It’s time to speak of my favourite topic of them all: VILLAINS.
Come settle down with a dark chocolate truffle cake and get comfy so we can have AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS TOGETHER OVER HOW MUCH WE LOVE VILLAINS AND HOW MILDLY CONCERNING THAT IS. But before I launch into my list of books that are actually (sneakily) by the perspective of villains, I want to explain why villains are my favourite. Because you’re totally curious. *
* And even if you’re not curious, guess what? YOU GET TO KNOW ALL THE REASONS ANYWAY because my #2 life skill is talking about dark-hearted cinnamon rolls. (My #1 life skill, by the way, is cake. Cake is a complete life skill.)
- Their thought process is intensely intriguing. Like Tom Hiddleston said “Every villain is a hero in his own mind.” <– That right there? That is sucks me in. I love analysing how they think and their justification processes. Excuse me while I just flail over THE BRAIN.
- Villains have complex plots. Well, there should be complexity and if there’s not the following consequences are (A) I am an angry grape of strife over wasted potential, (B) the villain is just a sneezing joke because no one wants paper plate villains. THIS IS NOT A PICNIC. Now back on topic — I adore the complexity of villains’ plots. Because it shouldn’t be “I woke up this evil mwahhah”…there should be reasons. My very very favourite is: doing evil to do good. BECAUSE THAT TWISTS YOUR BRAIN AND LOVE THAT.
- Cookies from the dark side. Because dark chocolate is the best and OBVIOUSLY that’s what cookies from the dark side are made out of. I want.
- The tortured tragic villains are, ultimately, my favourite. Excuse me while I become a puddle of squish in the face of a villain who never MEANT TO BE BAD but life was cruel to them. They need love. They need warm pretzels. Everything will be okay, slightly-psychopathic smol child.
- And even if I hate the villain with the power of a thousand suns…I appreciate that. Like, make me feel things, mate. All the things. I want to rage against an unfair dark-souled-slightly-squinty Sauron too. Epic stories need epic villains.
- I just adore morally grey stabby complex characters. Heroes, villains, innocent bystanders, a local cat — I don’t care, if they’re morally-grey, I just love ’em. Who wouldn’t??
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is, obviously, all about VILLAINS so let’s discuss evil that DOES NOT SLEEP. Also, I’m not going to sit here and call ALL VILLAINS adorable cinnamon rolls. Some I want to smack in the face. For instance: Voldemort is like the worst kind of burnt toast. * But I still have 938 questions about what made him like that and why. SEE? VILLAINS ARE INTRIGUING.
And things that make me curious = I love it.
Today’s post really focuses on the more anti-hero style villains, who are my favourites. I love tragic villains because they have elements of reedemableness ** in them. And that just makes them even more complex and interesting. And also just dark books are my favourite. #TrueStory
AND ALSO I JUST REALLY LIKE COOKIES, STABBINESS, AND THE DARK SIDE. ***
* Not true. UMBRIDGE IS THE WORST KIND OF BURNT TOAST.
** Apparently this isn’t a word? #rude
*** Oh, and also: yes I swear I’m a normal nice creature. I don’t get library fines. I wear matching socks. I clean my room and pet my dog. I mean, sometimes I talk about magnanimously taking over the world and reigning supreme as evil overlord dragon queen of all. But, you know. I can be whatever I want.
1. SIX OF CROWS DULOGY
Deja vu? Wasn’t I just flailing over these books YESTERDAY? TRUE. I WAS. BUT HERE I AM TO FLAIL AGAIN BECAUSE INFINITE FLAILING IS NEEDED. (Sorry my all caps key got stuck…hahhhahahah. It totally didn’t. I’m just that obsessed with this series.) This is my favourite band of villainous misfits of EVER. Kaz is terrifying and tragic and a genius. All synonyms for “Cait Will Like This Book”. Plus Kaz is my favourite of villain because he can (A) be evil as the dark side of the moon, but (B) also has panic attacks and cannot talk to his crush because #anxiety.
Be still my darkly beating heart.
2. PRINCE OF THORNS
This is actually an adult fantasy despite the protagonist being 14…because IT’S SERIOUSLY VERY DARK AND VIOLENT. And actually there is no way I like Jorg. He is evil. But the story is brilliant. So somehow that works?? But Jorg is Game of Thrones level despicable although he has occasional kind moments which are baffling to us all and his sass is on point.
3. ROCKS FALL EVERYONE DIES
Okay but firstly: DARN YOU LIBRARY BOOKS AND YOUR SHINY WRAPPERS.
And now that that’s out of the way — I liked this one! I enjoyed it more in retrospect than while reading because Aspen is an A+ jerk. He has the magical ability to steal from people. Thoughts, ideas, feelings, motivations etc etc. And he manipulates a girl into being with him and he’s horrible to his friends and — oh wait. HE’S A VILLAIN. Technically his whole family is kind of villainous. So A++ for making me hate you and also be intrigued by the entire story, Aspen.
4. VICIOUS
Because apparently all my lists must have SCHWAB ON THEM THESE DAYS. Vicious is a super-villain origin story and it’s so freaking brilliant I CANNOT EVEN. It features two villains and you’ll honestly not know who is the “right” side. They’re both awful. Everything is awful. Except for (A) the adorable little mostly dead girl, and (B) the huge brutish tech guy who likes chocolate milk.
I love this book. I LOVE THIS BOOK. I lost my sense somewhere along the line because one shouldn’t probably love villains as much as I do for this book. I’d be sorry? But I’m not.
5. CURSEWORKER TRILOGY
CRIME !! FAMILIES !! That’s all I can say.
No wait. I can say more. Because this is magical realism with MAFIA and people who’s touch can curse you and a simply delightfully sassy sociopath protagonist whom I basically adore over all things. Cassel is actually downright scary at the end, but hey, he tries to be good and can honestly be a real sweetie. And then con you so bad. Lovely.
Did I mention CRIME FAMILIES?!?!?!
6. V IS FOR VILLAIN
Surprise! This is a super-villain origin story. YOU DIDN’ SEE THAT COMING, HUH, HUH?? Anyway, despite it’s alternative title being C is for Cliche * I still think this is a fun story! I mean, I think I do??? It’s been 39 years since I read it. And I don’t even know what I ate for lunch yesterday, let alone what I read back in 2014. **
* SORRY I COULDN’T EVEN RESIST MAKING A BAD PUN HERE.
** 2014 was 2 years ago, not 39 years ago. But it’s only a slight difference and don’t get so hung up on the details omg.
