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adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fun light read, which is surprising given that this story is about the villain not the hero. Personally liked that most of the gore and violence was off page. Also was surprised that I didn’t see the twists coming at the end, although I have my theories for the next book….
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Sexism, Torture, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fun romance and comedy read! It was cozy ish (despite all the death and murder throughout, but the last 10% felt really heavy comparatively and made it so that I couldn't recommend it as a lighthearted read.
The major critiques of the book (that there isn't a lot of chemistry between the main characters and that the FMC reads really young) would be accurate, but I don't think it really takes away from the enjoyment of reading.
The major critiques of the book (that there isn't a lot of chemistry between the main characters and that the FMC reads really young) would be accurate, but I don't think it really takes away from the enjoyment of reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Je ne pense pas être la bonne cible, même si de prime abord les codes de fantasy sont respectés et certaines des tropes très appréciées développées (enemies to lovers par exemple ou encore forced proximity).
Bien que ce livre porte sur un « vilain », le lecteur découvre très rapidement qu’il a plus de subtilité qu’il n’y paraît grâce au point de vue d’Evangelina.
Ce personnage féminin qui devient son assistante est le moteur de l’histoire. Cependant, je l’ai trouvée très agaçante bien qu’elle soit présentée de manière plutôt bienveillante et sympathique.
Elle tente de nombreuses blagues qui lui donnent à mon sens un air un peu idiot.
Avoir lu le roman en français n’a pas du aider. En effet, je pense que l’humour omniprésent était difficilement traduisible.
Par moment, cela me donnait même l’impression de lire une parodie.
Il y avait également beaucoup trop de dialogues à mon goût. L’histoire m’aurait plus captivée avec plus de description des intrigues qui sont nombreuses et parfois bâclées.
Je pense que l’élément qui m’a le plus gêné est que ce livre semble être destiné à un public plutôt jeune / adolescent, or il y a de nombreux sous-entendus sexuels et des sujets qui peuvent être assez sensibles (voir trigger warning)
Bien que ce livre porte sur un « vilain », le lecteur découvre très rapidement qu’il a plus de subtilité qu’il n’y paraît grâce au point de vue d’Evangelina.
Ce personnage féminin qui devient son assistante est le moteur de l’histoire. Cependant, je l’ai trouvée très agaçante bien qu’elle soit présentée de manière plutôt bienveillante et sympathique.
Elle tente de nombreuses blagues qui lui donnent à mon sens un air un peu idiot.
Avoir lu le roman en français n’a pas du aider. En effet, je pense que l’humour omniprésent était difficilement traduisible.
Par moment, cela me donnait même l’impression de lire une parodie.
Il y avait également beaucoup trop de dialogues à mon goût. L’histoire m’aurait plus captivée avec plus de description des intrigues qui sont nombreuses et parfois bâclées.
Je pense que l’élément qui m’a le plus gêné est que ce livre semble être destiné à un public plutôt jeune / adolescent, or il y a de nombreux sous-entendus sexuels et des sujets qui peuvent être assez sensibles (voir trigger warning)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, Abandonment
Minor: Gore, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
OVERALL: 3.5/10, or 1.75/5
What if we took the dynamic from Nimona, made it romantic, and made it considerably worse?
Make no mistake, I recognize that this isn't supposed to be high art. What I was looking for was a light, easy read that blends a cute office romance with a fantasy setting. I read the description, I've seen her TikTok's, I know the author is kind of going for that millennial New Girl Zoeey Deschanel thing and I was prepared to put up with it for the length of the novel. What I wasn't prepared for was just how one-dimensional even the most fleshed out characters are, how uneven, predictable, and boring the plot was, and just how poorly written it is. I cannot believe the target audience is supposed to be adult.
The sad thing is, I think the story would be salvageable if handled by a more experienced writer. The concept is good. The skeleton of a good work is here, somewhere. I could see this being a cute animated miniseries if handled by a competent writer's room.
