Samar El’s Reviews > A Stage Set for Villains > Status Update

So, if you read your future on paper and ask someone to fix the mistakes you’ve read that you’re going to make…wouldn’t they just still happen…

Also, Jude, why have you been around Riven for so long? Very weird but also, are you like a guardian…player? Doubt it but this is very fun to guess.

Well…Vixen just confessed het real name, killed a government official (In the best way I could ever imagine) , realised how much of an ass Jude is, lowkey is a full blown Player and might have this dope power that controls marked ones….

All on the span of like 30 pages as well…

There’s a lot happening. Galen in the Playhouse, Jude essentially dying (but that’s my opinion) Alistaire having internal conflicts of who’s good and bad.

Kinda overwhelmed but probably not as much as Sil right now.

Alistaire is seeing the good in Jude…uh oh. Nah it’s a good thing right! He’s not even a bad guy… he’s just misunderstood… I’ll say whatever if it gets me in a room with him ehehehe.

We all agree the North is most likely the bad guys here. Or is Jude lying? See…I don’t know. There’s a lot of theories to go around and so far in guessing that Gene Hunt is maybe a puppet for the North???

Woah SO MUCH just go revealed I’m honestly speechless. Jude, you sneaky bugger you.

Just reached an intermission and that’s spectacular. Shannon J Spann, you got a fun way of dividing this novel.

My only issue was that I felt confused and frankly stupid towards this intermission, however, that last page got the ball rolling again. Love the pacing and planning.

I suspect, something between Gene Hunt and Jude caused Jude to be cursed or something of the sort. Because him and Sil were clearly arguing about losing time… suspicious behaviour.

Riven mimicking Jude was fun, but also, I hate it. That scene was so beautiful, Riven really knows how to boost Jude’s ego by TOUCHING him. Can’t lie, I’d do the same and say it’s for my “plan”.

It may be that I haven’t read a good fantasy book in a while but reading the first play that Alistaire was in, really confused me. Sometimes I feel like I have a grasp of how everything works but then something unbelievable happens, or some characters say something that confuses me further.

I think I need to lock in a little more. Jude, you have feelings and that’s a good thing. Maybe. Probably.

I suspect they kill the contenders because no mortal can learn the Player secrets of Reality Suspension, mimicry etc. That’s why they can’t just leave. Cause, why wouldn’t Sil use their death for the audience to watch? Why is it in private?

Anyways, Jude said, in a close up, low, sensual voice “Lie to me,” and that did it for me. He’s so pretty.

Riven…your stubbornness will be the death of you. Oh, it quite literally was. You just didn’t want Jude to kill you so you opted for a fun little dance with another player. Not gonna lie…I do kinda respect that.

Jude and Riven are both enemies right now but they seriously need one another. Jude has larger things to uncover, with the help of Riven. And Riven needs her life and revenge. I’m so invested!

Jude helping “Alistaire” with her essentially fallen off ribs is a favourite trope of mine. So romantic even though he’s just helping her for himself.

Let me be delusional. It’s all I have.