As usual, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and The Bookish. This week is a freebie topic, so I decided to look at my favorite villains and antagonists from (mostly) YA literature.
1. Lord Voldemort- I don’t think this needs much explanation. Voldy is definitely my favorite villain, and not just because he’s from my favorite series. He’s complex, incredibly smart, and more dedicated to and in tune with magic than any wizard ever.
2. The Darkling- I loved him throughout the series, even after we learn that he’s a “bad guy.” His motives are understandable at heart (as are with most dictators- he wants to free the Grisha’s oppression to serve the monarchy and government) and the fact that he serves as a love interest to the protagonist was an angle I liked…he certainly had me tempted to join his side.
3. Morpheus- While not exactly a “villain” he’s definitely an antagonist, and his imagery is stunning and he’s just the right amount of insane and intriguing. I just finished Splintered and I preferred him 1000% to Jeb. I think Morpheus deserves his own series, as his self motivation and ageless existence are fascinating.
4. Ignifex- The Beast from this Beauty and the Beast retelling, I loved how he made the protagonist struggle with the light and dark inside of her, and how his cruelty often stemmed from ironically fulfilling the wishes of others, almost as if he served as a giant reflection of all the greed and selfishness of humanity. I loved him.
5. Celeste- She initially irritated me, but I was glad to see she got an arc in the last book of the trilogy and once she and America thawed the ice between them she was actually kind of hilarious and I found myself begrudgingly liking her. And I was surprised to find how upset I was with what happened to her at the end…
6. Amy- Not technically a YA novel, I admired Amy despite the fact that she’s a raging sociopath. Her character was so dedicated and meticulous and unbelievably smart in her ploy that it was hard not to be awed by what she accomplished and how she persevered even when her plans went awry.
7. Queen Levana- I think she’s so mysterious and she’s so heavily influenced by my favorite childhood Anime (Sailor Moon) that I can’t help but love her glamorous, if evil, character.
8. Queen Beryl- Speaking of Sailor Moon, Queen Beryl was the original villain for me when I started to watch the anime at the tender age of 3 (I had older cousins who got me into it and I never looked back). Though we all knew she wouldn’t prevail against moon, prism, power…she was still glamorously evil.
9. Mara- I would argue that Mara is the biggest antagonist to her own health and sanity in the series, and that’s what I love about her (and what made the books so deliciously creepy) that she couldn’t trust HERSELF or her OWN motives and actions.
10. The Grey Man- I haven’t read Blue Lily, Lily Blue yet (I KNOW) but from his appearance in The Dream Thieves I remember finding him to be intriguing yet disturbing. Stiefvater writes him in such a self-aware way and I’m interested to see what more he adds to the plot.
Do you find yourself ever drawn to villains? I think they’re incredibly important to stories! What did you pick for your TTT post this week? Let me know in the comments!
Amazing list! I absolutely love hating Voldemort and Amy from Gone Girl. Amy is just such a messed up character!
I think Voldemort and Amy are so fascinating complex, and part of you can’t help but admire the lengths and dedication they’ve gone to for their plans!
I would rather deal with Voldemort than Dolores Umbridge I swear reading her makes me so angry! And I hated the Grey Man in The Dream Thieves everytime I had to read from his POV I’d be so frustrated but after Blue Lily, Lily Blue he’s became one of my favourite characters.
Here’s my Top Ten Tuesday: http://bookenthral.com/2015/01/20/top-ten-tuesday/
I know Umbridge was infuriating to read! I liked Voldemort better because it’s so hard not to be fascinated with him, so as a reader we want scenes with him in it!
Have you read the Sailor Moon mangas? Only read a few so far, but definitely there are plot changes from the anime!
Yep! I have 1-10 of the newly released ones and I love them but they’re very different!
You are way ahead of me! I think I only have 3 or 4. I want to hurry and get to the one with Neptune and Uranus so bad!!! I kinda want to skip to them!
Amy from Gone Girl is such a good one! She’s absolutely insane, haha! She reminded me of Moriarty from BBC’s Sherlock. He’s definitely my favorite villain (well, him and Loki <3)
My TTT: http://nutfreenerd.com/2015/01/20/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-things-about-winter/
I loved the movie portrayal of her, it was so good!
But what about Umbridge? Just kidding. No one likes her. I hate her more than I hate Voldy. I like Voldemort for exactly the reason you listed: he’s complex. That’s my favorite thing about a good villain.
I did my TTT on reasons to read comics! 🙂
My favorite part of Half Blood Prince were all of the flashbacks of Voldemort’s past!
YESSS! I wish we’d gotten more of that in the movie. HBP is my favorite book of the seven.
The Grey Man is so unusual, and Stiefvater paints him in such a way that you feel sympathetic. I also have a strong affection for him too.
I can’t wait to see more of his character once I get around to reading BLLB!
I love the Grey Man and The Darkling! Great post!
Thank you! I loved Alina and the Darkling, personally!
i liked Alina and the Darkling anmd Nikolai and Mal…
I totally agree with you on The Darkling and Queen Levana. I would have picked Umbridge instead of Voldemort though as my most favorite character to hate ever in a book. lol 🙂
She IS very hate worthy, so much so that I can barely stand to read her! I found Voldemort to be more nuanced and fascinating to read!
I read some of these and then wondered “wait–should I be reading this if some of these are on my eventual TBR?” Haha, oops.
(So I didn’t read Gone Girl but the film was amazeballs for me not to make this commentary anyways so let’s just run with it:) Although I do wholly agree with the Amy Dunne choice, I really enjoy the nuance in bending what defines an antagonist (such that Nick could, in theory, hold part of this role). Now I must listen to “Technically, Missing” from the soundtrack. Chills.
Cheers,
joey via. thoughts and afterthoughts
Ahhhh you should read Gone Girl! (Although the book and movie were pretty close, but I think Nick and Desi were much better in the novel…I couldn’t take Ben Affleck and Neil Patrick Harris seriously!)
Loving to hate villains is something I’ll always end up doing. LOrd Voldemort and Queen Levana are my faves, when it comes to this. Though if it comes to TV series, MORIARTY IS SO AWESOME. Everything about him. hehehe.
Voldemort takes the cake definitely. I’m excited to find out more about Levana this month once Fairest comes out!
I love a good antagonist, I have to say, and these are some good ones. I love that you picked them for diverse reasons. I’ve not yet read some of these books, but I hope to meet Queen Levana soon!
Thank you! I’ve found I tend to enjoy novels much more if the villain is someone that I enjoy reading about, who has motives that aren’t easily written off as “evil.” I can’t wait to hear your thoughts once you read the Lunar Chronicles 🙂