“I hate everyone but you” is a niche trope and a long winded one, good grief. Try and say it five times fast and watch your tongue do a somersault. Despite the woefully long name, this trope has become a phenomenon in the fantasy romance world, and by phenomenon I mean something I actively seek out in everything I read. Once you read one it’s difficult to stop.
In my own book, Assistant to the Villain, I framed a story of a grumpy villain who can’t stand interacting with people, save his bubbly assistant who he actively seeks out for constant interaction. Maybe it’s the draw of being the one person special enough to make those characters care, maybe it’s the “I can fix him!” complex I haven’t shaken since watching Hades in Disney’s Hercules when I was seven. A toss-up certainly. Something these books containing this niche trope all have in common, these characters have the only person they can stand and I swoon stupidly each time.
The Book of Azrael by Amber V Nicole
The Book of Azrael does this trope particularly well. In addition to the rare sighting of a female morally gray character (WOOHOO!)—it’s also reversed. The character that hates everyone is so often male, but instead this book refreshingly allows the female main character to hate everyone—as is her right! However, as the trope stands, Dianna, our morally gray heroine has one person in the world she would do anything for, her little sister Gabby. Aha! The trope isn’t always romantic! And it still grips you every time with its sweetness. As Dianna glides through life (looking hot I might add), she ends up needing to work with her mortal enemy who she hates… at first. Dianna’s capacity for hatred is strong as is her capacity for love and in this fantasy joy ride we get to watch her add one more exception to her rule.
Ledge by Stacey McEwan
Ledge focuses on another woman who hates all (Huzzah!) named Dawsyn who has had very little of societal social niceties and would absolutely like to keep it that way! The interesting part of the way the trope is executed here is Dawsyn’s reasons for hating others is dependent on her survival. Growing up on an icy ledge, completely cut off from civilization, where there is too little food to grow around, makes a rather hostile living environment for our poor emotionally stunted girl. Her whole life is guarded as is her perception of other people, so her hatred of others goes far beyond just a dislike, it’s almost an intrinsic part of her character. Enter Ryon, a half Glacian—the creatures that live on the mountain peak and have been terrorizing the people of the ledge since she can remember. After being swiped by the Glacian’s and offered a chance to escape by running down the mountain while they hunt her, Ryon offers to assist her, as he also has the goal of getting to the bottom. All along the way and throughout her journey Dawsyn grapples with developing affection for someone in a way she didn’t see herself capable.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
I love Hazelwood’s work for many reasons and one of them is this trope is in nearly every one of her works, but Bride is where I think it really shines. Her main character is a vampire named Misery (which is HILARIOUS), but in this uniquely woven world, Vampyres (not a typo- she spells it with a Y) aren’t meant to enjoy things. They aren’t really meant to do anything for pleasure or fun or joy. So, Misery doesn’t just “hate everyone,” she literally thinks she’s wired to be that way. Which leaves room for (*drum roll please*) a werewolf arranged marriage where she ends up the wife to her species worst enemy. Even more swoony when he becomes so central to her world, she actually begins to develop feelings she didn’t think she was capable of. Overcoming what she thought was wired into her DNA for someone she should be wired to hate.
I told you: SWOON.
The Wrath and The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
The Wrath and The Dawn has the double whammy of including the “I hate everyone but you” trope while also taking lovely inspiration from one of my favorite stories, One Thousand and One Nights. In this incredible middle eastern fantasy, we begin with a heroine named Shahrzad who is on a mission to avenge her friend who was murdered by the king, but unfortunately for Shahrzad (and very fortunately for us) this king is not all he appears to be. Khalid is believed to be taking a new bride every night and killing her before dawn, but after marrying Shahrzad we find that Khalid cannot bring himself to do it. There is, of course, a lot at work beyond what we know as the reader in this story, but it’s evident from the start that Khalid is a very lonely eighteen-year-old with little to no affection in his life. He walls himself away from everyone and everything, except for Shahrzad, the one bride he cannot bring himself to kill and the one bride that’s come to kill him.
Yes, it is as fabulous as it sounds.
A Fallen Sword by Kaven Hirning
A Fallen Sword is a fantastical quest between heroes and villains that must band together to save the world. The best part? Every major decision in this book was made by the roll of DND dice, which made for the most interesting plot, but of course we are homing in on characters, particularly the one that hates all–except one. Mirevra is set apart from the other characters I’ve mentioned because we only learn so much of her background in the first installment of The Wolf and Viper series. (Alas, the second hasn’t been released yet, to all our dismay). But from the jump Mirevra is fully aligned with the villain’s camp. She is calculated and ruthless and refuses to show or feel affection for those around her because on the villain’s team all that promises is pain and death. This becomes particularly difficult for her when her team—that she desperately does not want to care for—ends up working with the heroes. And while her ruthlessness is well intact, Mirevra finds herself softening for all those around her, particularly a handsome hero in a ruffled shirt. (Yes, I know. I have a thing for pirates too). It’s a challenge to all she knows but even Mirevra is not immune from hating everyone but him.
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Apprentice to the Villain
