The premise of this book sounded amazing and the reviews coming in from my favorite authors really sold me into wanting to read it. But sadly I just struggled. Maybe it was the writing style, but it was a struggle. I'm going to try reading it again once its released and see if my review changes, but the main character felt like it wasn't developed to the extent I was hoping for based on the reviews I had seen previously.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books. This was a really interesting read that I enjoyed. It was pretty entertaining and fun.. The characters were a treat and interesting to hear about. The fmc was hilarious and totally played into her role which made it hilarious to read. I will say it was fun rooting for the villain! Although, It seemed like a big info dump at first and some of the names were a bit long winded. That kind of put me off and I did forget who was who. I’ll definitely purchase a physical copy once it releases. A fun read when you want to have a good time!

Long Live Evil and long live Sarah Rees Brennan! Five friggen stars!

This was my first read from Sarah and it was so different than any other fantasy romance I've read before. The concept of having the FMC dive into the world of a popular book was original and very meta. I enjoyed the way the author weaved the "story" version of events with Rae's reality and how Rae fell naturally into the role of villain while still being true to herself. At around 8% into the book I was already shipping her with a particular character and found myself screaming later in the book. It's been a while since I had such a reaction to a read. I couldn't put it down! There is a cliffhanger at the end so prepare yourself now. I'm literally counting down the days until book two.

There are some elements that may be sensitive for readers, so I recommend checking content warnings before diving in.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books and Sarah Rees Brennan for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

After a slightly slow start I really ended up loving this book. It is an absolute blast but it also has a lot of really emotional weight to it. Rae is funny and strong. I loved all of the other characters too. The idea of ending up in your favorite story isn't new but it was executed in a very different way here. And that ending!!! I can't wait to see where this story goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was SO GOOD. The premise, the discussion or what makes a hero or a villain, and then THAT ENDING. I will not recover until I get a sequel.

4.5*
it's been a couple days since I've finished reading long live evil, and I still find myself thinking about it.
I'm so grateful to have been sent this arc as I had such a great time reading it and loved some of the author's previous works.

long live evil is definitely a fun read with witty and charming characters, and I truly look forward to its continuation. at first, I did not know what to expect on the character's dynamics, but seeing the relationships form and develop through the alternating perspectives was the most entertaining part of the book. I always do enjoy seeing the thoughts one character holds for the other, and Sarah Rees Brennan does a wonderful job at making each of the characters unique in their narrative.

that said, I'm looking forward to the sequel and what it has in store, as this book lays the groundwork for an interesting shift in the overall story and characters

Stars: 4.5 rounded up

This book is a bit of a wild ride, and I am here for it. A terminally ill young woman is given a chance to save herself by going into one of her favorite fantasy book series where she ends up as a villain.

Book was a bit slow-paced in the beginning, but the pace picked up and I found myself excited to pick it up each and every time. The book was surprisingly heartwarming, love a villainous found family, and I enjoyed the surprise twists and turns.

This book appears to be pretty polarizing, and it seems most folks will know pretty quickly if they will love it or not. Personally, I loved it. Definitely a few cringe moments, but for the most part I felt like they were very intentional and made sense considering the story.

The narrator, Moira Quirk, does an excellent job portraying each of the characters.

Note: book ends on a cliffhanger and there is no spice. I am incredibly curious to see what happens with these characters in the next book.

Thank you to Sarah Rees Brennan, Orbit Books | Orbit, and to NetGalley for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

What a unique premise for book, this was very enjoyable and I love a good morally grey main character arc. The main character of this story has had a rough battle with cancer and gets sucked into her favorite book series to have a chance to save her life. I mean what fantasy reader wouldn't love to meet their favorite book characters! I was rooting for the main character from the start and once I understood a bit more about the world I started rooting for the villains to finally win. This was a very fun, relatable and touching story about friendship, loneliness and perspective and I enjoyed it a lot. The beginning was a bit slow but after about the 30% mark it gets super interesting and I couldn't put it down. I am hoping the next one comes out soon as I am invested!

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for granting me access to eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan is a third person multi-POV isekai epic fantasy. Rae’s sister Alice is a big fan of the fantasy series Time of Iron and has been reading the books to her while Rae undergoes chemotherapy. During Rae’s last moments, a mysterious woman comes and offers Rae a deal: die or go into the world of Time of Iron. Rae does so to get a second chance at life but her lack of in-depth knowledge of the world is going to have consequences.

