I read "Apprentice to the Villain" sequel to "Assistant to the Villain" by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

[@monster-enthusiast]

"I would call this vanilla, but vanilla is a flavor." Lmao

[@marshall7002]

Crying at the heaven officials blessing joke 😭 *800 years man*

[@miiithos]

the heavens official blessing joke was a jump scare. so good

[@dfretter]

I think it’s funny I was like “at least one of you got that” and most of the comments are about that.

[@sourcandyspite]

i feel like one of the basic rules of speculative fiction is that the setting is its own character and should be treated as such. but i guess when you're just smashing your blank faced barbies at each other until they kiss, you're not showing much respect for the actual characters either

[@kandibug5303]

So this story the "Villain" is the "Good Guy" because the "Good Side" is the "Real Bad Guys" (because the creator didn't want to commit to the "Villain" aspect) when the story sold itself as working for the "Bad Guy" in an "Fantasy Office Setting", but now we lost even the "Fantasy Office Setting" aspect of the story making it just like any other Romance with Hints of Fantasy books...

[@dfretter]

That about sums it up yeah.

[@antheathetiefling8581]

So, basically half the problems that come up are solved by Evie finding a new family member - who solves the problem for her?

[@dfretter]

Yes. But only half. The other half is Tristan needs therapy.

[@robynj5785]

"fantasy shit is weird sometimes" would make a great t-shirt

[@aprilmacg169]

This just makes me want to watch and read Nimona again... And tell my friend about that reference I caught on their behalf, guys I gotta read Heaven's Official Blessing finally

[@jasminv8653]

I was just about to say! Nimona actually plays homage to BOTH medievalist fantasy tropes AND this kind of sidekick-boss dynamic, ughhh

[@kandibug5303]

I've just read a teen/YA fantasy comedy graphic novel called Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil that does a better job of poking fun at fantasy conventions, has some good funny visual jokes/gags, the relationship between the Hero of Virtue Twig and Evil Prince Maelstrom is very sweet (with hints of a romance but it's more about their trust and acceptance in each other), and actually does a better job of making me believe that Maelstrom isn't such a "evil prince" if given the chance to be a better person (also he's more of an over-the-top shapeshifting dramatic cross-dressing trickster type that the book is willing to show he has no sense of what's "normal" and what's "strange"). It's at least a stand alone from what I can tell and a shorter read being around 240 pages, though I think it needed 40 - 80 more pages to flesh out the fantasy lore and some of the side characters.

[@voicememosforthevoid]

over eighty two chapters?! have mercy

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

“I ain’t no alanis morrisette but isn’t that ironic?” Sir you can’t just drop a good line like it was nothing and end the video like that 🤣

[@dfretter]

I’m glad somebody got it cause I was like “maybe this is too obscure now” 😅

[@missxfaith]

Sorry, but I really can’t take a villain seriously in a fantasy setting when their name is Tristan.

[@weirdandproudofit1]

I have to admit I read the first one cause you and Rachel hated them so much, and I had a blast. Same with this second one. They're silly fun. I also understand why people hate them, it's chill. Just kinda thinking about the people who hate on yall for being so negative on books. Often it makes me read them to see if they'll be funny

[@dfretter]

I think Rachel hated it more than I did. I think I was kinda naive and more polite back then.

[@TheCrazyChickUpstair]

I've come to the conclusion that a lot of books that are super hyped up in tiktok end up being cheesy. I've only found a few that I actually liked because the stories seem to not be really thought through enough.

[@dfretter]

I think these books are written as content for content and so thinking through and writing a compelling story is just not the priority.

[@TheCrazyChickUpstair]

@dontfretreadbooks Which is a shame because a lot of them can be great stories if more thought was put into them

[@peggyluwhoreads]

Thanks for taking another one for the team, kiddo.

[@dfretter]

You’re most certainly welcome, ma’am

[@the_sapphirerose]

16:57 not gonna lie I screamed a little because I just started re-reading the series 🤣

[@katrpatter]

Hi! Brand new here, never seen you before, but I clicked as soon as I saw what book was being reviewed. I don't think I'll ever pass on watching someone roast this book 😂 alright, let's go!

