REVIEW: The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating (and other war crimes) by Tiffany Hunt

The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating (and Other War Crimes) by Tiffany Hunt is the 1st book in the Guides to Villainy and Love series.

First off... the chapter titles (and subtitles) are freakin' hilarious. That's worth the price of the book right there, I swear!

And that's not all that's funny — I was cackling on just about every page! I don't usually go for rom-com, I find most of it kind of silly, but this one was different. The humor doesn't even try to be subtle, and every single time, it had me cracking up.

The descriptions are absolutely gorgeous, to the point of being practically word art, and at the same time, it's never overdone. The passages are crafted so beautifully you just want to keep reading for more. And the place names? Pure fun: The Whispering Woods, the Golden Rose Field, Skyspire Citadel...

As for the Dark Lord himself — despite all the humor, you still feel his presence, the darkness about him, the menace, without the author ever having to spell it out. That's seriously impressive writing.

The way Arabella stands up to Kazimir is also really well done. So often the heroine goes off the rails in scenes like this, and as a reader I'm just sitting there rolling my eyes. But not Arabella!!! Their interactions are always perfectly balanced — her responses, his responses, all of it.

I'm one of those readers who really, really hates clichés, which made this book extra delightful, because every single time a potential cliché hovers on the horizon... the author takes the road less traveled and surprises us all!

Favorite quote: "If you say Violet again, I'm throwing you all off the battlements."