Reviews with content warning for War - Assistant to the Villain

Representation: N/A
Score: Six out of ten.

Well that was a unique reading experience. I wanted to read Assistant to the Villain for a while to try romantasy again after other books like Fourth Wing and Iron Flame disappointed me. No library had it so I had to request one to get it for me. I glanced at the blurb, but I wasn't that intrigued, and when I closed the final page, it was okay.

It starts with Evie Sage looking for a job until she finds an opportunity to work for The Villain, which happens in the opening pages. The concept, the theme and message of unexpected romances were okay but there were flaws in the execution that forced me to lower the rating to three stars. The worldbuilding was lacklustre since the narrative focused more on the romance than the world itself, and the characters are hard to connect or relate with. The plot is average and didn't engage me enough due to the filler pages hampering the pacing. Removing those could've increased my engagement, as well as writing the characters with more depth and expanding on the world. Conflicts arise as Evie quits her job (what for?) and the kingdom of Rennedawn starts an uprising against the Villain (he's a false antagonist, mind you) but there are more filler pages afterward, until the conclusion, which has more action and a cliffhanger.

Content Warnings

lilawsahar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I breezed through this book trying to figure out if the villian and sage would realize they’re in love, why did the villian hate the king, who was the leak!? We got all the answers but I’m not satisfied hopefully the second book will add more clarity to the situation.

I’m glad that the villian realized he’s in love but Sage is still in the dark. Hopefully she figures it out while she goes to rescue the villian. Next, I still don’t understand why the king was trying to control the Villian. What are his motives? Also what is he doing with the monsters? Is he trying to find a cure? Is the king actually bad? Lastly, I CANT BELIEVE THE DAD WAS THE MOLE!! Wtf. And I can’t believe he sold his daughter to the blacksmith. He is actually a villian. I hope the daughter tortures the shit out of him.

Also no spice!! The second book better have that too!!

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tymtoread's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Slay (the king).

Fuck that cliffhanger tho

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penandpaper's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Great potential with mediocre, cheesy delivery. It reads like a middle-grade fantasy trying too hard to be adult without actually committing. The weakest part of this book is the overarching mystery, and instead of leaning into the interesting characters, the book relies too much on a boring mystery to justify a trilogy. Not satisfying on its own but also not worth reading future books.

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clothildev's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The heroine gets the morally grey villain and also goes out for revenge, I say good for her

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