Review of Assistant to the Villain
Jenise Nelson
My spoiler free synopsis: Evie Sage is down on her luck and needs a job so she can support her sick father and her younger sister. She bumps into the baddest villain around, known simply as "The Villain", he offers her a job as his assistant. The Villain runs an office from a hidden away castle, he steals deliveries and generally cause chaos around the city to annoy the king. It's obvious from the get go that the Villain's reputation is the baddest thing about him. Evie Sage is drawn to him and his secrets. She's great at her job and neither one want to ruin the workplace by getting closer to each other.
Thoughts: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer initially really annoyed me. I did not like this book at first. I had heard great things about this series so I was obviously really interested to know what everyone saw that I didn't. I did some looking around at reviews on instagram and what I found was that people compare this book to the TV show "The Office". It's awkward, it's corny, it's yearning, it's looks across the room, it's deadpan bad joke delivery. Once I discovered that bit of information I could look at this book with new eyes. The characters are awkward and endearing.
This book is the slowwwesst of slow burns. The YEARNING omg it makes this book so fun to read. Remember how cute the "will they or won't they date" plot of seasons 1-3 with Jim and Pam? It's like that.
You've got to go into this book knowing that the jokes are so awkward. This book is basically The Office fan-fiction in a fantasy setting. It's full of magical beings, exciting plot twists, and SO much yearning.
I immediately started book 2 - Apprentice to the Villain because I could not wait to see what happened next. Book 2 is even better than book 1! The vibe is fantasy adventure, the yearning is still happening, we're uncovering so much background info, and really developing the world. Definitely a great series to continue. I have heard rumors that a TV SHOW is in the works!
I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a light, fun read full of - yes - YEARNING. ;)