A high-stakes, slow-burn fantasy set in a world where vicious, godlike performers are worshipped as they are feared. A Stage Set for Villains follows a cursed woman who strikes a deadly bargain to save her own life. The gods are dead. All that’s left are the Players, the lethal performers of the Playhouse whose enchanting shows bend hearts, minds, and even reality itself. Eighteen-year-old Riven Hesper knows the dangers better than anyone, after her own encounter with a Player resulted in a cur