🏷️ Revenge Plot
77 entries tagged with this trope
The Assassin's Blade
Sarah J. Maas · 2014
Celaena Sardothien's story before she became an assassin. Five prequel novellas follow her through betrayal, heartbreak, and the missions that shaped her into the deadliest killer in Adarlan.
Queen of Shadows
Sarah J. Maas · 2015
She's back. With a new name and deadly purpose, Aelin returns to Adarlan to save her cousin and take down the king. Old bonds break, new ones form, and the queen inside her finally emerges.
Corrupt
Penelope Douglas · 2015
Michael Crist and Erika Fane. He terrorized her as a teenager. Now he's out of prison, and he wants what's his. The first Devil's Night book sets the tone — dark, obsessive, and impossible to put down.
Nightfall
Penelope Douglas · 2020
Will and Emmy. Trapped on an island. The final Devil's Night book brings everything full circle with the most survival-romance vibes of the series.
Twisted Pride
Cora Reilly · 2019
Remo is the Capo dei Capi and he takes what he wants — including Serafina, daughter of his enemy. A captive romance that walks the line between dark and tender.
Crooked Kingdom
Leigh Bardugo · 2016
The heist went wrong. Now Kaz and his crew must outplay the most powerful people in Ketterdam to save one of their own. The sequel that's better than the first. Every character thread pays off beautifully.
The Queen of Nothing
Holly Black · 2019
The final Folk of the Air book. Jude is in exile. Cardan is king. The resolution of their enemies-to-lovers arc is everything the fandom hoped for. That epilogue? *Chef's kiss.*
Hunting Adeline
H.D. Carlton · 2022
Adeline is taken. Zade will burn the world to find her. The sequel goes darker and deeper into the trafficking underworld. More thriller than romance in parts. Not for the faint of heart.
The Kind Worth Killing
Peter Swanson · 2015
On a flight, Ted tells a stranger he wants to kill his wife. She offers to help. What follows is a twisted game of murder and revenge.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Blackfeet men killed elk on sacred land as teenagers. Ten years later, nature comes for revenge. A visceral horror story about guilt, tradition, and consequences.
The Rage of Dragons
Evan Winter · 2019
Tau wants revenge for his father's murder. To get it, he'll become the greatest swordsman in an empire at war. African-inspired epic fantasy with incredible action.
The Atlas Complex
Olivie Blake · 2024
The Atlas Society's magicians are back and more morally compromised than ever. If you liked the first two for the vibes and the unhinged character dynamics, this delivers.
The Only Survivors
Megan Miranda · 2023
Ten years after a class trip tragedy, the survivors reunite — and one of them goes missing. Everyone has secrets about that night. Trust no one, especially the narrator.
The Housemaid's Secret
Freida McFadden · 2023
Millie takes a new housemaid job. Her employer's wife never leaves the bedroom. Her employer is... too nice. If you thought the first Housemaid was twisty, buckle up.
Yellowface
R.F. Kuang · 2023
A white author steals her dead Asian friend's manuscript and publishes it as her own. It becomes a bestseller. The spiral into paranoia and justification is DELICIOUS. Kuang is ruthless.
The Rose Code
Kate Quinn · 2021
Three women at Bletchley Park during WWII — a debutante, a socialite, and an eccentric genius. They crack codes together, then one cracks the group apart. Quinn's best work.
Black Sun
Rebecca Roanhorse · 2020
A blind man raised as a vessel for a god of crows. A sea captain navigating treacherous waters. A priestess fighting for power. Pre-Columbian Americas-inspired fantasy that hits different.
The Rage of Dragons
Evan Winter · 2019
Tau watches his father die and swears vengeance against the entire caste system. He trains obsessively to become the greatest swordsman alive. African-inspired epic fantasy with anime training arc energy.
Run, Rose, Run
Dolly Parton & James Patterson · 2022
A young singer-songwriter arrives in Nashville chasing a dream and running from a dark past. Dolly Parton wrote this with Patterson and it's exactly as fierce and country-gritty as you'd hope.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are haunted by something from a hunting trip gone wrong years ago. It's patient. It's angry. Stephen Graham Jones writes horror that cuts to bone.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Stephen Graham Jones · 2021
Jade is obsessed with slasher films. When bodies start appearing in her lakeside town, she's convinced she's living inside one. Part horror love letter, part Indigenous coming-of-age. Wild ride.
The Book of Night Women
Marlon James · 2009
Jamaica, 18th century. Lilith is born into slavery with green eyes that mark her as different. She discovers a conspiracy of women planning rebellion. Marlon James writes with fire.
