Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Book Review

Matthew Johns

This is the second book in the series, following up to the successful Assistant to The Villain. Evie Sage is the titular apprentice, working for the dishy and apparently misunderstood Villain (or Trystan Maverine, to give him his actual name). They live in the magical land of Rennedawn, where the magic seems to be fading.

This is an entertaining romp through a well imagined and excellently articulated world, mixing humour, action, romance and fantasy. It opens with Evie Sage apparently dead, and The Villain incarcerated by King Benedict, who seems to be enjoying having The Villain tortured a little too much. Needless to say, reports of Evie’s death seem to have been somewhat exaggerated and The Villain soon escapes.

I hadn’t read the first book in this series, but that didn’t seem to matter too much – this works well as a standalone book. Maehrer’s writing is very engaging, and the witty banter (and suppressed romance) between Evie and The Villain is great fun. A whole host of other characters grace the pages, adding their own back stories and contributing to the overall plot. Long lost family members come into the mix, helping the story along while Evie searches for her missing mother, trying to find a way to restore the magic to the kingdom and avoid the knights of King Benedict.

The king has his own plan to restore the magic, but it seems that perhaps all is not as it seems – can the king be trusted? Is The Villain truly villainous? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to read the book! I’ll be getting the first in the series to catch up on all the backstory, and will definitely keep my eyes open for the next in the series when it comes.