Book Review: "Assistant to the Villain" by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Title: Assistant to the Villain

Author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Series: "Assistant to the Villain" #1

Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance

Page Length: 352 pages

Publication Date: September 5, 2023

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Goodreads

I'm sure if you've been on BookTok this year that you've seen this book floating around. It's the next big release from Red Tower Books (yes the Fourth Wing guys) and debuted on the NYT bestseller list. And it was one of my most anticipated releases for this year. 

I first heard of this book just by following the author with her TikTok skit series about what it would be like as an assistant to a villain. It was such a fun series and everyone loved it. When it was announced it would be published this year, I was beyond excited to see how it finally came to life. 

I had so much fun with this book. It gave comedy fairytale vibes as opposed to gritty serious fantasy vibes, and sometimes I just like the silly goofy time. But if you go into this expecting a serious fantasy with deep world-building and a complex plot, you're not going to get that. 

I liked our main characters and a lot of the side characters wormed their way into my heart. It was a great mix of personalities and I'm definitely getting found-family vibes from it all. I think the interactions between all the characters are what drive this book the most. 

The plot was engaging and fun, though nothing overly special. I like the slow-burn element of it all and I was definitely not expecting the cliffhanger at the end. I didn't realize this was a series when it was first announced but now I'm incredibly intrigued by where this is all going to go in future books. 

My only critique of this book is the editing. It felt very much like a first draft with surface level editing. It wasn't a small issue, either. Most of the book's sentence structures, grammar, pacing, etc could have been greatly improved with another couple rounds of editing. I definitely think that if not for the editing, I would have rating this book 5 stars. It's a fun book and the characters are equally fun, but the actual writing and editing needed work. 

Overall, I really enjoyed it and am going to continue with the rest of the series. It's a silly, goofy time and I love books that bring that lightness to me. My hope, though, is that the editing will get better in future books with a longer publication schedule as I think the main issue with the book is that. If you can overlook the editing, I think this is definitely a book worth reading. 

---

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

---

You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

---

September 2023 Book Haul

Another month, another book haul! Surprisingly, I didn't get anything in August but I did pick back up in September. I visited home this month finally and I had a giant stack of books waiting for me at my parents' houses. Anything I didn't bring back with me to the UK isn't going to be in this haul but is safely stored away for future moving plans. Either way, let's dive into the five books that I do have for this haul! 

---

The first book I hauled this month was an ARC of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. One of the books waiting in the giant stack at home was this one and I absolutely flipped out when I saw it. Fourth Wing is one of my favorite books of the year and I am so excited to have the ARC in my hands. This is, of course, the first one I packed to bring back to the UK with me and I'm thrilled to be able to add it to my Fourth Wing collection.

One of the first things I did when we landed was go to Target for shampoo and snacks. Of course, I had to check out the book selection while I was there. Assistant to the Villain was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I couldn't help myself when I saw it at Target. It's such a floppy fun paperback and I decided to get it rather than wait until I was back for the UK edition. One of the things I miss most about the US is the floppy paperbacks. 

Then I picked up The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. This has been on my wishlist for over a year now and when I did my trip to Barnes & Noble I had this one as my top pick. It also ended up being my only pick because wow book prices have gone up in the US. Either way, I'm so excited to have this in my hands finally and it's on my immediate TBR for October and spooky season. Plus, this paperback is super floppy and comfy to hold so I'm quite excited just about the physical aspect of it as well as the content. 

When I got back, it was time for the monthly book boxes. Up first was Illumicrate with A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. When I saw it was going to be in the September Illumicrate box, I knew I was going to get it. And this edition is absolutely beautiful with the edges and artwork. I've been intrigued by this book for a while and I've heard nothing but good things from a lot of people who I trust with book opinions. I've also heard nothing but good things about this author so I think it's only fitting I start with this one. 

Lastly, I have the Fairyloot edition of Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares. This edition is beautiful but I'm also pretty excited about the book itself. It's a gender-bent Zorro retelling and I am beyond intrigued by that premise as I loved Zorro as a kid. Plus, this edition is absolutely stunning with the edges and the cover change. 

---

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

---

You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

---

September 2023 Wrap-Up

It's time for spooky season! Now that we're in October, I'm settling down for all of the spooky and atmospheric reads that are coming my way. However, let's first recap on September before I get all excited about October.

September was a small reading month for me. I went on a long holiday and there wasn't much time for reading. I reread two childhood favorites and examined them in a new light and then I also read one of my more anticipated releases of the year. Let's dive in! 

---

1. 

Title: Little House on the Prairie

Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

-reread-

2. 

Title: On the Banks of Plum Creek

Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder 

-reread-

3. 

Title: Assistant to the Villain

Author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Review TK

---

August 2023 Wrap-Up

Spooky Season TBR

---

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

---

You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

---