Yellowface
R.F. Kuang · 2023
A white author steals her dead friend's manuscript about Chinese laborers in WWI and publishes it as her own. The publishing industry satire is vicious. Kuang wrote this angry and it shows.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are haunted by something they did during a hunting trip years ago. Jones blends Indigenous experience with visceral horror. Literary horror at its finest.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Stephen Graham Jones · 2021
Jade is obsessed with slasher movies. When bodies start dropping in her small Idaho town, she realizes she's living inside one. Horror-nerd protagonist who is unforgettable.
Babel
R.F. Kuang · 2022
Oxford, 1836. Translation magic powers the British Empire. Robin Swift must decide if he'll serve the system that raised him or burn it down. Dark academia meets anti-colonial rage. Brilliant and furious.
The Rage of Dragons
Evan Winter · 2019
Tau watches his father die and vows to become the greatest swordsman alive. African-inspired epic fantasy with a protagonist fueled by pure rage. The fight scenes are cinematic.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are haunted by something they did years ago on a hunting trip. It's coming back. Literary horror that uses genre to explore cultural identity. Devastatingly good.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Stephen Graham Jones · 2021
Jade Daniels is a slasher-movie-obsessed outcast who realizes her small lakeside town is in a slasher movie. Meta-horror that's both a love letter to the genre and genuinely scary.
The Alice Network
Kate Quinn · 2017
1947: A pregnant American girl teams up with a drunk British ex-spy. They're hunting for someone who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France. Dual timeline. Female spy networks. Absolutely riveting.
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden · 2022
Millie takes a live-in maid job for a wealthy couple. The wife is controlling. The husband is charming. The locked room upstairs has secrets. Three twists, each more unhinged than the last.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are hunted by something they disturbed on a hunting trip years ago. Horror that's also about identity, guilt, and cultural erasure. Haunting in every sense.
The Alice Network
Kate Quinn · 2017
1947: Charlie wants to find her cousin lost during WWII. 1915: Eve is a spy in a female espionage network. Their stories collide in a revenge road trip. Based on a real spy ring.
The Will of the Many
James Islington · 2023
Vis is hiding his true identity inside a Roman-inspired academy where students literally give their life force to those above them. The power system is ingenious. The plot twists are brutal.
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden · 2022
Millie takes a job as a live-in housemaid. The wife is erratic. The husband is too nice. The locked room upstairs is definitely not suspicious at all. Twist after twist after twist.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are haunted by something they did years ago during an elk hunt. Jones blends horror and indigenous experience with devastating effect. The basketball chapter is iconic.
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence
R.F. Kuang · 2022
Robin is a translator at Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation, where silver bars powered by lost-in-translation meaning fuel the British Empire. A dark academia novel about colonialism, language, and revolution.
James
Percival Everett · 2024
Huck Finn retold from Jim's perspective. Except Jim is brilliant, educated, and performing ignorance to survive. Everett turns a classic inside out with razor wit and devastating commentary.
The Rage of Dragons
Evan Winter · 2019
Tau's people have been at war for generations. After a devastating loss, he devotes everything to becoming the greatest swordsman alive. African-inspired epic fantasy with training arcs that hit harder than any shonen anime.
Babel
R.F. Kuang · 2022
Oxford, 1836. Translation is magic. Empire is built on it. Robin Swift is caught between the institution that raised him and the people it exploits. It's a love letter to language wrapped in righteous fury.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are hunted by something they wronged during a hunting trip years ago. Literary horror that weaves identity, tradition, and elk-shaped vengeance into something unforgettable.
The Barrel Never Forgets
DirtyHands · 2019
Kaz Brekker origin story focused on building the Dregs. The way Inej slowly becomes his exception to every rule? That's the good stuff right there.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are hunted by something from their past. A transgression during an elk hunt comes back with antlers and fury. Horror that's also a profound meditation on cultural identity.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are hunted by something they disturbed on a hunting trip years ago. Blends horror with indigenous experience in a way that's both terrifying and deeply human.
The Alice Network
Kate Quinn · 2017
Two women across two world wars — a spy in WWI and a socialite searching for her cousin after WWII. Their paths converge in a story of vengeance and resilience.
Babel
R.F. Kuang · 2022
Oxford, 1836. Translation is magic — literally. Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan, discovers the empire's power runs on stolen languages. Dark academia meets anti-colonial revolution.
Razorblade Tears
S.A. Cosby · 2021
Two ex-cons — one Black, one white — team up to find who murdered their gay sons who were married to each other. A revenge thriller that's also a story about fathers and acceptance.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are hunted by something they killed years ago during an elk hunt gone wrong. Indigenous horror that's literary, terrifying, and deeply human.
The Alice Network
Kate Quinn · 2017
A female spy from WWI and a young American searching for her cousin after WWII join forces. Dual timeline historical thriller about women who refuse to be sidelined.
Jade City
Fonda Lee · 2017
Asian-inspired urban fantasy meets crime family saga. Two clans fight for control of magical jade in a 1970s-inspired city. The Godfather but with superpowers.