Long Live Evil is a piece of metafiction, a love letter to fandom, and a love letter to the fantasy genre as a whole. Time of Iron, from the bits and pieces that we get from dialogue and worldbuilding epigraphs that start each chapter, is heavily implied to be a grimdark series in the vein of A Song of Ice and Fire. There’s a horde of the undead, there’s multiple people looking for power, there’s politics, there’s murder and tournaments and monsters. But Rae and Cobra, who is also from our world and brought into the book world, sing a musical number about loving being a villain. Rae makes references to book boyfriends and her sister does cosplay. Rae makes references to tropes and genre conventions. The novel is doing a lot of different things and it’s a truly fun ride if you love metafiction.

Rae is a complex character who has genuine kindness in her heart, but she’s also got some anger there, too. She was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager and had to watch as the world moved on without her, tried to forget her, to the point where it seems like her younger sister was the one who was really by her side. Rae’s main goal is to return to her world, to Alice, but in order to achieve that, she needs the Flower of Life and Death. There’s a lot of games she’s playing at the risk of her own safety and she’s not playing all of them well. Her relationship with Key, a guard who is meant to fall in love with the heroine, enters a romantic sphere that she doesn’t really follow through on because of her constantly changing priorities.

The Cobra and Marius, aka the Last Hope, are a very fun relationship that I want to see further developed in the next books. Cobra is openly Bisexual and Marius is supposed to be the true love of Lia, the heroine of the story, but things don’t go entirely to plan. Back in the human world, Cobra was a big fan of Marius, to the point where he’s been keeping Marius company until it was time for Lia to enter the picture. There’s potential here for a slowburn romance and I want that very much.

Content warning for depictions of chemotherapy, cancer, and torture.

I would recommend this to fans of metafiction fantasy, readers looking for a genre-aware protagonist who is way over their head, and those looking for a book playing with tropes and expectations

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The premise sounded interesting, but unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. It took me a while to get into, and once I was semi-invested, I kept being thrown out of the story based on the language used. I understand that the main character is from 2024ish, but some of the phrases used just pulled me out of the story and the writing occasionally felt a bit 'immature'. Besides that though, I liked Rae and it was interesting to see her adjust to this 'villain' role that she was forced into.

Even though this wasn't necessarily for me, I still thought it was a fun book and I would recommend giving it a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC!

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books | Orbit for this advanced ARC. I was having a hard time getting into this story reading it, but when I switched to the audiobook, I couldn't put it down! This book is a fun fantasy novel about being about to step into your favorite book. Rae makes a magical bargain to step into her favorite novel and when she wakes up, she's in a castle and all the characters in the kingdom surround her, and she must find a way to get out of them killing her. Also, as she finds out, she's not the heroine of the novel, she is the villainess, and SHE'S LOVING IT!! She bands together a merry group of villains to do her dastardly deeds and try to change her fate.

This was such an incredible story and I cannot wait for book two. We follow villains throughout the story so I really had no idea what route we were going to go. The way the book ended made me want to read more. I was ready to never forgive the author for something that happens in the book but boy was there some serious redemption and I am HOOKED.

Ok, I went into this with a lot of excitement because the premise sounded SO amazing! As a reader, who doesn't fantasize about what it would be like to find yourself actually IN your favorite book series? HELLO! I could name a few I would love to be in.
But I don't feel like the book came together from a writing standpoint successfully. It was so MUCH at the beginning, it could be considered overwhelming. And at times I didn't feel it was very well written.
But it was also entertaining. And captivating and I never wanted to put it down because I just COULDN"T stop reading it. For any "bad" of the book , there was also so much amazing! So many GREAT quotes and I am eagerly anticipating the next one!

e-arc review

THAT ENDING????? WHAT???

I loved this book so much.

"I crawled out of hell to fall at your feet"

UM BRO?

Okay but in all seriousness if you love enemies to lovers, morally gray characters, complex story lines, and endings you can't expect, this is the perfect story. I need the second book like right now?

The bi panic you will feel reading this is strong.

Long Live Evil is a unique and entertaining fantasy that breaks away from the usual tropes. It’s fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and presents a plot you rarely see in traditional fantasy that also weaves in isekai elements, but there are still unanswered questions regarding that element.
Our protagonist is a badass with a sharp tongue and the ability to sell sand in a desert. The story features zombies, a Grand Canyon, white walkers, secret tunnels and grand royal ceremonies. It offers everything you want in a fantasy with some added sass, humor, and inventive characters that you’ll grow to love. Be warned, though: there’s a mean cliffhanger. One standout feature is the book’s playful tone. With frequent fourth wall breaks and witty banter, the characters’ interactions are a delight. The protagonist’s snarky commentary adds a refreshing change from the typical stoic heroes, even though she’s definitely not a hero. The story is mostly low stakes until the end, with plenty of banter and humor. If you enjoy court drama and political intrigue, this book is for you. However, if those elements don’t appeal to you, it might not be your cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: August 27, 2024

4.25 stars
Interestingly I almost DNF'ed this book at the start but I think that is because cancer and all of the grief, anger, and feeling helpless that comes with it hits way too close to home. Once we got further into the story I was hooked! So many twists I didn't see coming (which is unusual for me) and a character death that I was actually sad over! I can't wait for this to continue!

I could not get into this book. Had to DNF around the 20% mark. While I found the plot summary and cover to be stunning and different in the best way (I mean who hasn't fallen in love with a villain?) the execution just fell flat for me. From chapter one where Rae seems to belittle her sister for liking the book series to claiming the series as her own favorite as well there was a disconnect. Furthermore, some of the dialogue read as a parody of a villain rather than a true witty and cunning villain the masses would equally rally against and root for.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

...................I both loved this book and completely despised it.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan is a fantasy novel dedicated to every reader that's ever fallen in love with the villain. When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favorite fantasy series. She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she's not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor's tale. So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they're doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor's fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

Overall, this book had a really cool concept but the execution of it was....off. The pacing was weird. The characters were enjoyable, though fell into many archetypes and tropes, and the plot twists were way too predictable. Yet I still found myself enjoying this book.

I’ve been absolutely foaming at the mouth to read this since the cover reveal and my wish was granted! I’ve been known to be a villain connoisseur (thanks to Dio from JoJo’s), so this was my most anticipated read of the year. (Spoiler alert: It did not disappoint!). Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Long Live Evil follows a young woman named Rae as she’s transported into her favorite fantasy series — as the villain. To save herself in the real world, Rae must take control of the story to fight for what she wants.

This book is irreverently hopeful and immensely funny. Rae is the kind of character that you want to root for regardless of what crazy scheme she just cooked up.

The emotional side of this story is really where it shines. Rae and her nest of vipers have emotions that feel so real. I laughed with them, I cried with them, and I quickly realized I needed to stop reading this book on the treadmill at the gym lest I look like a wreck.

This book is a love letter to fantasy but isn’t afraid to poke fun at some of the tropes that seem to be ever-present in the genre. You see this in Rae’s wishes that tormented characters weren’t so annoying about it and in how many things seem to follow the naming convention I lovingly call “A Bowl of Mac and Cheese”.

The story kept me on my toes. It reminded me a lot of how I felt reading Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows — you never know how the characters are going to scheme their way out of whatever mess they’ve found themselves in. The ending in particular had my jaw on the ground. It was one of those flip-back-15-pages-and-read-it-again moments.

If you like fantasy, romance, a good time, and a good villain — this book is for you. I had a blast reading this.

At 20 years old, Rae should be in the prime of her life. Instead, she's laying in a hospital bed with a terminal diagnosis. So when a mysterious figure shows up with an impossible sounding offer, Rae leaps at it. All she has to do is enter the world of Time of Iron, a famous and beloved epic fantasy series, and retrieve the Flower of Life and Death in order to heal her failing body in the real world.

Rae wakes up to discover she is now Lady Rahela, aka The Beauty Dipped in Blood, the wicked stepsister to the beautiful and tragic main character, Lia. This is a bit of a problem, because Rae knows that Rahela is about to be executed for her villainous deeds against Lia and the King. Thankfully, Rae also knows (most of) the plot of this series, so finding her way out of trouble should be no sweat. With the help of her rogues gallery of evil minions, she's out to prove that not all villains are destined to die.

First things first, this book straddles campy and cringe hard, and often dangerously teeters towards the latter. I'm straight up knocking a whole star off of my rating due to a musical number that made me want to shrivel up and die in secondhand embarrassment. I am DESPERATE for someone to execute a premise like this with a protagonist that at least tries to fit in to their medieval fantasy surroundings. I don't mind modern slang and turns of phrase as internal thought and observation, that's part of the fun of plucking a person from our world and dropping them into a fantasy, but in dialogue with a character who has no idea what Netflix or Google Maps is?? Please stop, I am in physical pain.

Anyways.

There are sequences of writing that I think need to be polished up for clarity, especially some of the high-action scenes, but there is actually a lot to enjoy about this story. I really like how the author played with archetypes and had Rae attempt to preserve the narrative she loved while also challenging the status quo in order to survive.

I also thought the world building was fascinating. You can certainly see hints of well-known epic fantasy series in the world of Time of Iron, but there were also some pretty unique elements that I thought made for a cool setting. It would have been easy to stick to a generic fantasy world for our protagonist to navigate, but between the Castle at the Edge, the creation myth of the world, and the prophecy of the Once and Forever Emperor, I could see what captivated Rae so much about this particular story.

I think this one will be hit or miss with a lot of readers, and I would not be surprised if that musical number alone is responsible for several DNFs, but I do ultimately think it was still worth the read. The last third of the story in particular was really well done, and it made me genuinely excited for the sequel despite some of the issues I thought this book had overall.