Here in the U.S., we’ve spent a great deal of time lately trying to determine who’s really a good guy/gal so that we could bestow upon them our trust to run our great country. Well, that’s left me a little burnt out. I’m sick of trying to figure out who’s the good guy. I’m ready for a deliciously evil distraction!
So here they are, my nominees for BEST VILLAIN in a YA novel…
MAGNUS, leader of the Draug from The Morganville Vampire seriesWhat could be scarier than things that hunt and eat vampires? Hmmm, let’s make them invisible and give them a siren-like ability to call in their prey. Yikes! I can remember reading Black Dawn and actually feeling physically cold.
VALENTINE from the Mortal Instruments seriesI’ve just begun the first in this series, City of Bones, and I can already tell that the big bad is going to take me for a wild ride.
JEANINE MATTHEWS from Divergent/InsurgentSo it’s totally cool that a chick can be in the running for Best Villain too. She’s smart (at least she thinks so) and bent on taking over. Even though she’s a rather complex villain, her complete disregard for Tris’s life hits the reader at a very primary level.
JANE from the Twilight seriesWith the final movie next week, I couldn’t forget about the red-eyed school girl with a talent for causing excruciating pain. She gives me the heeby jeebies. I call it the “Wednesday Addams Effect”.
PRESIDENT SNOW from The Hunger Games trilogyForcing kids to kill each other for entertainment is just not something that a happy person does. In the books, he’s creepy and he seems to revel in it. He’s this generation’s Darth Vader.
There were a couple of others that I would have nominated, but couldn’t figure out how to do it without spoilers. I’m also intentionally leaving out Voldemort because, of course, he must not be named — oops. So, here’s the list. If you have additions, leave me a comment. I’d love to hear them.
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