Review: Apprentice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #2) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Title: Apprentice to the Villain

Series: Assistant to the Villain #2

Previous book in this series: Assistant to the Villain

Author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Genre: Adult, high fantasy, romance

Publication date: August 2024

Published by: Entangled: Red Tower Books

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: 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?

My rating: ★★★★☆

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't love this book as much as the last one. I mean, I still liked it, but Assistant to the Villain was an easy 5 stars, sooo...

I will say, though, I did love that the book immediately started off with some action, which is something we know I love in a book. Lol. I also still loved how hilarious the book was and how fun the banter between the characters was. Not only that, but I also enjoyed how the relationships and friendships between the characters developed, especially between Evie and Becky. It was surprising but very heartwarming. I do appreciate that these characters have depth.

Evie herself, though, while it cracks me up that she literally has no filter between her brain and her mouth, sometimes she's too much.

As for the romance, to be honest, I could've used more romance in this ROMANCE book. Lol. Like, just give me more kissing and I'll be happy. Lol. And yes, I still love Trystan 😍 He's so sweet and thoughtful, and his relationship with Evie's little sister Lyssa is so freaking cute!

He did, unfortunately, annoy me with the whole prophecy thing and trying to prevent it from coming true by staying away from Evie, because has anyone heard of Oedipus? Hello? The dude who tried so hard to stop the prophecy that he instead fulfilled it perfectly? 😂 Anyway, that's probably what's going to happen here, or they’ll misinterpret it or something. Either way, I was very annoyed. Lol.

Like I said, the book was still fun, but it felt like it was very much the same as the last book. I was hoping for a little more progression in the relationship between Evie and Trystan, but yeahh, that didn't happen 😒 I still enjoyed the book overall, though.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! 😊