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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE WORLD-BURNING HORROMANTASY, BRINGING TOGETHER LITERATURE'S MOST FAMOUS LADY VILLAINS, LADY MACBETH AND KLYTEMNESTRA . . .

For fans of A Dowry of Blood, Clytemnestra, and Piranesi, Vile Lady Villains is an unforgettable ride into the realm of stories

With the consequences of her murderous actions closing in, Lady Macbeth turns to the three witches for help.
She’s given a brew 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. But can they trust this ancient goddess?

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 . . .

© Danai Christopoulou 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

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
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
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
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
A rollicking ride through time and space, drawing together two women from very different worlds. With prose as sharp as a blade and as rich as blood, Christopoulou has created a deeply satisfying story.
Luna McNamara, author of Psyche & Eros
A richly intertextual narrative about writing your own story rather than the one that is written for you, Vile Lady Villains reimagines the powerful women of literature and myth. Christopoulou brings two iconic characters together for an adventure that will delight, inspire, and surprise. Teeming with queer tension and sparking with anger and joy in equal measure, this is a rare and exciting work of feminist literature.
Elyse John, author of Orphia and Eurydicius
Vile Lady Villains is a dazzling, daring reimagining of two of literature’s most infamous women. Lady Macbeth and Klytemnestra, long cast as monsters, murderers and cautionary tales, step out of the shadows to reclaim their stories, their hunger and their power. This beautifully told novel pushes the retelling genre into bold new territory. It asks, what happens when women denied the role of hero seize the stage for themselves? In a world that punishes female ambition, their battle for survival – and for their voices to be heard – feels more urgent than ever. Vile Lady Villains asks not whether women can own their darkness, but what brilliance is born when they finally do.
Kim Curran, author of The Morrigan and Brigid
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
I was mesmerized from the beginning of Vile Lady Villains by the enchanting prose and the vivid characters who jumped out of the page and grabbed my attention with their complicated personalities. This is a story about defying identities and redefining what it means to follow one's destiny. Christopoulou challenges our perceptions about Klytemnestra and Lady Macbeth and shakes to the core the underlying misogynist narratives that have permeated their stories for centuries. And in the centre of it all, you find a magical love story.
Ioanna Papadopoulou, author of Winter Harvest
Christopoulou not only shakes up the canon but dissects it, respins it and weaves it into a stunning tale of vengeance and redemption with unapologetically emotional women at its forefront. Reassessing the role of female characters in some of our most established stories and examining the act of storytelling itself, Vile Lady Villains is here to reclaim the narrative. I loved it!
Bea Fitzgerald, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen

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