takes me a bit to feel grossed out but this book did it. So i would say be careful before reading this book because it does get a little gross.
Astrid and Sam both make an appearance in this novel and these two have completely changed from the events of the main series and it goes to show how much the events of being in that dome for so long and how much PTSD these characters have from the events.
The huge battle towards the end of the book is something i really enjoyed because so much was happened but i was able to keep up with it all. Even with so much death i'm glad the group were able to stop Dillion and what he was planning to do.
However i'm not sure how much you could do with this series, because i loved the main series so much i don't want it to make me dislike this series and i really don't want that.
January 9, 2019
I really enjoyed the Gone series, but the author has taken the concept entirely off the rails. As a result, Villain is action packed with no discernible plot. The altered humans that are bent on destruction seem to be drunk on their powers and throw cataclysmic temper tantrums, leaving the novel down a ridiculous path. I wish that author Michael Grant had ended with the original series, as I have become increasingly disappointed with the sequels. Villain is the last book for me with these characters, as I will not be reading any more of them.
June 5, 2019
These books just get more and more brutal as the series progresses! I loved the original Gone series- and those books are definitely not for the faint of heart- and these new books continue the story of the aftermath of the original series conclusion. We have old characters we already know and new characters (with new powers) most of whom are legitimately terrifying! If you enjoyed the Gone series, then you will enjoy these new books. If you like dystopian/sci-fi that does not shy away from the gruesome and horrifying affects of war (as waged by children) then I’d suggest checking out book 1- Gone.
November 3, 2018
Mr. Grant, I'm talking to you because you have liked every 5 star review I have left about each of your books. What.The.Heck. I think you have finally hit my limit of death, carnage and blood. And yet, despite feeling like I was going to vomit multiple times, I read this entire book in one day and I will read the next one. And probably anything else you write. Because evidently I have become a masochist. But seriously, that was amazing and I'm glad it wasn't 500 pages because that would have been... dare I say it... overkill. ;-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2020
Cue the book hangover! I couldn’t read Villain fast enough these past couple of days.
I have to wait 2 days for my copy of Hero to get here so I can finish binging the Monster trilogy, the Gone series sequel. Who would have thunk I’d be such a fan of so much gore. I was the same way when I was binging the Gone series a few years ago.
I adore The Rockborn Gang and can’t wait to jump into Hero.
I have to wait 2 days for my copy of Hero to get here so I can finish binging the Monster trilogy, the Gone series sequel. Who would have thunk I’d be such a fan of so much gore. I was the same way when I was binging the Gone series a few years ago.
I adore The Rockborn Gang and can’t wait to jump into Hero.
October 18, 2018
Another breathless, gory adventure story from Michael Grant. I'm half enjoying, half terrified to keep reading this series; every time I think the stakes can't possibly get any higher, I'm proved wrong. The Battle of Las Vegas is horrifying in every sense of the word.
I'm in awe of the way Michael can sow in hints early on, throw away moments that later become very important. It takes real skill and I'm looking forward to seeing how everything pans out in a year.
I've taken a star off, though, because it's been a year since I read Monster, which had a lot of characters and a lot happening, and it took me a while to remember who everyone was and what the connections between them were. A Previously On or recap would have been very much appreciated. This was a problem with the original series too, though, so I don't expect any progress on it.
I can't wait for the next book, but I also don't want this series to be over!
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
"I believe there's a reason for everything that happens, you know? Which means you were given this power for a reason." Saffron looked intently into his eyes. "Things like this don't just happen. This is part of some larger plan. You were meant to have this power, which means you were meant to use it."
Dillon nodded along, not quite convinced, and still half thinking he would just tell Saffron to strip off her robe and her bikini and... But his thoughts were not alone in his head; the Dark Watchers, his audience, were listening. And they were liking what they were hearing. He could sense their pleasure, their anticipation.
"Well...okay," Dillon said with a shrug. "How do we start?"
Saffron smiled. "Let's start with school and work outward."
Dillon winced. "You want me to be a superpowered Dylan Kebold? I'm not into killing people, I'm just trying to have a few laughs."
"Don't be silly, Dillon. You don't need dead bodies, you need living slaves. And, of course, one other thing."
"What?"
"A queen, Dillon," she said. "You need a queen."
I'm in awe of the way Michael can sow in hints early on, throw away moments that later become very important. It takes real skill and I'm looking forward to seeing how everything pans out in a year.
I've taken a star off, though, because it's been a year since I read Monster, which had a lot of characters and a lot happening, and it took me a while to remember who everyone was and what the connections between them were. A Previously On or recap would have been very much appreciated. This was a problem with the original series too, though, so I don't expect any progress on it.
I can't wait for the next book, but I also don't want this series to be over!
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
"I believe there's a reason for everything that happens, you know? Which means you were given this power for a reason." Saffron looked intently into his eyes. "Things like this don't just happen. This is part of some larger plan. You were meant to have this power, which means you were meant to use it."
Dillon nodded along, not quite convinced, and still half thinking he would just tell Saffron to strip off her robe and her bikini and... But his thoughts were not alone in his head; the Dark Watchers, his audience, were listening. And they were liking what they were hearing. He could sense their pleasure, their anticipation.
"Well...okay," Dillon said with a shrug. "How do we start?"
Saffron smiled. "Let's start with school and work outward."
Dillon winced. "You want me to be a superpowered Dylan Kebold? I'm not into killing people, I'm just trying to have a few laughs."
"Don't be silly, Dillon. You don't need dead bodies, you need living slaves. And, of course, one other thing."
"What?"
"A queen, Dillon," she said. "You need a queen."
October 24, 2018
One of the most gruesome books I've ever read. The fact that this is marketed to children is mind-boggling!!! That being said, such a great story and I could not put it down. I appreciate when an author doesn't pussyfoot around, and Michael Grant never does. This is pure action and carnage from start to finish and I can't sing his praises enough. So when does Hero come out now?
January 12, 2019
For such an action-packed story, this was incredibly dull. I also just can’t find it in me to be invested in all these new characters. The shining moments for me in this book was those that included Dekka, Drake, Sam and Astrid, everyone else just kinda blended together. I am however, extremely excited for the third upcoming book in the trilogy!
November 2, 2018
Finished the whole thing in a single day and... yeah I have quite a bit to say. It goes without saying that any major spoilers for this book will be marked and covered, spoilers for previous books in the series and the overarching narrative... not so much.
This is my very first review of a book in the FAYZ-Verse and I guess I should start by saying that I have a love-hate relationship with this series. There are things I enjoy quite a bit, things I find annoying, things I come close to outright hating (Not something that happens much when it comes to me) and with this new sequel series there is the occasional tidbit I personally find so absurd and ridiculous I can't help but laugh to myself about it. I'll try to cover a few of these opinions during the review so I can paint a full picture of my feelings about Villain.
First off let's talk about the good. Feels fair to mention what I think the story did right since I'm giving it such a harsh rating.
The new main characters continue to be a nice breath of fresh air. Over the course of the original FAYZ series I found myself growing incredibly tired of many of the main characters. The most egregious of which being Sam, Astrid, Caine and Diana with the most notable exceptions being Edilio and Dekka. With Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo and now Francis I'm finding myself more interested and engaged in their personalities and arcs than I ever was with the old main characters during the later books of their series. Time will tell if this sticks should I continue to read this series.
The new way powers are handled also continues to be incredibly pleasing. I've been absolutely spoiled in the topic of creative superpowers by series such as Worm, My Hero Academia and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, so although the powers present here don't quite reach those heights of quality they are still extremely entertaining t0 witness. The new morphing mechanics also add an extra layer of creativity to the powers in this new series that elevates them above those present in the original series. Sadly, for me, none of the new powers introduced in this book could quite top those of the first books Abaddon and his starfish-ey body-puppeteering awesomeness, though newcomer Francis comes VERY close. Armo still has pretty bland powers but he makes up for it with a fun personality and entertaining presence (Same cant exactly be said for Knightmare)
As another positive the action, like always, is tense and engaging in it's writing even when the things taking place are straightforward and simple. In spite of all my complaints with the series, Michael Grant's action writing has remained consistently entertaining.