[@kandibug5303]

I feel that if this story or series would be a little better off if it was more like a fantasy slice-of-life following a women living her life as a put-upon fantasy office worker for an a less-than-prestigious charity non-profit heroes guild that helps people who can't afford the big gold bags to hire high end heroes to resolve their problems so she needs to organize quests, paperwork, appointments, and payment to keep the magic lights on in the office. All the while she and her fellow office workers have to deal with internal office politics and the wider politics of the higher authority that either want to cut funding or directly shut them down through both legitimate or illegitimate means to promote their own for-profit guilds or see the poor as unworthy of protection. This would be easy for a beginner writer to deal with than a "morally gray anti-villain/hero", establish more notable stakes and future problems down the line, and fit in the theme of the "real villain" is those in positions of power who use that authority to hurt others for a variety of reasons as the MC would directly be in opposition to those goals of the corrupted authority from the beginning.

[@supernaturalaesthetic6295]

Love the heaven official’s blessing ref ❤

[@sourcandyspite]

nice this is my first ever "first!"

[@dfretter]

I’m honoured to be the first for your first first

[@notstlouise]

the amount of perspective shifts.... there ways to do these shifts well, but from the sound of it even 13yo me could make them make more sense :p why not just have an omniscient narrator at that point tbh

[@toriburch382]

Not being called out by heaven officials blessing

[@amaryllis1504]

Ahhh heaven official's blessing mention!! I would love to see you do a video on tgcf ♡

[@dfretter]

That could be fun! I’m going to add it to the list.

[@awkwardpotato27]

Me, speeding through this before I have my work meeting.

[@awkwardpotato27]

I didn't finish before my meeting, but I'm finishing it!

[@sava-smth]

oof... I remember tge first one and now you saying it got worse? How much worse could it be?! Ig now ill find out...

[@christine_and_bean]

“…which is decaf coffee, because this is a silly ass book” Aaand subscribed 😂😂 I needed that laugh today

[@oakskull]

shout out hua cheng

[@Booktok.Jadeelawson]

I appreciate this cause I was curious but had no intention of reading the sequel. I was only able to finish the 1st by red pen editing my copy. I think it had potential. She just sadly needed a better pub & editing team to streamline & push the story. However, if you want a book that is an amazing comedic fantasy that I reread at least once year & cry from laughing so hard, I HIGHLY recommend Between by LL Starling

[@authorhalierivers]

Wait no way it’s been a year since you reviewed the first book?? Dear gods where did the time go? I can’t wait to see more on your channel though!

[@dfretter]

I posted my review of the first book October 15th 2023 so just under a year.

[@user-px1mf7uz5m]

tgcf reference smacked me right in the face

[@kandibug5303]

I don't know if I should thank you or curse you for reminding me that this book (series) exist...

[@dfretter]

You can do both.

[@kandibug5303]

@@dfretter Gladly will. Hope to see your next video.

[@Tomorrow_lauren]

I agree on needing different cultures to flesh out a world. It's always a balance between having worlds have different and interesting cultures (One Piece and ATLA are great examples. The enchanted forest chronicles, the magic circle, or even narnia are other good examples of this) and then books like ACOMAF, where it's medieval, medieval, suddenly they dropped a whole modern city out of NOWHERE? And idk y, but it reminded me of like 1930s paris w cafes and stuff... exTREMely out of place...

[@76kilosofshade81]

It didn't get any better because it was written as one book and then cut in half for 💸💸💸

[@JessCsBooks]

I'm sorry...Pirates of the Caribbean 4 over Howl's Moving Castle?

[@dfretter]

That’s what I thought too

[@HungryEyes-sl3mu]

This book series feels like back in the day when there'd be a popular SNL skit and they'd try to make it into a movie...ew

[@alyxbarter3155]

Spiderverse and Andrew Garfield 👏👏 you are the most correct person

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@margar3181]

I trudged through the first book because it's hard for me not to finish once I start, but hated it. I couldn't finish the audiobook for the second book because 1: I could not follow what was going on, and 2: I didn't care to try understand what was going on, especially because I didn't care about any of the characters, the plot, the magic, none of it. I can't believe there's a third installment to this series. It was, to me, an interesting plot, poorly executed. Pun intended.

[@baka9466]

Thank you for this video - I slogged through the first book and really didn't want to read the second. The problem is the premise sounds good - but then it's so poorly executed and boring.

[@dfretter]

You’re welcome ☮️

[@itsybitsyspidee]

It sounds like this could’ve been an interesting and funny story in the hands of a more capable writer. Some of the medieval absurdity is giving me Terry Pratchett vibes, but Terry is a good writer and his stuff has nuance and substance…which this doesn’t sound like Apprentice to the Villain has 🥲