If you are looking for a low-stakes cozy fantasy, with an unserious plot and a lot of funny lines than this is the book for you!

I was sent an arc of Assistant to the Villain (thank you publishers) right before it was published and at the time I really thought nothing of it. I had read the synopsis and thought "this isn't for me". Few months later, here we are finished and absolutely obsessed with the hilarity and lightheartedness of this book. Exactly what I needed after reading heavy fantasies.

I am not saying this book is perfect. It has its flaws just like the main character's do. While it was a page turner, there were parts that felt like it dragged on. There were many moments of "nothingness" happening. I wish we could have had more of the mystery and suspense filled in. I also wanted to know more about the world. We are given this vast kingdom and told there is all this magic but with very explanation as to why. There is also a sickness that took over the kingdom and plays a large part in the plot but once again no why or what.

Also, I do feel like character growth was quite static. The Villain seems to grow with the help of Evie; however, Evie herself does not change much. She is still the same sarcastic, sunshine and rainbows girl at the end of the book just as the beginning...but maybe with a little more darkness. We are given some diversity in the characters but there were times where they weren't distinguishable and tended to be 2D.

However, our character's are very lovable and there there is still some mystery left to be solved for the next book.