Disappointment: Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Synopsis

“An engaging love story about finding strength in vulnerability.” ―Kirkus Reviews

NOTICE TO STAFF: There has been a disturbing increase in cheeriness, sprightly behavior, and overall optimism of late. Please resume your former dark, ominous terrors at your earliest convenience. ―Mgmt

Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.

But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs―Kingsley’s included―point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies…including their nemesis, the king.

Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.

It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.

But what happens when the assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?

Audiobook Review

3,5 stars

I loved Assistant to the Villain, gave it 4,5 stars and couldn’t wait for the sequel.

Yet Apprentice to the Villain disappointed me.

The plot in a nutshell:
The villain has been taken prisoner by King Benedict and Evie, his assistant, Is plotting to rescue him.
After a mad dash for his domain, they will soon embark on plenty of adventures to retore magic in the kingdom. Aided by a merry band of odd side characters, Tristan and Evie will aim to excel at villainy all while posing the most unvillainous acts possible! Between ancient godlike creatures, a mother they have to track, memory flowers, dragons etc the story unfurls at a brisk pace.

Let’s talk about like and dislike:

What I liked:

-the found family is still going strong!
Evie has her siblings but her new friends (dragon tamer, healer, office workers, cooks etc) are her extended family and they all have her back;

-Evie.
She is still clumsy, naïve but smart and she has a heart of gold. She also is mischievous and loves laughing. Extremely witty, she won’t hesitate to banter with the formidable Villain. All that I liked in the first book.

-the worldbuilding.
It’s a creative world with wishing stars, dragons, cursed frogs etc And you also have a prophecy!

-the comic duo between grumpy Tristan and sunshine Evie.
The banter is good and the villain will begrudgingly do good deeds to please Evie.

What I didn’t like:

-the romance.
I know that’s odd as I began as a romance reader and I love that we have a grumpy sunshine romance BUT the author is playing with some of my least favorite “tricks” in romance stories: the push and pull. One moment they are about to kiss then something happens and they stop. Then we are back again. On and on. That’s extremely frustrating!
Also the “I am bad for you so we need to separate”. I hate when a character decides what’s good for the other and doesn’t ask for the other’s opinion.
The misunderstanding/miscommunication. The character choosing for distance doesn’t even want to explain. So many things could be solved if people talk!

I will still read the sequel but I hope the author will make another choice romance wise…

Thanks for reading!

Sophie