Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Review

I tend to use the word “fun” a lot when starting my reviews, but this book, more than most of the others I have read, was a truly fun book! It’s campy, and silly, and very trope-y, but that’s why I enjoyed it so much! It was especially the kind of book I needed in the midst of my horror marathon throughout the fall season.

To start off with, because I know people will get hung up on it, the dialogue is incredibly cringey. I say that instead of bad because I believe it was a purposeful choice to write it this way, given the vibes of the book. Remember, one of our main characters is almost always referred to as The Villain. When Evie first meets him, she tells him that he’s too pretty to be evil and then starts measuring his cheekbones with her hands. If that’s a clear enough picture for you, we lines like: “I am not afraid of the dark, Sage. I am The Villain. The dark fears me” or “Are we changing the subject because you’re embarrassed that you were an evil overlord in distress?” or the name reveal for the frog from the cover (The one who wears the crown and holds up all the signs? Yeah his name is Kingsley.) If you go into this expecting a very serious novel about morality or a passionate and tragic love story, you will be disappointed. There are a lot of shenanigans and miscommunication and our main character’s being oblivious to each other’s feelings. You can tell this was written for a TikTok and generally online audience. I don’t mean that in a negative way. But, if you’ve never read the more campy and indulgent writing that can be found online, or some less serious fanfiction, then you might go in with the wrong kinds of expectations.

Speaking of this novel’s common tropes, I do have to comment on the miscommunication plotline from the middle of the novel. I can only handle miscommunication under certain circumstances, and this novel was not one of them.

I can’t stand unnecessary drama born out of character’s refusing to talk to each other. It’s so much easier to explain themselves, but they just refuse to do so and force themselves to accept the consequences.

Despite all the silliness and shenanigans, there are reasons for the workers at Massacre Manor being involved in villainy. I won’t spoil our love interest’s backstory, but Evie is the sole provider for her family. Her brother died and her mom disappeared when she was young, her father has contracted The Illness with no cure or hope for work, and her little sister is still a child in school. Evie had to give up her childhood in order to keep her family afloat, and after what happened at her last job, The Villain is a much better boss. Tatiana, Blade, and Becky all have their own stories for joining as well, and they round out our main cast of characters. Also, don’t forget that despite the cozy little mystery, they are being sold out by someone in the office. Betrayal is a big theme at the end of the novel and there is quite a bit of angst plus some great twists at the very end. After that cliffhanger, I for one am definitely looking forward to the next book.