3.5 out of 5 Stars

It was a fun time and very entertaining but at the same time was a little bit bluh and I kept forgetting I was reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book and am DNFing it at 23%. While I didn’t have as many issues with the main character as other reviewers have had there was nothing in this book that made me care for any of the characters or want to continue reading. It was a bit more abrasive in tone than I was expecting but I suppose that’s the Deadpool aspect that is mentioned in the book description.

Ultimately when it was time for me to pick this book up again to continue reading I flat out didn’t want to and that is always a sign for me to abandon ship.

I will not be posting about this book on my social media (TikTok/Youtube) at the time of release.

For a thousand years, Davi has been stuck in a time loop. After waking up in a fantasy world with no recollection of how she got there, she was told she was the one prophesied to defeat the Dark Lord and save the world. And Davi's tried! Over 200 times she's tried to find a way to beat him, only to inevitably end up killed and sent back to the pond where she first woke up. Tired of defeat, Davi decides to try something new: What if, instead of defeating the Dark Lord, she just becomes the Dark Lord? She knows from experience there's a gathering in two months to choose the next Dark Lord. All she needs is to show up a hoard and claim the title. How hard could that be?

Whether or not you'll like HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING can be summed up with a single question: How much do you like the movie DEADPOOL? There's a lot of similarities in tone between the two, including my reaction to it. Davi is vulgar, crass, and horny, reeling off quips and pop culture references at a mile a minute. It's especially egregious in the opening of the book, and was overwhelming enough I almost DNF'd the book in the prologue. After a few pages I was convinced this book wasn't going to be for me, but given how much I'd like Wexler's previous (more straightforward) works, I decided to hang on for one chapter.

And then one chapter became two and and two became four and then next thing I knew I'd finished the book in 48 hours. Because despite being riddled with humor that isn't my thing, this book was compulsively readable. To start with, it's a great premise that starts at the right moment to maximize the absurdity of the situation. When we meet Davi, she's gone through the time loop over two hundred times. She knows her way around the Kingdom and the time loop, and has long since given up on trying to break free and return to the "real world". We don't live through the early days of her realizing she's in a loop or figuring out the rules. The Davi we meet has accepted her lot in life and moves through the Kingdom completely blasé about the whole thing, deciding what she wants to do on this particular outing in the loop, and generally messing with people as her mood strikes her.

I was impressed with the ways the time loop convention was used for both comedy and tension. Early on in the story, Davi doesn't care if she dies or who she kills in the process. After all, she's just going to wake up again, everything will have reset, and she can try a new tactic. But the further Davi gets in her journey, the less comfortable she is with resetting the time loop. Will she be able to recreate the circumstances that got her this far?

And underneath all the coarse humor, there is a heart at the center of Davi. Sure, she may ruthlessly kill a bunch of people on the way to her goal but despite talking a big game about how her hoard is just her minions, she can't seem to bring herself to actually TREAT them like minions. Between that and the pacing, I ended up finding more than I expected to like in this adventure.

HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD is definitely not going to be for everyone. Between the pop culture references (everything from WORLD OF WARCRAFT to IS IT CAKE?) and the off-color humor, there are many who are going to find this grating. But there are just as many who are absolutely going to love it. I'm glad I trusted Wexler enough to ride out my rough entry into the story, because now I absolutely need to know what happens next.

After hundreds of lifetimes trying to save humanity from the Dark Lord, Davi decides to become the Dark Lord instead. I really enjoyed the concept of being stuck in a time loop and having everything restart at square one.

From the very beginning this book was filled with humor and a ton of pop culture references. There were some amazing support characters too. It was an easy read and kept me entertained with amazing action sequences and a bit of romance. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for an easy fantasy read. I wasn’t expecting it to leave off on a cliff hanger, so I’m waiting not so patiently for the next book.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun in a very dark way. I appreciate that the MC has gone a bit bonkers from living the same life over and over again, I just genuinely like her as a person. I really enjoyed the humor in this book and definitely want to continue on with the series.

This book was basically perfect. I was already a fan of Django Wexler from the Shadow Campaigns series, and on those, I always thought the humor was where he really shone as a writer. I laughed SO MUCH while reading this book, and stayed up late to finish reading. Can't wait for the sequel and I really hope we can expect more in this vein from the author!

