A great book trope is when the protagonist has to bargain with someone (or something) more sinister. Maybe it’s a literal deal with the devil, playing the fiddle for their soul. Maybe it’s with a witch who wants their firstborn. But there are times when the main character is so desperate, they’ll strike a deadly deal.
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.26
In 1700’s France, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain. She will live forever but will be forgotten by everyone she meets. Addie lives for centuries, struggling to leave a mark on the world when no one remembers her existence. Until, three hundred years after her bargain, a young man remembers her name.
- Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.00
Emilia and Vittoria are twin sisters and witches, hiding among humans. One night, Vittoria goes missing and Emilia finds her mangled body. Determined for revenge, Emilia will do anything to find the killer–including using forbidden dark magic and teaming up with Wrath, a wicked prince from Hell.
- The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.87
1634. Detective Samuel Pipps is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed. His friend and bodyguard, Argent Hayes, is determined to prove Pipps innocence. But on their voyage, strange things begin to happen. A dead leper wakes and walks. Livestock is slaughtered. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Then three passengers are marked for death, Pipps included. Only Argent can solve this mystery, a mystery that could kill everyone on board.
- The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.89
Meghan Chase discovers a mind-boggling truth: she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and a pawn in their war. How far will she go to end this war, to save those she loves, and to face a creature even the fae tremble at?
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Genre: Classics, Gothic
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.09
A man sells his soul for eternal youth. But is beauty really worth it?
- The Devil You Know by K.J. Parker
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.91
The greatest philosopher wants to sell his soul in exchange for twenty more years. But this philosopher is also known for being a liar, and the assistant demon, for once, doesn’t know if he can trust him.
- The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.29
Not exactly a deal with a devil but…
Hannah Wells needs to get her crush’s attention, and the only way to do that is to tutor the annoying captain of the hockey team in exchange for him to pretend to date her. But then one unexpected night of wild sex happens, and Garret, that annoying captain of the hockey team, begins to fall.
- My Immortal by Erin McCarthy
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.58
Late 1700s. Plantation owner Damien du Bourg strikes a bargain with a fallen angel: an eternity of inspiring lust in others for immortality. Two hundred years later, a woman stumbles onto his plantation in the search of her missing sister, and this time, it’s Damien who can’t resist her. But his sins can never be forgiven.
- Pawn by Aimee Carter
Genre: Dystopia
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.80
Kitty Doe has a choice. She can either be a III and be looked down upon, abandoning those she loves. Or she can be a VII, and join the most powerful family in the world. If she agrees to the latter, she’ll undergo surgery to become Lila Heart, the prime minister’s niece who recently died. But if she says yes, she also has to stop the rebellion that she believes in, the rebellion that Lila started. Which side will she be a pawn in?
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