7. HOW TO LEAD A LIFE OF CRIME
I sooo need to re-read this because I remember LIKE NEXT TO NOTHING except for the fact it’s one of my favourite books ever. A school to turn you into a psychopath/sociopath??! With the protagonist being a tragic little cinnamon roll that is equal parts scary and adorable?? I CAN’T EVEN WITH THE LEVELS OF APPRECIATION HERE. *
* Fun Story: I bought my copy at a library sale and TORE THE COVER trying to get the stickers off. So you will only ever see the spine to hide my shame. Also this is not a fun story. Who said it was??? Who is writing this post because they are fired.
8. MY SISTER ROSA
This is technically cheating because the story is from Chee’s perspective, but his little sister Rosa is the psychopath. BUT STILL. Chee does some thing that made me go “Um, but wait dude, you are eating cookies from the dark side yourself there” so onto the list it goes!
Plus I just needed a chance to flail because this book is downright brilliant. It’s diverse, it’s an Aussie author, it’s gloriously written, it’s kind of terrifying.
I am pleased.
9. AND I DARKEN
Because the world needs a Vlad the Impaler retelling…GENDER BENT. Woooo for actually scary YA females! Lada will actually stab you in the face and was yelling “SMITE INFIDELS” from the age of, like, 2. You know she’s going to be fun at parties in the future.
By the way: I started off rating this book 3-stars, but now it’s like one of my top-read books of the year??! I just love it so much in retrospect that I WANT TO RE-READ. What is this dark wizardry.
10. HALF BAD TRILOGY
And lastly WELCOME TO MY FAVOURITE TRAGIC WITCH STORY. This is fully a villain origin story, but it’s the “let’s do evil to do good” tale which melts me every time. Everyone is horrible to Nathan. He’s so abused and yet so precious and — fair warning — this series will STAB YOU IN THE FACE WITH FEELINGS. But it’s so so good. Plus it contains a fair amount of sass. Hey I’m sensing a pattern here…so many sassy villains??? *
* You know what this means, right?! I have my moments of glorious wit = ergo I’m obviously in the prime position to take over the world and eat it maliciously mwhaahhahh. Ahem.
“Rocks fall everyone dies” is kind of what happens at the end of all your books. Except without the rocks.
BUT YAAAS I LOVE VILLAINS. Rosa and the Darkling and Captain Jack Sparrow and Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort…the only one I’ll never like is Umbridge. That cow.
Oh shhhh, I’M NOT THAT BAD. Except for, you know…okay fine. I’m trying to think of a book where not everyone dies but I’m struggling.😂
JACK SPARROW THOUGH!! Best pirate ever. Ahh, I have too much like for pirates. (And is it bad but I really felt bad for Voldemort in book 7 after learning his backstory….)
Dear Cait,
please tell me what kind of goblin acid you are on to be able to produce so much content every day and also read so many books. I have no idea how you manage! I try my best, but all of the things (known as boyfriend, social life and work) get in the way, and I end up with a tweet a day at best, and two reviews a week. You must tell me where you got Hermione’s clock. You are not possible! 😀
– Sincerely yours, @AvalinahsBooks
Sorry for double commenting, but I forgot something.
On the topic of Villains – what do you think of Dr Caldwell from “The girl with all the gifts”? I thought that was one of the best written villains I have ever read.
– @AvalinahsBooks
ohhh it’s been a few years since I read The Girl With All the Gifts, SO I CAN’T QUITE REMEMBER. 🙈🙊 She was definitely interesting and I don’t think I hated her or anything although she was kind of scary.😂
I don’t post everyday though! heh. I only blog about 3 or 4 times a week *nods* And omg, I don’t know! I always feel like the more you create, the more your brain gets into the habit of creating more?!? At least that’s my random weird theory haha.
Teehee, I totally hated her 😀 I hated her so much, I realized I loved her 😀 but only by the end. You can only hate a really well written villain, after all. Hate as in hate character, not the presentation. It kind of makes them real then, almost.
Three four times in a week is still HOLY GOD SO MUCH xD
– @AvalinahsBooks
LOVE TO ALL THE VILLAINS.🔫🔫🔪🔪 (Well except Voldemort. He needs to get a nose first.)👃😂 I totally get it. We NEED to know the reason why they act this way. It of course isn’t like “Oh I am not feeling good today…. Let’s kill everyone!!😂 and to be totally honest, I like villains more. #noshame #sorrynotsorry (Maybe because of my black soul?? And I am in for the stabbing.) TOTALLY AGREE FOR AND I DARKEN. Pada is like, ” not really nice to meet you, so just kill you anyways,😜 great post Cait! Plus I love lists anyways.
I shall join you with my love of the dark side too, then.😂 *dark side hi five* I think villains just can be so much more complex?!? Because you never know how far they’ll take things and IT’S EXCITING AND TERRIFYING.
Omg Lada is everything. Like “oh I don’t know if this guy is a threat SO ILL JUST KILL HIM ANYWAY”. Okay Lada. Take a nap and chill out for a bit.😂
I love Kaz so much! <3 He's amazing.
You summarized why I love villains pretty well. XD I find it really interesting to pry open their (hopefully) redeemable villainous minds to figure out why they do what they do. It's super fascinating to me. Great post! 😀
Yessss!! There’s just so much intriguing complexity in reading (AND WRITING!!) villains! I think I basically always write by villains these days and #noregets 😂
Oh my God, YES! Anti-heroes are the greatest kind of hero! Nathan Byrne, Nico Di Angelo… Light Yagami is a straight-up villain, obviously. Emily Koll, from Heart Shaped Bruise, is probably my favourite.
YES TO ALL THE ANTI-HEROES. I’m really hanging out for Riordan to write a series around Nico though. LIKE WE HAVE NEEDS??? PLEASE RIORDAN???
Oh, how I love villains, too! I had such a hard time narrowing down my list. I agree about Umbridge, I find her worse than Voldemort, in a pretty in pink with death in her eyes kind of way. I would never, ever drink her tea.
Here’s my TTT: https://4thhouseontheleft.wordpress.com/2016/10/04/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-book-villains/
IT’S ALL THE PINK. IT’S JUST SO SO EVIL. At least Voldemort was sensible and wore black *nods*
Loved this topic! <3 I absolutely adore Kaz and the rest of his crews and even if I haven't read Crooked Kingdom because international shipping apparently takes years, I'm sure he must be even more awesome in it! I don't think we could call criminals adorable, but he is <3 Ohhh I totally agree with And I Darken! Lada is ruthless and scary but so interesting! I haven't read the others but my copy of Vicious is on its way and I'm excited! 😀 also, you should buy the paperback version of Vicious Cait, how could you not? 😛
ANYWAY, it's good to see you back on blogging! I went into a temporary blogging slump just before you went back from hiatus so it's been a while since I last read your post 😛
KAZ IS BASICALLY ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE CHARACTERS EVER. *shrieks* And basically that entire stabby bunch of small criminals. <3 He is like the ultimate tragic cinnamon roll though. <3
Lada is awesome. And terrifying.😂
Omg I knooooow I need to buy Vicious! I need to grow my Schwab collection FOR SURE, plus I 100% want to re-read it before the sequel comes out next year!
