Assistant to the Villain is a fantasy novel that follows Evie Sage, a quirky and witty character who finds herself in a precarious situation after losing her job and crossing paths with the Villain, Trystan. The story unravels as Evie becomes the assistant to the Villain and is thrown into a world of magic, suspense, and action. Through a series of twists and turns, the plot delves into their evolving relationship, the dynamics of the characters around them, and the mysteries that unfold, leading to a cliffhanger ending that leaves readers eager for more. The writing style is described as fluent and engaging, with humorous dialogue and multiple points of view providing insights into the characters' inner thoughts and motivations.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings are noted, particularly related to violence and mild body horror, but they are often played for comedic effect rather than serious horror.
Has Romance?
The romance in the book is present with a medium level of development; while it lacks explicit scenes, there is significant tension and character connection.
From The Publisher:
Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer's laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, 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.
Ratings (54)
Incredible (18) | |
Loved It (23) | |
Liked It (5) | |
It Was OK (2) | |
Did Not Like (4) | |
Hated It (2) |
Reader Stats (120):
Read It (58) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (49) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (8) |
5 comment(s)
This book was such a fun read. The humor is on point and it’s just so sweet to read each characters POV super cozy/feel good read. I’m jumping immediately into book 2
Cute and funny but didn't make me super motivated to get into the sequel. Their relationship was a little too obvious for my taste but worth the read.
Note to self, check if a book is trending on TikTok and avoid if so :|
Once Upon A Time meets
The Office is a painfully apt description of what I just read, so please take that comparison seriously when you read it in the synopsis.
Assistant to the Villain was what you'd expect: juvenile in every way aside from profanity and occasional descriptions of gore. Evie (I
know she must've been named that to sound like "evil") was a twenty-something with the maturity of a 16-year-old, so if you read this book, prepare for a YA novel mistakenly shelved in the adult fantasy section. I honestly blame myself partially for my expectations going into this book. I didn't think it'd be an epic fantasy by any means, but I didn't expect the villain to be called The Villain. UNIRONICALLY.
I could go on and on about my annoyances and gripes, but I also have to be honest with myself. I enjoyed reading this book — for the first 50-ish percent at least. The beginning felt like when you turn on a movie from your childhood that isn't very good, but it's got a certain charm that still makes you laugh at the occasional bad joke. It started to drag more and more towards the middle because (let's be honest) this book had nothing going for it story-wise except the expectation that the leads would get together. AND ALL WE GOT WAS A SINGLE KISS! Ugh. Needless to say, I don't plan on reading the second book (WHYYYY IS THIS NOT A STANDALONE), but if you're in the mood for a shallow piece of fanfiction, you could pick this up. I'd recommend AO3 instead.
This wasn't quite the book for me. I understand why it might appeal to many readers, but for me, it was at best mediocre and sometimes downright irksome.
Let's start by acknowledging that I have a very specific sense of humor, and most funny books tend to annoy me rather than amuse me. The beginning of this book genuinely intrigued me, but as the story progressed, the jokes became a bit too much, and the humor couldn't quite mask the rather thin plot and irritatingly silly characters. The whole thing gave me the feeling of reading a middle-grade book, which isn't a genre I typically gravitate toward as an adult.
To be honest, after initially picking up this book with enthusiasm, I found myself completely stuck on chapter 12 for a few months, unsure if I would ever finish it. Fortunately, it was translated into my native language (Polish) and turned into an audiobook. Polish is a more formal language than English, generally using more complex grammatical structures, so the simplistic language of the book became slightly more mature. Also, the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job of turning the rather simplistic humor into sarcasm, and the characters became much more mature. This was the sole reason I managed to finish the book. I don't think I could have read it in its original form.
Mostly, there seemed to be a lack of a compelling overarching plot to drive the story forward. I often found myself unsure of where the narrative was heading. The author had a good idea for building this world, but I'm not sure if she knew what story she wanted to tell. As a result, we have a group of fairly well-drawn characters in an interesting setting, but they meander around somewhat aimlessly.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, but I'm not sure if I'll read the next book in the series. These just aren't the kinds of stories for me, and while I'm curious about the further adventures of the main characters, I'm not sure if I can endure another dose of silly Evie. Towards the end, her naivety and cutesy voice really grated on my nerves. I'm also unsure if the author has enough talent and skill to write another book that will be at least as good as the first, but I hope I'm wrong about that.
The best part of this book remains the frog. I absolutely adore it.
What can you read after
Assistant to the Villain?
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