Since it's spooky season and Halloween is right around the corner, I decided to make a post about some of my favorite villains from books. Most of these are actual villains though a couple of them are morally grey/anti-heroes. I have separated the villains and anti-heroes. None of these are in any particular order.
VILLAINS
1. Cath from Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Heartless by Marissa Meyer is the origin story of the Queen of Hearts. Cath is a baker and I loved her a lot. We get to see her choices and other's choices that make her into the villain of her story. Cath becomes a villain because of how other's treat her and because of tragic circumstances beyond her control. I think she's a fantastic villain and I really felt empathy for her throughout her book.
2. Katharine from One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
Now, if you haven't read this one, this will be a spoiler.
Katharine is a poisoner and one of the three triplets. Because of what happened to her at the end of the last book, Katharine is vicious and determined to reign supreme which means she has to kill her other two sisters. Since her other two sisters have teamed up to work against her, Katharine is now portrayed as the ultimate villain and she is a good one. Katharine is vicious and unapologetic and often throws herself into danger just to prove something to the other poisoners and her sisters. While she was definitely not my favorite character, she definitely deserves a spot as a favorite villain of mine.
3. Maven Calore from The Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard
It is no secret that I love Maven. He's been my favorite of the two brothers since I first started the series. Maven has been controlled by his mother for much of his life and it turns him into a monster. He craves power and isn't afraid to do anything to get it. He's smart and cunning and knows how to pull people to his side, even confusing Mare for a period of time. He definitely deserves to be on this list.
4. The Darkling from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
I've only read the first book of this series but The Darkling is one of my favorite villains. He is one of the most hyped up villains and for good reason. The Darkling is a very mysterious, brooding, intriguing and dark character. He manages to be alluring and swoon-worthy while being cunning, ambitious, ruthless and misguided. (He's called The Darkling for a reason as he is a murderer and not a heroic guy.) Honestly, I'm surprised Alina was able to resist him at all cause none of us female readers were.
5. Peter Pan from The Wendy Darling Series by Colleen Oakes
Huh? You thought Peter Pan was a young boy who never wanted to grow up, lived with a bunch of boys, played pretend, and flew around having a glorious time? Well, not in this story.
Peter Pan still has many aspects that he does in the original tale but here he's arrogant, spiteful, cunning and dark. Peter never wants to grow up and is determined to go to huge lengths to make that happen. He starts out as the Peter Pan we all know but then he shows his true self to Wendy. Also, Peter Pan is a older teen in this book.
6. Queen Levana from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Queen Levana is a horrible person. Despite everything that happened in her past, she is still an unredeemable character. I loved her story and she is a villain that I love to hate rather than just a villain I love. Queen Levana is a definite sociopath and is obsessed with being loved though she doesn't understand it at all. Levana is a clear villain and a favorite of mine.
7. Peter Pan from Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell
Another Peter Pan? Yes, another evil Peter Pan. It seems to be a trend, so much so that I even have a novel draft with an evil Peter Pan. This Neverland is not the beautiful Neverland of the stories. This Neverland is dark and full of secrets where Peter Pan is at the center of it all. He's bloodthirsty, cunning and also lonely. I loved his character and the whole concept.
ANTI-HEROES/MORALLY GRAY
1. Warner from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
He is definitely a morally gray character. Warner starts out as a villain, often seen as ruthless and unapologetic but he turns out to be a hero. However, he is still on this list as he is morally gray and you're never sure what he'll do. Warner is one of my top favorites on this entire list.
2. Draco Malfoy from The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Draco is one of the first morally gray characters that I ever liked. He is so misunderstood and wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He came from a pureblood family of death-eaters though it was clear that he didn't want to follow in the steps of his parents. He is often seen doing small things to help the resistance and I loved that. I'm still upset that he never got a redemption arc.
3. Khalid from The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahideh
Ah! My beautiful misunderstood Khalid. Khalid is the Caliph of Khorasan who takes a bride every night, only to kill them the next morning. He is described as a monster from the people in his city and the families of the girls he kills. He's a mystery and a troubled king with mostly good intentions however he is still a morally gray character as he isn't quite sure how to do the good thing with a curse hanging over his head.
4. Adelina from The Young Elites by Marie Lu
As I still haven't read the last book, I am not sure what happens to her but in the first two books Adelina is a strong anti-hero who is treated abominably by her father because of her markings from a sickness. She kills her father and leaves to find The Young Elites. She's a dark character who thirsts for revenge because of how everyone's treated her. She is such a complex character who doesn't know who to trust which makes her the anti-hero that she is.
Do you have any villains or anti-heroes that you love who didn't make my list?
Also, I may do another post with villains from TV and movies cause there are a lot!