Aww, blogging slumps are no good. *sends you encouraging chocolate* I've been back for about a week, but still catching up on visiting everyone's blogs and things. hehe.😜
Two of my friends and I actually wrote a book from the POV of two villains and two heroes! We loved it sooo much!
That’s so awesome!! I almost always narrate my books by the villains these days.😂 IT’S SO FUN.
Yay for villains and anti-heroes and morally grey characters! They really are the best and they are a necessity for a good story (in my view) 🙂 That said, I ADORE the Six of Crows gang so, so much! And Crooked Kingdom was AMAZING as well, I’m so sorry that I won’t be able to read more about these characters 🙁 but so thankful Leigh Bardugo introduced them to us 🙂
Also, I really, really want to read Vicious and the Half Bad series soon. They’ve been on my TBR for too long!
Omgg I’m SO sad that there are no more Six of Crows books to look forward to. *weeps for 1000 years* I LOVED THAT DUOLOGY SO MUCH AND I WANT A MILLION BOOKS IN IT.😍 Basically the bad boys/girls are always better. (And YES to them making the story more interesting. I totally agree!)
Kaz and the gang!!! <3 <3 I haven't read Crooked Kingdoms yet, but I'm SO READY for it!!! But also kinda worried?? That's normal right? Lol. I really liked the Darkling from the Grisha trilogy even though he is waaaaayy EVIL. The only other villain protag books that I know of are The Young Elites by Marie Lu and Clariel by Garth Nix. Haven't read either of them, but have you??? Based on their descriptions, you may like them! 🙂
I was totally worried about Crooked Kingdom too. DON’T WORRY.😂 I always over-hype myself for books and then get too nervous to read them. *flaps around awkwardly*
I haven’t read Clariel yet but I REALLY need to. And I did read The Young Elites but actually kind of though Adelina wasn’t really that bad?! Eep. I was underwhelmed.😂 I kind of want to reread it at some point though, so maybe I’ll like it better the second time!
I just knew when I saw the theme for this week that you would be all over it in a heartbeat! I love your list and some of these books I need to read right now! Everyone keeps talking about And I Darken and I am getting some serious book buying needs right here. Amazing as always 🙂
YOU KNOW ME TOO WELL, CLEARLY. 😉 Villains are my precious little psychotic darlings. And yessss, And I Darken is totally worth it! It’s a little slow, but STILL AMAZING.
Hi Cait,
I can’t resist that morally grey quality you mention. I love these complex villains for all the reasons you’ve mentioned. You’ve given me several to add to my TBR list too, which I’ll look forward to. Having these stories presented from the villain’s perspectives must make them just that bit more intriguing. Thank you 😀
Oh YAY! I’m glad you like my list and your TBR is most welcome for the new editions. 😉 😂
VILLAINS YAY. I really like this week’s TTT topic and have been blog hopping this topic for a while now xD Like you said, villains’ minds are complex! I’d love to know WHY they do the things they do, and that quote by Tom Hiddleston is my favorite too! Kaz and Victor and the Darkling and Loki, they all have similar qualities I always adore in villains: evil mastermind, tragic story, a soft side reserved to their loved ones (loki is for frigga fyi). But most of all. they did all the things because they believed they do the right thing! I always think that’s interesting, because if the book is written from the “villain”point of view like in VICIOUS, in the end we’ll doubt what is “good” and “bad”, and how subjective those terms are.
Tom Hiddleston obviously KNOWS WHAT’S UP. *pretends is totally not fond of Loki* *is totally fond of Loki* 😍 😂 And YES I love Kaz and Victor so so much and basically if a villain is slightly tragic but also munches cookies of evil = I am so there to be a fan.
Cait, this post is AMAZING. Nicely done. I really like the pictures and you gave me several new books to read and to look for at the library, I have Six of Crows hopefully coming up and am definitely curious about My Sister Rosa. Nice work!
Why thank you! 😀 I so hope you enjoy Six of Crows! It’s one of my TOP favourite of ever. *flails wildly*
Great choices! I’m so glad to see that Vicious, The Curse Workers, and Half Bad (I still haven’t read the last book yet)! I would also add Adelina from The Young Elites series – I can’t wait for the finale!
AHHH I’M GLAD WE HAVE SO MANY FAVOURITES IN COMMON!! I never read Rose Society but I kind of think I should try it?! I didn’t find Adelina scary at all in the first book and I want to know if she gets darker!
I love Vicious! It’s probably the best villain story ever. I expect to see it on a lot of top ten lists today.
No villain list can be completely without Vicious. :’)
Yes, dark chocolate is the best! I agree with you, villains are very interesting creatures and the ones that made my list, I actually love more than hate. I had Rock Falls Everybody Dies checked out from the library but had to return it before I got it read. Now I want to run there and check it out again. And can I just add how much I LOVE that Holly Black cover!
Eeep, I hope you do try Rocks Fall! I mean, it wasn’t my favourite of ever, but I really like it in retrospect.😂 It had such a complex slightly-villainous family and that’S MY FAVOURITE.
Yesss, isn’t it the best cover?!? I found it 2nd hand and now I want to collect the rest. 😍
Gahh, I need to read Vicious SO BADLY! It’s been on my list for such a long time, but I just haven’t gotten around to it and I shall gently beat myself up for that >.< Also, I have a copy of Six of Crows and I desperately NEED to read it soon since everybody is going bananas over Crooked Kingdom. As for villain books that I love, The Killing Joke is INCREDIBLE. It's both straightforward and ambiguous at the same time because there's the chance that the Joker has more than likely made his origin story completely up and I don't know whether to feel bad for him or not D: Also, I quite like American Psycho, but it's very, very, VERY gory. Like, nauseatingly gory.
YES YES YOU DO!! *flails wildly over Vicious’ perfection* Here, I shall stockpile you with cookies from the dark side and pile Vicious on your head and then YOU CAN ENJOY IT MOST HAPPILY. #yourewelcome
Ohhh, I need to try American Psycho someday! Because we all need a bit of TERRIFYING once in a while, yes?
Villains are the absolute best thing in books when they’re done right. Particularly dearest Bellatrix. She’s the most screwed up witch that has ever walked the fictional earth.
Also, according to quizzes she’s the Death Eater we’re most like❤💀
YES! They do need to be done right (complexity, pleeeease) but I just get so intrigued by them and ahhhh, IT’S ENDLESSLY GRAND. Bellatrix is awful and definitely a complexly interesting villain.
These are so great!
My TTT!
