Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore
by Emily Krempholtz
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: November 18, 2025
Pages: 367
Get from: Library | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Review
NOTE: This review is based on an eBook I borrowed from my local public library system.
There are **SPOILERS** in this review.
Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore (VTiNaVA) is one of those rare books that really makes you think, even while pulling you deep into the story to root for the characters.
It had a slow start that made me think I might have made a mistake in deciding to read it. But, once it got going, I had a hard time putting it down.
Both main characters are broken and working on putting themselves back together, although Nathaniel doesn’t exactly realize it. Violet is, obviously, a deeply scarred former villain trying to forge a new path. Nathaniel is a remorseful ex-alchemist who can’t forgive himself for his past mistakes. Against the initial desires of both, they fall for each other and help each other heal. VTiNaVA is, technically, an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it’s also a story of human healing, a mystery, and an adventure.
Some of the answers to the mysteries are so obvious that I wanted to smack Violet and Nathaniel across their heads for not figuring them out. Others had such successful red herrings that I had an “Oh sh*t!” moment when revealed.
A sequel is expected later this year, and, while it’s Nathaniel’s sister’s — Prudence’s — story, I hope we’ll get more information on Violet and Nathaniel. I really want to know if Violet finds her mother, or if her mother finds her. I’m curious to know if Sedgewick will return to human form or if Peri’s special magic made him an exception to being frozen as stone forever. I’m also hoping we find out why the rock goblins love music — and Prudence — so much.
Notable Quotes
Chapter 10: She needed to prune Nathaniel Marsh from the garden of her mind before he took over and strangled the rest of the flowers that were slowly beginning to sprout there.
Chapter 14: … Something about Nathaniel oiled the inside of the mask she wore, making it difficult to keep it on her face without slipping, even when she used both hands and all her considerable might.
Chapter 17: “One step, one breath, one heartbeat after another. However slowly, they’ll all move you forward.”
Chapter 21: Change, she was beginning to discover, grew like a seed. Its roots began to sprout beneath the surface long before the leaves burst through the soil. But how would she ever blossom if she had to continually uproot herself?
Chapter 25: “You can long for something all you want, but you’ll never unlock the door if you’re too afraid to turn the key.”
Chapter 25: “You won’t lose the people who care for you if you fail. You’ll only have to accept their hands to help you back up again.”
Chapter 30: Hope, Violet was discovering, was as dangerous a poison as any, for it had spread through her veins quickly and ruthlessly, and it made her dread finding an antidote.
Chapter 35: “… people change. They’re allowed to change. They’re allowed to try and be better than what they were before. And when we care about them, then we need to support them.”
Chapter 38: “The past is a compass; it’s what guides us to the future we want—and away from the one we don’t.”
Have you read Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. Make sure to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.
