Rae is dying but she gets a second chance at life when she enters into a magical bargain that allows her to enter her and her sister's favourite fantasy book series. It sounds easy because she thinks she knows the story and the characters but her presence begins to bring about changes. She wakes up in the villainess body and rallies her fellow villains to.... unionize?

This is for the individuals who ate up Stone's Cruella De Vil or Cersei Lannister. The morally grey villains whose teetering between right and wrong are more fascinating than watching a heroine triumph once again. It's a satirical fairy tale that echoes the humor of Monty Python films. It shows us exactly why some of us are drawn to such characters and how they often represent the loneliness and pain we all experience but are often reluctant to embrace. The pacing is a little odd and it can get a bit repetitive at times, especially when Rae and her fellow villains really stick to their character traits, but the concept, the banter and witty cracks are nothing short of a good time.

The Assistant to the Villain walked so Long Live Evil could run (no seriously read them!).

Thank you to Orbit Books for providing an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very much looking forward to this book. When I initially read the synopsis I know immediately that this was my kind of story. It had all the elements to be so good. However, I couldn't finish it. I've tried a few different times and I've realized that this story is just not for me.

The story was hard to understand and the pacing was confusing. I understand that a modern day character was inserted into a medieval time and so her approach and language to things were appropriate to her and her time, but something just felt off or forced. At times it just felt like I was reading two different stories. Ultimately, the story was hard to understand and I couldn't find.a reason to commit to it.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you netgalley & orbit books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book sounded absolutely incredible. But unfortunately I had to DNF. I could not get into it. I'm a fantasy romance girly through and through, but I just feel like the unserious approach of this book isn't it for me. I get what the author was trying to achieve, but I found the writing incredibly hard to get into. I'm not the target audience of this book, I guess. Maybe I'll approach it again at a later time.

Books are such an important form of escapism for people, and this one is a testament to that.

"Art is the dreamed-of escape. Art lets the dead speak and the living laugh. Art takes you away from pain when no medicine can save you. Art is the first and last word. Art is the final consolation."

This book was so much fun to read, but there was also a fair amount of cringey dialogue and inconsistent pacing- not to mention the random musical scene (which was kind of cool to read). The concept of this book is one that I thoroughly enjoy, as isekai webtoons are something I always gravitate towards, and this was no exception. I think anyone would take the opportunity to jump into their favorite book if given the chance, and especially in Rae's case where it means it could save her real life. Reading her go from not caring much and having an outsider's perspective of the characters from the book, to actually caring about them and viewing them as living people was really the only character development in the book. As thorough as the world building was, there's still room to develop and flesh out the characters more in the next book, which I really hope to see. I loved how Rae constantly, and inadvertently, made the characters around her, such as Key, Emer, Cobra, and Lia, come alive and challenge the archetypes that was placed upon them. Once I hit the halfway mark, I had a hard time putting this down. The modern day references had me dying of laughter at points, especially the horse named Google Maps.

Brennan does a wonderful job at challenging the perceptions we have on those who are considered as good, evil, helpless, and powerful. Each character is not fully what they are expected to be, and the lines blur a lot the more we get to know them. I really am looking forward to the development of some of the characters because there's more to them than they appear. Rae constantly challenges the perceptions we might normally see for someone with terminal cancer, and especially after the author's note at the end, it shows the cruel truths someone in her position experiences. Some of the quotes on her treatment prior to going into the book are emotional to read, and it goes to show the strength and resilience of not only Rae, but Brennan as well.

Overlooking the cringey dialogue and inconsistent pacing at times, this book was a delight to read. I'll be looking forward to seeing what Brennan does with the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

An interesting book, kept me reading to the end. A fantastic story with well-developed remarkable, interesting characters. Look forward to more from the author in the future.

This book is so funny and unserious. I had so much fun watching our main character plot and scheme while she tried to remember the events that happened in the book she falls into so that she can get back home. It was so unique to anything I’ve ever read before.
I relate to Rae so much. She feels like she wasted so much time and now it’s too late to do anything she wanted before she got sick. She lost all of her friends and normal life, but falling into the world of her favorite books was like the second chance at life that we all dream of.
This isn’t your typical “main character gets sucked into another world” book. The characters from the book aren’t reading off a script. They have POVs with real thoughts and feelings. This isn’t just the main character watching predestined events play out.
I loved when the lines between good and evil started to blur, and had me questioning who the real heroes and villains of the story are.
As soon as I seen the character art of Key, I thought: “I want him.” And then as soon as he appeared in the book, I said out loud: “I NEED HIM!” Key is so bloodthirsty it’s hilarious. I just love the way he was written. He’s somehow a golden retriever and simultaneously a serial killer. Also, what do you mean? He wanted to WHAT at the night market?! He’s a FREAK. I love him. Some of the things he said and did had me actually screaming. He’s a brutal assassin that can hold her and kill someone without looking at the same time. He gave her a pat on the back with a knife. He has a tragic backstory. What more convincing do you need?
Marius’s chapters were very boring at times and felt unnecessary for the most part. I do like his dynamic with the Cobra, but I feel like his chapters told from the Cobra’s POV would’ve been way more entertaining.
I absolutely loved the way this book ended. Romance and characters (especially Key): infinite stars. Book as a whole: 4.5 stars. I’m really excited to see where this series goes from here.

