Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Assistant to the Villain

Based on the viral TikTok videos, this comic romantasy stars Evie, The Villain's assistant, along with a cast of other villainous teammates as they try to discover who is trying to kill the Villain (while continuing to try to cause problems for the king).

This book was so cute and funny! I went into it knowing to not take it too seriously, and I'm glad I did. Going in knowing this was going to be goofy and fun allowed me to really enjoy the stock character nature of Evie and the others at the beginning, which evolved into more nuance throughout the story. The world of the book is interesting (reminding me often of a DnD cartoon), along with the creatures, and I'm curious to see what comes next in the sequel!

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tori_borialis's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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roadesntoades's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.25

It be easy to say this is enemies to lovers or sunshine/moody or call it a coworker romance but it really isn’t. The romance is there sure but reading this(while I SO wanted to see them together) I also wanted to see how they interacted with everyone else and see how they realize their feelings. It was more like a romcom where the main characters are more afraid of their feelings than they are oblivious. Over the story was great, awesome fantasy elements, cute humor and all and all a solid read. Sometimes it felt like big reveals weren’t explained enough but that is also a bit of a personal preference. I am also now truly a victim of the book as I torturously wait for the sequel in August.

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bookrecsbyjess's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This was absolutely delightful! I’m so excited for the sequel.

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savage_book_review's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Walking through the woods one day, Evie quite literally stumbles across the most notorious bad guy in the land, 'The Villain'. But instead of becoming another one of his victims, he offers her a job as his PA. It's pretty much what you'd expect out of a job really; fix the boss' coffee just the way he likes it, deal with snippy co-workers, contend with the admin tasks that cross your desk and try to ignore the screaming from downstairs. Except, when you're working for The Villain, you may just have to deal with someone trying to kill you...

This was a riot! The author has managed to balance so many different elements in one story to make it a perfect mix of macabre, funny, romantic, cosy and action-packed. The characters are brilliantly thought out and come to life in a blink, the story is simple yet satisfying, and absolutely leaves you wanting more. It's lighthearted, and yet there's a nice little undertone of seriousness about gender equality and other social issues which give it that little bit of depth. Basically, there's something for everyone within!

I adore Evie's character, particularly her smart mouth and sassy retorts when she's on a roll with The Villain. Their rapport is really enjoyable and natural, and the development of their relationship is fantastically paced. Likewise, The Villain is brilliantly pitched - on the face of it, he tortures and kills people for sport, but yup, beyond that he's 100% an eligible book boyfriend! Watching his softer side come out is a joy and a hoot - it's so easy to get sucked into Evie trying to bring out his dimple or make him smile, and when she manages it it's an immediate zing of happy for the reader.

The supporting cast of characters really help in bringing the world to life; from the Frog Prince communicating via sing word sign boards, to the dragon tamer with the padded out CV and the by-the-book HR manager, every character has their place in the overall narrative and yet stands out as an individual. Evie's little sister is so sweet too! I have to say, I TOTALLY relate to Tatianna, the healer, with her penchant for pink! And when she explains why, I felt seen because that's my excuse too!

It does help knowing this is the first in a series - if I was under the impression it was a standalone I don't think it would have come across quite so well. There is a lot of backstory to be filled in, and the pace is quite quick, but I'm content with it as I'm sure it's all coming soon.

This is absolutely a book I will read again and again, and I'm now very impatient for the next instalment at the end of the year!

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kierasreadingjournal's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

✨5 STARS!!!✨

“You are chaos.”

Okay, most of you probably know that I DON’T hand out 5 star reviews easily! 4 stars? Yes, all the time. But 5 stars are reserved for the books that really hit me. That struck a chord in me. That mean something to me!

And I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t actually expecting to pick up another 5 star read this year! I’ve already read one, and I thought that was going to be the end.

I WAS WRONG!!!

Obviously, or we wouldn’t have a huge 5 STARS!!! at the beginning of this. 😆

But Ms. Maehrer’s writing is GENIUS!!!

It’s SOOO QUIRKY!!!! And I absolutely adored the style! The plot twists struck me out of NOWHERE!!! Like, I could not have guessed them from a mile away! And yet, at the same time, I was hitting myself (figuratively) for not figuring it out sooner!

The characters!! Ugh. The CHARACTERS!!! 😍😍😍 I love them all SO MUCH!!! Evie and Trystan and Becky and Blade and Tatianna and EVERYBODY!!!

Not to mention the CHEMISTRY between characters!! The TENSION!! I was rocking giggles and butterflies and even stamping my feet a couple of times. It was just TOO GOOD!!!!

It’s family now! This book has become family to me. 🥹💖 And I cannot WAIT for book two!! 🎉🥳

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callidoralblack's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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