Book review by Corey
Villain
Villain is the eighth book in the expanded Gone series and picks up four years after the events of the original FAYZ storyline. The barrier is gone, but the strange alien rock that caused everything is still changing people, and now those powers are spreading far beyond Perdido Beach. This time, Dillon Poe becomes one of the biggest threats after discovering he can control people with his voice.
I liked that this one really leaned into the question of who gets to be called a hero and who becomes the villain once everyone has powers and their own reasons for using them. There were moments when I didn’t want to turn the page, but couldn’t stop myself, especially once Dillon started pushing his ability further. It’s violent, chaotic, and a little ridiculous in places, but that also fits the tone of this follow-up trilogy pretty well.
The Goods
- Dillon is a creepy and memorable villain
- The wider world feels more dangerous
- Good mix of powers and moral conflict
- Keeps the follow-up trilogy moving
- Some action scenes are genuinely tense
The Bads
- Some parts get pretty over-the-top
- The cast is still a lot to keep track of
- A few characters feel underused
- The action can get repetitive
- It’s hard not to compare it to the original six books
My Recommendation
This is a solid continuation if you liked Monster and want to see the Gone universe get even bigger and messier. Dillon’s power is simple but genuinely disturbing, and I liked how the story kept blurring the line between heroes and villains instead of making everything feel obvious. If you enjoy YA dystopian fiction with powers, violent action, morally messy characters, and a world that keeps getting more unstable, Villain is a good middle book in the follow-up trilogy.
