On Sale: May 12, 2026
Page Count: 400 pages
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
ISBN-13: 9781454966609

$19.99

$25.99 CAD

Format

Format:

Buy from Other Retailers:

With the consequences of her murderous actions closing in, Lady Macbeth turns to the three witches for help, who give her a potion that transports her to an unknown realm. Desperately lost, she opens a door and comes face to face with a beautiful woman drenched in blood.

Klytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae, is exacting bloody vengeance on her husband. Yet as she revels in her triumph, an otherworldly door appears and a strange woman steps in. Thinking this stranger a spirit, she chases Lady Macbeth into the realm of stories.

Hunted by screaming wraiths into worlds that are hell bent on their demise, this murderous pair are forced to form an alliance or perish. Yet the realm’s goddess, The Mistress of the House of Books, claims to hold the key to saving them. As every threat brings our vile lady villains closer, turning ill intentions into fiery attraction that no author dare write, they have a choice: remain within the confines of their original tales. . . Or burn down the world to pen a new story together. . .

Genre:

Danai Christopoulou (they/them) was raised on a diet of myths and tragedies instead of fairytales. A journalist and copywriter by trade, Danai’s writing has appeared in Glamour, Marie Claire, khoréo, Fusion Fragment, Flame Tree Press and more. They have also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for a Best of Small Fictions and long-listed for a Nebula Award. Vile Lady Villains is Danai’s debut novel. Growing up amid the ancient ruins of Athens, Greece, Danai currently haunts a forest in Sweden along with an army of cats, chickens, and a kind Swedish man.

"Cathartic and deeply romantic, Vile Lady Villains is the iconic queen crossover of my dreams! Claret and Anassa’s empowering journey through harrowing trials, innovative dreamscapes, and murky choices builds like a fever breaking into a celebration of vicious women, second chances, and taking control of your story."
Leanne Schwartz, author of A Prayer for Vengeance and To a Darker Shore
"In confident, luscious prose, Christopoulou creates an enthralling liminal quest, where two of literature's most infamous female villains reclaim their stories—and fall irrevocably in love. I was spellbound from the very first page and could hardly breathe as the ending neared. Heart-rending, atmospheric and unmissable."
Kika Hatzopoulou, Sunday Times bestselling author of Threads That Bind
"Brilliantly clever and wickedly tender, this is a delightful feast for anyone who adores literature. Christopoulou weaves a masterful tapestry of iconic stories, while challenging both characters and readers to imagine a new ending entirely, changing them from a tragedy to a comedy."
Lauren Dedroog, author of A Curse of Crows and A Dance of Serpents
“Danai Christopoulou’s Vile Lady Villains is part classical theatre compressed into a jewel-box of metafiction, part living painting: its palette supersaturated with passion, poetry, and portent. Her familiar protagonists, Claret and Anassa, like two firebirds of blood and spirit, arise entwined from the wreckage of their own tragic narratives, pursued by fates, furies, and the chance at something better."
C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Saint Death’s Daughter”
"Vile Lady Villains is a stunningly original novel, dense and dark and overwhelmingly magical. It's a daring blend of borrowed stories, recreating characters we thought we knew, and giving them the full, unfettered life they deserve. Lovers of Shakespeare and Greek myth will be enchanted."
Louisa Morgan, The Faerie Morgana

By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Danai Christopoulou

About the Author

Danai Christopoulou (they/them) was raised on a diet of myths and tragedies instead of fairytales. A journalist and copywriter by trade, Danai’s writing has appeared in Glamour, Marie Claire, khoréo, Fusion Fragment, Flame Tree Press and more. They have also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for a Best of Small Fictions and long-listed for a Nebula Award. Vile Lady Villains is Danai’s debut novel. Growing up amid the ancient ruins of Athens, Greece, Danai currently haunts a forest in Sweden along with an army of cats, chickens, and a kind Swedish man.

Learn more about this author

×

Contributors

Formats and Prices

Price

Price

Format

Format:

Buy from Other Retailers:

Description

Genre:

Praise

You May Also Like

Newsletter Signup

Danai Christopoulou

About the Author