Now onto the negative.
I'll start with a certain individual named Drake Merwin. A personal pet peeve of mine regarding the FAYZ-Verse. I absolutely hate this character and find myself annoyed with every paragraph he is present.
Personally I've always greatly preferred villains who are sympathetic or have complex and understandable motives over the straight up monstrous characters, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a scumbag or two. Dio Brando from JJBA is an unrepentant asshole but his charisma, humorousness and sheer overpowering presence makes me love him despite my fondness for more sympathetic villains. To me, Drake has nothing that makes his type of villain enjoyable to have present. Even karma, the force that normally grants unlikeable villains a sort of entertainment factor by giving them what they deserve, is not helping here due to the sheer fact that Drake is nigh unkillable. I'm of the opinion that Sam should have incinerated Drake at the end of Lies and gotten rid of him permanently, he was fine enough in the first three books as an antagonist but beyond that point his invincibility mixed with his unlikability became a mix that annoys me every time he shows up.
Also he's straight up a rapist now which... yeah... just pushes his unlikability that extra bit further.
But enough about Drake, let's talk about a little thing introduced in the last book which remains present in Villain. Like the Drake Merwin thing, this is far more saturated with personal subjective opinion than the rest of the review. I honestly find the introduction of cyborgs and such into this series incredibly ridiculous and absurd. To me, the image of heads in jars piloting clunky robot bodies just feels so insanely disjointed from everything else this series has established that I have no idea how to react whenever these cyborgs appear. I can handle the superpowers granted inexplicably by reality warping aliens, that's fine it's been a part of the series since the very beginning, but everything to do with the cyborgs just makes my brain do an incredulous double take.
Their introduction in the last book made the antagonistic, if realistic actions, of the government at that point evil to a completely cartoonish degree and going in I was almost certain this book wouldn't be able to top that level of absurdity, quietly hoping that I was wrong.
Then in this book they I don't know whether to love it for how insanely dark and ridiculous it is or hate it for those very same reasons.
But what would this review about Villain be without talk of the villains? Yes I mentioned Drake earlier but he has a very reduced role in this book (Something I guess I should be thankful for?), leaving newcomer Dillon Poe to fill the role of main antagonist for this book.
To be honest he didn't really do it for me. He seemed fairly promising at first, with an interesting agenda and terrifying Purple Man powers to match, until he just fell flat and became a character who just caused insane amounts of carnage and death for no real reason I can discern. He was just kind of sad and pathetic,
I honestly feel Vincent Vu AKA Abaddon could have filled the role of this books villain to a similar effect, given how his powers were shown to work during the finale of the last book. But sadly
As for the other villains... Thomas Peaks real goals and motives remain slightly hazy and uninteresting to me, while Justin DeVeere continues to be... well... just uninteresting (In terms of both personality AND powers) I guess I've always considered the villains of the FAYZE-Verse books fairly weak in comparison to other aspects of the series, but that's just how I feel.
Before closing out the review there is one other relatively minor thing I wanted to talk about.
I'll first clarify that I am a huge fan of diversity in the stuff I read. I really do love and appreciate the level of race, gender and sexuality diversity this main cast of characters has.
However in the first half/first three quarters of this book it feels like I'm being constantly reminded every third or fourth paragraph what a given characters race, gender and/or sexuality is. I've read all the other books, I am well aware that Dekka is a lesbian and I'm not going to forget if I'm not reminded every few seconds. I'm using Dekka as an example but the same goes for the majority of the main cast.
And that's it for the review. It's pretty negative I guess but that's just how I feel. Regardless of how harsh the review is... I still finished this decent sized book in a single day and have read everything that came before it, so this series is definitely doing something right.
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment how you felt about the review if you want! Second time I've ever done a review like this.
This is my very first review of a book in the FAYZ-Verse and I guess I should start by saying that I have a love-hate relationship with this series. There are things I enjoy quite a bit, things I find annoying, things I come close to outright hating (Not something that happens much when it comes to me) and with this new sequel series there is the occasional tidbit I personally find so absurd and ridiculous I can't help but laugh to myself about it. I'll try to cover a few of these opinions during the review so I can paint a full picture of my feelings about Villain.
First off let's talk about the good. Feels fair to mention what I think the story did right since I'm giving it such a harsh rating.
The new main characters continue to be a nice breath of fresh air. Over the course of the original FAYZ series I found myself growing incredibly tired of many of the main characters. The most egregious of which being Sam, Astrid, Caine and Diana with the most notable exceptions being Edilio and Dekka. With Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo and now Francis I'm finding myself more interested and engaged in their personalities and arcs than I ever was with the old main characters during the later books of their series. Time will tell if this sticks should I continue to read this series.
The new way powers are handled also continues to be incredibly pleasing. I've been absolutely spoiled in the topic of creative superpowers by series such as Worm, My Hero Academia and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, so although the powers present here don't quite reach those heights of quality they are still extremely entertaining t0 witness. The new morphing mechanics also add an extra layer of creativity to the powers in this new series that elevates them above those present in the original series. Sadly, for me, none of the new powers introduced in this book could quite top those of the first books Abaddon and his starfish-ey body-puppeteering awesomeness, though newcomer Francis comes VERY close. Armo still has pretty bland powers but he makes up for it with a fun personality and entertaining presence (Same cant exactly be said for Knightmare)
As another positive the action, like always, is tense and engaging in it's writing even when the things taking place are straightforward and simple. In spite of all my complaints with the series, Michael Grant's action writing has remained consistently entertaining.
Now onto the negative.
I'll start with a certain individual named Drake Merwin. A personal pet peeve of mine regarding the FAYZ-Verse. I absolutely hate this character and find myself annoyed with every paragraph he is present.
Personally I've always greatly preferred villains who are sympathetic or have complex and understandable motives over the straight up monstrous characters, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a scumbag or two. Dio Brando from JJBA is an unrepentant asshole but his charisma, humorousness and sheer overpowering presence makes me love him despite my fondness for more sympathetic villains. To me, Drake has nothing that makes his type of villain enjoyable to have present. Even karma, the force that normally grants unlikeable villains a sort of entertainment factor by giving them what they deserve, is not helping here due to the sheer fact that Drake is nigh unkillable. I'm of the opinion that Sam should have incinerated Drake at the end of Lies and gotten rid of him permanently, he was fine enough in the first three books as an antagonist but beyond that point his invincibility mixed with his unlikability became a mix that annoys me every time he shows up.
Also he's straight up a rapist now which... yeah... just pushes his unlikability that extra bit further.
But enough about Drake, let's talk about a little thing introduced in the last book which remains present in Villain. Like the Drake Merwin thing, this is far more saturated with personal subjective opinion than the rest of the review. I honestly find the introduction of cyborgs and such into this series incredibly ridiculous and absurd. To me, the image of heads in jars piloting clunky robot bodies just feels so insanely disjointed from everything else this series has established that I have no idea how to react whenever these cyborgs appear. I can handle the superpowers granted inexplicably by reality warping aliens, that's fine it's been a part of the series since the very beginning, but everything to do with the cyborgs just makes my brain do an incredulous double take.
Their introduction in the last book made the antagonistic, if realistic actions, of the government at that point evil to a completely cartoonish degree and going in I was almost certain this book wouldn't be able to top that level of absurdity, quietly hoping that I was wrong.
Then in this book they I don't know whether to love it for how insanely dark and ridiculous it is or hate it for those very same reasons.
But what would this review about Villain be without talk of the villains? Yes I mentioned Drake earlier but he has a very reduced role in this book (Something I guess I should be thankful for?), leaving newcomer Dillon Poe to fill the role of main antagonist for this book.
