10 Books Exploring Villain Origin Stories
Before they were monsters, they were human. Once.
We’re fascinated by the darkness—not just the deeds, but the descent. Villain origin stories are not merely tales of evil—they are cautionary fables, elegies of pain, portraits of ambition run wild. They ask the question: What breaks a person so completely they become the thing others fear?
Whether born of betrayal, forged in fire, or seduced by power, these 10 books delve deep into the souls of those we love to hate—until we see too much of ourselves in them.
1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
🔬 What if superpowers didn’t make you a hero?
Victor and Eli start as brilliant college students obsessed with the theory of ExtraOrdinary abilities. But when experiments go wrong and ambition turns to obsession, their bond curdles into rivalry—and villainy.
🩸 Why it hits hard: Because sometimes, the road to ruin is paved with genius and a thirst for control.
2. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
🧙♀️ Evil is a matter of perspective.
Elphaba was just a green-skinned girl trying to understand a world that never wanted her. Maguire transforms a caricatured villain into a layered, morally complex figure shaped by politics, prejudice, and personal loss.
🌪️ Why it stays with you: Because “wicked” is often just misunderstood.
3. The Young Elites by Marie Lu
🌑 They called her a monster—until she became one.
Adelina survives a deadly fever only to be left scarred and marked by new powers. Shunned and hunted, her path spirals into darkness not from desire—but from necessity.
⚔️ Why it burns: Because vengeance is a seductive flame, especially when the world refuses to see your light.
4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
♥️ Before she was the Queen of Hearts, she was a girl who loved to bake.
Catherine dreams of owning a bakery, not ruling a kingdom. But when fate, heartbreak, and societal pressure twist her story, her heart hardens into legend.
🍰 Why it’s deliciously tragic: Because we know how it ends—but not why it had to.
5. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
🩸 Dracula is not the villain of this story—at least, not at first.
Told through lyrical prose and aching vulnerability, this reimagining of Dracula’s brides reveals how love turns to possession, and how victims can become monsters in their own right.
🕯️ Why it haunts: Because sometimes, the villain is the one who taught you how to survive.
6. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
🔥 What if saving your people meant becoming the very thing they feared?
Rin rises from poverty to become a powerful shamanic warrior, but the cost of her power—and rage—leads her down a path of brutality, vengeance, and moral corrosion.
⛩️ Why it devastates: Because it asks how far a hero can go before they become the villain in someone else’s story.
7. And I Darken by Kiersten White
🗡️ Lada Dracul doesn’t want to be saved—she wants to conquer.
A brutal gender-swapped reimagining of Vlad the Impaler’s origin, this book charts Lada’s ruthless transformation into a sovereign who claws power from a world that denies her everything.
🩸 Why it thrills: Because her rage is earned—and terrifyingly righteous.
8. Jade City by Fonda Lee
💎 Power runs in the blood—and in the stone.
While the Kaul family fights for control of jade—the source of supernatural strength—their enemies rise with just as much fire and fury. Some antagonists are born in the shadows of their rivals, and their backstories are just as compelling.
🌆 Why it dazzles: Because villains raised in war know no other language but survival.
9. Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender
👑 To destroy your oppressors, must you become them?
Sigourney Rose is the last surviving member of a noble island family, determined to avenge the genocide of her people. But her path to justice is soaked in blood, and the line between hero and tyrant grows faint.
⚖️ Why it provokes: Because justice without compassion can curdle into cruelty.
10. Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
📓 Would you use death to create a better world?
Light Yagami begins as an idealistic genius who believes he can rid the world of evil. But as he uses a supernatural notebook to kill criminals, his morality crumbles into delusions of godhood.
🖤 Why it’s iconic: Because power reveals, and sometimes it reveals a monster in disguise.
🖤 Final Thought
Villain origin stories don’t ask us to excuse the darkness—but they do ask us to understand it. These books shine a light into the shadows and whisper: Evil isn’t born. It’s made.
So tell us… which villain’s descent shook you the most? Or are you still rooting for them?
