“Your father resembles his father, and his father’s father. The same face with slight variations, to imprint the memory of danger through generations.”

To say this book exceeded my expectations is a very difficult thing to say. Because it didn’t simply exceed it, it took my expectations and ran head first into the glass ceiling I had created in my own head. This book not only became my favourite read of 2024, I know it won’t be bumped off because I’m pretty sure this book has launched itself into my Top 10 books in my mind!
I had presumed this to be a fun little romp about a villain doing villainous things. And while that was correct, there was also a quiet elegance to the book that really got into my head. And a thank you to Netgalley for my Advance Readers Copy. My opinions are completely honest and my own.

“Morality was all about shading: in a kingdom of petty blond antagonists, heroines stayed gold.”

Let’s start with the base concept of the story. The main character, Rae, is a young woman dying of cancer. She’s in hospital and she’s not doing well health-wise. In comes an option to save her own life, where if she goes into a story both her and her sister love and steals a flower, she can be healed of her illness. Of course, she jumps at this opportunity.
Only, she finds herself in the body of one of the villains.

“So this is my noble steed, Google Maps?”

The humour in this book was top notch. It borders on campy (actually, goes full blast into campy) and creates a humorous setting after having such a delicate entrance. It creates a lush new world where the protagonist not only knows she comes from another place, but also knows the story and what’s going to happen next.
We meet really thrilling characters like Key, a guard at the Palace who dreams of bigger things (in a stabby, bloody kind of way), Emer, the Iron Maid who has a future of stabby things but seems to be open to change, the Cobra, my personal favourite and someone who holds a familiar secret, Marius, The Last Hope who has a black and white view on what’s right and wrong, and the Emperor, a man who has been foretold to do many great things. There’s also plenty of other characters and plot points that really pushes this book into the high fantasy realm, while the humour and laid back approach keeps it open to all readers.

“Sometimes women writers got discussed as if they ran a fictional vampire dating agency, while clearly men writing green bare-breasted tree women burned with pure literary inspiration.”

I loved that this book had some super serious moments, many of which poked fun at the publishing industry and its audience. It wasn’t jarring or out of place, as the whole world Rae is in it built from a fantasy novel in the ‘real world’.
I liked the moments of clarity and the friendly reminders that often certain groups of people don’t have the same opportunities or are often seen as creating art that is ‘less than’ when it’s the same. Or, in this case, I’m sure this book will be seen as a romcom and ignore the actual story – all because it’s written by a woman.
Yes, I’ve seen bookstores who have moved books from Young Adult to Adult or Fantasy all because they found out the author was a man. And I’ve seen the opposite when the author is a woman.

“Sorry, but the old Rahela can’t come to the phone right now.”

The pop culture references in this were great. I think the author chose well – they weren’t something that was going to age quickly, but it’s still relevant to today’s readers. The Taylor Swift quote will definitely still be valid for years to come (and probably be done and redone by other artists) and even things like calling a horse ‘Google Maps’ (you have to read the book because that made me snort) isn’t likely to dry up soon.
Usually I’m a little iffy about pop culture references as they tend to date a book, but this was done really well.

“Lord Marius is a man too. Men have needs? Spare me. Men have need of food, sleep and shelter. Calling anything else a need is frankly embarrassing. Carnal extravagance is not a necessity to resent but a luxury I enjoy.”

Listen, because I have an ARC, I’m not about to spoil anything. I would love to go deeper but I want you to read it and let me know what you think.
For me, this is the best book of 2024.

I didn't really care for this book. It was a chore to get through this from beginning to end, the final chapter kinda makes it worthwhile but... at what cost?

This was a wild ride of a read. We have Rae, who is dying of cancer and gets a second chance at life by entering the world of her favourite book series and ends up being a villain in the story. She decides to embrace her wicked ways and of course chaos ensues. I really enjoyed this story which puts a spotlight on what makes a hero or a villain but I think there was a lot about perspective too. There were a few scenes where the same events were taken in completely different ways, depending on the characters perspective which I found interesting. Also I am shipping two particular characters so hard that if they don't get together in the next book, I will riot!

This was an amusing books with plenty of feels and plot twists - sign me up for book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette for the ARC.

Chaotic fun! SRB obviously had a really good time writing this, playing around with genre, tropes and stereotypes. Looking forward to the next!

This book made me feel so conflicted. I loved the premise. I would refresh netgalley every now and then to see if the e-arc was released. The best part of this book was the final 10% easily. But outside of that, I would have to drag myself to read the prior 90%. And that was not enjoyable.

The use of modern language was.. almost uncomfortable, with the amount of second hand embarassment I felt. The musical scene? The constant referencing of Rahela's boobs? I understand pop culture references are necessary to make Rae feel detached from the Time of Iron's world, but it ended up feeling over the top.

As other reviewers have mentioned, this book does not take itself seriously. While it can be understood as Rae's perspective of the world of Time of Iron, which is a fine idea (and one that is hammered down), but as a reader.. it makes it hard to care.

Long Live Evil is a twisty, imaginative, hilarious and thought-provoking adventure that explores morality and the idea of the ‘after-life’. I absolutely LOVED this story. Although I was able to predict the twist at the end, it was still a super fun read that I could not put down. I loved the characters, the premise, the action, and the comedy that kept the overall tone light and playful even though it discussed dark, heart-wrenching topics. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the romantic sub-plot shine through but overall, a fantastic concept delivered very well.

This book is appropriate for adults as there is a good amount of violence, gore, and death. While there are no on-page explicit scenes (only 2-3 kissing scenes), there is mention of sexual activities.

I hope that the next book can continue the thrilling, adventurous story in the light-hearted, comedic tone with an added layer of romance between our glorious couple.

I would highly recommend Long Live Evil to readers who don’t mind some blood shed and would enjoy a thrilling, high-stakes fantasy.

"Villains weren’t cut out for emotional scenes. Their kind were made for wicked one-liners and evil proclamations."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a hilarious twist of dry humour and fantasy, with a sprinkle of romance. The entire book was written with the 4th-wall open and made for a unique and quirky read.

Some of the quotes had me giggling to myself at the sheer obvious and statements. It felt like a romantasy with the sense of humour from Robin Hood Men in Tights movie.

3.5

The last 10% really brought up the rating for me.

I really struggled with the very modern, colloquial language used - not just by Rae, but by everyone, at times it was cringe. There was also an almost “silly” OTT vibe to the book. Because Rae wasn’t taking anything seriously, I couldn’t either.
I felt the multiple POVs unnecessary- Rae and maybe Eric would have been enough.
I liked the overall idea and plot, especially the twist at the end, but the tone/writing style wasn’t for me.