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micaya's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was a very well written fantasy romance, with an edge of mystery as well. It had lots of good twists and I like how it explored morality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
duda_capri's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Sexism, and Kidnapping
jiobiee's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
OVERALL: 3.5/10, or 1.75/5
What if we took the dynamic from Nimona, made it romantic, and made it considerably worse?
Make no mistake, I recognize that this isn't supposed to be high art. What I was looking for was a light, easy read that blends a cute office romance with a fantasy setting. I read the description, I've seen her TikTok's, I know the author is kind of going for that millennial New Girl Zoeey Deschanel thing and I was prepared to put up with it for the length of the novel. What I wasn't prepared for was just how one-dimensional even the most fleshed out characters are, how uneven, predictable, and boring the plot was, and just how poorly written it is. I cannot believe the target audience is supposed to be adult.
The sad thing is, I think the story would be salvageable if handled by a more experienced writer. The concept is good. The skeleton of a good work is here, somewhere. I could see this being a cute animated miniseries if handled by a competent writer's room.
Immediately upon reading the prologue I was struck by how clunky these character's names are- a bad omen of what was to come. Evangelina Sage? Evie for short? I didn't mind that The Villain called her Sage, but it made me wonder why that wasn't her first name instead- it was by and large preferable to Evangelina or Evie. Becky felt too on-the-nose for the office bully archetype. Tatianna felt like she could have benefitted by a slight fantastical altering of her name. I wasn't thrilled about the name Trystan either, although I found it preferable to most of the other names of characters in this book, save for maybe Griffin or Blade.
The narrative reeks of subversion for subversion's sake without any substance for it to ground itself. Frankly, it hardly accomplishes the subversions it sets out to- in trying to be empowering by showing the misogyny that Evie has struggled with in her life, the author takes two steps forward and five steps back. "Girl Power" only means so much to me when the main character cannot maintain control of her own life without the help of her romantic interest- and frankly, this wouldn't bother me so much if the narrative weren't trying to push this image of Evie as a modest but hardworking careerwoman happy to finally have more equality in the workplace. What is subversive about a woman being a man's PA? Or having a man lash out at her abuser because she's too weak to do so? It is annoying at best and problematic at worst, and I wish we would stop pretending something is progressive because someone declares it so.
Narratively, though, the biggest fuck-you to its audience was its ending. It sets up this mystery as to who might be betraying The Villain- and then lets you down by revealing the traitor as someone impossible to deduce by evidence alone. Now, this reveal is a bit of an obvious one- I had it pegged from the beginning. It was predictable. But up until the last couple of chapters, any evidence pointing to that person being the traitor was near non-existent. I would call the behavior of the individual from the betrayal onward to be character assassination if there were any character to assassinate. Wildly out of left field and written for cheap shock value alone. Worst still, we have to go over the same information again immediately after it happens because the author cannot help but repeat herself constantly.
I did not find the author funny. She is not good at humor. Evie is clearly a Renaissance Faire self-insert of the author and as such, I did not find Evie very funny. If you like She-Hulk and Thor: Love and Thunder-style quippiness with some classic 2010's style twee, maybe you would like it more than I did. I hated it.
The worldbuilding, magic system, and setting of everywhere other than the Manor was vague at best. It made keeping track of locations difficult and the sense of stakes was skewed considering the audience can't fully comprehend the consequences of the magic system in this universe.
Also, a shocking lack of romance in a book where the romance IS the main appeal.
Despite all of my qualms with the narrative, I will say that the dynamic between Evie and the Villain is a cute one. I found myself rooting for them to fall into a relationship with one another and eager to see how they progress. I did not like Evie, but I did like seeing the Villain squirm in situations where he didn't understand how to convey his romantic feelings. Seeing an anti-hero or a villainous character get butterflies is, unfortunately, one of my many weaknesses and I felt endeared to his character because of it.
I would say pick this up with no expectations but frankly, my expectations were low to begin with and I was still disappointed.
Make no mistake, I recognize that this isn't supposed to be high art. What I was looking for was a light, easy read that blends a cute office romance with a fantasy setting. I read the description, I've seen her TikTok's, I know the author is kind of going for that millennial New Girl Zoeey Deschanel thing and I was prepared to put up with it for the length of the novel. What I wasn't prepared for was just how one-dimensional even the most fleshed out characters are, how uneven, predictable, and boring the plot was, and just how poorly written it is. I cannot believe the target audience is supposed to be adult.
The sad thing is, I think the story would be salvageable if handled by a more experienced writer. The concept is good. The skeleton of a good work is here, somewhere. I could see this being a cute animated miniseries if handled by a competent writer's room.
Immediately upon reading the prologue I was struck by how clunky these character's names are- a bad omen of what was to come. Evangelina Sage? Evie for short? I didn't mind that The Villain called her Sage, but it made me wonder why that wasn't her first name instead- it was by and large preferable to Evangelina or Evie. Becky felt too on-the-nose for the office bully archetype. Tatianna felt like she could have benefitted by a slight fantastical altering of her name. I wasn't thrilled about the name Trystan either, although I found it preferable to most of the other names of characters in this book, save for maybe Griffin or Blade.
The narrative reeks of subversion for subversion's sake without any substance for it to ground itself. Frankly, it hardly accomplishes the subversions it sets out to- in trying to be empowering by showing the misogyny that Evie has struggled with in her life, the author takes two steps forward and five steps back. "Girl Power" only means so much to me when the main character cannot maintain control of her own life without the help of her romantic interest- and frankly, this wouldn't bother me so much if the narrative weren't trying to push this image of Evie as a modest but hardworking careerwoman happy to finally have more equality in the workplace. What is subversive about a woman being a man's PA? Or having a man lash out at her abuser because she's too weak to do so? It is annoying at best and problematic at worst, and I wish we would stop pretending something is progressive because someone declares it so.
Narratively, though, the biggest fuck-you to its audience was its ending. It sets up this mystery as to who might be betraying The Villain- and then lets you down by revealing the traitor as someone impossible to deduce by evidence alone. Now, this reveal is a bit of an obvious one- I had it pegged from the beginning. It was predictable. But up until the last couple of chapters, any evidence pointing to that person being the traitor was near non-existent. I would call the behavior of the individual from the betrayal onward to be character assassination if there were any character to assassinate. Wildly out of left field and written for cheap shock value alone. Worst still, we have to go over the same information again immediately after it happens because the author cannot help but repeat herself constantly.
I did not find the author funny. She is not good at humor. Evie is clearly a Renaissance Faire self-insert of the author and as such, I did not find Evie very funny. If you like She-Hulk and Thor: Love and Thunder-style quippiness with some classic 2010's style twee, maybe you would like it more than I did. I hated it.
The worldbuilding, magic system, and setting of everywhere other than the Manor was vague at best. It made keeping track of locations difficult and the sense of stakes was skewed considering the audience can't fully comprehend the consequences of the magic system in this universe.
Also, a shocking lack of romance in a book where the romance IS the main appeal.
Despite all of my qualms with the narrative, I will say that the dynamic between Evie and the Villain is a cute one. I found myself rooting for them to fall into a relationship with one another and eager to see how they progress. I did not like Evie, but I did like seeing the Villain squirm in situations where he didn't understand how to convey his romantic feelings. Seeing an anti-hero or a villainous character get butterflies is, unfortunately, one of my many weaknesses and I felt endeared to his character because of it.
I would say pick this up with no expectations but frankly, my expectations were low to begin with and I was still disappointed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore and Torture
Parental Abusevioletreads15's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence and Sexual harassment
Minor: Torture and Kidnapping
oldsoulsgetbored's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, and Torture
Minor: Trafficking
gayfrog's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
quick, easy read. not always well written, but still very enjoyable. i definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
smokie_okie's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, and Torture
tchoupie42's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 but close to a 4.
What happened when a clumsy young and nice woman meet the Villain that terrorised the country? She obviously start working for him (she was looking for a job after all...)
I really loved the different characters (special mention to Kingsley) and the despite a few scenes being very far-fetched, they were still funny. The overall intrigue kept me on my toes and I'm looking for the volume 2.
Can we say that the villain is a morally gray character? Maybe not. He is a very proud villain after all (he would hate hearing someone saying that he is "gray". He is the darkest Dark !).
cliffhanger at the end
What happened when a clumsy young and nice woman meet the Villain that terrorised the country? She obviously start working for him (she was looking for a job after all...)
I really loved the different characters (special mention to Kingsley) and the despite a few scenes being very far-fetched, they were still funny. The overall intrigue kept me on my toes and I'm looking for the volume 2.
Can we say that the villain is a morally gray character? Maybe not. He is a very proud villain after all (he would hate hearing someone saying that he is "gray". He is the darkest Dark !).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Torture, and Death of parent
There are a few content warning attached to this book that people might want to know about, but most of those are treated in a "light" or even "funny" way (after all, this is assistant to THE VILLAIN, not to the princess). Not all of them, but the book is still overall set in a "happy mood"ashleyj_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book absolutely destroyed me. I need more of Evie and The Villian, now.
I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to take so long getting into this book! Once I got past the exposition (it was slow for me, but that could’ve been the mood reader problem), I was HOOKED and couldn’t put the book down!
I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to take so long getting into this book! Once I got past the exposition (it was slow for me, but that could’ve been the mood reader problem), I was HOOKED and couldn’t put the book down!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Torture, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
luna_98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
very cute and exciting read. i feel like this is right up my alley since I'm still dipping my toes into fantasy. definitely had me smiling and laughing, evie and trystan are so funny together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Death, Gore, Torture, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Classism