Happy Reading! 🙂
I’m glad you’ve read them all too, then! 🙂
Sorry, I don’t adore the villains. But villains need to MAKE SENSE. It bothers the rotted raspberries out of me when the only reason a villain is evil is “just because.” It’s not realistic or interesting AT ALL. Some of my favorite villains are in the Warriors series, because they are truly the darkest souls you’ll come across…also because they all have REASONS for their evilness. Whether you agree or not, that’s another matter…but you can’t for one minute say the author under-developed them. I love to hate them! That’s vital!
I don’t like shallow villains where there’s not motivation either, don’t worry! I just find them annoying and eye-roll-worthy.😂 And “love to hate” is an excellent emotion for a villain! I’m either that or just…loving them because they’re tragic and need protecting. #noregrets
I NEED CROOKED KINGDOM AND VICIOUS IN MY LIFE ALREADY.
As for And I Darken, I kinda DNF’d it? Not particularly in purpose but because i didn’t have time to read it and I was SO compelled and intrigued by everything so it kinda..didn’t get read..and still hasn’t. I should get on that..maybe i’m still at the 3 star end of the book?
To be honest, I’d not heard of any of the other books on this list but I shall dutifully go and check them all out..and now I want to write a book from a Villian’s perspective…
but i’ve not yet finished any of my other WIPs..
ugh. life.
OMG YOU DO NEED CROOKED KINGDOM AND VICIOUS. I 10000% AGREE THAT YOU DO. *flails wildly over their stabby perfectness*
And I kind of understand about And I Darken.😂 I mean, it WAS slow. And I originally gave it 3-stars! And then it bumped up to 4 and I need to chill or I’ll go back and give it a 5, because I’m super in love with the characters. Hehhh. Ahem.
(Definitely write from a villain’s perspective one day. BECAUSE IT’S FUN. I think like 89% of my books are technically from the villain’s pOV….I have no regrets. :’)
I haven’t read any of these, but seriously, the way you talk about them has me adding almost all of them to my TBR list!
My TTT.
You and your TBR are MOST WELCOME for all these new editions. 😉 😂
I haven’t read any of these books. 🙁 Sad sad day.
*sniffles sadly with you*
Well now I have to check out all the books mentioned that I haven’t read yet. I am so excited for And I Darken, BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS MORE RUTHLESS, BLOODTHIRSTY PRINCESSES WITH NO CHILL.
And My Sister Rosa sounds perfect, so of course I must read it as soon as I can. It is because of you that my TBR pile is so high… XD
YES YES PRINCESS WITH NO CHILL = WHAT WE NEED. I will take one or 25, yes please and thank you.
And everyone keeps blaming me for their TBRs growing!! HEYYYY I’M INNOCENT!! (Okay lies. I’m totally not innocent. 😂)
I can’t even think of any villain-centred books. Have I not read any? Hmmm… Oh, wait. I did read one. But I can’t tell you what it is because it was an unreliable-narrator thing and if I told you who the villain was, it would ruin the whole twist.
For good villains in general, I’d probably say Stolen by Lucy Christopher, Yarrow by Charles de Lint, and whatever Harry Potter book it was that had Umbridge in it. OMG… I wanted to punch her in the face. (Although, it is somewhat disappointing that I felt more hatred towards a secondary villain in that series than the main one. Voldemort mostly just made me want to roll my eyes.)
There’s actually a few books I nearly mentioned nad then I was like “Ahh, no I can’t do that. IT’S A SPOILER”. *collapses in disappointment* Although I can’t complain too much because I actually love that “hidden villain” trope hehe.
Umbridge WAS worse than Voldemort. No argument there at all ever. ARGHGHG TO UMBRIDGE.
AND I DARKEN IS AMAZING! That’s actually the only one I read on this list. I need to get reading!
But seriously, I feel the same way! I wasn’t the biggest fan of it but none of the books I’ve read since can compare. I will DEFINITELY be reading the second book 😀
YAY FOR MUTUAL AND I DARKEN APPRECIATION! *flails wildly* It was so dark and stabby and addictive.😍
How To Lead A Life of Crime has gone onto my TBR IMMEDIATELY list.
Grey area characters are the best. I don’t WANT a lead character/hero/heroine who is 100% selfless and angelic (mostly because I myself am neither of those things and I need to believe that I too am worthy of being the lead in a storyline).
My mind has completely blanked on any books that fits this profile, so I have no titles to share with you. 🙁 Maybe next time.
Astrid
http://www.astridkaniele.com/
Yesss, exactly!! Plus anti-heroes are more exciting because you never know how FAR they’ll take their dark side, or if they’ll do something unexpectedly good, or just be PURE EVIL. So. All the excitement.😂 (The perfect angels are just boring anyway, right?! hahahhah. Ahem.)
SEEING THE HALF BAD TRILOGY MAKES ME REMEMBER THE ENDING AND MY HEART IS HURTING. *cries 5ever* And OOH YES to the Curseworkers trilogy! I’ve only read the first book but I currently have the second one out from the library – yay!
MY HEART HURTS TOO. I DON’T THINK I’LL EVER RECOVER. *melts into a puddle forever* 💔
I really liked Fairest by Marissa Meyers. At the end I was like ooooooohhhh….thats why she is the way she is. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW! I like that feeling. I feel like the smartest person in the world, because I KNOW NOW. I loved Vicious and Half Bad. I want to check out Prince of Thorns, I like Game of Thrones. Sounds perfect for me! I also want to read the Curseworker Trilogy. I read Holly Black’s Spiderwick series in elementary school. I’m pretty sure I read them all out of order though. I just saw one at the library and was like “Oh a new one! I’ll read it without looking if I’m reading this series in order.” Yep, I didn’t care what book it was as long as I left with more than one. Oh and have you heard of this new villain book (it isn’t out yet *cries till July 2017*) Because You Love to Hate Me?! It is an anthology and a bunch of authors teamed up with BookTubers. Some of the authors are Victoria Schwab, Andrew Smith, Adam Silvera, Marissa Meyers, Susan Dennard, Samantha Shannon, Renee Ahdieh, etc. Anyway I’m excited for it!
SAME!! I actually feel a bit bad for Levana? Like I hate her, but also her sister was much worse?!?
And if you like Game of Thrones, Prince of Thorns is SO FOR YOU. TRUST ME ON THIS.😂 Jorg is despicable but also you can’t look away ahhhh!
Oh oh I think I’ve heard of that anthology! I didn’t realise Victoria Schwab was writing in it though. OBVIOUSLY I MUST READ IT.
Honestly, Six of Crows + Crooked Kingdom were just absolute perfection <3
I ENTIRELY AGREE. I was so happy Crooked Kingdom lived up to all my expectations. 😍
I love villains too! Darn, I didn’t think to add Lada on my list. That is an EXCELLENT choice and I wholeheartedly agree! Fantastic list. 🙂
Eeep, thankyou!😂 It was definitely a fun list to put together!!
