Top 10 Best Villains of 2012

I love this time of year when all we book bloggers take a look back at everything we've read and attempt the near impossible task of whittling them down to our most favorites in several categories. It's so much fun checking out everyone's choices, and this year I get to add my own to the mix.

The Top 10 of 2012 week is organized and brought to you by co-hosts Rachel from Fiktshun, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads. 

Today is blogger's choice, and I'm choosing my top villains from books published in 2012 (ones that I read, obviously). These would be the best of the worst of the worst. Did you get that? 

10. Strigoi, The Golden Lily (by Richelle Mead) - The Strigoi are vampires that have been terrorizing citizens for years, starting with The Vampire Academy, and now continuing in the Bloodlines series. Most are turned against their will, but that doesn't make them any less deadly. 

9. Numa, Until I Die (by Amy Plum) - Nasties that are the mortal enemies of the Revenants, Numa are on a seek and destroy operation. And, they don't care who gets in their way. 

8. The Guides, Spark (by Brigid Kemmerer) - Although they see themselves as the police of the Elementals, the Guides' methods leave much to be desired. They cause natural disasters and put innocent people in harm's way just to flush out these people who can command the elements - people who are just trying to live their lives. 

7. The Duke of Lust, Sweet Evil (by Wendy Higgins) - Kaiden's dad is most definitely NOT the daddy you want to bring your girlfriend home to. He's manipulative, mean, and very literally, evil. He doesn't give a rip about anyone, including his son. Not cool, dad. Not cool.

6. Jackal, The Immortal Rules (by Julie Kagawa) - This is one mean dude. There are reasons, which can't be disclosed here, but it's no excuse and it makes him no less evil. In his quest for power, he will take whomever down that he needs to. 

5. The Lessening Society, Lover Reborn (by J. R. Ward) - The Lessers of the Black Dagger Brotherhood world are fighting a war - them against the vampires. Thing is, in this world, the vamps are the good guys and it's the Lessers' connection with the devil-like Omega that keep their desire to bring them down alive.

4. Reapers, Crimson Frost (by Jennifer Estep) - Reapers are the minions of the Norse God Loki, charged with bringing him back to power and taking over the world. Stands to reason that they will do anything they have to to make sure that happens. Remember Voldemort? Yeah - like that.

3. Lord Bayar, The Crimson Crown (by Cinda Williams Chima) - A centuries old grudge that leads to deep-seated prejudices is the perfect soil in which to grow some real bad guys. Gavin Bayar has machinations to be the leader of a new world in which his kind rules over everyone else. Thankfully, there are some good people willing to try and stop him. 

2. The Arum, Obsidian (by Jennifer L. Armentrout) - The Arum are aliens on this earth for the sole purpose of hunting other aliens - the Lux. They're not opposed to kidnapping a few innocent girls and torturing them, if it helps them out. And, even when they have a Luxen in their sights, it never ends well.

1. Warner, Shatter Me (by Tahereh Mafi) - Warner is the bad guy you love to hate. He's ruthless, mean, evil, and horrible. He will hurt children and torture innocent men in his quest to exploit the abilities of a certain girl he's taken an unnatural fancy to. But, something tells me that there's a whole lot more to this guy than what meets the eye.