Hench

Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? In this economy? As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one.

So, of course, then she gets laid off.

With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.

Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing. And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance.

It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.

The premise for this book gave me The Boys-meets-Vicious vibes, so I was really excited to get a copy from the library recently and dive into it (and also, how amazing is that cover??).

This was a snarky, funny, at times dark and violent story, and I enjoyed it so much.  The world and the story were so inventive and fun, and I loved getting a look into the administrative world of supervillains (and superheroes).

I was also really drawn into the various relationships Anna has (her attempts at dating; her friendships; her coworkers) and the impact of her supervillain employment on those relationships over time.

I would love to read another story about these characters. I’m not sure if there will be a sequel, but I want it!