I have been waiting for another series from Sarah since I started reading “unspoken” in 2012- pregnant with my first kid. Now here we are, he’s 11 and off to summer camp and I get this beauty of a book!!

I’d consider this NA- not necessarily YA, not quite super “adult”

Campy is something someone wrote and I agree/ it’s camp. But in a good way. Fast paced, looking forward to the second installment!


Thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for a review!

This is one of the most fun reading experiences I've had all year. I always love stories involving a character who gets pulled into their favorite book and so naturally I fell in love with this one as well - especially because I think it's brilliantly executed. Upon finishing I wanted to immediately reread it and the wait for the next installment may kill me. The ending is exciting, unexpected, and satisfying (it's always fun when you develop a theory in between chapters and want it to happen because you think it'd be a great plot twist and it does, in fact, end up being a great plot twist).

Long Live Evil is chaotic and epic. It's a story that simultaneously pokes fun at classic high fantasy tropes and involves a lot of silly moments (including a musical number) but also takes itself seriously and involves a lot of high stakes (the last 3rd of this book in particular had me on the edge of my seat). In some ways I want to say the experience feels like what you would get if the movie Scream was a high fantasy novel? There's lots of self-referential humor and it feels like a love letter to the fantasy genre (and fandom) as a whole.

Sarah Rees Brennan employs standard fantasy tropes throughout this story and expertly deconstructs them (just as the protagonist, Rae, (un)intentionally ends up deconstructing the plot she's familiar with when she enters the story). This allows the story and characters to provide some interesting perspectives on what it means to be a hero/villain, the authorship of a story, and the agency/motivations characters (especially side characters) have within a story.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters and I especially loved Rae, our protagonist turned villainess. She's one of my favorite kinds of female protagonists - an angry girl willing to do anything to survive. The other main characters are fantastic too but I think it's best to not know much about them until you experience the story yourself (though if you want some teasers I recommend checking out the author's instagram which features some excellent character art/descriptions).

It's not a 100% perfect book - occasionally the contemporary dialogue/jokes don't land for me, there's a lot of infodumping moments that slow the pace down (particularly in the first third of the book), and some of the POV changes cause the story to lose momentum at times. Overall though I think Long Live Evil is an excellent start to a new portal/high fantasy series and definitely one of my favorite books of the year so far!

Dnf @ 17%

honestly, i think the idea was fantastic but it felt so messy. i kinda wish this was a little more serious and a little less of a confusing comedy-fantasy. The vibes are not what i expected and it turned me off. The characters were cringe and the dialogue even worst. i really wanted to love this, i was so sure this was going to be a 5 stars but i’m sorry, i have to DNF, i’m too bored.

This is a book that knows its tropes and hard leans in to them, to varying success. Main character Rae wakes up one day to find she's suddenly living in the world of her favorite book series. Cool! Until she realizes she is now filling the role of a minor villain and has arrived the night before her character is executed. In a lot of transmigration type stories, the main character tries to cheat a preconceived death while keeping the plot on track and laying low, they often end up surprised when the plot changes around them. Instead, Rae fully embraces villainy, running off to take full advantage of her knowledge from the book (no matter how incomplete it is). Role secured, Rae turns to acquiring minions to help her reach her goal: stealing the flower of life and death and returning home. I liked most of the characters, though many did seem a bit surface level but given Rae treating them as not real for most of the book, i'd chalk that up to a narrative tact done on purpose, given the small glimpses we get from other povs. The plot does sputter at points, with some scenes being confusing and left me wondering why they were included, but everything came together in the last third and the ending was amazing. There were some moments I felt were cringe, but I typically don't enjoy pop culture references in books, and overall it didn't detract from the plot. This was a hugely fun read and I can't wait to see where the series goes next.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

My main takeaway - if you go into this book preparing to take it at face value and not too seriously, it’s an entertaining ride.

As a person who has always found the “heroes” to be a bit boring, I loved the concept of a villain focused book. To fall into your favourite novel as a villain… it caught my attention immediately.

There were definitely points that were a bit too “over the top” with the cringe levels, and a key plot point that doesn’t quite make sense with how obsessed our main character is meant to be with a certain fictional character (which made the ending confusing) but overall this book was a fun read!

