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tammy_m_nc 's review for:
Assistant to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Great start to the series
Whew. This story. Was so good. This was definitely a stay up too late, cannot put it down kind of book. It kept me completely enthralled from the first word until the last with likeable characters, a captivating storyline, layered world building, palpable tension, unexpected twists, laughs, and understated romance. I fell head first into the story and was equally desperate to read it all at once and also to savor it and make it last. Evie is desperate to find a job as she is her small family’s sole support. She is considered odd after having missed out on normal young adult experiences because she has been the sole caregiver for her younger sister after her mother ran off and her father became ill with the Mystic illness. Trystan, the Villain’s, sole goal in life is to take down King Benedict. But no one knows who he is or what he looks like just that he is evil. When Evie accidentally barrels into the Villain in the woods, he offers her a job as his assistant. When things start to go wrong with the Villain’s plans, he and Evie must ferret out who is betraying the Villain by giving information to the King. The author does a fantastic job of portraying the grayness of the villain and his employees who are neither all good nor all bad. They are three dimensional beings - real, relatable people who have scars and flaws, but are really just trying to do their best as messy beings. The story includes all the goodness that you’d expect from this genre - fighting, dangerous situations, paranormal creatures, evil entities, henchmen, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, mystical coincidences, snark, mystery, secrets, betrayal, revelations, plot twists, and laughs. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
Em Eldridge did a phenomenal job narrating the story and characters into life with enough change of inflection, tone and cadence to voice multiple characters quite convincingly.