To be honest he didn't really do it for me. He seemed fairly promising at first, with an interesting agenda and terrifying Purple Man powers to match, until he just fell flat and became a character who just caused insane amounts of carnage and death for no real reason I can discern. He was just kind of sad and pathetic,
I honestly feel Vincent Vu AKA Abaddon could have filled the role of this books villain to a similar effect, given how his powers were shown to work during the finale of the last book. But sadly
As for the other villains... Thomas Peaks real goals and motives remain slightly hazy and uninteresting to me, while Justin DeVeere continues to be... well... just uninteresting (In terms of both personality AND powers) I guess I've always considered the villains of the FAYZE-Verse books fairly weak in comparison to other aspects of the series, but that's just how I feel.
Before closing out the review there is one other relatively minor thing I wanted to talk about.
I'll first clarify that I am a huge fan of diversity in the stuff I read. I really do love and appreciate the level of race, gender and sexuality diversity this main cast of characters has.
However in the first half/first three quarters of this book it feels like I'm being constantly reminded every third or fourth paragraph what a given characters race, gender and/or sexuality is. I've read all the other books, I am well aware that Dekka is a lesbian and I'm not going to forget if I'm not reminded every few seconds. I'm using Dekka as an example but the same goes for the majority of the main cast.
And that's it for the review. It's pretty negative I guess but that's just how I feel. Regardless of how harsh the review is... I still finished this decent sized book in a single day and have read everything that came before it, so this series is definitely doing something right.
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment how you felt about the review if you want! Second time I've ever done a review like this.
October 25, 2025
sam en astrid snuiven die groene steen beter snel op want ik ben doodmoe van al die nieuwe personages….
December 7, 2018
4 stars ****
Another exciting book in the "Gone" series from Mr. Grant, who amps up the action, characters and violence. (At times, too much violence.) The antagonist in this novel is a real badass, with absolutely no compassion, morals or remorse. (He does, however, possess a warped sense of humor that only he seems to find amusing.)
More characters from the original "Gone" books are involved, and the ending has a great setup for another sequel.
If you have a weak stomach for death, horrible destruction or really rotten antagonists, be warned - this book should be read at your own risk. Some chapters are downright sickening. But they do serve to show the true evil of the main antagonist.
The new "mutant" is a truly lovable young character with a mighty power that I see being explored in future books, if there are any.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, myself being a fan of most kinds of needed plot violence and death. My hat is off to Mr. Grant for another excellent novel.
Another exciting book in the "Gone" series from Mr. Grant, who amps up the action, characters and violence. (At times, too much violence.) The antagonist in this novel is a real badass, with absolutely no compassion, morals or remorse. (He does, however, possess a warped sense of humor that only he seems to find amusing.)
More characters from the original "Gone" books are involved, and the ending has a great setup for another sequel.
If you have a weak stomach for death, horrible destruction or really rotten antagonists, be warned - this book should be read at your own risk. Some chapters are downright sickening. But they do serve to show the true evil of the main antagonist.
The new "mutant" is a truly lovable young character with a mighty power that I see being explored in future books, if there are any.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, myself being a fan of most kinds of needed plot violence and death. My hat is off to Mr. Grant for another excellent novel.
March 16, 2019
Well shit and fuck. This went about as well as it could have.
At first I wasn't sure how I felt about how aware they were of the hero/villain roles (probably because of my personal preference for books where there isn't necessarily a 'good' and a 'bad' side), but it grew on me. You have a bunch of kids who get powers and the world is going to shit in a speedboat, and they're dealing with it using what information they have, namely comic books and movies. And just the fact that they are aware raises other questions that I won't go into because formulation and spoilers (find me when you've read the book, maybe I'll still remember some of my vague thoughts).
At first I wasn't sure how I felt about how aware they were of the hero/villain roles (probably because of my personal preference for books where there isn't necessarily a 'good' and a 'bad' side), but it grew on me. You have a bunch of kids who get powers and the world is going to shit in a speedboat, and they're dealing with it using what information they have, namely comic books and movies. And just the fact that they are aware raises other questions that I won't go into because formulation and spoilers (find me when you've read the book, maybe I'll still remember some of my vague thoughts).
May 3, 2020
I’m glad we got to see more of Cruz in this book, especially near the end. She is really likeable. Michael grant also left some suspense at the end of this book by telling us more about some well known characters. The new character ,Dillon, had an interesting story at the start but he got a bit boring since past a certain point, no more depth was added to his character. Vincent Vu also seemed like he would be an important character but his appearance was very short. I did like the idea of the story though. It doesn’t feel like Grant is running out of ideas yet despite this being book 8.
January 15, 2019
I had some troubles getting back into the story. This is better read just following the series, but since only one comes out per year...
But you can see that I finished in 2 days. That's only because I was in the hospital yesterday to get all 4 wisdom teeth out. I had to wait quite a while because of some mix-up. So that goes to show once again (!): ALWAYS bring a book!
But you can see that I finished in 2 days. That's only because I was in the hospital yesterday to get all 4 wisdom teeth out. I had to wait quite a while because of some mix-up. So that goes to show once again (!): ALWAYS bring a book!
June 14, 2025
Gruesome, gory, and disgusting right from Chapter 1!
March 24, 2024
Just don't hit the same als de originele serie
January 1, 2019
Warning to all: this book is gross af. But typical of a Gone novel.
I found this book to be entertaining, but also a little pointless. It’s mostly just a bunch of gory, graphic violence that starts to lose its purpose. The new villain introduced, Dillon Poe, isn’t interesting. He’s a complete moron who seems to suddenly decide to kill everyone without feeling strongly about it one way or another. He just sort of does it. That being said, Grant continues to do a good job at creating very hatable characters. I hated Poe a lot, but because he was such an idiot, there wasn’t a lot of depth to my hate. I mostly just felt pissed off, like, seriously? THIS idiot is what we have to deal with now? Despite the meaningless violence that made the plot sort of one dimensional, I still plan on reading the next book because I am interested to see what happens regarding the plot line with Drake, Astrid and Sam. Drake is disgusting as usual, but this battle has been a long time coming. I need resolution.
Another weird aspect of this book is Grant’s complete lack of subtlety when writing LGBTQ characters. It is extremely evident that Grant wants his readers to know that he is a supporter of the LGBTQ community, which is 100% not an issue. It’s just that he mentions something about Dekka being a lesbian and Cruz being transgender on every other page. We understand that this is important to their respective identities. That’s great, but it isn’t relevant in the middle of a gruesome battle. And it’s also not the only thing about them that matters. Cruz is kind and thoughtful despite having lived a hard life. Dekka is brave and honorable and kicks ass all day every day. I like the characters he’s created, but I don’t LOVE them and care for them the way I did the kids in the Gone books. There’s just not as much one on one time with them where we really start to worry about their well being.
Grant also talks about race a lot. It’s almost like he’s trying vey hard to make sure we know he hates racists. WE KNOW. So do we!! But does it need to be on every other page? No. It’s tiring and loses its value when shoved in our faces repeatedly. Every minor “bad” character had a nazi tattoo lol. No joke. Move on with the story dude. Everyone hates Nazis.
I found this book to be entertaining, but also a little pointless. It’s mostly just a bunch of gory, graphic violence that starts to lose its purpose. The new villain introduced, Dillon Poe, isn’t interesting. He’s a complete moron who seems to suddenly decide to kill everyone without feeling strongly about it one way or another. He just sort of does it. That being said, Grant continues to do a good job at creating very hatable characters. I hated Poe a lot, but because he was such an idiot, there wasn’t a lot of depth to my hate. I mostly just felt pissed off, like, seriously? THIS idiot is what we have to deal with now? Despite the meaningless violence that made the plot sort of one dimensional, I still plan on reading the next book because I am interested to see what happens regarding the plot line with Drake, Astrid and Sam. Drake is disgusting as usual, but this battle has been a long time coming. I need resolution.
