Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

 

Like many young women, Anna needs to have work to support herself.  Since she hasn't found a permanent career, she signs up with a temporary agency that specializes in supplying help to the villains that oppose superheroes and finds herself a low-level hench.  Even villains need help answering the phone, setting schedules, typing up notes, etc.  But her life changes the day her assignment is to accompany her employer, standing beside him as he gave a press conference so that there would be women in the crowd.

The biggest superhero in the world, Supercollider, breaks into the conference.  In his attempt to get to the villain, he creates havoc in the audience.  Anna is badly hurt but fares better than those who are killed by the falling debris.  After she gets out of the hospital and is recuperating, she gets laid off to add insult to injury.

While laid up, Anna starts to create a spreadsheet to stave off her boredom and pain.  She calculates the cost in both monetary terms and human pain and suffering that the antics of superheroes causes.  She is not surprised to find out that there is a cost but shocked at the enormity of it.  Soon she is obsessed with her project, researching all the heroes and the costs their antics cause.  

The biggest villain, Leviathan, hears about Anna's work and brings her on staff.  Now she has an entire division to help her with research and to devise ways to bring daily irritation to the heroes along with a plan to bring about their downfall by exposing the pain they bring along with their help.  She even finds herself becoming attached to Leviathan who is the scariest individual living.  When he is captured, Anna is in charge of rescuing him.  Can she do it and emerge unscathed?

This is a totally original, delightful read.  Anna is typical of young workers starting out and trying to find a way to make an impact.  Her skills and insight lead to her being able to break out of the ranks and rise to prominence in her organization.  It also probes the meaning of friendship.  Anna loses some friends along the way who can't handle what she does for a living.  She also makes new friends, one that she knows are willing to do anything to help her achieve her goals.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.