This is a silly but generally fun twist on the classic piece of epic fantasy. The premise is quite goofy and the resulting the story is exactly what I would expect.

As someone with a preference for darker and more serious books, this one was hard to earn a five star rating from me. Yet, for the kind of story the author was going for, I think it fit the bill.

Given the nature of the story, the writing is quite casual with a lot of dialogue and strong language. I thought it fit the story so I didn't mind but I imagine this could turn off some readers looking for a "cozy" fantasy book.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I have mixed feelings on this one because the style and tone really annoyed me but I finished it in one sitting so it obviously didn't bother me enough to stop. Davi is a believable character, as much as a twentysomething with a thousand years of memories can be, and the side characters are all great. Worldbuilding is very derivative from traditional high fantasy, mostly to poke fun at it. I saw some reviews saying it ends on a cliffhanger, but I mostly disagree...the ending seemed obvious from about halfway through, and I was prepared for it. The over-reliance on sex and pop culture for jokes didn't work for me, and it was difficult to ignore, but I was ultimately entertained.

i have not laughed while reading so hard! I think this book was super entertaining, full of wit and wicked intent. I loved the main characters IDGAF anymore attitude and how she used her skills of persuasion and dying a million times to get to what she was after. I am looking forward to getting a copy for my bookshelves to share with all my friends!

*13% in*

"This feels like it's written by a man."

*checks*

"Yeah, it was written by a man."

Now that the release date is (unfortunately) creeping up on us, I will unleash my anger in this review.

For anyone curious, BISEXUAL WOMEN ARE NOT SEX-OBSESSED CREATURES THAT GROSSLY SEXUALIZES EVERY LIVING THING THEY COME ACROSS. No, no, please hold the applause. This is not rocket science. This is just common knowledge. I'm not even a bisexual for crying out loud. Just a human being who uses basic thinking skills!

Of course, learning that information would require Wexler to talk to a real woman. Based on this novel, I'm assuming he's never come across one in the wild. If he had, he would know we don't rate our bodies based on if someone would "swipe right on." 🤮 We leave that to creeps in high school that objectified us!

I knew from the opening scene this book was going to be a personal trial to get through. It opens up with our main character, Davi, being tortured to death. I do mean that literally. My first glimpse into personal hell was when she wondered what it would be like to "get head" from a snake creature, one of the creatures torturing her!

So yes.

Davi is annoying, insufferable, and the epitome of "I'm not like other girls," which is true since she's worse. The first thing we learn about characters from her POV is their sex appeal, and it's phrased in such demeaning ways. It made me feel so gross to read, genuinely. If I knew someone like Davi, I would throw hands. It's not okay in real life, and it's not alright in fiction, even if your character is a girl! Over-sexualization of anyone is gross and shouldn't be done and shouldn't be viewed as "humorous."

My main gripe with this book aside, I just was not entertained. The plot's not interesting, attention-grabbing, or worth the 528(!) pages of graphic violence. The violence was off-putting since it felt like violence for violence's sake. The detailed descriptions added nothing to the story except more of my time wasted. You can have battles and war on a page without being overt about the details. Because this book's violence was not used to show the depravity of man, the real cost of war, or the trauma violence can cause, it feels flippant and unnecessary.

Authors need to put down the footnotes! Heather Fawcett is the only person allowed to use them from now on. The footnotes added nothing of note or interest to an already tediously long novel.

I hope the arc I read was a rough draft that was accidentally sent into the world. I hope this novel underwent several rounds of editing and sensitivity readings. All I know is I wouldn't recommend this to my worst enemy!

Thank you Orbit Books and NetGalley for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying is an irreverent, campy fantasy tale that by turns defies all the tropes and leans into them so hard it becomes a joke. This was a tremendously fun story that was tough to put down thanks to its entertainment value. I couldn’t stop laughing aloud, especially at the beginning of the book when I didn’t know what to expect.
This is Groundhog Day in a fantasy setting and it follows Davi, who is sick to death (literally) of ending her life in various horrible, usually tortuous ways. Davi awakened one day in a mystical pool with a wizard telling her that she was destined to defeat the Dark Lord, but after thousands of years on repeat and hundreds of failures she’s going to try something new. This time, Davi is going to fight for the other team and let me tell you, I gasped in shock and delight when she unceremoniously crunches in the head of the wizard who finds her each time and runs off to find some orcs.
What follows is a harrowing journey through unmapped (by humans) territory full of menacing monsters, rivals, and dangerous weather and landscaping. Davi is literally winging it, though fortunately she’s learned some things about strategy, combat, and manipulating people over the years. The ultimate goal is to build up a respectable horde and make toward the site where the Dark Lord is chosen and then somehow beat the other candidates. No one, not even the orcs or the cute little fox people seem to know what this entails…
At the beginning, this definitely has some LitRPG vibes and video game references but even if that isn’t your jam, those don’t last forever. Davi can’t keep just killing herself off to start over for the optimal outcome. What doesn’t go away are her continuous and confusing references from Earth that NO ONE understands - you’d think she’d have ditched those after thousands of years lived in a different world. Her varied companions just look at her like she’s a bit nuts each time, shrug and move on. Did I mention there’s a plethora of footnotes?? I love them, especially when the writer of the footnotes has a bit of cheeky commentary!
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying was a fun read, though I don’t think it’s going to work for everyone, mostly because humor is subjective! Not everyone finds the same things funny and Davi definitely comes off as a woman written by a man, so your mileage may vary. If you’ve read Django Wexler’s other series and enjoyed them and his female characters, this might work for you. This isn’t cozy, it isn’t cute, and it’s full of crude humor, strong language, and violence so adjust your expectations accordingly.

Dear God I loved every insane minute of this ride.

That said, this is not the book for everyone. It's got a very dark, messed up humor. But if you enjoy that, I highly recommend this book.

Davi is a very intriguing protagonist. After living the same time loop several hundred times for 1000 years, she's lost her grasp on reality. Her asides and footnotes and all her inane ramblings about random stuff were very funny.

Our story starts with her getting frustrated that not once in her many lives has she been able to save the Kingdom and deciding screw it if you can't beat them join them. So she sets off on a quest to join the wilders and become their Dark Lord. Her merry band of misfits orcs and wilders are great. I'm so happy this is going to be a series and we'll get more of their adventures. Long live Dark Lord in Waiting Davi

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. I thought I would enjoy this. I am a huge fan of both comedy and fantasy, and I enjoy pop culture references when done right. Unfortunately, it was difficult to get invested into the story. I don't really care about Davi and while her quest to become the dark lord is a concept I love, I don't really find her journey compelling. Also, the humor just feels way too forced.

I was going to mark this as dnf, but since I read half of it, I wanted to share my thoughts.

This was not for me. I'm an avid fantasy reader and I've heard great things about this author. I should have read one of his other ones.
It sounded fun, but it was just too much. Too over the top. I enjoyed the different creatures and the found family aspect. I just couldn't deal with the present day references in that time period. It took me out of the story every time.

I will definitely try Django Wexler's other works, but this was not for me.

This was a roller coaster of a read—in some ways, the experience of reading it feels like I would imagine being on the good drugs is like. That being said, I am not sure what I just read, but it was a blast, and I am really looking forward to seeing where it's going! I will certainly be recommending it to anyone with a sense of humor.

Davi ends up not only in a fantasy world but also in a time loop whenever she dies. After so many attempts at being the hero why not try to be the villain instead?

This is not your regular fantasy book. It has a lot of modern references. It works for the story and the reader BUT also makes the MC seem a bit crazy. I found the writing and the references to be a bit funny.

I didn’t find the characters to be particularly likeable but they were interesting. The story overall has a D&D/video game vibe.

Note - There are footnotes. So if you’re one of the people who hate them, be aware.

Thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC!

Davi has lived hundreds of lives trying to save the Kingdom from the Dark Lord with no idea of how she got to this world from Earth. Every time she dies, she resets at the same time and place, and no matter her plan, each time she ends up dead and starting over again. This time, when Davi wakes up, she decides she no longer wants to be the savior of the Kingdom — this time, Davi is going to become the Dark Lord because the Dark Lord always wins. Armed with the knowledge and skill her past lives have granted her, Davi heads into the Wilds to amass a horde and make it to the Convocation to become the next Dark Lord. She might not be able to die, but does Davi have what it takes to win the title and lead the Wilders?