Another weird aspect of this book is Grant’s complete lack of subtlety when writing LGBTQ characters. It is extremely evident that Grant wants his readers to know that he is a supporter of the LGBTQ community, which is 100% not an issue. It’s just that he mentions something about Dekka being a lesbian and Cruz being transgender on every other page. We understand that this is important to their respective identities. That’s great, but it isn’t relevant in the middle of a gruesome battle. And it’s also not the only thing about them that matters. Cruz is kind and thoughtful despite having lived a hard life. Dekka is brave and honorable and kicks ass all day every day. I like the characters he’s created, but I don’t LOVE them and care for them the way I did the kids in the Gone books. There’s just not as much one on one time with them where we really start to worry about their well being.
Grant also talks about race a lot. It’s almost like he’s trying vey hard to make sure we know he hates racists. WE KNOW. So do we!! But does it need to be on every other page? No. It’s tiring and loses its value when shoved in our faces repeatedly. Every minor “bad” character had a nazi tattoo lol. No joke. Move on with the story dude. Everyone hates Nazis.
December 1, 2025
Estoy procesando lo que acabo de leer porque ha sido espeluznante. Creo que es el libro más brutal, explícito, gore y hasta sádico que he leído. Definitivamente no esperaba este nivel de truculencia, y eso que venimos de una saga que ya de por sí es tremenda, pero lo de esta es otra historia. Puede ser que no esté acostumbrada a tanta violencia pero tela. No tiene nada que ver.
Comenzamos con Dillon Poe en una celda con unos cuantos borrachos, hace apenas dos días descubrió que cualquiera que lo escuche se verá obligado a cumplir sus órdenes. Por otro lado tenemos a Malik al borde de la muerte por las terribles heridas de la batalla en el faro. Dekka y Armo han ido a hablar con un viejo amigo en busca de consejo. Tom Peaks busca un aliado al que manipular.
Se le ha ido completamente la cabeza. En la reseña del primer libro dije que esta trilogía era una continuación de Olvidados, y después vi que más bien esto es un spin-off y eso ya me cuadra más, me quedo tranquila. Las cosas por su nombre por favor. Porque esto no tiene nada que ver con la otra saga más allá de tres o cuatro personajes que sinceramente ojalá los hubiesen dejado tranquilitos y esto fuese una historia independiente.
Siento que me repito pero me está costando separarme de Olvidados a la hora de opinar sobre estos libros, parece que con mentalidad spin-off puedo alejarme un poco más pero aun así ugh. Es que hay unas cuantas cosas que me fallan en esta historia. Estamos en la parte de los villanos, y aquí tenemos maldad, crueldad, dolor en estado puro. Perdón, pero en la otra saga también teníamos cosas bastante violentas y desagradables provocadas (en su mayoría) por la desesperación de la situación. Aquí, los villanos son malos porque tiene que haber malvados que hagan quedar a los buenos como héroes.
A ver, este planteamiento de héroes, villanos y monstruos está bien. Esto es una historia de superhéroes +18 hecha trilogía. Con mutantes, muerte y destrucción y una guerra inminente. Hasta ahí supongo que vale.
Dillon Poe está pirado de la cabeza, con su control mental puede hacer lo que le venga en gana prácticamente y lo que empieza como un jueguecillo en el que no mataría a nadie acaba en una verdadera masacre. De verdad, qué cosa más dura de leer. Absolutamente terrorífico, abrumador, doloroso, desagradable, horrible. Me faltan adjetivos para definir lo que se narra en este libro y eso que ya he puesto un montón. Qué mal cuerpo. No he terminado de pillar al personaje porque lo de la faceta de cómico queda un poco raro, podría ser un intento de humor en situaciones extremadamente violentas que solo descoloca . Ahora que lo pienso, es otra forma de demostrar que estaba un poco cucú.
Shade, Cruz y Malik han cambiado completamente la dinámica. Lo de Malik también es horroroso de leer, lo peor es que soy capaz de imaginarlo todo y qué mal. Shade al menos parece que se ha vuelto más humana con conciencia, y Cruz pues está ahí. Sigue con sus dilemas como persona de género fluido y no se, bien. En este libro siento que hay muchísima introspección. Interesante un personaje como ella pero un poco sin más.
Dekka y Armo están un poco por estar, la verdad. Hacen un buen dúo, pero no son protagonistas de la historia, cualquiera de los mencionados anteriormente tiene más importancia que ellos. Armo me cae bien y mi vena lectora de romántica (que por esta megamaratón lleva semanas hibernando) espera que tenga algo con Cruz, es cute leer sus pensamientos sobre él.
Quedan más personajes de los que ya ni me acordaba. Vicent Vu aka Abadón aka Estrella de mar, lucía buen villano pero aparece como dos veces; Francis aka Arcoiris me intriga; Justin DeVeere aka Pesadilla que tampoco hace nada; menos mal que Tom Peaks al final tiene un poco de relevancia porque si no... y unos cuantos más que sinceramente ahora mismo me parecen bastante de relleno. Y si un libro de 350 páginas da la impresión de tener relleno, mala señal.
Señor Grant, te compro lo del Rancho y los experimentos pero ¿cíborgs? ¿para qué? Para qué la historia de esta cabeza unida a un tanque que no hace nada, y no creo que haga porque muere. Ups spoiler. O lo de los bebés pum pum que es absolutamente demencial pero una vez más ¿para qué? O sea, te compro los aliens, los poderes, las mutaciones porque tienen un sentido y son la base de la historia pero cíborgs... en serio. Y que no aportan nada. No se lo que puedan añadir en el tercer libro pero de momento no lo veo. Se ha sentido un poco ¿qué más cosas grotescas puedo meter?, un poco sin ton ni son. En fin, todos los del ejército bueno, ok, sirve para ver cómo se organiza un poco la emergencia. Imagino que lo de la quimera y el Nebraska tenga importancia... aunque por cómo parece que acaba me da que tampoco.
Y ya si hablo de cosas que se sienten relleno tengo que hablar de Drake. En Monstruos dije que me parecía un poco un chiste, y me reafirmo. Sí, es un sádico. Sí, está obsesionado con Astrid. Sí, está cucú de la cabeza. Para lo que quiere hacer, mejor que no haga nada, pero es que en este libro es una cosa completamente irrelevante y que si se hubiese eliminado no hubiese pasado nada. Y la explicación que dan de por qué está dando por saco otra vez me dejó un poco con cara de: me estás tomando el pelo. Y ahora lo deja en un cliffhanger con Astrid y uf, no, por favor.
Estoy un poco triste porque este libro se me ha hecho un poco bola. Por las batallas, por el cambio tan radical que ha tenido el mundo en el que viven mis críos, en todo este rollo de super héroes y tal, por sentir que estaba alargando la historia para nada, que estaba recordando continuamente el contexto de los personajes... Esto puede que no sea malo en sí, pero cuanto te lo estás leyendo de seguido puede resultar pesado. Hay decisiones que no entiendo: ¿por qué tiene que ir Cruz a hacer el reconocimiento de situación y arriesgarse tanto, cuando Shade podría ir y volver con la misma información en menos de dos segundos? No entiendo. Que sí, que un final muy de película de Marvel pero no tenía mucho sentido el plan desde el principio.
Para intentar acabar en una nota un poco más positiva, se plantean dilemas personales y de moralidad muy interesantes. Malik me interesa muchísimo, y lo de los observadores oscuros es un poco para poner los pelos de punta. Quiero saber de Francis y la relación que tiene con ellos. Mi teoría es que como solo están observando el entretenimiento, influyen en la mente de los mutantes y los corrompen. Me gustaría poder decir algo más pero realmente no se me ocurre nada. Es uno de esos libros de transición, en los que los personajes están desperdigados y tienen que ir a un mismo lugar a combatir el mal. No se cómo pueda resolverse todo este desastre. Confío en que remonte.
