“Romantasy” is extremely popular with books like Fourth Wing and any Sarah J. Maas books being huge hits for the year, and if you’re looking to get into the genre I may have found a great gateway for you!
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehree is a dual-perspective romance fantasy, hence the name “romantasy," that follows Evie Sage as she takes on the role of Assistant to The Villain! The job is exactly what it says: Evie is now the personal assistant for The Villain, the evil man who’s been wreaking havoc on the kingdom. As she hides her new boss from her family and gets used to all the evil doings he does daily, she suspects someone in this evil empire is leaking secrets to the enemy. Now the question is who is it and how can she find them?
As for our Villain, he’s busy working on his ultimate plan. You would think that a new assistant to manage the day-to-day operations of his evil empire would be helpful, but is Evie more of a distraction to him? Now with a traitor trying to take him and his business down, he has to entrust Evie with helping him take the traitor down!
All of the characters in this book were well-rounded and really added to the story. I really enjoyed Evie’s ditziness and her unwavering loyalty to those around her. I know I always appreciate seeing female providers in novels, so seeing her as the caretaker of the family (wanted role or not) was encouraging. Her quirky energy with The Villain’s grumpiness is great, especially if you’re a Grumpy/Sunshine fan. But this is definitely a slow burn seeing that neither character has come to terms with their feelings before the end of the book, but the tension throughout it does the trick and had me kicking my little feet. Plus, if you’re into the dark brooding type like I am, you’ll enjoy The Villain. Aside from our main characters, all other characters in this novel were really well thought out and I could tell they were fleshed out before they were put into the novel. No characters of convenience here!
I love love love the fact that the fantasy elements are palatable and easy to understand. It made this much more of a casual read compared to other fantasy novels where you have no idea what’s happening for the first 100 pages. I feel like most of the fantastical elements are mainstream in the sense that you’ve probably encountered it in other media and you have an understanding of what’s happening without needing an explanation. But for the magic that was handcrafted for this novel, it’s all explained really well and incorporated in a sense that doesn’t feel confusing or like you’re attending a lecture (which I have read fantasy novels that read like a 3-hour business lecture).
There are some mixed opinions about this novel, but I’m here to set the record straight. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Would I call it my favorite book of the year? No, but I enjoyed reading a low-stakes fantasy novel where I didn’t need to keep a journal of background information handy to cross reference during reading. The witty banter between characters and the mystery plot was entertaining and allowed me to escape for a while and just enjoy the novel. It’s cozy and funny and a super casual read. It’s great if you’re getting into fantasy or just want something lighthearted and easy to read. This is definitely a SAVE for me and I’m looking forward to the next book!
Xoxo,
Wednesday!
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