Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz
Fantasy Romance
Published November 18, 2025 – Ace

Reviewed by Kate

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore is an adorable cozy fantasy romance debut novel. There is so much to love about this story! 

Violet Thistlewaite was previously known as the Thornwitch (I loved how ThornWitch became ThistleWaite) but in the prologue of the book, her adoptive father and evil villain (Guy Shadowfade) that she works with is killed. Violet decides to put aside being evil and open a flower shop in the small town near the castle she was previously living in. There she meets Nathanial and his twin sister Pru when she rents half their store. 

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore has found family, learning to move past traumatic experiences, slow burn romance and cute pets. It is a very easy read, and has cozy vibes, but there is some conflict. I did not consider the stakes to be high enough to stress me out, mostly because it is frequently discussed how powerful the Thorn Witch was, so I was never really worried about the outcome of any situation. But I know some readers may be looking for more “slice of life” fantasy when they hear cozy, and I don’t know that Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore would necessarily qualify because while there are slice of life elements, there is still a larger plot arc of a villain to deal with. 

There were a few different threads to the plot – including Nathanial and his issues with the store, the plant blight, and a figure from Violet’s past moving into town. I felt that the plant blight was somewhat out of place in the story, and I wish it had been handled differently and fleshed out more or omitted altogether. The way it got resolved felt so easy compared to the weight of the actual impact of the blight. But I enjoyed the other plotlines, and especially loved the interactions between Violet and the character from her past – they were a great way to showcase Violet’s growth as a character. 

As for characters, Violet’s internal character arc was my favorite part of the book. I thought that even though her growth was a little sped up for the sake of the plot, it all felt very realistic. She has flashbacks and deals with complex feelings about the man who raised her to be a villain. I appreciated the nuance of her having multiple different emotions about this very central character to her life. It gave her depth and added realism to her character. Similarly, Nathaniel had his own experiences to move on from, and while I didn’t feel his character had as much of the depth Violet’s did, I still liked seeing the changes throughout the book.

Really, my only complaint is about the pacing. It took me some time to really get into the book – this isn’t one that grabbed me immediately and I read in one sitting. It was definitely a bit of a slow burn that took me a while to really immerse myself in. But, it is also possible that this is a “Kate” problem as I have been experiencing this a lot lately, so take this with a grain of salt. 

If you liked books such as The Spellshop or Homegrown Magic, and you like found family and slow burn, low-stakes, fantasy romance, you should definitely pick up Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore! 

Rating: B+