Evil-ish

by | Apr 16, 2025

Hawthorne Vandecast is entering their villain era… or trying to. If anyone would start taking them seriously. Instead, they’re a potion barista being prepped by their mother to take over the family coffee shop in the aptly named Idlewood -a painfully common village only recently released from the horrifying rule of Lady Wrath and her Brigade of Shade. Released, but not freed because Lady Wrath and her team’s influence still sits over the town like an evil, alluring mist. And they’re looking for new recruits. Hawthorne yearns for the rock star lifestyle promised by the Brigade and the chance it gives them to finally be more than a boring, common potion barista. How hard could it be when their biggest competition seems to be sweet as syrup Maple, who couldn’t have an ounce of Evil in her whole body?

Hard. Very hard. Like, embarrassingly hard. A nightmare audition leads to an oopsie assassination leaving Hawthorne in charge and finally seeing what being a villain is. Will they like it? Will it finally make them feel different and special? Or is being Evil more than wearing cool long coats and living in a castle?

There is a sweetness and irreverence to Evil-ish that is incredibly charming. Debut creator Kennedy Tarrell gives this YA graphic the feel of a 90’s Disney fairytale (which fits with the career outlined in their bio) while twisting tropes and appealing to the cheeky bent that’s so big in that genre right now. Readers want the villain’s story and Tarrell offers a view of the hurt people behind villainous tropes and how their stories might not match what we expect.

The pseudo-Medieval village of Idlewood is both comforting and obviously grating for a growing independent spirit like Hawthorne. Tarrell’s art adds to that comfort and familiarity, leading the reader to expect something predictable and basic and this book is neither. Tarrell’s subtlety in small character moments gives the story and the figures populating it a depth and humanity that defy the fairytale aesthetic of the art. The dialogue is almost perfectly matched to that. You can practically hear the giggle in Maple’s early dialogue and the disdain dripping from Hawthorne’s. It’s immediately immersive and exciting.

Hawthorne is an amazing character, immediately recognizable to teen readers as someone desperate to be more than people see them as while not being sure how to be. They are relatable and earnest while also being just a little clueless. Hawthorne is presented as nonbinary and this is an element that’s just part of the story in such a beautiful way. They feel different from the village not because they’re non-binary, but because -like a lot of teens- they want to be more special than they feel like they are. It’s a character element that is universal tied to a character identity that is underrepresented.

Evil-ish, available for purchase July 22, 2025, is so much of what I love: it’s funny, different, and shockingly heartwarming without taking itself too seriously. It’s an easy next read for fans of Nimona or Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil. Teen readers can easily find characters to relate to in this story while also, hopefully, recognizing that every character and person has a backstory that may be worth learning.

Evil-ish
By Kennedy Tarrell
Feiwel and Friends, 2025
ISBN: 9781250839954

Company Age Rating: 14-18

NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)

Character Representation: Nonbinary,