My real breakthrough was The Gruffalo, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately – he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow – but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.

The patriarchy is the very villain of this story. It forces women into fighting and competing between themselves. As we know, the government is led by it and women in this society don’t benefit from anything. They are mistreated and put into boxes of how they should live their lives. So who doesn’t want a book that smashes the patriarchy with Latinx leads and a queer romance? Because I do. Lada Dracul from And I Darken What’s great about The Young Elites is that it’s the story of Adelina’s rise to evil. Because of her dark past, she has always believed the worst of people. Her own father betrayed her, so she couldn’t trust someone so easily. Every encounter she has, she does it with caution. Adelina doesn’t have a lot of friends, but who needs friends when you can rule a kingdom? Marie Lu, the author, has said Adelina is based on Magneto and Darth Vader. The Darkling from Shadow and BonePossibly the most terrifying character in modern literature (or any literature?), Glanton’s deputy is over six feet tall and completely hairless. More importantly, despite the fact that he might be a genius, he inflicts senseless and remorseless violence wherever he goes. The man murders (and, it is suggested, rapes) children and throws puppies to their doom. He might actually be the devil—or simply evil itself. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die. The Smeds and the Smoos animation debuted on BBC1 Christmas 2022 with voice artists including Bill Bailey (comedian and Strictly winner), Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton), Sally Hawkins (Paddington movies) and Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey). As slaveowners go, Rufus isn’t the worst (his father might rank) but he isn’t the best, either. He’s selfish and ignorant, and (like most men of the time) a brutal racist and misogynist, who doesn’t mind raping women as long as they act like they like it. Actually, the fact that he thinks he’s better than his father actually makes him worse. That said, the real antagonist in this novel might actually be the unknown and unexplained force that keeps transporting Dana from her good life in 1976 California to a Maryland slave plantation in 1815. What’s that about? The book was widely read as an antisuburban novel, and that disappointed me,” Yates said in a 1972 interview. Did you think the villain was the whale? The villain is not the whale—it’s the megalomaniac at the helm.

Our goal is to introduce readers to new authors, to cultivate fandom for our included authors, and to provide exclusive cover editions for readers to add to their collections. The curse made Khalid a monster. Because of it, Khalid killed all his previous wives to save his kingdom. All he has wanted is for his people and his kingdom to be okay. He has committed some mistakes along the way, but before anything else, his kingdom is first. He is a man with a lot of secrets. Secrets that Shahrzad has vowed to find out. Book Villains in Adult Fiction The Wood from Uprooted Axel Scheffler was born in 1957 in Hamburg, Germany. At school, although always good at art, he never really considered a career in illustration. But long before he began his professional life, he had won his first drawing prize for an international chocolate company – his prize was a cuddly lilac cow.Axel has achieved worldwide acclaim for his humorous illustrations, and his books have been translated into over 29 languages. He has enjoyed particular success in his award-winning picture book collaborations with Julia Donaldson, but is also the best-selling illustrator of novelty books such as The Bedtime Bear. In 2006 he was been called upon to design Gordon Brown’s annual Christmas card! More about Julia: “I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him). As “the most evil woman in creation,” she is on a mission to torture and kill as many children as possible, and often uses murder as a focusing device in meetings. She’s also kind of brilliant—I mean, murdering children by turning them into animals their parents want to exterminate? I have to say, that’s smart.

Our fae prince. Cardan Greenbriar is one of the antagonist in The Cruel Prince (he later becomes a crucial character in the next installment). He bullies Jude and her sister. He threatens them, which shows you his cruel personality and his care for nobody. His whole life he has been mistreated by his mother and father. Being the sixth son and someone with not a bright future, he was ignored his whole life. Jude Duarte from The Cruel Prince Here’s a villain you can’t help but root for—I mean, sort of. You feel his pain as he tries to insinuate himself into the life of the man he so admires (and perhaps loves), and as he is first welcomed and then pushed away. Less so when he murders his beloved and assumes his identity—but somehow, as you read, you find yourself holding your breath around every corner, hoping he will escape yet again. I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.

Axel went on from school to study History of Art at the University of Hamburg – but he didn’t like the course and decided to leave. Knowing that he wanted to live in another country and learn a second language, he moved to England to study illustration at the Bath Academy of Art. At the Baddies Book Shop, we are passionate about indie romance. Our baddies book box was born out of a desire to provide more opportunities for indie authors to cultivate fandom, and to give readers a chance to discover new favorite authors. When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can’t wait to scare her out of her wits.

The Cohort are horrible people. They believe in the restriction of Downworlders’ rights, because they fear them. They have feared them for a very long time. They also have pushed for internment camps for werewolves. And to be honest, every single thing sounds very Nazi-like, so a very big yikes. They’re the true book villains of this series. The curse (but also Khalid?) from The Wrath and the Dawn The Wood is a frightful entity. A living, dark entity that feeds constantly. If someone went inside the Wood, you probably won’t be seeing them again. Or if they did come out, they would come out changed, be it in the mind or on their bodies. The Wood ate you alive and good riddance if you so much as get neared it. That’s why everyone is afraid of it and the only one who can protect the town is the Dragon, another being that whispers fear. Circe from Circe I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).

Ramsay is cruel, unapologetic, and very, very evil. We can all agree that he’s better off dead. He did a lot of bad things like mutilating victims, raping Sansa Stark, killing children, and lots of other people, and more. His crimes are huge. He is one book villain that we can’t never forget about. Be it if you read about it or watch the series, in either version you hate him with all your guts. Their next book, The Gruffalo, was published in March 1999 and has already become a modern classic, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide and translated into over 20 languages. Axel also continues to illustrate for other authors as well, including Ian Whybrow and David Henry Wilson.