Immediately upon reading the prologue I was struck by how clunky these character's names are- a bad omen of what was to come. Evangelina Sage? Evie for short? I didn't mind that The Villain called her Sage, but it made me wonder why that wasn't her first name instead- it was by and large preferable to Evangelina or Evie. Becky felt too on-the-nose for the office bully archetype. Tatianna felt like she could have benefitted by a slight fantastical altering of her name. I wasn't thrilled about the name Trystan either, although I found it preferable to most of the other names of characters in this book, save for maybe Griffin or Blade.
The narrative reeks of subversion for subversion's sake without any substance for it to ground itself. Frankly, it hardly accomplishes the subversions it sets out to- in trying to be empowering by showing the misogyny that Evie has struggled with in her life, the author takes two steps forward and five steps back. "Girl Power" only means so much to me when the main character cannot maintain control of her own life without the help of her romantic interest- and frankly, this wouldn't bother me so much if the narrative weren't trying to push this image of Evie as a modest but hardworking careerwoman happy to finally have more equality in the workplace. What is subversive about a woman being a man's PA? Or having a man lash out at her abuser because she's too weak to do so? It is annoying at best and problematic at worst, and I wish we would stop pretending something is progressive because someone declares it so.
Narratively, though, the biggest fuck-you to its audience was its ending. It sets up this mystery as to who might be betraying The Villain- and then lets you down by revealing the traitor as someone impossible to deduce by evidence alone. Now, this reveal is a bit of an obvious one- I had it pegged from the beginning. It was predictable. But up until the last couple of chapters, any evidence pointing to that person being the traitor was near non-existent. I would call the behavior of the individual from the betrayal onward to be character assassination if there were any character to assassinate. Wildly out of left field and written for cheap shock value alone. Worst still, we have to go over the same information again immediately after it happens because the author cannot help but repeat herself constantly.
I did not find the author funny. She is not good at humor. Evie is clearly a Renaissance Faire self-insert of the author and as such, I did not find Evie very funny. If you like She-Hulk and Thor: Love and Thunder-style quippiness with some classic 2010's style twee, maybe you would like it more than I did. I hated it.
The worldbuilding, magic system, and setting of everywhere other than the Manor was vague at best. It made keeping track of locations difficult and the sense of stakes was skewed considering the audience can't fully comprehend the consequences of the magic system in this universe.
Also, a shocking lack of romance in a book where the romance IS the main appeal.
Despite all of my qualms with the narrative, I will say that the dynamic between Evie and the Villain is a cute one. I found myself rooting for them to fall into a relationship with one another and eager to see how they progress. I did not like Evie, but I did like seeing the Villain squirm in situations where he didn't understand how to convey his romantic feelings. Seeing an anti-hero or a villainous character get butterflies is, unfortunately, one of my many weaknesses and I felt endeared to his character because of it.
I would say pick this up with no expectations but frankly, my expectations were low to begin with and I was still disappointed.
Make no mistake, I recognize that this isn't supposed to be high art. What I was looking for was a light, easy read that blends a cute office romance with a fantasy setting. I read the description, I've seen her TikTok's, I know the author is kind of going for that millennial New Girl Zoeey Deschanel thing and I was prepared to put up with it for the length of the novel. What I wasn't prepared for was just how one-dimensional even the most fleshed out characters are, how uneven, predictable, and boring the plot was, and just how poorly written it is. I cannot believe the target audience is supposed to be adult.
The sad thing is, I think the story would be salvageable if handled by a more experienced writer. The concept is good. The skeleton of a good work is here, somewhere. I could see this being a cute animated miniseries if handled by a competent writer's room.
Immediately upon reading the prologue I was struck by how clunky these character's names are- a bad omen of what was to come. Evangelina Sage? Evie for short? I didn't mind that The Villain called her Sage, but it made me wonder why that wasn't her first name instead- it was by and large preferable to Evangelina or Evie. Becky felt too on-the-nose for the office bully archetype. Tatianna felt like she could have benefitted by a slight fantastical altering of her name. I wasn't thrilled about the name Trystan either, although I found it preferable to most of the other names of characters in this book, save for maybe Griffin or Blade.
