Apprentice to the Villain is the second of four projected Villain novels (#3 is out now) and continues the romance/fantasy of Evie Sage and Trystan Maverine, aka the Villain. At the end of book one, Evie’s world has been turned on its head. Her boss Trystan has been captured by the evil King Benedict and he thinks Evie is dead. Evie and the rest of the crew at Massacre Manor have to come up with a plan to get the boss back and save the magical world that they know and love. And both Evie and Trystan are grappling with their secret (haha, so they think) feelings for one another. Book two continues the dangerous, bloody adventures and the slow burn romance. The cast of characters increases and the plot gets a bit convoluted at times, but it’s still a fun read.
The world that the characters inhabit is a magical one. There are dragons, some crazy poison-spewing flying serpents called guvres, and a frog named Kingsley who understands human speech and holds up signs to communicate. And there are people with magical powers. Powers are very specific — so Trystan’s power is that he can see an enemy’s weak spot and hit it with deadly force. Tatianna is a healer and Clare has a way with plants and potions. Not all people have magic, and those that do usually discover their power as a young adult after some sort of traumatic experience. King Benedict has been trying to marshal magical forces for years in an attempt to fulfill some ancient story about Rennedawn (the kingdom where they reside). Most people think the story is a fairy tale but Benedict and others know it to be true, and that if someone can acquire the four things mentioned in the tale, they will control the magic. If Benedict succeeds, his unfettered control would essentially mean the end of the magical world, and it seems that magic is leeching out of the world already. I have to admit that this part of the story — the prophecy or whatever it is — is not terribly clear to me, although in fairness it might not be terribly clear to the characters either. Anyway, in this book, Trystan possesses a magical creature stolen from the King that is essential to the prophecy, and the King will do anything to get it back. We also learn that Evie’s mother and brother have also been essential to the King’s purposes. Their roles in the story are revealed slowly throughout book two.
The relationships within the novel are the fun part. As I expected, more romances pop up in book two. The dragon trainer Blade and the prissy uptight HR person Becky are developing feelings for each other and we learn that Becky comes from a very important and powerful family with links to Evie’s mother. The healer Tatianna and Trystan’s sister Clare, who were once an item but had a huge falling out in the past, seem to be warming up to each other again. The main event is of course Evie and Trystan. Thanks to the alternating narration, we see how each burns for the other, how they misread each other, and how miserable they are at the thought of not having each other. Plenty of events arise to threaten them. Both Evie and Trystan are now infamous for their crimes, and wanted posters with their faces are all over the kingdom, something that Evie finds simply thrilling. Given the huge reward for their capture, it’s not just the King’s guard that they have to worry about. There are a number of fun scenes where they are in peril and are literally clinging to one another, plus a pretty good kissing scene, but Trystan is constantly pulling back. He is annoyed with himself for falling in love and feels terrible that he has put Evie in danger. Evie, for her part, chafes whenever she feels like people are dishonest with her and/or diminish her capabilities. There’s plenty of misunderstanding and the trope of the hero feeling like he has to separate himself from his love interest for her own safety. It doesn’t help that Trystan’s magic seems to be going wonky, especially when Evie is near.
Even though I found some of the events in this novel to be a little predictable, it was still entertaining. I still want to know what the heck is going on in Rennedawn and what is going to happen to Evie, Trystan, their friends and the magical world they inhabit. Things are looking a bit dire, but the reader also gets a sense that a couple of characters might have magical powers or some other trick up their sleeves that will come out in the next installment. We’ll see.