Our main character, Rae, has a compelling backstory and is a relatable character. The opening scenes are well done to immediately become attached to her. Once in the fantasy setting, her modern phrases still made sense to the character, even though they were naturally out of place on the setting. (Though I will say some pushed the boundary of cringe too far… I had to step away from the book for a minute after “Sorry, but the old Rahela can’t come to the phone right now” came out in the middle of a battle scene…)

I think this book is a great read to bridge the gap between YA and adult. While the main character is a bit older than you’d usually find in a YA book, her attitudes and phrases definitely tend to land on the younger side. But you do see a large character growth throughout the book which I think helps the book itself grow into the adult space.

If you’re picking up this book, prepare to go along for the ride and you’ll have a fun time!

Wow, what a powerful, intense, and yet extremely silly read! I've long enjoy Sarah Rees Brennan's work and was thrilled she was stepping into adult fantasy fiction - I'd say this still reads as having one foot in YA (the main character is 20 but due to cancer treatment she's not lived fully as an adult and still reads pretty teen) but I was still fully swept away and read it very very quickly. Unfortunately for me, because I hadn't noticed that this was book one in a series and I was a little blindsided by that fact! But due to the engrossing nature of the read, the humor, and the surprising depth, definitely would recommend this book.

The premise of this book was so interesting and I think that, for the most part, it really lived up to that. It was overall a really fun book - the characters were sharp and witty (and likeably unlikeable), there was plenty of outlandish action, the world was fascinating, and the writing definitely leaned into the overall humor. I’m not sure I was the right reader for this book but I do think it will find its audience that will absolutely love it.

I loved that Sarah Rees Brennan wrote a story from the villain’s perspective. Sarah Rees Brennan always writes a strong story and had that fantasy element that I was looking for. It was a strong story that I was hoping for and thought the overall feel worked with this type of book. I was invested in the characters and glad I got to read this.

this was a slow start for me, but i was locked in by the third act.

the premise of this is so unique. rae is dying, but if she can enter the world of her favorite fantasy series and reach a magical flower on the one night it blooms, she can come back to her body, fully healed. she has to navigate this fictional world, but she already knows everything that’s going to happen. the meta commentary about fantasy tropes and fiction writing, alone, was enough for me to stick around. but soon, rae realizes she’s changing the story.

at first, i was stuck on one thing: if rae’s going to ultimately return to her body, i only care about if she succeeds, and not the trail of destruction she leaves behind her. rae felt the same way too. i guess it’s just a testament to sarah rees brennan’s writing because when rae finally realized that the characters felt real and that she cared about them, i realized i did too.

expectations started being subverted and tropes started turning on their heads and i realized i was so so wrong. i went into the third act biting my teeth. long live evil was so much more than i could’ve hoped for.

the commentary is witty, the plot writing is phenomenal, and you can tell through the pages that miss brennan has such a solid grasp on the fantasy genre. rae’s lived experiences with chronic pain and bitterness were so grounded and human. the “fictional” characters that first felt very shallow, like caricatures of their fantasy archetypes, turned out to be incredibly complex and dynamic. literally no notes.

i’m seated for the rest of the series. the bookstore employees are scared and begging me to leave because “it hasn’t even been written yet” but i’m simply too seated.

ty orbit and netgalley

I was drawn to this book based on its description, and of course, Holly Black's endorsement didn't hurt. Unfortunately, the description didn't do the book any favors. This should be described as a YA fantasy comedy.

The book's premise was very interesting. Rae, a woman dying of cancer, is offered the opportunity to save herself by escaping into a book. Who among us wouldn't love the chance to go into our favorite book? Unfortunately for Rae, she is cast as the story's villain.

Sadly, the story's premise is the only high point, as most aspects of this book didn't work for me. It managed to both info dump and lack world-building at the same time. The fantasy novel Rae goes into is introduced in bits and pieces at the beginning of each chapter and through her memory, so you get short snippets of what feels like disjointed story parts. This ended up being overwhelming and confusing because I never got to the point where I understood the basis of the story. While I imagine this is partially intentional, it was confusing enough to me that it prevented me from getting invested. I could not keep the characters straight when I didn't understand the story, and they all had incredibly long titles like "The Beauty Dipped in Blood" or "The Last Hope."

This book also commits one of the biggest crimes in fantasy fiction of overusing modern language, the usage of phrases like "minions" and "Rae made it her b*tch" really distracted from the mood and the plot, it felt too immature and cheesy, and instead of achieving a comedic tone, it seemed more like a caricature or fanfic.

In the end, I couldn't get invested in the book because of its confusing structure, distractions from modern language, and overly silly tone.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There's a part of me that just wants to leave a long "AH" scream about this book and call it a day for this review because I'm not sure how I can explain how much I love this book. Maybe you think I'm being overdramatic, but I think this book is absolutely fantastic. It's well paced, I was invested in all of the characters, it was even laugh out loud funny in a few spots, while also making me deeply care about what happens.

