Assistant to the Villain Book Review
Check out my review of Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, a clever spin on classic fairy tale tropes with a grumpy sunshine romance.
A friend on Facebook was swooning over this book, one she shared that had been described as “Once Upon a Time” meets “The Office” and I was immediately intrigued.
Apparently the author, Hannah Nicole Maehrer, started this book as a series on TikTok and it went so viral it became a full fledged novel.
For me, a story that cleverly contrasts good and evil, darkness and light, violence and romance, all by using dark, dry humor is one worthy of your attention.
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
Summary of Assistant to the Villain
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer―naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find.
What I Liked
Here’s what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- Dark, Dry Humor: The witty banter between the main characters reminds me very much of my husband’s kind of humor — dark, dry, and very sarcastic.
- Who’s the Real Villain?: I enjoyed the fairy tale flipping of a story told from the villain’s side.
- MFC’s Story Arc: The main female character, Evie, has a fantastic story arc. It was a delight to watch her self-confidence grow over the course of the story and read her observations as the sunshine character in a sea of dark villains. I don’t want to spoil the plot, but she was one of my more favorite female characters to read in a while.
- Grumpy Sunshine Trope: Much like my own marriage, this sweet romance reminded me very much of my husband and myself. I’m a sucker for the grumpy guy with the soft feelings for his lady.
Favorite Quotes
“It was ironic that a man who dealt with so much death seemed to have brought her back to life.”
“She’s beautiful,” Sage said in awe.
“She’s horrifying,” he corrected.
Sage shrugged, eyes taking in every gruesome part of the guvre’s body. “Oftentimes, it’s the same thing.”
“Evil is an art form.”
“Shaking his head, a small dose of wonder in his eyes, he said, “You are chaos.”
What I Didn’t Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
The story started a little slow for me but I was going through a very busy time and extremely distracted. One afternoon I realized I missed a lot of detail and skimmed back over the beginning to catch up.
I got so much more out of my second quick scan and ended up loving the rest of the book. Sometimes when a book is so light, it is hard for me to keep focus when reading. I think the characters are much stronger in the second half of the book and it ends well.
How Spicy Is It?
🚫: Assistant to the Villain rates a Level 0 on my spicy books rating scale. There are some romantic thoughts and references to intimacy but nothing is acted upon other than kissing.
I felt more than comfortable handing over my copy of the book to my daughter who is 14 and a freshman in high school.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give Assistant to the Villain 5 stars. It was exactly the kind of light and fun easy read I needed at the time and the ending was solid enough I immediately picked up Book 2: Apprentice to the Villain. When I jump right into the sequel, the book did the job it needed to do!
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
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