lindz524 's review for:

When Villains Rise by Rebecca Schaeffer

3.0

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While I found this the strongest of the trilogy, I feel weird giving it more than 3 stars because I’ve got a lot of conflicted feelings about the underlying messages it sends. I’m sure the conflicted feeling is partly the point, but there were moments I thought - hmm this is really sending a message that we should forgive people who are acting violently towards us because maybe they love someone so they are intrinsically ok or redeemable or because they have a complicated past? But then they aren’t at the same time. And so what is the point? What is the book trying to say? “Evil” people are complicated and nuanced - sure. “Evil” people don’t have to be redeemable to deserve to live a good life? I’m not buying that. It’s ok to turn a blind eye on someone doing bad things because you love them? Also not the greatest message. Kovit can’t be this sympathetic guy and a sadist sociopath at the same time - it just doesn’t work.