Rae, on her death bed from a terminal illness, gets a chance go into her favorite book series to find a flower that will heal her in real life. Rae is clever and funny and I was rooting for her from the beginning. There are two other POV characters (Emer, Rae's maid, and Marius, one part of the original major love triangle in the original book series) and, as I started their first chapters, I was just eager to get back to Rae, but by the end, I was desperate to see all of them safe and happy. I loved all the major characters really. They felt complex and fully realized.

While this is a comedic book, it's also just a straight up great book. The comedy is obviously part of that, but Long Live Evil is also extremely well written, both in prose and plot. I never felt like it flagged, it was very funny seeing the difference between Rae's modernity verses the book series fantasy setting, and this really felt like the author understood fantasy romance and had fun poking at bits of it.

I will eagerly wait the sequel and really anything else Sarah Rees Brennan. It you are at all interested, I would highly recommend reading Long Live Evil.

Let’s set the scene. Our Heroine, I mean Villainess: Rae. Teenager with cancer who is isekai-ed into her sister’s favorite fantasy novel. The Goal: escape fantasyland, return to the real world, and maybe change the villainess’s fate along the way. The Problem: everyone wants her dead—after all, she’s evil with a capital E. So why not embrace it?

Long Live Evil is surely a love it or hate it book. I think whether you love it directly correlates to having a soft spot for villains—especially the comically over-the-top sort in tight spandex. All I can say is keep turning those pages, because it’s a chaotic fever dream before everything starts coming together… Sarah Rees Brennan gives us campy, teenage drama, the vilest villainy, and some sneaky plot twists; making for a delightful romp that stampedes over typical fantasy tropes. The dialogue is A LOT. The characters are meta and unafraid of messing up the plot for personal gain (see above – villainy). And Rae may not remember the book quite as well as she should…

Overall it took a bit to immerse myself in this one, but once it got its claws in me I couldn’t stop. The ending had me re-reading for foreshadowing, the cliffhanger made me curse the fact that I read an ARC and the sequel isn’t even close to published yet. I got so much secondhand embarrassment that at times I had to straight-up stop reading, but tons of laughs as well. As someone who made it through, I strongly suggest suspending your disbelief from the beginning, don’t even try to read it seriously, and just enjoy the fun. 4/5 Stars, can’t wait for the next one Ms. Brennan!

Thanks again to Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC of Long Live Evil. My review is, as always, truthful and unbiased, and I hope it helps introduce readers to new books they will love!

This was certainly interesting. The main character, Rae, is dying and is given a chance to change that by being transported into the world of her favorite fantasy series, as the villainess who gets executed in book 1. If you've read any manga/manhwa/manhua withing the last few years, this kind of premise isn't unfamiliar, but it's still fun. At least, on the surface.

In terms of execution, I don't think this book worked completely. For starters the way it was written was very heavily info-dumping. That, and the book couldn't seem to decide how it wanted to be perceived. I feel like there are two routes you can go with a premise like this: lean full-in to the comedy of the situation or take a harsher look at the realities of a world like that, especially when it shores up against more modern sensibilities. This book tried to do both and didn't exactly hit the mark with either. (Like, there's a full-on, written out Disney-style musical scene--which may be fine in a full cast audiobook or y'know, as an actual viewing experience, but as a reader? Not fun. Reads very fanfic (in a negative way)) Some of the issue surrounding this is that Rae, as a character, is very quippy. She has a goal (which, fine, I can appreciate that) and doesn't see the people around her as anything more than characters. The way she talks and interacts with the world directly clash with the more serious moments. If that were intended to be the case, then sure, lean into the comedy--make it dark!--but that didn't quite seem like the intent. The author had a particular way of writing these moments where it would be like "quirky info-dump, a more serious look at the world or a certain issue, punchy line that's meant to hit hard, right back to quips". This had the effect of making those more serious moments feel like a joke. Not to mention that this way of writing didn't just happen every once in awhile, but sometimes multiple times within the same chapter. It just got tiring to read.

As for the characters, I sort of wish the author had just focused the POVs on Rae and one other in-world character. Mostly because, despite the Rae-backstory-infodump in the extra-long prologue at the beginning of the book, Rae still never felt like a character that I connected with.

Overall, this just wasn't for me, but I can definitely see why people like it. I just think the author should have either gone full-comedy or more serious instead of dancing around both.

Thank you Orbit for the arc!! Your books usually hit perfectly in my scope of interests, and this one was pretty damn close!

I really loved the premise and the plot was absolutely intriguing! I do look forward to the sequel!
My only real issue I found, was it was hard to get in to at first. This reads more YA adjacent than adult. And being such a mood reader, I wasn’t mentally prepared for that.