Vile Lady Villains

A queer, gothic horrormantasy that's perfect for readers of S. T. Gibson and Kiersten White.

With the consequences of her murderous actions closing in, Lady Macbeth turns to the three witches for help. They 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 ...

Author: Danai Christopoulou
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Published: 05/12/2026
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781454966609


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/09/2026

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.