Assistant to the Villain

Evie is the main protagonist, and the story is primarily told from her point of view. She is short with long, dark hair, and her thoughts tend to pop out of her mouth, as if each word “made the nonsensical wheels of her mind turn until she could make sense of them in her own specific way” (51). Her personality is bubbly and flighty, and she fits squarely in the romance genre’s “sunshine” trope, which denotes a romantic, typically female lead whose perky, optimistic qualities are a direct contrast to the grumpy love interest. Evie’s main character flaw is her inability to realize her self-worth. Particularly in the first half of the book, Evie measures herself in terms of how she can be of use to others, rarely acknowledging her own needs or wants. As a result, she makes decisions based on the consequences that her actions will have on others. This often puts her in uncomfortable or problematic situations, such as her past with the blacksmith. Taking the job at Trystan’s office helps Evie to discover her worth. Unlike the people in her village, Trystan and her officemates treat her with respect and consideration, which makes Evie question