I didn’t realize this would be a series, and began to realize it around 85%, so that’s my first note! How to Become the Dark Lord is, first and foremost, a very dark comedy/fantasy. There is a lot of fatalistic humor, a lot of blood and gore, and mentions/depictions of self harm and suicide. The book did start with a nicely written content warning about this, which I appreciated. For a story with a warning like that, this book is absolutely hilarious. It’s witty and clever, with a protagonist out of her time making references no one gets so everyone thinks she’s lost her mind. There are so many laugh out loud moments, but the story is also emotional and captivating. You find yourself really rooting for Davi, hoping she manages to just keep going in this life, that she doesn’t have to reset and lose everything she’s built. As a character, Davi is easy to love — she’s tough, smart, crass, funny, and constantly making the thirstiest comments at the worst moments. She is your narrator in this mysterious world, and her story is studded with footnotes which are often comical nuggets of inappropriate thought. I usually find an overabundance of footnotes frustrating, these really added to the story.

As I mentioned before, the story isn’t all crass humor and silliness as Davi makes a true connection with these characters as she goes. She’s faced with a lot of difficult scenarios and at the climax of the story she really has to come to grips with the consequences of her actions up until that point. The supporting cast is also a delight, compromised of orcs, different animal shapes Wilders, and other really creative fantasy races. The world building and magic system is great, with the human Kingdom versus the Wilds and the concept of a type of mineral that can be used for magic.

If you want a unique fantasy told to you by a total train wreck of a protagonist who gets you rooting for the “bad guys”, this one is for you. Wexler wields fantasy in a fun and inventive way, and I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store.

Years ago I read Goblin Corp, a fun spin on the Lord of the Rings troupe of one elf, one dwarf, one human, etc., and this book is similar. It takes the Groundhog Day troupe and makes it fun and new again.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This book came to my attention when the author sold the media rights to the book. I can see why--this is the very definition of a whimsical high concept: a human hero, reincarnated hundreds of times over in a fantasy world, gives up on saving the world and resolves to become the Dark Lord instead. Davi remembers little of Earth except for pop culture; really, the book is loaded with Gen X references that will make readers of a certain age sputter or guffaw throughout.

I won't delve much into the story because the concept really sets it up nicely. Expect tributes to many of the major fantasy tropes. Wexler knows the conventions well and twists them in fun ways.

Now, there are a few things that will make some readers pause. There is the whole Dark Lord bit. Expect moral ambiguity, and some blatant evilness, especially as Davi commits to this new path. It can make for difficult reading. There's also a lot of sex, as Wexler subverts expectations for a female protagonist. Davi is pansexual and horny; this can be humorous sometimes, and feel overdone at others.

I overall enjoyed how this book twisted around genre conventions. I hope that it does end up being produced, and most importantly, that they do justice to the raunchy material.

4.5/5 stars.

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, or HtBtDLaDT (that still seems like quite the acronym), was everything that I expected it to be. It was satirical and tongue-in-cheek humour in all the best ways. Davi, the main character is stuck in a groundhog loop always waking up in a pool in a cave after she dies and reliving the same life over and over again. But what happens if, instead of being the saviour of the Kingdom, she tries to be the Dark Lord? She's a human from Earth who has been stuck in a fantasy world reliving the same life over and over for a thousand years. So yes, this is her story about becoming a Dark Lord and taking that different path but there is also a deeper mystery to unravel about how and why she's here at all. The supporting cast were lovable even in all their flaws and incredibly unique, I loved the animal nature of the Wilders.

I'd read Django Wexler's Burningblade & Silvereye series and found the prose was smooth and readable, which held true for HtBtDLaDT. Once I started reading it, I was easily taking 10%+ chunks out of the book each time I sat down with no issues.

If you're a fan of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or even Brandon Sanderson's more recent The Frugal Wizard's Handbook to Surviving Medieval England, I'd highly recommend picking this one up as well.