160,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ 

Late Night Thursday! Our Hobsonville Bookstore is open until 9pm tonight! ✨

Villain Origin Story

Brief Description
When you've run out of options. Choose evil! Life has never been easy for a poor, uneducated village girl. But when things in Joslen's life go from bad to progressively worse, it fills her with intense frustration. How does she fight back against an arranged marriage... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3099
Elsewhere:
$3800
Pre-order
Releases 16th February 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Villain Origin Story" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

From Ice Planet Barbarians TikTok sensation, Ruby Dixon, comes a Sweeney Todd-inspired dark fantasy comedy.

A Sweeney Todd-inspired dark fantasy comedy from TikTok sensation Ruby Dixon, author of the Ice Planet Barbarians series.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

When you've run out of options. Choose evil!

Life has never been easy for a poor, uneducated village girl. But when things in Joslen's life go from bad to progressively worse, it fills her with intense frustration. How does she fight back against an arranged marriage and a lifetime of misery if no one will even listen to her? What's a nice girl supposed to do?

When she has a brush with the handsome but dangerous Scourge King, the conqueror of her land, she realizes something important. Maybe it's time to stop being nice. And the perfect person to show her how to be bad? The Scourge King himself, Vilos Saumien.

But Vilos has a few rules of his own. If he's going to take Joslen as his apprentice, she needs to agree to obey his commands, to learn quickly, and to let him seduce her.

Joslen isn't about to trade away her newfound independence, though. If Vilos wants to play games, she'll play games. She just intends to win. Is their kingdom big enough for two villains?

Villain Origin Story is filled with tropes such as Antihero Romance, Fae Courts/Royalty, Magic, Disguise, Revenge, Morally Grey, Shadow Daddy, Forced Proximity, Knife to Throat, Disability Rep, and Jilted Bride.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781037418013

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 19 January 2027

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Macmillan

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 400

About the Author

Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction and fantasy romance. She is a Sagittarius and a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of goofy cats, and can't think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring.

Also by Ruby Dixon

View all
  • Bull Moon Rising
    In a world of magical artefacts and fantastical beings, a woman determined to save her family joins forces with an unlikely partnerβ€”a minotaurβ€”in this steamy romantasy by USA Today bestselling author Ruby Dixon. As a Holder's daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artefacts... which is why it's a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Barbarian's Hope
    The next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon, is now available in a special print edition with bonus material! Asha and Hemalo's relationship has never been easy, for there is just as much hurt between them as there is love. Will they find their way back to each other, or will they let tragedy keep...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $3200
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Barbarian Alien
    The second novel in the international publishing phenomenon, the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue! Liz Cramer swears she'll find a way off of this alien planet she's stuck onβ€”then she meets Raahosh, the burliest and strongest alien, who won't leave her alone, and she just might be okay...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    Backorder
    Ships mid November
  • Barbarian Lover
    The third novel in the international publishing phenomenon, the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue! Kira has been fine being alone on this strange alien planetβ€”she doesn't want a mate, anyway. At least that's what she tells herself. But when Aehako comes along, everything changes... As one of the...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Barbarian Mine
    Barbarian Mine is the fourth novel in the international publishing phenomenon, the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now available in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue! Harlow receives the shock of her life when she wakes up to see Rukh, a stranger who has clearly been on his own his whole life. However, she soon learns...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Barbarian's Mate
    The next novel in the international publishing phenomenon the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with a bonus novella! Josie has always dreamed of finding The One, but the hunter chosen for her is nothing like what she expected (or wanted)β€”but he might be exactly what she needs. Barbarian's Mate tells the story of Josie's quest...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Barbarian's Heart
    Barbarian's Heart is the next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenonβ€”now in a special print edition with a bonus novella! The unthinkable happens when a devastating accident causes Pashov to forget his mate, but Stacy will do whatever it takes to make her family whole again... The first time I laid eyes on Pashov, we...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Barbarian's Prize
    The next novel in the international publishing phenomenon the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with a bonus original novella! Tiffany doesn't care about all the attention she's getting from the alien men, but there is one particular hunter she can see herself withβ€”if only she can find a way to move forward from the past......
    Paperback
    $3800
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Barbarian's Taming
    The next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon, now in a special print edition with an exclusive bonus epilogue! There are a million reasons why Hassen and Maddie shouldn't work, but despite it all, they find themselves unable to resist each other... As a newcomer to the alien tribe, I've struggled to find my place....
    Paperback
    $3200
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • By the Horns
    In a world of magical artefacts and fantastical beings, a woman with a deadly magic secret needs the help of the minotaur she's trying to forget in the sizzling sequel to Ruby Dixon's New York Times bestseller Bull Moon Rising. The special first edition hardcover will include a gorgeous, shimmering jacket with effects, brilliantly illustrated four-colour endpapers, striking and detailed-stained...
    Hardback
    $5199
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Barbarian's Touch
    Barbarian's Touch is the next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon, now in a special print edition with a bonus new epilogue! Lila has never been more frightened in her life, but when Rokan appears, everything changes. When I wake up on the ice planet, I'm scared of everything. This place is cold, silent, and...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • By the Horns
    In a world of magical artefacts and fantastical beings, a woman with a deadly magic secret needs the help of the minotaur she's trying to forget in the sizzling sequel to Ruby Dixon's New York Times bestseller Bull Moon Rising. Gwenna has always considered herself a normal person. A former servant, she wants nothing more than to land a steady...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships today

