A Stage Set for Villains
Published on 5. February 2026
Book
Hardback
560 pages
978-1-911753-12-4 (ISBN)
Description
The gods are dead. All that's left are the Players...
The performers of the Playhouse are as worshipped as they are feared, their enchanting shows bending hearts, minds, and even reality itself. Vicious, godlike, lethal. Eighteen-year-old Riven Hesper knows the dangers better than anyone, after her own encounter with a Player resulted in a curse that is slowly killing her.
When the Playhouse announces the spectacle of a lifetime?a chance for one mortal to steal a Player's immortality?Riven sees her last chance to live. Desperate for answers, she infiltrates the competition. There, she finds Jude, the Playhouse's brilliant, merciless Lead Player, whose charm is as dangerous as his Craft, and strikes a deadly bargain to save her life.
But with time running out and the Playhouse's secrets unraveling into a disturbing picture, Riven faces a grim possibility: she might not be the hero of her story after all. In fact, she may be the villain.
Because the Playhouse doesn't just tell stories. It rewrites them.
And Riven's might end in blood.
Caraval meets One Dark Window in this lush and dark fantasy.
The performers of the Playhouse are as worshipped as they are feared, their enchanting shows bending hearts, minds, and even reality itself. Vicious, godlike, lethal. Eighteen-year-old Riven Hesper knows the dangers better than anyone, after her own encounter with a Player resulted in a curse that is slowly killing her.
When the Playhouse announces the spectacle of a lifetime?a chance for one mortal to steal a Player's immortality?Riven sees her last chance to live. Desperate for answers, she infiltrates the competition. There, she finds Jude, the Playhouse's brilliant, merciless Lead Player, whose charm is as dangerous as his Craft, and strikes a deadly bargain to save her life.
But with time running out and the Playhouse's secrets unraveling into a disturbing picture, Riven faces a grim possibility: she might not be the hero of her story after all. In fact, she may be the villain.
Because the Playhouse doesn't just tell stories. It rewrites them.
And Riven's might end in blood.
Caraval meets One Dark Window in this lush and dark fantasy.
Reviews / Votes
As enthralling as it is unique, A Stage Set for Villains will have you spellbound! -- New York Times bestselling author, Mai Corland Part novel, part script, A Stage Set For Villains is a fascinatingly unique world like nothing you've ever read before, where mirrors are to be feared, life-eating curses abound, and vicious humans-turned-gods called Players perform on a voracious playhouse stage, that will have you riveted from the first casting call! -- USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard Dark fantasy at its most intoxicating. Shannon Spann delivers a world where gods crave applause, mortals bleed for love, and every truth feels like a curse. I was completely enthralled -- #1 NYT bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout Absolutely thrilling. Be ready to be hooked from the first page to the shocking end -- NYT bestselling author Elise KovaMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 51 mm
Weight
762 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-911753-12-4 (9781911753124)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Shannon J. Spann
A Stage Set for Villains
Enter the magical world of The Playhouse in the new dark fantasy romance
E-Book
02/2026
Mayhem Books
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Shannon J. Spann is a New York-based writer and social media strategist. In her spare time, she loves knitting, wandering her local bookstore, and of course, theatre. A Stage Set for Villains is her first novel.