Comenzamos con Dillon Poe en una celda con unos cuantos borrachos, hace apenas dos días descubrió que cualquiera que lo escuche se verá obligado a cumplir sus órdenes. Por otro lado tenemos a Malik al borde de la muerte por las terribles heridas de la batalla en el faro. Dekka y Armo han ido a hablar con un viejo amigo en busca de consejo. Tom Peaks busca un aliado al que manipular.
Se le ha ido completamente la cabeza. En la reseña del primer libro dije que esta trilogía era una continuación de Olvidados, y después vi que más bien esto es un spin-off y eso ya me cuadra más, me quedo tranquila. Las cosas por su nombre por favor. Porque esto no tiene nada que ver con la otra saga más allá de tres o cuatro personajes que sinceramente ojalá los hubiesen dejado tranquilitos y esto fuese una historia independiente.
Siento que me repito pero me está costando separarme de Olvidados a la hora de opinar sobre estos libros, parece que con mentalidad spin-off puedo alejarme un poco más pero aun así ugh. Es que hay unas cuantas cosas que me fallan en esta historia. Estamos en la parte de los villanos, y aquí tenemos maldad, crueldad, dolor en estado puro. Perdón, pero en la otra saga también teníamos cosas bastante violentas y desagradables provocadas (en su mayoría) por la desesperación de la situación. Aquí, los villanos son malos porque tiene que haber malvados que hagan quedar a los buenos como héroes.
A ver, este planteamiento de héroes, villanos y monstruos está bien. Esto es una historia de superhéroes +18 hecha trilogía. Con mutantes, muerte y destrucción y una guerra inminente. Hasta ahí supongo que vale.
Dillon Poe está pirado de la cabeza, con su control mental puede hacer lo que le venga en gana prácticamente y lo que empieza como un jueguecillo en el que no mataría a nadie acaba en una verdadera masacre. De verdad, qué cosa más dura de leer. Absolutamente terrorífico, abrumador, doloroso, desagradable, horrible. Me faltan adjetivos para definir lo que se narra en este libro y eso que ya he puesto un montón. Qué mal cuerpo. No he terminado de pillar al personaje porque lo de la faceta de cómico queda un poco raro, podría ser un intento de humor en situaciones extremadamente violentas que solo descoloca . Ahora que lo pienso, es otra forma de demostrar que estaba un poco cucú.
Shade, Cruz y Malik han cambiado completamente la dinámica. Lo de Malik también es horroroso de leer, lo peor es que soy capaz de imaginarlo todo y qué mal. Shade al menos parece que se ha vuelto más humana con conciencia, y Cruz pues está ahí. Sigue con sus dilemas como persona de género fluido y no se, bien. En este libro siento que hay muchísima introspección. Interesante un personaje como ella pero un poco sin más.
Dekka y Armo están un poco por estar, la verdad. Hacen un buen dúo, pero no son protagonistas de la historia, cualquiera de los mencionados anteriormente tiene más importancia que ellos. Armo me cae bien y mi vena lectora de romántica (que por esta megamaratón lleva semanas hibernando) espera que tenga algo con Cruz, es cute leer sus pensamientos sobre él.
Quedan más personajes de los que ya ni me acordaba. Vicent Vu aka Abadón aka Estrella de mar, lucía buen villano pero aparece como dos veces; Francis aka Arcoiris me intriga; Justin DeVeere aka Pesadilla que tampoco hace nada; menos mal que Tom Peaks al final tiene un poco de relevancia porque si no... y unos cuantos más que sinceramente ahora mismo me parecen bastante de relleno. Y si un libro de 350 páginas da la impresión de tener relleno, mala señal.
Señor Grant, te compro lo del Rancho y los experimentos pero ¿cíborgs? ¿para qué? Para qué la historia de esta cabeza unida a un tanque que no hace nada, y no creo que haga porque muere. Ups spoiler. O lo de los bebés pum pum que es absolutamente demencial pero una vez más ¿para qué? O sea, te compro los aliens, los poderes, las mutaciones porque tienen un sentido y son la base de la historia pero cíborgs... en serio. Y que no aportan nada. No se lo que puedan añadir en el tercer libro pero de momento no lo veo. Se ha sentido un poco ¿qué más cosas grotescas puedo meter?, un poco sin ton ni son. En fin, todos los del ejército bueno, ok, sirve para ver cómo se organiza un poco la emergencia. Imagino que lo de la quimera y el Nebraska tenga importancia... aunque por cómo parece que acaba me da que tampoco.
Y ya si hablo de cosas que se sienten relleno tengo que hablar de Drake. En Monstruos dije que me parecía un poco un chiste, y me reafirmo. Sí, es un sádico. Sí, está obsesionado con Astrid. Sí, está cucú de la cabeza. Para lo que quiere hacer, mejor que no haga nada, pero es que en este libro es una cosa completamente irrelevante y que si se hubiese eliminado no hubiese pasado nada. Y la explicación que dan de por qué está dando por saco otra vez me dejó un poco con cara de: me estás tomando el pelo. Y ahora lo deja en un cliffhanger con Astrid y uf, no, por favor.
Estoy un poco triste porque este libro se me ha hecho un poco bola. Por las batallas, por el cambio tan radical que ha tenido el mundo en el que viven mis críos, en todo este rollo de super héroes y tal, por sentir que estaba alargando la historia para nada, que estaba recordando continuamente el contexto de los personajes... Esto puede que no sea malo en sí, pero cuanto te lo estás leyendo de seguido puede resultar pesado. Hay decisiones que no entiendo: ¿por qué tiene que ir Cruz a hacer el reconocimiento de situación y arriesgarse tanto, cuando Shade podría ir y volver con la misma información en menos de dos segundos? No entiendo. Que sí, que un final muy de película de Marvel pero no tenía mucho sentido el plan desde el principio.
Para intentar acabar en una nota un poco más positiva, se plantean dilemas personales y de moralidad muy interesantes. Malik me interesa muchísimo, y lo de los observadores oscuros es un poco para poner los pelos de punta. Quiero saber de Francis y la relación que tiene con ellos. Mi teoría es que como solo están observando el entretenimiento, influyen en la mente de los mutantes y los corrompen. Me gustaría poder decir algo más pero realmente no se me ocurre nada. Es uno de esos libros de transición, en los que los personajes están desperdigados y tienen que ir a un mismo lugar a combatir el mal. No se cómo pueda resolverse todo este desastre. Confío en que remonte.
December 11, 2018
*2.5
I hadn't expected much of this book, because I wasn't a super big fan of the first one, but I'm reading it mostly because of the Gone nostalgia. Monster was pretty good to get through and still rather amusing, but I thought Villain was just a bit all over the place. It didn't really have a storyline that was easy to follow and I still don't really get what the "bigger problem" is now, because they keep killing the bad guys that seem to be the main antagonist and what is even more problematic is that I don't care for the protagonist(s). Besides this, I don't really like their superpowers. In Gone, every power had an obvious limit and of course, they have limits here too, but those limits seem to be way too high. I will probably still read the last book in the series just to finish it and the Gone series was done for me when the last book came out and I don't think these series add anything to the universe.
I hadn't expected much of this book, because I wasn't a super big fan of the first one, but I'm reading it mostly because of the Gone nostalgia. Monster was pretty good to get through and still rather amusing, but I thought Villain was just a bit all over the place. It didn't really have a storyline that was easy to follow and I still don't really get what the "bigger problem" is now, because they keep killing the bad guys that seem to be the main antagonist and what is even more problematic is that I don't care for the protagonist(s). Besides this, I don't really like their superpowers. In Gone, every power had an obvious limit and of course, they have limits here too, but those limits seem to be way too high. I will probably still read the last book in the series just to finish it and the Gone series was done for me when the last book came out and I don't think these series add anything to the universe.
