A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann

A Stage Set for Villains

Shannon J. Spann

Bloomsbury · Print & ebook · February 3, 2026

A Fantasy pick for readers exploring A Stage Set for Villains.

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Who it’s for
For when you want your fantasy with bite, heat, and a little theatrical menace.
Genres
YA Fantasy Romance, Dark YA Fantasy, Paranormal & Supernatural for Teens
Published
Bloomsbury, February 3, 2026

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About this book

"Spann’s debut novel is a dark and dizzying fantasy that will keep readers enthralled to the end."―STARRED Kirkus Reviews Don’t miss out on the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run in the US and Canada only, a must-have for any book lover. The gods are dead.

Continue reading

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.

Dark Stage

For when you want your fantasy with bite, heat, and a little theatrical menace.

Come here for

  • darkly edged fantasy-romance energy
  • a stagey, performance-adjacent atmosphere

Expect

  • YA pacing
  • sustained, immersive read

Where it sits

YA Fantasy Romance77%
Dark YA Fantasy59%
Paranormal & Supernatural for Teens28%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Dark YA Fantasy
  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Loners & Outsiders for Teens
Authors
Shannon J. Spann
Publisher
Bloomsbury
Published
February 3, 2026
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Dark YA Fantasy