The narrative reeks of subversion for subversion's sake without any substance for it to ground itself. Frankly, it hardly accomplishes the subversions it sets out to- in trying to be empowering by showing the misogyny that Evie has struggled with in her life, the author takes two steps forward and five steps back. "Girl Power" only means so much to me when the main character cannot maintain control of her own life without the help of her romantic interest- and frankly, this wouldn't bother me so much if the narrative weren't trying to push this image of Evie as a modest but hardworking careerwoman happy to finally have more equality in the workplace. What is subversive about a woman being a man's PA? Or having a man lash out at her abuser because she's too weak to do so? It is annoying at best and problematic at worst, and I wish we would stop pretending something is progressive because someone declares it so.
Narratively, though, the biggest fuck-you to its audience was its ending. It sets up this mystery as to who might be betraying The Villain- and then lets you down by revealing the traitor as someone impossible to deduce by evidence alone. Now, this reveal is a bit of an obvious one- I had it pegged from the beginning. It was predictable. But up until the last couple of chapters, any evidence pointing to that person being the traitor was near non-existent. I would call the behavior of the individual from the betrayal onward to be character assassination if there were any character to assassinate. Wildly out of left field and written for cheap shock value alone. Worst still, we have to go over the same information again immediately after it happens because the author cannot help but repeat herself constantly.
I did not find the author funny. She is not good at humor. Evie is clearly a Renaissance Faire self-insert of the author and as such, I did not find Evie very funny. If you like She-Hulk and Thor: Love and Thunder-style quippiness with some classic 2010's style twee, maybe you would like it more than I did. I hated it.
The worldbuilding, magic system, and setting of everywhere other than the Manor was vague at best. It made keeping track of locations difficult and the sense of stakes was skewed considering the audience can't fully comprehend the consequences of the magic system in this universe.
Also, a shocking lack of romance in a book where the romance IS the main appeal.
Despite all of my qualms with the narrative, I will say that the dynamic between Evie and the Villain is a cute one. I found myself rooting for them to fall into a relationship with one another and eager to see how they progress. I did not like Evie, but I did like seeing the Villain squirm in situations where he didn't understand how to convey his romantic feelings. Seeing an anti-hero or a villainous character get butterflies is, unfortunately, one of my many weaknesses and I felt endeared to his character because of it.
I would say pick this up with no expectations but frankly, my expectations were low to begin with and I was still disappointed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore, Torture
Parental Abuse
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of my favorite books of the year! this book is so fun with trending tropes (grumpy sunshine, morally grey love interest, shadow-daddy) but flips a lot of them on their head. It's silly, funny, and doesn't take itself too seriously- yet it still treats trauma and relationships with respect and care. The characters have quirks and foibles which are defined by their backstory, making them feel very human, relatable, fleshed-out, and lovable.
It includes queer characters, without that being the defining part of who they are (which I love.)
The book isn't poetry or a masterclass in literary writing, but it doesn't try to be. It succeeds monumentally at being not only a funny and cute romance, but also a light fantasty which addresses trauma, relationships, and what it means to be 'good' and 'evil'.
On a personal level I relate to Evie, the main character, and love FMCs who are smart, ditsy, grade-A yappers who manage to endear everyone to them.
This might not be for you if you're looking for a book with technical and poetic prose, or if you dislike characters being a bit of a Mary-Sue. While Evie isn't perfect and her flaws are certainly addressed prominently, things do seem to just work out for her, and she seems to have pretty heavy plot armour.
It includes queer characters, without that being the defining part of who they are (which I love.)
The book isn't poetry or a masterclass in literary writing, but it doesn't try to be. It succeeds monumentally at being not only a funny and cute romance, but also a light fantasty which addresses trauma, relationships, and what it means to be 'good' and 'evil'.
On a personal level I relate to Evie, the main character, and love FMCs who are smart, ditsy, grade-A yappers who manage to endear everyone to them.
This might not be for you if you're looking for a book with technical and poetic prose, or if you dislike characters being a bit of a Mary-Sue. While Evie isn't perfect and her flaws are certainly addressed prominently, things do seem to just work out for her, and she seems to have pretty heavy plot armour.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse