Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Asistente del villano by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

61 reviews

lemonwrlds's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

abrielleemory's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I originally wanted to read this book because I thought the cover was so cool! But, I genuinely enjoyed the storyline and mystery in the plot. I wouldn’t say I particularly loved any of the characters, but I liked the purpose of all the main characters. 
The twist near the end was unexpected and I didn’t predict it. But, I liked the detective-ish work from Trystan and Evie. 
I hope the next book has more… happen between them. This whole book was a tease of just them admitting their feelings. 

**EDITED from 4 to 3 stars. The romance really fell flat, now that I’ve had time to think. And the magic system really made ZERO sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, and Murder

baileynoel's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment

catargena's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

avacyn731's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

coldheartedbirch's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Rape, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

arlaubscher's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-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? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror and Alcohol

indieandajean's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

Assistant to the Villain is an adorable fantasy rom-com with more emphasis on the "com". The slow burn in this book will be of no surprise to anyone who enjoyed watching the tiktok series it was based on, and it makes for a lot of exasperation from a reader's perspective when you read many chapters of pining and them "almost" getting to the point. This is a feature, not a bug.

The characters are lovable, the plot moves along at a decent pace, and it has just the right amount of tropes that one would expect from a slow-burn, mutual pining, workplace rom-com. It also has a dragon, which is always a positive. 

My only complaint is that at times the book was a little too slow. There were unnecessary scenes that did little to move the plot forward or deepen the reader's understanding of the characters.  I understand that the author was given a three book deal and that where there is a three book deal about a single romance, there is going to have to be some filler. That said, the story never dragged, even through these filler moments, and it was always fun to pick back up to read. 

My review is probably somewhat biased as I fell in love with Evie Sage played by Hannah Nicole Maehrer in her Tiktok videos that were the catalyst for the books, but I challenge anyone who loves a good underdog to watch the videos or read this book and not also love the character. She, the Villain, Blade, Tatiana, and yes, even Becky, are great characters and it was fun to see them more fully fleshed out in this book. 

I am very much looking forward to book two which is coming out this fall, particularly because of the cliffhanger ending!

I recommend this one for anyone who enjoys a bit of humor in their romances, morally grey fantasy villains, dragons, and strong female characters who overcome obstacles and earn the respect of people around them. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

blackcatl's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.75

The book starts quite slow in my opinion, and Evies character needs way more depth. In the second half, however, everything comes together and you can see way more of Evies development which I like - and missed in the beginning. Also, way more romance is needed in the first half imo. But, because of the second half, I am thrilled to read the second book and its still almost 4 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Blood

Minor: Torture, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

teawiththefates's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.0

I’m not sure I can get on board with quite this level of villainy - like, he’s supposed to be both “I enjoy torturing people” evil but also adorable when he starts to smile around Evie. But he only tortures people who “deserve” it so I guess that’s supposed to make it palatable?? Because he’s secretly a softie. A softie who uses the decapitated rotting heads of his enemies as decor.

I get that the King is the real villain, just like another trusted person in Evie’s life turned out to be a villain (and I assume that will be followed up on more in the second book) but I can’t get on board with the level of behaviour Trystan was willing to stoop to. Like, even if he only tortured the guards who came to try and assassinate him, why have “Scatter Day” and needlessly torment the interns who are on his side?? I think it was supposed to be funny??? I think I identified the most with Clare, and her consistent distaste and disapproval of her brother’s choices. And notably all the torture and really awful bits are off screen so we don’t have to dwell too much on how dark Trystan actually gets.

I want to specify, there were things I did really like: all the side characters, especially Kingsley, are so fun. And I know for some people this was an issue, but I actually really enjoy a vaguely anachronistic fantasy world. I think that’s why I was so disappointed, because I couldn’t just enjoy the book whole heartedly.

I don’t know, I just really don’t think this book was for me. The worst part is, while there are many moments in this book I was disturbed that the reader is apparently supposed to be okay with, the main plot is interesting and I still want to know how the story ends. I may end up  hate-reading the sequel just to satisfy my need to find out, but if I do I won’t bother rating it as I don’t see any reason to penalize the author for my choosing to read a second book I know I’m going to have problems with.

I honestly wish I could have enjoyed this more but as it is I feel very conflicted, hence the 2 stars (a rating I use for books I find too problematic to recommend to others).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Trafficking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic