When Villains Rise

Not Even Bones and Only Ashes Remain have seen Nita survive all manner of deadly schemes and the work of a number of truly horrifying villains—she has been kidnapped, caged, tortured, and blackmailed, but she has not given up. After escaping from and burning down the infamous black market of monsters where she was held captive, Nita met Kovit—a zannie, who feasts on the pain of others—and together they escaped to Toronto where they tracked down agents from the International Non-Human Police (INHUP) in an effort to find some semblance of safety. But a series of extremely unfortunate events, including a very public murder, ensured that Kovit and Nita would stay on the run, from not only the authorities but also a revenge-driven vampire, Nita’s mother, and a series of mafia cronies.

Nita’s abilities with a scalpel, along with Kovit’s torture techniques, give the two an opportunity to expose the corruption in INHUP and take down the Dangerous Unnaturals List for good, ensuring people like Kovit are no longer rounded up and killed. The two kidnap a young man named Fabricio—his father runs a large law firm that is known for collecting and using all kinds of information to blackmail powerful people around the globe—and make their way to Buenos Aires to collect the information and take down as many villains as they can along the way.

What makes this book, and the previous two novels in the “Market of Monsters” series, so compelling, is the degree of moral and ethical ambiguity of all of the characters. There are no innocent, pure heroes, and there are few entirely evil antagonists; everyone has a dangerous side, and they are not willing to go down without a fight. Nita is an anti-hero who walks through the world with a sense of purpose at the beginning of the series—her mother has raised her to kill and dissect monsters for the good of humanity—but as the narrative progresses into the second and third books, she begins to question everything about her childhood. She confronts and tears apart the understanding of right and wrong her mother taught her.

Even Kovit, who is initially a bit one-dimensional, develops throughout the series. He is first seen as almost purely evil, delighting in the torture and death of anyone and everyone he can get his hands on. But Nita manages to bring out a greater sense of purpose in him, a way to help Kovit find his humanity while still using his skills to get them to their end goal. The moral ambiguity allows readers to see everyone in the book through multiple lenses. Can you read Kovit and Nita as heroes if they leave a trail of bodies in their wake? Is it possible to cheer for two people who are willing to burn down the world to stay alive? And what about Nita’s mother? Do we forgive Nita because of her mother’s uncompromising and brutal way of raising her to kill and destroy? These and other characters throughout the saga trouble the notion of good and evil in creative ways, much like a teen version of the television show Dexter.

When Villains Rise is a gruesome, engrossing, and satisfying conclusion to the “Market of Monsters” series. Schaeffer’s writing keeps getting stronger and tighter with each book, and the pacing of the conclusion is quick, but not exhausting, taking place over only a few days. Nita, Kovit, and the entire cast of characters will be sure to keep readers turning the pages right to the last gratifying chapter.