14 books with heroes who start as antiheroes
Some heroes shine with unshakable morals and golden ideals. Others… stumble into the light with blood on their hands, secrets behind their smiles, and demons that never stop whispering. These are the antiheroes — not clean-cut saviors, but complicated souls who make you root for them despite yourself. Or maybe, because of that very complexity.
They lie, cheat, steal, sometimes kill. They act out of survival, revenge, or selfishness. But slowly, over pages and pain, something shifts. A spark of conscience. A sliver of hope. A redemption arc written in scars and sacrifice.
Here are 14 gripping books where the hero begins as an antihero — deeply flawed, endlessly human, and utterly irresistible.
1. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Hero: Locke Lamora — the gentleman thief with a dangerous charm
Locke is a con artist with a silver tongue and a heart buried beneath layers of misdirection. He’s not in it to save the world — he’s in it for the game. But when power, betrayal, and blood threaten the people he loves, Locke’s loyalty surfaces like a blade. A masterclass in character complexity.
2. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Hero: Victor Vale — the revenge-driven superhuman
Victor isn’t trying to be a hero — he’s trying to prove a point. After an experiment to unlock supernatural abilities goes wrong, he emerges changed, bitter, and powerful. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between former friends turned enemies. Victor walks the line between villain and savior with electrifying precision.
3. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Hero: Jorg Ancrath — the boy king soaked in blood
Jorg is ruthless, cruel, and barely a teenager when he begins his path to power. He commands murderers, defies kings, and embraces violence. And yet… beneath the brutality lies a boy shattered by loss. His journey is brutal, brilliant, and unflinchingly raw — a descent and a rise, all in one.
4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Hero: Kaz Brekker — the crippled thief with a vendetta
Kaz has a reputation carved from fear. He leads a crew of outcasts on a mission no sane person would attempt. Driven by vengeance, obsessed with control, Kaz is no white knight. But as the ice cracks beneath him, so too does his carefully guarded heart. A dark, dazzling portrait of reluctant redemption.
5. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Hero: Dorian Gray — the beautiful sinner with a decaying soul
Dorian begins as charming, naive, and untouched by vice. But his deal with the devil — to remain youthful while his portrait bears the weight of his sins — turns him into something far darker. His descent is as seductive as it is horrifying, making his final reckoning all the more tragic.
6. The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
Hero: Sand dan Glokta — a torturer with a conscience
Once a dashing swordsman, Glokta is now a broken man — twisted in body and mind, and working as an inquisitor. He’s bitter, cynical, and terrifying. But behind his grim humor and brutal tactics is a sharp mind and a reluctant morality. You won’t know whether to fear him or root for him — and that’s the beauty of it.
7. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Hero: Amy Dunne — the villain who tells her own story
Hero? Villain? Monster? Genius? Amy Dunne is a master manipulator, a femme fatale reimagined for the digital age. Her narration is hypnotic, her actions morally repellent — and yet you can’t look away. Her story is a cold, glittering maze of gender, media, and vengeance. You may not love her, but you’ll never forget her.
8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Hero: Edmond Dantès — the wronged man who becomes vengeance incarnate
Framed and imprisoned, Edmond escapes and reinvents himself as the Count — cold, calculating, and consumed by revenge. His justice is poetic, elaborate, and devastating. But as he punishes those who betrayed him, he must confront what vengeance has turned him into. A tale of transformation as grand and gothic as they come.
9. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Hero: Julián Carax — the haunted author behind the legend
Though not the main narrator, Julián’s story haunts every page. Once a promising writer, now a recluse, he’s chased by guilt, loss, and his own myth. His actions are shrouded in darkness, yet his motives are steeped in grief. A ghost of a man whose sins tell a deeper truth.
10. We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Hero: Zafira — the Hunter who hides behind a mask
Zafira lives disguised as a man to brave a cursed forest and feed her people. She is strong, fierce, and burdened by secrets. But her journey to retrieve ancient magic uncovers not just external enemies, but inner shadows. Her struggle to hold onto herself in the face of darkness is what makes her unforgettable.
11. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Hero: Richard Papen — the outsider who becomes complicit
Richard is drawn into an elite group of classics students and their intoxicating, dangerous world. He’s quiet, observant — and slowly, inevitably, he helps commit murder. His role as both narrator and participant in this slow spiral of decadence and decay blurs the line between innocence and guilt in chilling fashion.
12. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Hero: Elias Veturius — the empire’s most lethal soldier
Trained to kill, Elias is one of the empire’s deadliest assets. But inside, he’s sickened by the brutality he’s forced to carry out. Torn between duty and conscience, he plans to escape — only to become a catalyst for rebellion. His evolution from reluctant executioner to revolutionary is breathtaking.
13. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Hero: Lisbeth Salander — the hacker with fire in her veins
Lisbeth doesn’t play by society’s rules. She’s reclusive, brutal when provoked, and damaged in ways no one fully understands. But when she partners with a journalist to solve a decades-old mystery, her fierce intelligence and rage become tools of justice. She’s a vigilante for the digital age, raw and unstoppable.
14. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Hero: Celaena Sardothien — the assassin with a buried heart
Celaena is an imprisoned assassin offered freedom in exchange for deadly service to the crown. She’s arrogant, sharp-tongued, and dangerous. But as the stakes rise, layers of vulnerability, trauma, and purpose unfold. Her journey from killer to queen is as lush and lethal as the fantasy world she inhabits.
Why We’re Drawn to Antiheroes
They don’t wear halos. They’re messy, torn, tempted, and often terrible. But antiheroes are mirrors — showing us that heroism isn’t always clean. Sometimes it’s born in shadows, tempered by regret, and carried out by those who’ve walked through fire.
In the end, it’s not about where they start. It’s about where they dare to go — and who they become along the way.
Because sometimes, the best heroes are the ones who never wanted the title at all.