The Guest List
Lucy Foley · 2020
A wedding on a remote Irish island. By the end of the night, someone is dead. Every guest has a secret. Every chapter tightens the noose. Peak locked-room thriller.
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden · 2022
Millie takes a live-in housemaid job. The wife is unstable. The husband is too nice. The locked room upstairs shouldn't exist. The twist is genuinely unhinged.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are hunted by something they wronged years ago during an elk hunt. Part slasher, part literary meditation on tradition, identity, and guilt.
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden · 2022
Millie takes a live-in job for a wealthy couple. The wife is strange. The husband is charming. The locked room upstairs has rules. Every twist is more unhinged than the last.
All the Sinners Bleed
S.A. Cosby · 2023
Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff in a Virginia town. A school shooting reveals a serial killer's trail that leads to the town's most powerful families. Southern noir at its best.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are hunted by something they wronged years ago during a hunting trip. The horror is cultural, personal, and relentless. One of the best horror novels of the decade.
Yellowface
R.F. Kuang · 2023
A white woman steals her dead Asian friend's manuscript and publishes it as her own. The satire of publishing, race, and cancel culture is razor-sharp. Kuang is furious and it's glorious.
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden · 2022
Millie takes a live-in housemaid job. The wife is controlling. The husband is too friendly. The locked room upstairs is terrifying. The twist? You won't see it coming. Then there's another twist.
The Housemaid's Secret
Freida McFadden · 2023
Millie's back with a new job and a new set of secrets. The couple seems perfect but the wife's bruises tell a different story. Freida McFadden does it again with another gut-punch ending.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Stephen Graham Jones · 2021
Jade is a slasher-movie obsessed outcast who's convinced a real slasher cycle is about to hit her lakeside town. She's right. Indigenous horror that reinvents the final girl.
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence
R.F. Kuang · 2022
Oxford, 1836. Robin Swift is brought from Canton to study translation — the magic that powers the British Empire. A searing critique of colonialism wrapped in dark academia aesthetics. Brilliant and furious.
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden · 2022
Millie takes a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy family. The wife is paranoid and controlling. The husband is charming. Nothing is what it seems. The final twist rewrites the entire book.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are haunted by something they did on a hunting trip years ago. It's coming for them now. Literary horror that's as smart as it is terrifying. The basketball scene? Unforgettable.
The Alice Network
Kate Quinn · 2017
1947: An American socialite searching for her cousin. 1915: A spy in a network of women behind enemy lines. Their stories collide. Based on real female spies of WWI.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Scott Lynch · 2006
Locke Lamora is the leader of a gang of elite con artists in a Venice-like fantasy city. When a mysterious figure threatens to destroy everything, Locke must outwit an enemy far more dangerous than any mark.
The Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides · 2019
Alicia Berenson shoots her husband and never speaks again. Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, is determined to uncover why. The truth is more twisted than anyone imagined.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four American Indian men are haunted by something they did during a hunting trip in their youth. It wants revenge, and it's been waiting patiently.
The Guest List
Lucy Foley · 2020
A glamorous wedding on a remote Irish island goes terribly wrong. Everyone has a motive. Someone won't make it through the night. Told from multiple perspectives as secrets unravel.
The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang · 2018
Rin is an orphan war-student who discovers shamanic powers. Then the real war begins. Inspired by the Second Sino-Japanese War. Grimdark fantasy with teeth.
The Housemaid's Secret
Freida McFadden · 2023
Millie takes a new housekeeping job for a wealthy couple. The wife seems scared. The husband is too charming. Millie has a past she's hiding. The twists are WILD.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are hunted by an entity connected to a hunting trip gone wrong years ago. Literary horror that's also about identity, tradition, and what you owe the dead.
The Alice Network
Kate Quinn · 2017
A female spy network in WWI and a pregnant American girl in 1947 searching for her missing cousin. Their stories collide in the most satisfying way possible.
Jade City
Fonda Lee · 2017
A fantasy Godfather set in an Asian-inspired city where jade gives people supernatural powers. Two clans fight for control. Family loyalty is everything — until it isn't.
The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang · 2018
Rin tests into the most elite military academy in the empire. Then war comes. Inspired by Chinese history and the Second Sino-Japanese War. This book doesn't pull punches.
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence
R.F. Kuang · 2022
Oxford, 1836. The British Empire runs on silver-work — magical translation. Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan, must decide: join the system or destroy it. The dark academia book to end all dark academia books.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones · 2020
Four Native American men are haunted by something they did as young hunters. A transgression against the elk is coming back for all of them. Literary horror at its finest.
The Alice Network
Kate Quinn · 2017
A female spy network in WWI. A young socialite searching for her cousin after WWII. Their stories collide in a tale of revenge, resilience, and ruthlessness.