What I enjoyed most is how the series leans into its own premise without losing sight of the heart underneath. The prophecy and the artifact hunt give the plot real stakes, while the banter between Evie and Trystan remains the engine of the whole thing. Trystan, for his part, spends most of the book acting like a lovesick hero who refuses to admit the villain role he was written into, and their dynamic is as funny as it is tender. If you loved Assistant to the Villain and Apprentice to the Villain, this one will not disappoint.

That said, I will be honest: this is not the strongest entry in the series. The middle section drags a little, with the artifact hunt leading to a few detours that feel longer than necessary, and some readers have found the expanded cast harder to follow. The story also sets up more threads than it resolves, which makes sense since the author has confirmed this is not the finale, but it left me wanting a bit more closure. Still, the humor lands, the romance delivers, and the last act pulls everything back together.

If you are new to the series, I would start with Accomplice to the Villain or even the first book, because the relationships build across installments and the payoffs hit harder with the history. For fans already invested, Adversary to the Villain is a warm, funny, slightly chaotic continuation that sets up what promises to be an exciting finale. I finished it with a smile, already counting down to the next one.