More from Sci-Fi & Fantasy

View all
  • New Release
    Other Worlds Than These
    I wanted to go back to Mid-World, which was always the Territories by another name - Stephen King This is Stephen King and Peter Straub's epic and unforgettable finale to the Talisman Trilogy (including the novels The Talisman and Black House) and a wrapping up of the fate of the worlds in King's iconic, fiercely beloved Dark Tower epic. It...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Sixth Nik
    New Release
    The Sixth Nik
    Daniel Kraus, 2026 Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Angel Down and soon-to-be-a-film Whalefall, returns with The Sixth Nik, a galaxy spanning, genre-blending scifi literary horror, for fans of Ursula K Le Guin and the Alien franchise. Deep into space, far past the triworld outposts, beyond range of the lethal trollbot internet, soars The Sickness: a ship woven from biomatter and capable...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Massif
    New Release
    Massif
    Caught me a mountain Rode it to the stars It's business as usual for Ship Leader Parnell Shi-Sawahla and the crew of the corvette Sassafras. Ride a Massif to a new system, fight the enemy, repeat. For more than two hundred years, humans have been hitching rides on these sentient, starfaring mountain ranges, colonising planets and exporting an on-again, off-again...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer
    New Release
    He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer
    He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer Book Two in Shirtaloon's wildly popular LitRPG series. The path from retail middle management to interdimensional wizard adventurer wasn't easy, but Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone, competing for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Scion
    β€˜Scion’ is an electrifying sci-fi thriller that follows a contract killer tasked with protecting a scientist from assassination, only to find himself in the crosshairs. My name’s Azure. I kill rich idiots for a living. All completely legal, of course, even if it does still make the old-fashioned crowd a bit uncomfortable. Once the ultra-wealthy realised they had a way...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (5)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Strength of the Few
    The highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Manyβ€”one of 2023's most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels. The Hierarchy still call me Vis Telimus. They still, as one, believe they know who I am. But with all that has happenedβ€”with what I fear is comingβ€”I am not sure it matters anymore. I am no longer one. I won the...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Red Rising
    The first book in the incredible New York Times bestselling series Darrow is a Helldiver, toiling beneath the surface of Mars. As a member of the Red caste, he performs grueling labor in the belief that his sacrifice will enable future generations to one day inhabit the surface of the Red Planet. The Reds are humankind's lowest caste, living in...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Crossroads of Ravens
    THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON RETURNS... Every legend has an origin - and Geralt of Rivia's begins here. In this brand-new chapter of Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher series, follow Geralt in his earliest days as a Witcher, as he faces monsters and humans alike. Discover the untold stories and encounters that shaped the iconic character known today. Crossroads of Ravens brings readers into...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wind and Truth
    The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the Number One New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive. Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson sees Dalinar Kholin challenge the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare, and the sudden ascension of the...
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Ministry of Time
    One of the 18 best novels of the year for the Sunday Times A book of the year for the New York Times, Guardian, Independent, Evening Standard, Spectator, Red, NPR, Vanity Fair, People, Slate, Advocate, Sydney Morning Herald, Globe and Mail, Den of Geek, Good Housekeeping, Goodreads, NetGalley and Smithsonian Magazine 'A sparkling delight' Observer 'Make room on your bookshelves...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    Backorder
    Ships mid November
  • Assassin’s Apprentice
    Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb marks the beginning of an extraordinary adventure in the rich and immersive world of the Six Duchies. Set against the backdrop of a kingdom teetering on the brink of civil war, this gripping tale introduces readers to FitzChivalry Farseer, a royal bastard whose existence threatens the stability of the crown. When the crown prince's secret...
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 160,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!