Best Villains of 2016

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Anaerfell, Calamity, Into the Shadow Wood, Les Miserables, Siren's Song, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Magician's Nephew, The Prince Warriors, The Warded Man, Top Ten List, Unfinished Tales, Villains

Welcome to the third installment in my Top 10 of 2016. Be sure to check out my previous posts if you missed them, and check back in the coming days for the remainder of the series. Today I cover the best villains from books I read in 2016, so read on to find out who made the cut!

December 26: Best Books I’ve Read in 2016
December 27: Best Book Covers of 2016
December 28: Best Villains of 2016
December 29: Best Boyfriends/Girlfriends of 2016
December 30: Top 10 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2017

10. Poneros from The Prince Warriors by Priscilla Shirer

The unseen evil force responsible for the never-ending war going on in Ahoratos, and the fictional stand-in for the forces of evil in our own world. His behind-the-scenes presence is strong enough to earn him a spot on the list.

9. Braeden from Into the Shadow Wood by Allison D. Reid

Granted, he never actively appears during the novella, but his fingerprints are all over the things descending upon Einar and his companions. The sinister overtone to this book grants Braeden a spot on this list.

8. Jadis from The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

She snaps Uncle Andrew into complete subservience. She attempts to tempt Digory into using an apple for his own selfish wants, which would have twisted its power to make him and his mother miserable instead. And she will become the White Witch now that she has been unleashed upon Narnia.

7. Tyran and Drast’s father from Anaerfell by Joshua Robertson and J.C. Boyd

There is a lot of evidence throughout that Drast and Tyran have been molded into who they are by their father, who is abusive and power-hungry, which leaves the reader questioning whether the actions of the two brothers are their own fault or if the blame should fall squarely on the shoulders of their father.

6. Glaurung from Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien

He manipulates Turin Turambar and his family into a tragedy that leaves them all dead. Glaurung is a sinister dragon that puts Smaug to shame, and is a part of one of the most heart-wrenching and memorable tales that Tolkien ever wrote.

5. Prof from Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

An unexpected shift, placing one of the primary heroes and the mentor of the series into the role of a super villain for the final book in the series. Things are intense as David and company try to defeat their old leader who has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

4. Fernand Mondego, Danglars, and Villefort from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

They betrayed Edmund Dantes for various reasons, each one remaining silent as the man wrongly suffers for years of imprisonment. You cannot help but cheer Dantes on as he exacts his plots for revenge over the course of the book.

3. Inspector Javert from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The dogged persistence shown by Javert as he pursues Jean Valjean time and again makes him a memorable villain. His struggles with the morality of the situations, as the book winds down to its end, elevated him to become an even more interesting character.

2. The Rock Demon from The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

This thing is massive. It loses an arm and spends a lot of the book chasing after the main character, who was responsible for the dismemberment. This demon is the thing of nightmares, as are many of the things that made appearances in the first book of this series.

1. Draewulf from Siren’s Song by Mary Weber

Ancient, wolf-formed shapeshifter whose armies are sweeping throughout the land, conquering kingdoms and dispatching rulers. Draewulf is exactly the villain I both love and hate, and the fact that his power continues to grow stronger makes him a looming threat.

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Best Book Covers of 2016

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After Avalon, Age of Myth, Best Book Covers 2016, Bounty of the Everdark, Empire of Storms, Into the Shadow Wood, Magnus Chase, Passenger, The Dinosaur KNights, The Waking Fire, Top Ten List

Welcome to the second post in a series of Top 10 of 2016 posts to wrap up the year. The next area I’ll be looking at is the best book covers of 2016 (only looking at books that were released in 2016). Here are the slate of posts and when they’ll be appearing…I hope you’ll come back to see what I pick for each of these and feel free to comment with your own answers.

December 26: Best Books I’ve Read in 2016
December 27: Best Book Covers of 2016
December 28: Best Villains of 2016
December 29: Best Boyfriends/Girlfriends of 2016
December 30: Top 10 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2017

***Looking back, I didn’t really read too many 2016 releases so I looked at a whole slew of Fantasy/Sci-Fi/YA covers and picked out a few of my favorites. Just look at these gorgeous covers and tell me you wouldn’t want to pick at least a few of these up based solely upon the cover!

10. Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

9. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

8. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

7. The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan

6. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

5. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

4. The Dinosaur Knights by Victor Milan

3. Bounty of the Everdark by Lillian Oake

2. After Avalon

1. Into the Shadow Wood by Allison D. Reid

 

Book Review: Into the Shadow Wood by Allison D. Reid

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Allison D. Reid, Book Review, Christian Fantasy, Into the Shadow Wood, Wind Rider Chronicles

Title: Into the Shadow Wood (A Wind Rider Chronicles Novella)

Author: Allison D. Reid

Genre: Christian Fantasy

Publisher: Allison D. Reid

Pages: 90 (eBook)

Blurb: Once a proud member of the Sovereign’s prestigious personal guard, Einar has lost everything: his home, his Sovereign, and his purpose. Most of his closest friends have either been killed in battle or executed. His friend Nevon died trying to fulfill a dangerous oath…one that Einar disagreed with, but now feels honor-bound to take up in his stead. The quest plunges Einar into the depths of the dark and twisted Shadow Wood, testing the limits of his strength, his beliefs, and his sanity. What he finds in the Wood is far more ominous than anything he’d expected. If he’s not careful, Nevon’s fate might end up being his own.

My Take: I absolutely loved Journey to Aviad, the first book in Allison’s Wind Rider Chronicles. When I learned she was writing a novella that takes place at the same time as some of the events toward the end of Journey to Aviad, I knew I had to read it. Journey to Aviad was easily one of the five best books I’ve read this year, and somehow this short novella surpassed even that book. That in itself is among the highest praise I can heap upon “Into the Shadow Wood”.

This novella follows Einar, a character who played a major role early on in Journey to Aviad and who, I understand, does not appear in the sequel to that book. But he had a story to tell, which appears here and is absolutely fantastic. The world building and scene-setting that Allison excels at is present here in this novella. The Shadow Wood feels like a character in itself, exerting its sinister will upon the minds of the men traveling deep into its depths. The supporting cast with Einar, his companion Alaric and his commander Godwin, are both memorable characters in their own right. I loved Godwin’s deeply rooted faith and how it interacted with Einar’s skepticism. That interplay stood out as one of highlights of this novella and helped make Einar a dynamic character throughout this novella.

The one major criticism I had about Journey to Aviad was the lack of action, where it seemed like the girls were being swept along by events rather than taking control and making decisions. That certainly was not the case with this book, which is packed with action during the exploration of the Shadow Wood and then the major battle that takes place near the end. I loved how the events in this overlap with one of the events near the end of Journey to Aviad, providing that continuity and firmly placing the timing of this book into the Wind Riders chronology.

Overall this was a great read and a steal at the price. I’m very much looking forward to getting a chance to pick up the second book in Allison’s series and have a feeling that one will be wonderful as well. She has shown her ability to masterfully craft a living and vibrant world and to create characters who are dynamic in growth and are enjoyable to follow on their journeys. I cannot recommend this book, or Journey to Aviad, enough. If you enjoy fantasy at all, or want to read books that are steeped in faith and mystery and wonder, you won’t want to miss these.