Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

190 reviews

lkzland_97's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma

Minor: Child death, Terminal illness, and Torture

lspettel's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

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

4.75

What a silly ride! It was all the chaos of the series brought to life in book form! The ridiculous amount of tropes will satisfy the heart and make you squeal like Hannah herself! It’s got more darkness in it than you would think, but absolutely enjoyed it as a fan before the book!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Gore, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder

rbour26's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I truly could not get past her father betraying her in one of the worst ways. Reading that and the final scene with the king really put me off of the book and the series as a whole

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual assault and Torture

fierygecko's review against another edition

funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.75

So, I didn't enjoy this book, but I did find it entertaining. Evie is honestly very witty and funny, however I felt like the author was trying to convince me she's incapable for a good portion of the book? The Villain is a fun character, but I got very tired of him insisting he had no emotions whatsoever very fast. I also had to wait so long to discover his Traumatic Backstory that I didn't care much by the time we got there. The side characters are colourful and have unique backstories that are either explored or hinted at. The plot was very high stakes but somehow didn't feel important, even though it was actually interesting! I liked that the world-building didn't seem to matter that much, so it was simple, but it wasn't very straightforward. The magic system -part of the setting that does matter- is barely explained, except that many types of magic are "incredibly rare". Based on what I know from the second book, my gripes with Evie might be addressed, which is exciting, but I'm not sure if I'll read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content

briknecht's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

0.25

I should have DNF’d but kept going in hopes it would get better. It reads like a middle-grade story, with lots of cringe and teenage angst. The main characters fell flat and tried to be funny but just…weren’t. 

I switched between physical book and audio, and the narration did not do this any favors. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Torture

mzquirk's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Death

Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture

ellaraeread's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bear_ridge_tarot's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 Evie Sage is too kindhearted to be the Assistant to a notorious high-ranking villain. With a father who is home sick and a younger sister to care for, she must do something to keep them fed. So when she has a mishap than lands her in the lap of Rennedawn’s most infamous villan and results in a job offer, who is she to refuse? Just as she’s getting used to severed heads and intern scatter days, she discovers a rat among the thieves. Now she must not only resist falling figuratively as well as literally for her boss, but also discover who is sabotaging all his (and her) hard work. 

This was a quick paced and entertaining novel throughout it all. I loved Evie’s internal monologue. “Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.” The humor was perfection, if a little over the top, and the tension between Mr. Evil and Evie was thick enough to cut with a dagger hidden in a sleeve. I would have loved a bit more backstory for some of the supporting characters, but that is what sequels are for.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death, Torture, and Abandonment

abrielleemory's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I originally wanted to read this book because I thought the cover was so cool! But, I genuinely enjoyed the storyline and mystery in the plot. I wouldn’t say I particularly loved any of the characters, but I liked the purpose of all the main characters. 
The twist near the end was unexpected and I didn’t predict it. But, I liked the detective-ish work from Trystan and Evie. 
I hope the next book has more… happen between them. This whole book was a tease of just them admitting their feelings. 

**EDITED from 4 to 3 stars. The romance really fell flat, now that I’ve had time to think. And the magic system really made ZERO sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, and Murder

greenrobin's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual harassment