You may already know of this author, but have you read anything by Cornelia Funke? I really enjoyed her villains in the Inkheart series, and you might like the Reckless series.
(Villains are so cool.)
I HAVE!! I’ve read Inkheart but not the rest of the series, but I do want to someday. 😀
I knew the minute I saw the title of this post that you would mention Prince of Thorns!!! ISN’T IT AMAZING!!!! JORG IS LITERALLY THE SASSIEST CHARACTER EVER AND I LOVE HOW HE KILLS EVERYONE! And he’s like a kid – so EVEN BETTER! Can’t wait for you to read the rest of the series!
YES JORG IS AWFUL AND YET TOTALLY INTRIGUING AND I CAN’T HELP BUT WANT TO READ THE ENTIRE SERIES OF HIM. Plus when he’s killing that dude and the dude is all “But you’re just a child! Only 15!” and Jorg gets super offended and is like “I’m 13 you fool”. What a little horrible kid. And so sassy. And I love those books.
Once again, I must weep over the beauty of your photos. Especially the Six of Crows one.
I have read…a very sad amount of these. Six of Crows, obviously. And I Darken (unfortunately….I hated it.) I did read Black Heart a long time ago but I honestly kind of forgot about the series I guess? I WILL READ VICIOUS SOMEDAY, THOUGH. I SWEAR.
I find villains so interesting too, but I know I would never want a book from the perspective of someone like Voldemort. I NEED A LITTLE BIT OF HUMANITY, AT LEAST.
AHHH THANK YOU, ZOEY. <3 Blame it on the books being pretty. 😍
Vicious is SO GOOD and I'm like 99% sure that everyone loves it. And like the people who don't love it just need more dark chocolate in their life. #legitadvice But, omg, confession: I would absolutely read a book by Voldemort.😂 From a psychological viewpoint he was super complex and interesting. But Umbridge? NOPE. I would rather burn my eyeballs than read more about her.
Yes, thank you, THANK YOU for this list. They all sound so amazing and I can’t wait to read some of them this October 🙂
I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKED MY LIST! I AM HAPPY!
I feel like I have not read a sufficient amount of books from this list at all! I do love morally grey, complex characters as well, they are simply the best because there are just so much more feels involved when it’s about them, rather than some rando goody-two-shoes you can never connect to, because they are TOO BLOODY PERFECT! That was a way too long sentence … sorry about that hahaha
*piles book recommendations on top of your head* Because your TBR probably wasn’t already DROWNING YOU.😂 Ahem. heeh. But yes! I do prefer the morally-grey complex ones over the goodie-two-shoes for sure! It’s more interesting to read about and more room for the plot to have wild twist sand turns, right?!
I loved this post! Villains are often some of my favorite characters ever, mostly because I love to hate them. The only villain I’ve ever hated so much I almost wish she’d never been written was Umbridge. I’d have to say my favorite villains (that I remember at the moment) would be Luke Castellan from Percy Jackson and Eobard Thawne from the Flash.
I personally enjoy writing grey characters the best; definitely not heroes, but not necessarily villains either. It’s so much fun!
Yesss, we are in agreement then, Lily! *hi fives* and I agree about Umbridge. SHE IS A PINK POT OF EVIL AND THERE IS NO REDEMPTION FOR HER. JUST ARGHGHHG.
And Luke <3 Luke is adorable and just misunderstood omg.
And I'm the same with writing! I usually write from the "villain's" perspective, but in a way that they're the hero of their own story too. It's very fun to write. 😉
It’s slightly scary how we as bookworms love villains. I mean, there are some villains who are a bit…over glorified (I have my problems with the way the Marvel fandom views Loki), but there are some who are absolutely adored and who I absolutely adore and they’re amazing.
NATHAN! KAZ! CAS! All glorious little villainy beasties whom I adore.
*carefully hides love of Loki* OF COURSE, YUP. THE FANDOM IS A WORRY. *hides Loki shoes* I should probably be concerned with how much I love villains but naaaah.😂 I love their complexity!!
Excellent post! I do sometimes fall for the villain against my better judgement. But I can’t help it. I love to spread the love.
Saaaame. They’re just too interesting?! HOW CAN WE RESIST.
I really hope to read Vicious soon – I own a copy! I love villains in books though.
Oh oh I hope you like it! It is such glorious villainy!!
I believe I have ranted about delicious dark chocolate brownie villians before, but I’ll do it again!
Joker- the BEST. VILLIAN. EVER. (In my so sadly limited experience.)
Sherrif Vasey is…… gah! (BBC Robin Hood. Go watch it RIGHT. NOW)
And that is basically the only good ones I know. WHAT IS THIS?? *sobs*
My dear Cait. Your Highness!!!
YOU HAVE GIVEN ME INPIRATION WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, you know that story I was writing that I said I would finish any day now? Well, I FINISHED IT!! And I was thinking of doing a sequel (I know, i just finished writing, and I am plotting the sequel? What??) and THEN I READ THIS POST and I know what I am going to do!!!! I wish I could say, but SPOILERS are not nice, so I won’t, but I AM SOOOOOO DANG EXCITED ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!
HAVE SOME CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!! *SHOVES IT AT YOU* AND SOME MORE!!!!! WOOPIEEEEE!!!!
I AM CELEBRATING THE FINISH OF MY THIRD BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAKES FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, my main character is a cake lover, which is also attributed to your constant talking about it. Love it!!!!!! THANKS again!!!!!!!!!
I’ll have to post some snippets on my blog soon….
~E
scribblingpencils.blogspot.com
YES I WILL AGREE WTIH THE JOKER HERE!! I mean, I hate him, but also he’s amazing?!?? And he makes NO SENSE and is literally the only villain without a total motivation except for being evil that I still love.😂
THAT IS SO AWESOME YOU FINISHED YOUR STORY!!! ALL THE FLAILS AND CAKE FOR YOU!!! WOOOOO!! 🎉🍰 (And PS. I actually plot sequels before I’ve even finished a first book.😂 It’s terrible but yet I’ll probably never stop. ahem.) But anyway YOU’RE WELCOME FOR THIS INSPIRATION THAT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS.😂
Your main character obviously has glorious priorities if they love cake. :’)
So I’ve only read Vicious and And I Darken off this list, and I adored both of those. I think there is just something incredibly interesting about reading books from the villain’s perspective. In movies and books and tv shows all too often the villains are very two dimensional, and their reasons for being villains are in the strain of “just because”, which is really not enough. Which is why getting inside their heads and seeing their reasoning for things, and seeing how they SEE things (like killing people) is just incredibly interesting, and really makes you think, too.
