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A review by cover2covertx
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After following the author's assistant to the villain TikTok series, I kept my eyes opened for this book release hoping it would be a fun read. What the book actually delivered for me was even more than I expected.
First off, this is a book that DOES NOT take itself seriously and I LOVE it! It's entirely quirky, delightful and filled with almost spoof like humor. It's a high fantasy romantic comedy and it gives me all the vibes of Once Upon a Time meets Dungeons & Dragons with a touch of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's an adult book but the writing is incredibly accessible for being high fantasy which is a genre that is usually filled with a lot of dense description and flowery details and world building. So I was really excited to see a fantasy book that was a little different with a fast pace and slapstick humor.
Although the story is built on the premise of a sunshiny assistant and the will-they-or-won't-they tension between her and her morally grey villain boss, you could really take the romantic elements out of the story and still have a great time! :)
The story follows Evie, the glass is half full assistant who finds herself in desperate need of a job to care for her family so she takes one offered to her by a man known to the village for his growingly horrendous Wanted posters and the simple moniker of The Villain. Throughout her employ, she's having to avoid decapitated heads in the entryway, dragon training in the courtyard & of course the hunky brooding visits from The Villain himself. The story is fast paced, has a decent mystery to solve throughout getting to know the characters and world and has some amazing twists and a fantastic badass cliffhanger ending! :)
This book will definitely become a new favorite comfort read & I can not wait for the sequel!
First off, this is a book that DOES NOT take itself seriously and I LOVE it! It's entirely quirky, delightful and filled with almost spoof like humor. It's a high fantasy romantic comedy and it gives me all the vibes of Once Upon a Time meets Dungeons & Dragons with a touch of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's an adult book but the writing is incredibly accessible for being high fantasy which is a genre that is usually filled with a lot of dense description and flowery details and world building. So I was really excited to see a fantasy book that was a little different with a fast pace and slapstick humor.
Although the story is built on the premise of a sunshiny assistant and the will-they-or-won't-they tension between her and her morally grey villain boss, you could really take the romantic elements out of the story and still have a great time! :)
The story follows Evie, the glass is half full assistant who finds herself in desperate need of a job to care for her family so she takes one offered to her by a man known to the village for his growingly horrendous Wanted posters and the simple moniker of The Villain. Throughout her employ, she's having to avoid decapitated heads in the entryway, dragon training in the courtyard & of course the hunky brooding visits from The Villain himself. The story is fast paced, has a decent mystery to solve throughout getting to know the characters and world and has some amazing twists and a fantastic badass cliffhanger ending! :)
This book will definitely become a new favorite comfort read & I can not wait for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Torture and Sexual assault
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Classism