April 29, 2019
This book reeeeally lost my interest. I adored the original Gone series and even Monster I gulped up, but my attention really dwindled with this one. I feel like the characters were generally boring and lacking personality. I didn't like Shade or Cruz, Malik was the one character I didn't mind reading about. Di'Marco's character (or however you spell that) went absolutely nuts and slightly out of the realm of reality.
I will probably read Hero, but only to finish off the series, or else I will always have the "unfinished" feeling. Overall, I didn't find the second book that interesting and I'm hoping Hero does a better job.
I will probably read Hero, but only to finish off the series, or else I will always have the "unfinished" feeling. Overall, I didn't find the second book that interesting and I'm hoping Hero does a better job.
July 23, 2019
This book was everything I didn’t want. Michael Grant ruined the Gone series by publishing Monster and Villian. Not only is the story underwhelming the lack of character development is so bad that when I finished the book the only character name I could remember was Dekka from the previous books. Do not read this book stop readin the Gone books at Light.
June 20, 2018
Continues the series brilliantly - I can't wait to see what happens to all my favourite characters next.
September 19, 2018
Fantastic follow up series to the gone series. Can not wait for the next instalment.
March 22, 2025
Darker than the first book. It's interesting, the different forms the darkness took. You have a four-year-old, eating without malice everything he got his mouth on. But the lack of malice doesn't make too much of a difference to the people trapped and eaten on the island. However, if a single one of the victims was captured by Drake, they would almost immediately change their opinion of who was worse. His terrorizing and torturing and delight in such things makes him pure evil, with no wiggle room for any other opinion. Even though he's murdered far less numbers, the intentionality does make a difference.
Vu was sick mentally. He was so focused inward, he didn't cause the level of destruction he could have, and was easily taken down for being such a big, confused target. Not as evil. The chimera leviathan in the water, seeming to only eat and exist- that's just Mother Nature. Cruel, sure, but evil? That would be excessive, or at the very least, preemptive.
Then you have Dillon, who had so little care for the value of human life, and such high selfishness that he just casually destroyed THOUSANDS of lives with so little effort. He wasn't sadistic; he didn't enjoy the torture. But that didn't stop him from causing incredible harm. He had no moral compass and caused so much pointless suffering, all for his own aim. And it feels even more insulting to the reader when his singular goal was something so small, that he was also terrible at. But was he as evil as Drake, without the intentional malice?
And then there's the army. On one hand, it was nice to finally have an army not be completely pointless to the threat of alien invasion. They quietly killed a lot of the massive enemies that would have been harder/impossible for the heroes to take on. Their detailed weaponry was finally useful. On the other hand, all it took was one mad person to deliver unquestioned orders, and they were another cause of death. Not to mention how their initial preparation against alien attack turned them into the enemies people needed to be defended against. Non-consensual experimentation on people, with things they didn't understand (and how could someone possibly consent without full knowledge and transparency??)-- and they never even tried for it. It was never the leaders taking the risk, but doing everything they could to foist accountability on to someone else. Justin Deveere was also massively trying to escape accountability, but he didn't kill like the army did: He wasn't a guided military force, but a confused amateur, and he felt genuinely bad for some of the loss despite being initially described as without empathy. He also didn't seek out violence like the army. He murdered and intended to murder, but he always wanted to be alone, or at least have no consequences for his actions. A lot more similar to the obsequious evil we have to contend with in everyday life, more frustrating and less able to convict/compel to act decently.
And then you have the heroes: Someone who can't be told what to do, but still chooses to fight on the side of human life. Someone who was dragged along because she was too scared to make choices for her own life. Someone who was so ambitious, selfish, and focused on revenge, she dragged the only people she cared about into the greatest of harm's way and is now facing her consequences. Someone tortured at all times, either with pain or psychological damage, who eventually is going to snap. Someone who already fought in a war, who wanted to be left alone, but found herself getting and staying involved because she couldn't sit idly by. They are all varied shades of gray, also killers, but the biggest difference is that they take accountability for their actions and do their best to mitigate damage. They'd be smarter not being there, but they actively choose to put themselves in harm's way because it does less damage than leaving powerless people to fend for themselves.
This author plays and creates in the gray areas of humanity, and I live for it. It's not a superficial hero and villain comic story, with bad names, worse outfits, and even more pathetic motivations. This is more the psychology of how actual humans would/do interact with the world every day, into extraordinary circumstances. The nuance behind what makes someone "good" or "evil." And the story is as well-planned out as ever. I give a rave review.
Vu was sick mentally. He was so focused inward, he didn't cause the level of destruction he could have, and was easily taken down for being such a big, confused target. Not as evil. The chimera leviathan in the water, seeming to only eat and exist- that's just Mother Nature. Cruel, sure, but evil? That would be excessive, or at the very least, preemptive.
Then you have Dillon, who had so little care for the value of human life, and such high selfishness that he just casually destroyed THOUSANDS of lives with so little effort. He wasn't sadistic; he didn't enjoy the torture. But that didn't stop him from causing incredible harm. He had no moral compass and caused so much pointless suffering, all for his own aim. And it feels even more insulting to the reader when his singular goal was something so small, that he was also terrible at. But was he as evil as Drake, without the intentional malice?
And then there's the army. On one hand, it was nice to finally have an army not be completely pointless to the threat of alien invasion. They quietly killed a lot of the massive enemies that would have been harder/impossible for the heroes to take on. Their detailed weaponry was finally useful. On the other hand, all it took was one mad person to deliver unquestioned orders, and they were another cause of death. Not to mention how their initial preparation against alien attack turned them into the enemies people needed to be defended against. Non-consensual experimentation on people, with things they didn't understand (and how could someone possibly consent without full knowledge and transparency??)-- and they never even tried for it. It was never the leaders taking the risk, but doing everything they could to foist accountability on to someone else. Justin Deveere was also massively trying to escape accountability, but he didn't kill like the army did: He wasn't a guided military force, but a confused amateur, and he felt genuinely bad for some of the loss despite being initially described as without empathy. He also didn't seek out violence like the army. He murdered and intended to murder, but he always wanted to be alone, or at least have no consequences for his actions. A lot more similar to the obsequious evil we have to contend with in everyday life, more frustrating and less able to convict/compel to act decently.
And then you have the heroes: Someone who can't be told what to do, but still chooses to fight on the side of human life. Someone who was dragged along because she was too scared to make choices for her own life. Someone who was so ambitious, selfish, and focused on revenge, she dragged the only people she cared about into the greatest of harm's way and is now facing her consequences. Someone tortured at all times, either with pain or psychological damage, who eventually is going to snap. Someone who already fought in a war, who wanted to be left alone, but found herself getting and staying involved because she couldn't sit idly by. They are all varied shades of gray, also killers, but the biggest difference is that they take accountability for their actions and do their best to mitigate damage. They'd be smarter not being there, but they actively choose to put themselves in harm's way because it does less damage than leaving powerless people to fend for themselves.
This author plays and creates in the gray areas of humanity, and I live for it. It's not a superficial hero and villain comic story, with bad names, worse outfits, and even more pathetic motivations. This is more the psychology of how actual humans would/do interact with the world every day, into extraordinary circumstances. The nuance behind what makes someone "good" or "evil." And the story is as well-planned out as ever. I give a rave review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2024
Moje ogólne myśli na temat tej książki brzmią: "huh".
Kontynuując swą przygodę z sequelową trylogią mojego ukochanego sześcioksięgu "Gone" miałem wysokie oczekiwania. Pierwszy tom zaserwował mi porządne wprowadzenie do tej historii, ciekawe postacie oraz dobrze opisaną i umotywowaną akcję, które to rekompensowały mi nieliczne niedociągnięcia. Czy mamy w tym przypadku do czynienia z tendencją wzrostową?
Muszę wycofać się z czegoś, co powiedziałem pod adresem "Monster" - złoczyńcy nie są aż tak podobni do siebie. Może jest to kwestia rozwoju, który przechodzą w sequelu, ale o wiele łatwiej jest mi teraz zauważyć wśród nich różnice. Zwłaszcza po wprowadzeniu do gry Dillona Poe, głównego antagonisty, którego droga od chcącego się dobrze bawić dziwaka do psychopaty jest bardzo angażująca.
Trochę szkoda, że zaniedbano złoczyńców z pierwszej części. Jak mówiłem wcześniej, przechodzą ciekawe przemiany, ale ich wystąpień jest relatywnie mało. Choć to jest rzecz jasna urok Granta - priorytezuje postacie i ich wątki, a myśląc zdroworozsądkowo dojdzie się do wniosku, że przesadne skupianie się na Justinie, Peaksie, czy Vincencie (którego chyba najbardziej mi szkoda) zaburzyłoby ten balans.
Bardzo lubię zebraną przez Granta grupę postaci. Będę powtarzał to do grobowej deski - nie czytałem (na razie) drugiego człowieka tak dobrze konstrującego psychologię fikcyjnych ludzi jak Michael Grant. Przemiana Malika, ewolucja Cruz, upadek Shade, składają się na pierwszy raz w moim życiu, w którym mogę powiedzieć, że lubię protagonistów czytanej przeze mnie książki i trafiają oni do topki moich ulubionych postaci z serii.
SPOILERY. Dalej nie kupuję powrotu Drake'a. Wyjaśnienie jego powrotu, w postaci malutkiego kawałka ciała połkniętego i wydalonego przez rybę, z którego zreinkarnował Biczoręki, jest tak durne. Ba, daje to Drake'owi boski wymiar nieśmiertelności i regeneracji, o którą Deadpool byłby zazdrosny. Teraz Grant musi się nagłówkowac, jak zakończyć historię tej postaci w satysfakcjonujący oraz wiarygodny sposób, który nie zakłada zakończenia historii sceną, w której Drake przeżywa wszystkie kataklizmy świata i obserwuje jak wszyscy i wszystko umiera.
Troszeczkę irytuje mnie styl Granta, który w kółko powtarza te same informacje. Zwłaszcza na początku, kiedy pięćset razy przypomina fabułę pierwszej części. A i tak w późniejszej akcji książki przytacza ją parokrotnie.
Jedyny mój zarzut do fabuły jest taki, że często nie wiedziałem dokąd zmierzamy. W "Gone" mieliśmy na początku przedstawienie postaci, rozdzielenie wszystkim ich misji i podążanie za bohaterami jak starają się osiągać ich cele. W tym przypadku często prostacie nie mają żadnego celu, skaczemy pomiędzy ich wątkami, czekając aż to wszystko jakoś się połączy. Jednocześnie tej historii nie da się opowiedzieć w inny sposób, więc problemem byłem raczej ja.
Podobne odczucie miałem jak czytałem "Gone. Ciemność". Nie rozumiałem, co się dzieje, aż w końcu zacząłem z większą uwagą śledzić tekst i końcowo oceniłem tamtą książkę na 5/5. I mam wrażenie, że słuchając tom 2 trylogii "Monster" popełniłem ten sam błąd. Nie wiem, co wtedy zrobiłem, czytając "Ciemność", po prostu zaskoczył mi pewien pstryczek w mózgu. W tym przypadku nie przestawiłem go, aż do finalnej konfrontacji. W związku z tym, choć widzę zajefajność tej fabuły, moje odczucia w stosunku do niej są... Odległe.
W wyniku tego daję tej książce 4,5/5 z zaokrągleniem do 4. Wolę pozostać szczery wobec swoich odczuć, ale wiem, że gdybym słuchał tej książki inaczej, zaokraglałbym ją teraz do 5.
Kontynuując swą przygodę z sequelową trylogią mojego ukochanego sześcioksięgu "Gone" miałem wysokie oczekiwania. Pierwszy tom zaserwował mi porządne wprowadzenie do tej historii, ciekawe postacie oraz dobrze opisaną i umotywowaną akcję, które to rekompensowały mi nieliczne niedociągnięcia. Czy mamy w tym przypadku do czynienia z tendencją wzrostową?
Muszę wycofać się z czegoś, co powiedziałem pod adresem "Monster" - złoczyńcy nie są aż tak podobni do siebie. Może jest to kwestia rozwoju, który przechodzą w sequelu, ale o wiele łatwiej jest mi teraz zauważyć wśród nich różnice. Zwłaszcza po wprowadzeniu do gry Dillona Poe, głównego antagonisty, którego droga od chcącego się dobrze bawić dziwaka do psychopaty jest bardzo angażująca.
Trochę szkoda, że zaniedbano złoczyńców z pierwszej części. Jak mówiłem wcześniej, przechodzą ciekawe przemiany, ale ich wystąpień jest relatywnie mało. Choć to jest rzecz jasna urok Granta - priorytezuje postacie i ich wątki, a myśląc zdroworozsądkowo dojdzie się do wniosku, że przesadne skupianie się na Justinie, Peaksie, czy Vincencie (którego chyba najbardziej mi szkoda) zaburzyłoby ten balans.
Bardzo lubię zebraną przez Granta grupę postaci. Będę powtarzał to do grobowej deski - nie czytałem (na razie) drugiego człowieka tak dobrze konstrującego psychologię fikcyjnych ludzi jak Michael Grant. Przemiana Malika, ewolucja Cruz, upadek Shade, składają się na pierwszy raz w moim życiu, w którym mogę powiedzieć, że lubię protagonistów czytanej przeze mnie książki i trafiają oni do topki moich ulubionych postaci z serii.
SPOILERY. Dalej nie kupuję powrotu Drake'a. Wyjaśnienie jego powrotu, w postaci malutkiego kawałka ciała połkniętego i wydalonego przez rybę, z którego zreinkarnował Biczoręki, jest tak durne. Ba, daje to Drake'owi boski wymiar nieśmiertelności i regeneracji, o którą Deadpool byłby zazdrosny. Teraz Grant musi się nagłówkowac, jak zakończyć historię tej postaci w satysfakcjonujący oraz wiarygodny sposób, który nie zakłada zakończenia historii sceną, w której Drake przeżywa wszystkie kataklizmy świata i obserwuje jak wszyscy i wszystko umiera.
Troszeczkę irytuje mnie styl Granta, który w kółko powtarza te same informacje. Zwłaszcza na początku, kiedy pięćset razy przypomina fabułę pierwszej części. A i tak w późniejszej akcji książki przytacza ją parokrotnie.
Jedyny mój zarzut do fabuły jest taki, że często nie wiedziałem dokąd zmierzamy. W "Gone" mieliśmy na początku przedstawienie postaci, rozdzielenie wszystkim ich misji i podążanie za bohaterami jak starają się osiągać ich cele. W tym przypadku często prostacie nie mają żadnego celu, skaczemy pomiędzy ich wątkami, czekając aż to wszystko jakoś się połączy. Jednocześnie tej historii nie da się opowiedzieć w inny sposób, więc problemem byłem raczej ja.
Podobne odczucie miałem jak czytałem "Gone. Ciemność". Nie rozumiałem, co się dzieje, aż w końcu zacząłem z większą uwagą śledzić tekst i końcowo oceniłem tamtą książkę na 5/5. I mam wrażenie, że słuchając tom 2 trylogii "Monster" popełniłem ten sam błąd. Nie wiem, co wtedy zrobiłem, czytając "Ciemność", po prostu zaskoczył mi pewien pstryczek w mózgu. W tym przypadku nie przestawiłem go, aż do finalnej konfrontacji. W związku z tym, choć widzę zajefajność tej fabuły, moje odczucia w stosunku do niej są... Odległe.
W wyniku tego daję tej książce 4,5/5 z zaokrągleniem do 4. Wolę pozostać szczery wobec swoich odczuć, ale wiem, że gdybym słuchał tej książki inaczej, zaokraglałbym ją teraz do 5.
November 6, 2018
VILLAIN, a Gone novel by Michael Grant, tells the story of the world four years after the events of GONE. The Perdido Beach dome is down, but the horrors inside it have spread. An alien virus-infested rock that created FAYZ has started an apocalypse, creating mutants and uncontrollable creatures, terrorizing the world. In this new post-apocalyptic series, you have your monsters, your villains and your heroes. There are some that believe the humans must be fought, that the mutants are the ones that deserve to reign. Others wish to restore peace and act as a hero to the normal citizens of the world. Old foes return and new ones arise. No longer is the battlefield only limited the Perdido Beach dome. Now, it has spread to the world.
Michael Grant has managed to bring in a new element in every single one of his novels. From new heroes to new villains to entirely new concepts, VILLAIN raises the stakes in the Gone universe. What I primarily enjoyed was getting a major outlook into Dillon’s life. Dillon Poe, a bullied teenager who once wanted to be a comedian, gained the power to control anyone with just the sound of his voice. In the novel, he’s a villain, hell-bent on sending thousands to their death. It was interesting to see his side of the story in such a doomed world.
The converging storylines flow smoothly together and create a well-welded plot. The separate stories ultimately combine, leading to Dillon wreaking havoc, and the superheroes Shade, Cruz, Malik, Dekka, Armo and one other new mutant attempting to stop the supervillain. They also bring back GONE favorites Sam Temple and Astrid Ellison. It’s been a while since the previous novel, MONSTER, was released, but Grant does an excellent job with tying in exposition to re-introduce us to his characters and set-up for the plot. The book also goes into more detail with the newer concept of the Dark Watchers, the name of the aliens that sent the virus-infested rock down to Earth. Each person’s power is unique and unexpected. Some wouldn’t exactly be called “superpowers” in a 21st century comic book, but Grant manages to craft characters with interesting traits and backgrounds that draw the reader in.
The action scenes are nonstop. Grant intensely illustrates the battles of superpowers against superpowers through his writing. Opening with Dillon’s ruthlessness with civilians really sets the tone for the rest of the novel. The book showcases gory scenes that take the reader’s breath away. However, each quick and sudden death and the almost careless tone for each innocent demise doesn’t allow the reader to connect with what should be a great fear in the world.
People compare the Gone universe with Marvel or DC comics and films, but the world that Grant has created is much more than that. The severity, the gore, the action and the reality of the Perdido Beach dome are engraved in every chapter. It is as if Deadpool meets Batman, where comedy meets absolute carnage meets darkness.
There are crazy monsters, cyborgs and aliens all throughout the novel in this electrifying sequel. VILLAIN is a gripping, terrifying science-fiction thriller that makes the Battle of Las Vegas one of the most horrifying events in all the Gone books.
Michael Grant has managed to bring in a new element in every single one of his novels. From new heroes to new villains to entirely new concepts, VILLAIN raises the stakes in the Gone universe. What I primarily enjoyed was getting a major outlook into Dillon’s life. Dillon Poe, a bullied teenager who once wanted to be a comedian, gained the power to control anyone with just the sound of his voice. In the novel, he’s a villain, hell-bent on sending thousands to their death. It was interesting to see his side of the story in such a doomed world.
The converging storylines flow smoothly together and create a well-welded plot. The separate stories ultimately combine, leading to Dillon wreaking havoc, and the superheroes Shade, Cruz, Malik, Dekka, Armo and one other new mutant attempting to stop the supervillain. They also bring back GONE favorites Sam Temple and Astrid Ellison. It’s been a while since the previous novel, MONSTER, was released, but Grant does an excellent job with tying in exposition to re-introduce us to his characters and set-up for the plot. The book also goes into more detail with the newer concept of the Dark Watchers, the name of the aliens that sent the virus-infested rock down to Earth. Each person’s power is unique and unexpected. Some wouldn’t exactly be called “superpowers” in a 21st century comic book, but Grant manages to craft characters with interesting traits and backgrounds that draw the reader in.
The action scenes are nonstop. Grant intensely illustrates the battles of superpowers against superpowers through his writing. Opening with Dillon’s ruthlessness with civilians really sets the tone for the rest of the novel. The book showcases gory scenes that take the reader’s breath away. However, each quick and sudden death and the almost careless tone for each innocent demise doesn’t allow the reader to connect with what should be a great fear in the world.
People compare the Gone universe with Marvel or DC comics and films, but the world that Grant has created is much more than that. The severity, the gore, the action and the reality of the Perdido Beach dome are engraved in every chapter. It is as if Deadpool meets Batman, where comedy meets absolute carnage meets darkness.
There are crazy monsters, cyborgs and aliens all throughout the novel in this electrifying sequel. VILLAIN is a gripping, terrifying science-fiction thriller that makes the Battle of Las Vegas one of the most horrifying events in all the Gone books.
December 23, 2018
These books are just so horrible, and I mean that completely. Nobody can write the kind of twisted horror and awfulness that Michael Grant can. I think that’s why, at heart, I find his books continually compelling, no matter how gruesome they get—he really, really digs to the core of what humans will do to themselves and each other given the right circumstances.
I’m still surprised this series hasn’t gotten more exposure, given how popular Gone was. I was also shocked to find that he co-wrote Animorphs with Katherine Applegate, who is also his wife. I had no idea K.A. Applegate was the two of them collectively until now. I love Animorphs, but I’ve always associated it with a uniquely disturbing quality that other books don’t have. It makes so much sense that Michael Grant was behind some of that all along. The other childhood book that really freaked me out was Remnants, which I realize now is also written by the two of them. So. Apparently they alone write books that just creep me out the way nothing else does.
Villain I think might top everything in terms of graphicness. He really pulled out all the stops this time and I honestly don’t know how he was even able to physically write a lot of these scenes. This review has been filled with a lot of superlatives, but if you read it you’ll know what I mean. It’s really in its own category and the next book is looking to be pretty much along the same lines.
One thing I really liked in particular was the multiple universes/4th dimension/existential stuff. I love that there’s still questions about the original series that are being answered. The expansion of the universe is fascinating and doesn’t feel like it’s going too far like I’ve sometimes noticed in other series.
Final note that I think this series does inclusiveness better than most of what I’ve seen in YA. The representation doesn’t seem forced to me and really ties into each characters’ motivations and life views rather than just being a label.
Alright. About a year to recover from this book, because it’s the stuff of nightmares, and then we’ll see how it ends.
I’m still surprised this series hasn’t gotten more exposure, given how popular Gone was. I was also shocked to find that he co-wrote Animorphs with Katherine Applegate, who is also his wife. I had no idea K.A. Applegate was the two of them collectively until now. I love Animorphs, but I’ve always associated it with a uniquely disturbing quality that other books don’t have. It makes so much sense that Michael Grant was behind some of that all along. The other childhood book that really freaked me out was Remnants, which I realize now is also written by the two of them. So. Apparently they alone write books that just creep me out the way nothing else does.
Villain I think might top everything in terms of graphicness. He really pulled out all the stops this time and I honestly don’t know how he was even able to physically write a lot of these scenes. This review has been filled with a lot of superlatives, but if you read it you’ll know what I mean. It’s really in its own category and the next book is looking to be pretty much along the same lines.
One thing I really liked in particular was the multiple universes/4th dimension/existential stuff. I love that there’s still questions about the original series that are being answered. The expansion of the universe is fascinating and doesn’t feel like it’s going too far like I’ve sometimes noticed in other series.
Final note that I think this series does inclusiveness better than most of what I’ve seen in YA. The representation doesn’t seem forced to me and really ties into each characters’ motivations and life views rather than just being a label.
Alright. About a year to recover from this book, because it’s the stuff of nightmares, and then we’ll see how it ends.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews