Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

At the beginning of the book, Evie is dead. Apparently. At least, The Villain sure thinks she is. And he's devastated. But, as the blurb mentions, she is not dead. In fact, she's leading the revolution to release The Villain. He's been tortured in the cellars of the castle only to be brought upstairs to be unmasked and accused of killing Miss Sage. 

Why should The Villain be unmasked? It's part of a prophecy. One that will maybe bring magic back to Rennedawn and stop the mysterious illness that is killing so many people. There are two other parts, one which includes finding Evie's mother.

In the course of the story, we have two different someones coming back from the dead, one person who does evil for the greater good, and one magic dagger. 

Didn't love all of the world building in this one but I was dying laughing and also wished I had pencil and paper to write down some rather poignant quotes.

Four stars

This book came out August 8, 2024

Assistant to the Villain #2

Follows Apprentice to the Villain

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Evie Sage lost her mother and brother in a tragic accident so now the only ones left are she, her younger sister, and their ailing father. When she loses her job, it could be catastrophic for their family. But she does find employment again quickly. Too bad it's with The Villain. But as she works with him more and more, she starts to wonder, really, what makes him so villainous? 

There are also a cast of other characters working there and, while Evie establishes herself as orderly and imperious, she makes friends as well as enemies at work. 

It took me awhile to get into this book but the characters grew on me, the plot was fun, and now I can't wait for the next book.

Four stars
This book came out August 29, 2023

Assistant to the Villain #1

Followed by Apprentice to the Villain

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own