Sometimes, the criminal makes the book. The books that follow are personal favorites of mine, and some of them have classic criminals as villains, but many more of them have us rooting for the criminals, despite, or sometimes even because of, their crimes.
Vin Venture, from The Final Empire (Mistborn series) by Brandon Sanderson
Vin is an abandoned street urchin, using her powers of consuming metal unknowingly to help her survive. She gets scooped up by Kelsior and his crew to join them in the ultimate heist: steal the empire’s treasury. Vin is jaded and wary from life on the streets, but also eager to learn, and she blossoms as she gains control of her newfound powers.
If anyone has been wondering about Brandon Sanderson, seen his name on bookshelves, or heard whispers of his record-breaking kickstarter, this is an excellent place to introduce yourself to his work. Vin takes to the criminal life extremely well, both while growing in power and flirting with members of the aristocracy as a spy, while all along planning to overthrow the empire. There’s all the lovely tropes of a heist novel, with the fantastic addition of a complex and interesting metal-based magic system.
Kaz Brekker, from Six of Crows (Six of Crows Duology) by Leigh Bardugo
In another heist novel, Kaz Brekker has to be the best gang leader I have read. He’s young, but ruthless and ambitious, and he can’t say no to excellent money, even when offered an impossible task. He and his team must break into an impenetrable ice fortress, and to no one’s surprise, things don’t go exactly as planned. Following Kaz when things don’t go the way he planned is just as much of a delight as following him when he’s orchestrating things to perfection. He feels like he’s ahead of the game, even in dark moments.
This multi-pov novel is a gorgeous marriage of heist and fantasy, and Kaz is a huge reason why it works as well as it does.
Nita, from Not Even Bones (Market of Monsters series) by Rebecca Shaeffer
Nita lives her life on the run with her mother, performing autopsies on the bodies of magical humans that her mother captures and kills. If that sounds like a brutal life for a teen, you are absolutely correct! Nita is forced to look at herself differently when she finds herself on the other side of the cage, trapped in the Black Market, with pieces of her going up for auction to wealthy people wanting to consume magical creatures. She struggles mightily with who she is, what she has done, and what she is willing to do to survive.
Nita is an incredible centerpiece to this book, which largely takes place in a Black Market in South America, that deals with selling body parts of various sentient magical creatures. The whole thing is disgusting and gorey in the best way, and although I often felt conflicted about Nita and her choices, I could not put this book down. Bonus: there is a webtoon of this book as well!
Shesheshen, from Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
Shesheshen is quite literally a monster, ooey and gooey and totally willing to eat any stray adventurers who come into her lair, as well as hunt among the local villages if she can’t get what she needs elsewhere. Despite this, she is an extremely sympathetic character, and this book flips the script on who is monstrous and what it means to be a criminal. In any other book, she’d be the villain and some hard working folks would have to roust her from the forest, but here she is allowed to shine, with her own particular brand of monstrousness and resourcefulness being applied to both survival and wooing the sister of the last adventurer she ate. The very sweet romance in this book might seem at odds with the gross material, but actually works extremely well. For a shockingly feel-good read, I cannot recommend this book enough!
Devon, from The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Devon is a personal favorite character of mine. This literary book explores themes of motherhood and societal expectation and asks the question: what would you do for your children? In Devon’s case, the answer is: she will abandon everything she’s ever known, and the life she’s been taught to want, and lure victims back to her apartment so her son can feast on their minds. Literary, dark, and gorgeous, this book is a must read. Devon is on the run from her world, that of the Book Eaters, the isolated society she grew up in where her people eat books (and occasionally minds) to survive, and also our real world, because of the bodies she is left to dispose of when her son, Cai, is done with them. A powerful, dark book, Devon’s plight is a must-read!
Victor Vale, from Vicious (Villains duology) by V.E. Schwab
Victor Vale is a perfect supervillain, although I do not believe he uses that word! Fresh from prison and armed with the power to control pain, he will do anything to take down his old friend, who is somehow an even worse person. This story is a clash between two powerful villains, and it is dark. Victor could quite easily be the antagonist of almost any book, but by putting a dark and dangerous man into the role of protagonist, Vicious is able to tell a different sort of story, one that is visceral and uncomfortable at every turn.
Melisande Shahrizai, from Kushiel’s Dart (Kushiel’s Legacy series) by Jacqueline Carey
Melisande has it all— she’s beautiful, cunning, dangerous, and utterly captivating, both for the reader and for Phedre, the main character of this book. Melisande is a perfect nemesis, always one step ahead, with plots within plots. She has her own best interests at heart, and is willing to do just about anything to receive her due as Queen, the only role she feels should be rightfully hers.
This alternate history of Europe is sexy and daring, and probably not for everyone. But for those who enjoy a smart and powerful villain who always seems to evade capture, Melisande is a perfect fit. Kushiel’s Dart is an amazing introduction to her, but her influence and reach flow through the entire series. These books are especially good for those who prefer longer books, as Melisande needs a lot of words to truly encapsulate all of her scheming.
Bonus Criminal: If any of those sound interesting, then it might be worth checking out my novel, We Kept Her in the Cellar! A horror retelling of Cinderella, it features a monstrous Cinderella who wreaks death and destruction on those around her, and her much put-upon stepsister who must contain her.
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