I am pretty sure I’ll have to get around to reading the other books on your list because YAY villains 😀
Yessss. SO INTERESTING. It’s really captivating for some reason!? And I love that. I love not knowing exactly how far the villain will go, which is terrifying and hard to look away from.😂 And ugh, yes, I hate the “just because” reasons (and I hate it all being blamed on mental illness too…because that just, argh, it promotes wrong stigmas). Villains NEED to be complex and have actual motivations. Unless they’re the Joker. And then all rules are off because the Joker is awesome and makes no sense at all ever.😂
This is an absolutely amazing list!!! It seems like every time I visit your blog, my list of books I need to buy increases… It must be magic…
Oh my word, I love villains! Well, as long as they have a soft-ish side. If they’re just one hundred percent pure evil I don’t know if I could like them. (*ahemUmbridgeahem*)
Oh! By the way, if you don’t mind, do you have any villain-y recommendations for someone who likes villains, but isn’t into EXTREMELY creepy stuff?? I know that’s pretty contradictory…. I must be a very strange breed of something…
YOUR TBR IS MOST WELCOME!! I HOPE IT DOESN’T FALL ON YOUR HEAD.😂 Ahem. But seriously ahh! I’m glad you like my recs! And omg villains are so intriguing. Like sometimes I love them and sometimes I love to hate them, you know?! Either way: #WIN
OH you should definitely try the Curseworkers by Holly Black then! I don’t think it’s overly creepy, and it’s more anti-heroes. 😀
Ooh!!! Thank you so much! I will definitely add that to my list!!!! Eee!!! So many new books to read, hahahahaha!!!!
The Half Bad books sound awesome. I’ll needt to add them to my TBR. 🙂
Yessss, you do. *piles it on top of your TBR*
I still need to read Six of Crows and V. E. Schwab’s everything. Plan to soonish. (As I keep saying year after year). Half Bad Trilogy is on of my all time favorite series. Nathan is my everything! Great post!
YES YOU SHOULD TOTALLY DO THAT!! Everything by Schwab is glorious. *pets all her books and hugs them* And honestly Nathan is just adjfksalda the most adorable slightly psychotic cinnamon roll of them all.😍
My favorite villains are the tortured cinnamon rolls, but I also just love morally grey and complex characters. THEY MAKE BOOKS AND LIFE MORE INTERESTING. Everything you said about Kaz, YESSSSSS. Probably my favorite of ever omg I love him so much my precious cinnamon roll with a dark heart. I’ve been meaning to read Prince of Thorns for a long time but I REALLY need to get to it now bc yay cruel villains. (I probably shouldn’t be excited about them, right? RIGHT?). And omg same with Vicious. I’m seriously hoping to get to that book before 2016 ends. And gah, everyone seems to love And I Darken. I DNFed it a long time ago but want to give it a second chance because of the stabby characters.
Great post, Cait!
We are in entire agreement here, Holly. *hi fives* CINNAMON ROLLS ARE JUST THE BEST AND I WILL READ ALL OF THE BOOKS BY THEM. <3 Although Jorg from Prince of Thorns is NOT a cinnamon roll. Unless he's like a really burnt one with no cinnamon because he needs to be hi fived with a sHOVEL but still..he's totally intriguing??? Idek. I should be worried about me.😂
I don’t know why but I always seem to have trouble coming up with villains? And I guess I just haven’t encountered a villain that truly strikes me as evil and terrifying but also interesting and well developed. Also, I need more anti-heroes in my life! Which is why I need to read Vicious, and finish The Grisha Trilogy, and just…everything. Also I would never consider Lada a “villain” or “evil” hahah. Probably because I see her evilness in myself, and of course I am not evil! *cough*
Oh I do get that!! Like I mostly fall for the anti-heroes and forget about the TRULY downright evil ones. Because the antiheroes are more memorable?!😂
Hahahah. OKAY FINE. Lada isn’t really that bad. Except for like…all…the…stabbing. VAL ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING? PLS DON’T STAB ALL THE THINGS.😂
Yo, I missed your entire post for the awesomeness of the photographs. Love your book photography.
AWWW THIS IS SO NICE OF YOU THO. Thankyou!
Gotta love the villains! Well, villain is probably not always the right word for the kind of books I read. And i can’t say I always fall in love with these antagonists either. But I do love reading books written from their perspective. My favorite Lolita is told from the perspective of a pedophile. And while I do not love the dude at all, man was it intriguing simply because you get to ne inside the head of this sick man. May be I’m just a twisted chick who knows…
Oh I agree! Like I don’t always “love” the villain…but I appreciate reading from their twisted viewpoint, you know?! IT’S INTERESTING. and then there are some villains who are totally adorale…like Loki.😂
I am not surprised to see Vicious on this list! It was the first one I thought of! Must make my wife read it.
Yessss. This list was MADE for Vicious. 😍
Villains/anti heroes/morally grey characters are my favorites. There’s something so…appealing about them. Maybe it’s because their minds are so intriguing and twisted and strange. I really have no idea.
Oh I totally agree! Plus they’re more exciting?! Like heroes can tend to be utterly predictable which can get boring, hehh. 😂
So much YES to My Sister Rosa. Uh-huh. Still gives me the shivers. Much of these I don’t know, so YAY new books to investigate! 🙂
OMG ABSOLUTELY YES!! I got so many shiver sin My Sister Rosa, plus those plot twists at the end?!? LIKE RIP OUT MY HEART, I DIDN’T NEED IT ANYWAY. 😱
what a cool way to this ttt! Loved how you approached it. I haven’t read any of these books hahaah, but enjoyed reading through and definitely agree with you even though I can’t really say otherwise lol 😝
Ahhh I’m so glad you liked the post! *flails*
Nathan is precious who needs to be protected from the world! Half Bad trilogy is one of my favourites even if it broke me hundred different ways along the way. Kaz was brilliant, and I really liked Six of Crows but I’m still a bit hesitant to read Crooked Kingdoms because I couldn’t stand Inez’s attitude – but ANYWAY Kaz was so bad it’s so good. Cassel and his family, oh gods, how I forgot them on my list???
Great list, Cait!
Yessss, PROTECT NATHAN THE PRECIOUS DARLING FROM THE WORLD!! (And protect him from his author??? omg. Where is a bucket because I’m about to SOB forever.)
Omggg, you couldn’t stand Inej’s attitude too?! *HI FIVES* Finally!! 😂 Everyone seems to adore her but I really didn’t like her..but it actually is better in Crooked Kingdom. *nods* I hate how she won’t acknowledge Kaz has serious mental illness and PTSD issues and she’s just like “that’s not excuse not to touch me”. Like c’mon woman. grrr.
cASSEL IS EVERYTHING.
Well thank you for adding about 20 new books to my TBR shelf. NOT LIKE I’M DROWNING IN IT ALREADY OR ANYTHING.
I love the title “Rocks Fall Everybody Dies”. I must read that one. And all the others, because I love villains and their POVs aren’t shown enough. HUZZAH FOR THIS POST! *throws confetti*
YOU’RE WELCOME. ESPECIALLY SINCE I ONLY LISTED 10 AND THE FACT YOU ADDED 20 MAKES ME REALISE I HAVE TRUE WIZARD POWERS. #winning Ahem. 😂 Anyway, my #1 job in life is to make sure everyone drown in their TBRS. You’re all welcome.
I *really* want to read “Vicious” after going through your list! It sounds awesome. I just finished ” This Savage Song” and I wasn’t a huge fan, but it sounds like I should give Schwab another try : )
Eeeep, I do so love Vicious so I hope you like it! But then I’m a rabid fan of all things Schwab haha.😍
YEEES! Villains are always so much more interesting! I quite loved Vicious. And the fact that you can’t quite tell who is the hero and who is the villain.
YES that’s why Vicious is endlessly brilliant! But tbh, can Schwab write wrong? I THINK NOT. 😍
PRINCE OF THORNS has been on my wishlist for sooo long! And I just can’t decide whether I want to read it haha. Maybe I should just give it a try – it sounds like something I would like if done right.
Oh you should totally try it! Just make sure you know it’s super dark and you’re going to hate Jorg as well as be intrigued by him.😂 He’s despicable AND YET I CAN’T LOOK AWAY.
YES TO ALL OF THESE. I completely agree with these 100% Cait. Lada is such a complex character and I love how brutal she was. And Vicious was so well-written and thought-provoking! It really blurred the lines between good and evil and reminded us that those two categories don’t really exist in real life. And, of course, the whole Six of Crows gang is absolutely fabulous. <3 I'd also add Adelina from The Young Elites (she reminds me of Lada actually) and Luke from Percy Jackson. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! <3
OF COUSRE YOU AGREE, WE ARE BOOKISH TWINS, ZOE. *hi fives* Lada is amazing, and I’m (probably shouldn’t admit this😂) actually glad she WAS super stabby instead of just saying she was?!? It was glorious. Bless Lada and Radu. VICIOUS IS JUST EVERYTHING AND SCHWAB CAN DO NO WRONG.
LUUUUKE. I love Luke so much. <3 He deserved better, the precious cinnamon roll. :')
LOVE THIS!!!! Honestly, I haven’t read very many books from the point of view of the villain. The ones on this list that I have read are Six of Crows and Vicious. Yep, that’s it, so I need more evil-ness in my life! Definitely adding a bunch of these to my Goodreads TBR!
P.S. — You should totally write a blog post in which you access how evil your favorite villains are based on whether you’d want them as your partner-in-crime because I know you’re planning to take over the world, Cait!
~Sara
OH FOR SURE YOU DO. *piles villainous books on your head* 😂 Vicious is sooo the best thing in the existence of ever. I PROMISE.
And omg, that would be a hilarious blog pos.😂 Except, c’mon now, Sara…THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE AND IT MUST BE ME. (Although I would totally say YES to having the Dregs support my evil endeavours. I would have so much win.)
I’ve never been a villain-girl. I’m all about the heroes. But this was a fun week to put together once I decided on the direction I wanted to take. I’ve not met any of these villains, but am most certainly curious about the Half Bad series and the Six of Crows books. I hear Leigh’s novels are really good but alas, I’ve not read any! 🙂
Ohh you should totally try a Bardugo novel some time!! If you don’t like anti-heroes, than you should maybe try the Grisha books first? They’re more hero orientated. 🙂
I for one am SHOCKED that you adore villains 😉 Kidding, I am not at all shocked. I skipped over a few of these because I want to read them and I like going in blind, but can we talk about that last one for a second? The WORLD is a villain and Nathan is its constant victim. I am not okay with that series. NOT. OKAY. (It traumatized me, Cait!)
I appreciate villains- obviously, some stories need one or thirty. I mean, it’s one of the things I enjoy about a good story, a complex villain. Like, when it’s not even clear who the villain IS- or if the “villain” is even bad? Those are my favorites, the morally grey bunch. Because they’re thought provoking! Also, another reason you should watch The 100- lots of morally grey area there 😉 (Always going to push it, sorry, but not actually.)
I KNOW I’M SUCH A SURPRISING LITTLE FISH! No one could ever tell that I have a thing for precious villains. :’) I’m so subtle and quiet about it. (Also I totally love going into books blind so I UNDERSTAND.) And omg, so true about Nathan. He is a perfect and slightly psychotic little darling who needs PROTECTION FROM THE WORLD (and his author??) The trauma from books is real *nods*
Morally grey grapes are everything basically.
And yessss, I do want to watch the 100!! I’m going to…SOMEDAY. I haven’t even finished Stranger Things yet though and I started ages ago and there’s what, 8 episodes? I’M HORRIBLE AT TV SHOWS.😂
I’m not a huge fan of villains, but I will say Diana Gabaldon created Black Jack and he will always make a skin crawl. There is something about his sadist ways that makes me want to know more about him. I want to know WHY he gets such a power rush out of hurting people.
And the show did masterful thing by casting the same actor for Frank and Black Jack because they are related. So we have tender Frank and brutal Black Jack. I feel so torn about liking them both and hating them at the same time.
I suppose Gone Girl did a similar thing with its main characters.
This is from Outlander right? I haven’t read/seen it yet, but I do plan to at least try it sometime! I’m kind of glad it has a terrifying villain then, though! YAY. I love it when the villains make my skin crawl too. It’s either I like them and feel bad for them, or I haaaate them so bad.😂
Love this post! V. E. Schwab is my absolute fave so I definitely agree with you on anything concerning her! I’m also a really big fan of villains – I know they should be hated but it’s just too hard, they are all so precious! Also, really appreciated the gifs in this post, Bucky Barnes is one of the best villain-but-then-hero characters ever!!
*hugs all the precious villains* I should probably be concerned about my love of villains but…i’M NOT. BECAUSE THEY’RE ADORABLE. And Bucky. <33 I had to use BUCKY GIFS!! <3
Villains are the best. And besides, who wouldn’t want cookies from the dark side?
As always, your post was hilarious and awesome.
EXACTLY. Cookies from the dark side are just delicious and we all want them. *nods* AND OMG THANK YOU! <3
Yes! I love Six of Crows! I can’t wait to read Crooked Kingdom! And I think I need to read all of these books!!!
Oh you definitely do. I have excellent taste. #humble 😂 hehe But truly, they’re all really great!
OOH I NEED TO READ SIX OF CROWS *nodnod*
(also, just sayin’, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (despite being a middle grade book) is pretty epic and kinda villainous *nods some more*)
YES YES YOU DO. IT CALLS TO YOU, SCREAMS BASICALLY. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL TERRIBLE CREATION. <3 And I also still need to read Artemis Fowl!! I kind of can't believe I haven't yet.🙈🙊
Oh Kaz, he is such a great little villain-not-villain especially with his crush issues. As for favourite villains I admit I’m still kind of stuck on the Darkling. A big part of me is still wishing that Aelina (is that her name even? Cannot remember) joined him and they floated away and lived in the darkness forever more but like they both don’t have powers. They just weirdly live forever together. I haven’t worked out the details yet. Though I do hate him for the whole Genya thing. I HAVE A VERY COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM
KAZ IS EVERYTHING ADORABLE AND TERRIFYING. <3 But basically Leigh Bardugo writes the BEST slightly-evil characters that we can't help but love.😍 And I'm pretty sure it's Alina, but YOU'RE CLOSE, SO SAME THING RIGHT? Ahem. But I actually don't remember enough of the Shadow And Bone series so I want to reread! Okay, truth: I want to read for Nikolai.😍😍😍😍
I don’t think I read any villain books, at least not that I can recall recently, but I need to pick up six of crows <3
Yessss you totally do! HIGHLY RECOMMEND🎉
Oh gosh! This is massive. Haven’t really tried reading books by Villain perspective so this post really excites me. I can’t wait to check them all out. Thanks for this list!
Ooh, I’m glad you liked it! ENJOY THE DARK SIDE.😈😂😂
I have read approx. 0% of this list. Oops!
Also, you have 2 gifs with Seb. Stan. You win. XD
Sebastian Stan gifs win EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME ALWAYS. #legit
You make me want to read And I Darken, you know…
My work here is done then. MWHHAAHAA.😂
After this, it is true we let villains get away with too much, don’t we? What does that say about us? WHAT IS WRONG WITH US?!
But yes, we all love morally grey stabby complex characters and sassy, toasted cinnamon rolls. Who doesn’t? It’s probably that whole bad boy thing.
NOTHING’S WRONG WITH US. WE’RE SO FINE. *sweats nervously* I’m sure we’re fine. *laughs nervously*
Okay so obviously I need to add more books to my TBR, as if it wasn’t already WAY too big, to read all of these lovely books. Also, this made me realize how little I read from villain’s POV ? This needs to CHANGE. Such a great list, thank you Cait!
DEFINITELY NEEDS TO CHANGE. Come to the dark side with me, Marie. We do have those delicious dark cookies and also worrying crushes on villains. I’M SURE WE’RE FINE.
I just bought Crooked Kingdom, and now I’m even more excited to read it the series. I agree that villains (especially those morally gray ones) are often more interesting than the “good guys.” 🙂
Yessss, and interesting characters are the ones that capture my heart.😍 SIX OF CROWS IS LITERALLY THE BEST THING OF EVER.
I love this list! I actually just listened to the audio of Red Glove, and it was just great. I love Cassel! I can’t wait to read/listen to the final book! I’ll probably listen to it, because let’s be real: it’s narrated by Jesse Eisenberg. Can’t pass up on that. I now also associate Jesse with Cassel…
I really want to read And I Darken! It just seems glorious. Plus, you recommended it 😉
OMGGG SAME, JOLIEN! SAME!! I listened to the audiobook and Cassel is like 100% Jesse Eisenberg in my mind now.😂 No regrets. He is the BEST audiobook narrator ever and afjdkaslfda.
Loooove me some villains and OMG VICIOUS! That was one of the best books of life with some of the best villainous characters EVER ♥ I still need to read As I Darken, ALL the Bardugo and the Curseworker Trilogy!
Vicious is just so amazing adjfkasdl I’m SO GLAD it’s getting a sequel. Because there will never be enough villain love in my life.😍
:O I love villain stories and I love that you shared this with me! I will have to read ALL OF THESE except for Vicious and Six of Crows on account of I have already read and adored them which imo is a great reason to keep them off the list. I especially want to check out that Holly Black book because I have come to enjoy her stories and I want to read MOAR.
*gives Cait a gold star for this A+ post*
We clearly have EXCELLENT taste in books. *evil hi five*
I am going to be reading the Half Bad books next year, for sure! I got the first one as an ebook special and I might even be buddy reading them with Annemieke from A Dance With Books. I really enjoyed reading the last three Raven Cycle books with her.
I really appreciate a good villain. I hate it when readers rate a book poorly because it has a larger than life villian. Imagine how boring reading would be if every book only had mildly grumpy bad guys. 😝
Totally agree!! I read a lot of books with just those kind of villains who give evil laughs and have 0% motivation and are laaaaame. So I appreciate a totally complex villain SO MUCH. (Also I hope you love Half Bad because THEY ARE THE BEST AND ALSO MAKE ME CRY. Which is a glorious feat.)
YES VILLAINS ARE THE BEST. And Umbridge really is the worst kind of burnt toast.
I’ve given up trying to close my Goodreads tab….
YOU’RE WELCOME FOR YOUR EXPLODING TBR. 😇😈
GAHHHHH IT SHALL NEVER ENDDDDDDD
Umbridge is definitely the worst kind of burnt toast,
have you read the godspeaker trilogy by karen miller. Main girl murders several times and even rapes.
Well I officially know to avoid it because there is no redemption for rape, that’s horrible.
Have you read “Not Even Bones” by Rebecca Schaeffer??? It a bit gory, so fair warning if that’s not your thing, but holy crap everyone is morally grey and it’s amazing!! (If you love it, the sequel comes out on September 3rd of this year.)
Not yet, but I do own it! I’ll hopefully get to it this year!
Here are some other villain-centered books.
The young elites trilogy
The Count of Monte Cristo
In these books the main character starts off as a hero but transitions into a villain.
How about vicious #2?
And renegades?
Nova da best
This post was written in 2016 as it says at the very top of the post…so, uh, obviously those weren’t published then.
Yess I love these so so much. I just wanna share one more series called the Young Elites, where the main character has a dark past, and now she has voices in her head which force her to kill and enjoy killing.
Check out The Ax by Donald Westlake, published in 1997. I have recommended this book to others more than any other. It has stuck in my mind for over 20 years.
A mystery book club I was in read it and we had the MOST impassioned discussion of any book we ever read.
Hey there! Loved this omg!!! But do you know any books that end with the bad guy winning and the good guy failing? LOL! I look forward to reading a tooooon more, thanks!
Hello I’m Cilla….duh…lol
How are you?
Sorry for commenting on an older post but this gave me lots of ideas for new reads, thank you!
Look I just had the best last five minutes of my life that was amazing and hilarious and I’m about to go read all of them!!!