Let's Talk Books

Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Nicole Maehrer and PRH UK Transworld for a galley of this in exchange for an honest review.

I read, and thoroughly enjoyed, the first book in this series Assistant to the Villain, and as soon as this came up I requested it! Maehrer did not disappoint. This was as hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, and raucous as the previous book in the series, Apprentice to the Villain sees Evie Sage coming into her own, recovering after many a betrayal, and investigating her ever-green cheer, as she is tested in new and difficult ways. Trystan, the eponymous Villain, is also tested… and not just by Evie.

As with the previous book, this is a slow-burn romance, filled with humour, and crammed full of story. Maehrer has a talent for telling you far more than you think you need to know, and yet never losing the sense of the story. This, for some, is a negative, but I think it adds to the characterisation. Evie is so full of enthusiasm, that her telling us everything just feels like what she would do! I love the characters, I love how everyone is a little bit in love with someone else, I love how the world is developing. This, to me, feels like someone getting to live their dream of telling us a fairytale, and I adore that about these books. Maehrer seems genuinely thrilled to be a writer, and that is something I understand all too well.

Like the first this has some confusing sentences, and more than a few actual errors. I would hope these are caught prior to publication, but having spotted similar issues in the previous book I think it is just an unfortunate fact. Still a strong read. 3.5 stars, rounded up!