Thank you to Red Tower Books for sending me a copy of Assistant to the Villain in exchange for an honest review.
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Evie Sage works as an assistant to support her sick father and younger sister. Only, this isn’t your typical nine-to-five job. That is unless your office has human heads hanging around as décor. Evie works for the most ruthless evil-doer in town, The Villain. While most see him as a monster, Evie notices other things about her boss, like his cute dimple. The boss isn’t as cold-hearted as everyone believes and seems to have a soft spot for Evie.
When the office learns of a mole working for The Villain’s nemesis, King Benedict, Evie and her boss must work together to uncover the rat. Will they find the betrayer before someone gets hurt or worse?
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Plot
The plot of Assistant to the Villain doesn’t pick up until the second half. Not much happens in the first half, and even later, you aren’t given much information about what is going on with the characters. Some loose ends will hopefully be addressed later in the series. The whole book feels like a prologue for the next installment. Read this one to the end because things pick up, and the plot thickens right to the edge of a cliff.
Characters and Relationships
Evie’s thoughts about her boss are silly and read more like a young girl than a woman. I know Evie is young, but her general immaturity irked me, as did her catty attitude towards her co-worker.
The Villain is your generic, brooding bad guy, but maybe a good guy character. Don’t get me wrong, I love that archetype. However, he supposedly has powerful magic, but the big bad hardly uses it, and not much is said about it. I kept waiting for him to do something cool, and it never really happened. Much like other elements of this story, The Villain becomes much more interesting toward the end.
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This is typical in the romance genre, but the ‘relationship’ between Evie and The Villain consists of them thinking about how they like each other and never doing anything about it. Most of the romantic dialogue takes place in the characters’ heads, and much to the reader’s frustration, it is rarely expressed. There is a lot of build-up for an anti-climactic result because I never really felt much chemistry between the two.
The other characters serve as comedic relief or rivals for the main character. Their conversations are mostly superficial quips and silly humor, but they do lighten the mood. Like in any office, everyone has secrets, gossip, drama and bad jokes.
No Sex but Lots of Violence
There is little to no spice in Assistant to the Villain, but surprisingly, there is quite a bit of really graphic violence. These scenes were so much more intense than anything else in the book that they seemed out of place. I thought it was an interesting choice for this type of romantic fantasy novel to be so violent but have hardly any sexy scenes. Gruesomeness aside, the action scenes are well-written and exciting.
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To Read or Not To Read
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer is a spicy fantasy romance without the spice. It feels a little stuck between the mature and young adult genres. The fantasy elements, like magical inks and creatures, are interesting and creative. I enjoy satirical or humorous fantasy, so this was a fun read for me.
A twist at the end makes the story much more intriguing and is enough to pique my interest in the sequel. After finishing the book, I believe this series has potential, and I hope the next book keeps the momentum Maehrer built up at the end of Assistant to the Villain. It is one of those stories you must read to the end to fully appreciate.
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If you like your fantasy on the lighter side with a little bit of silly humor and romance, it’s worth a read. Keep your eye out for a review of the upcoming sequel.
Assistant to the Villain is now available wherever books are sold. Grab it here from Barnes & Noble.
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