Review: Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This series was just so much fun to read. The whole premise is kind of funny. Evie, in need of a job, has a chance meeting with “the Villain” and gets hired as his assistant. From there, she learns the trade of villainy and falls in love, but of course, it turns out she was the “real” villain all along. We learn in the last book that Evie and Trystan’s parents have switched their fates in hopes of preventing the curse from taking place, only for it to do so anyway. Now that they know their real fates, it takes some adjustments, and they have to race the clock and the King to prevent the curse from taking effect. Hijinks ensue. Some epic fights, some more people fall in love, everything you want in a fantasy. For me, what really makes this book stand out is the full cast of characters that build out the world. Rebecca, the head of HR for the villain, who, funny enough, first came off as cold, was just protecting herself from further hurt. Blade, the dragon herder, is just a ray of sunshine. No matter what happens, he is just positive. All of the characters are relatable and well-rounded. I believe this is the last book in the series, but I feel like there is so much more that can be done in this world, and I hope that Hannah Nicole Maehrer keeps going with it.

Review: When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

Raeve is my kind of psycho killer. Okay, she’s not psycho, but also not fully sane either. She definitely is feisty, which is always a good trait in a heroine. She is a paid killer for a rebellion group in the Fade. She does her job well. Until a truly heinous man kills her friend, and she goes on a killing spree, gets caught, and is sentenced to death. Enter Kaan. The King of the Burn. He rescues her because, you wouldn’t you know, she’s his long-lost love thought to be dead. Yes. That is kind of a spoiler but also pretty obvious from the get-go. They do have a lot of fun banter between the two of them. You can see how, in a different time, they would be drawn to each other. This book has a lot of world-building. So much that it comes with a glossary and cast of characters at the very beginning of the book. It does take a few chapters to figure out the world, but once things all fall into place, it’s a very quick read. It’s an almost 700-page book that I read in less than a week. I am very interested to find out how Raeve became Raeve because it is very far from where she began. The ending introduces a new villain that I am not sure was needed, as there were already some pretty good bad guys, but hey, what do I know. I will just have to wait until the next book.