This was by far one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did NOT disappoint. I loved this so much and want this to be a 12 part series lol. The large cast of characters were all interesting, the storytelling was engaging, and the world building was easily my favorite aspect of this story. A celebration of villains and heroes, Long Live Evil is a fantasy book that is unique yet fun!

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I feel sad about this one because I've LOVED some of the author's other books so much, but this one is complicated, which I think you can see in the variety of reviews for it. Obviously this is a very personal book, and absolutely informed by Brennan's own fight with cancer and feelings surrounding that, so it's hard to "judge" the book knowing it's coming from a very fraught place.

Clearly she's still a great writer and the concept is very interesting, but the execution feels messy, and I am not in a headspace to soldier through right now. The way she writes the fantasy world's details makes it feel like I should know some of this already, even though it's a made-up world, and the overwrought names and descriptions are, I assume, intended to be very satirical but I don't feel like I'm quite in on the joke. I had to reread multiple passages multiple times because it wasn't immediately clear on what was being said or where the action was going. I finally skipped over to the end just to see if that would motivate me to continue, and I didn't realize it was going to be a series, because, dang, that ending seemed QUITE abrupt.

So...perhaps I'll come back to it in the future, depending on what I hear about the second book, but it's gonna be a no for now.

I went into this book with my only knowledge being that it was supposed to be from the perspective of the villain. I'm not sure this was completely fulfilled, but I ended up having such a fun time with it anyway that I didn't mind too much.

The writing probably won't be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. Rae was fun, sarcastic, and I liked most of the humor. Following a character from the modern world who is suddenly transported into a somewhat tropey fantasy book is a lot of fun, and I appreciate how much fun Brennan had with the meta aspects. There was one scene that went a bit too far and took me out of the book (including literal lyrics from a musical that somehow people just... go with?), but other than that, the humor worked for me.

There are a quite a few mentions of Rae's boobs (in her storybook character form), but given that Rae is transitioning from a sickly, cancer ridden body to a woman's body in a genre that can definitely... exaggerate certain features, I didn't mind it too much. And Brennan puts so much clear heart into the cancer aspects that grounded them and kept some of the story from getting too goofy.

I liked the other characters and how Brennan unpacks some of the classic character archetypes in fantasy to give them more depth. The naive, sweet Lady Lia and mysterious, dark Emperor are great examples of this, but I honestly loved every side character. Key probably ended up being my favorite, and I quite enjoyed his and Rae's romance, as twisted and probably unhealthy as it was.

I'm not sure the promise of a book from the villain's perspective was fully true, unfortunately. Rae is inhabiting the body of the villain from the original book, but she in herself isn't really evil. She's just trying to get home and having fun with it. Some of the other characters are more fully villaneous and they were often my favorites because of this. Still, I enjoyed Long Live Evil for what it is and am excited for future books in the series!

I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait for more.
I have always had a soft spot for villains and this fit that bill. Sarah did an amazing job with the characters and immersing readers in the story in more ways than one. If you have ever wanted to be a villain in your life than I highly recommend reading this book!

This book was awesome, good descriptions, funny characters...I can't wait for the second book. I also enjoyed how deep the characters were, and the twist at the end was beautiful!!

This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy.

I love a good villain tale. I'll root for Hades over Hercules and Maleficent over Aurora because it's more interesting. Sarah Rees Brennan did an amazing job giving each villain a backstory that would make you want to root for them. I picked up this book thinking it was a light and funny book with a bit of romance but it was a way more introspective the more you read. There's found family, death, and deeper meaning to what makes a character truly "evil". With an axe wielding maid, murderous guard, and a flamboyant spy, I was excited to read all the hijinks of Long Live Evil.

What made this a 4 star for me is difficult to explain. Maybe I'm not into meta stories because the modern humor did feel cringey in some parts or maybe there were way to many characters and I prefer a single POV. The book just felt slow in the middle and it took me forever to get through 30% of the book without being incredibly bored. It did pick up in pacing but I was already far to uninterested to get to the end. I do see why many people would like this book. It's a charming story that seems to be leaning toward more high fantasy than romantasy IMO. Overall, I would recommend this to someone looking for their next fantasy read with some good laughs in-betweens.

As a huge fan of “In Other Lands”, I was looking forward to this book. At its best, it was an intriguing examination of who gets to be a hero and who is designated the villain. But in the end, I found myself wishing “Long Live Evil” had leaned into those themes more or just adopted a purely campy and ridiculous tone rather than trying to merge the two. .

⭐️⭐️.75

This book was all over the place. It was kind of hard to follow! I was really excited by the story just from hearing what the book was gonna be about but as soon as I started reading it, I just couldn’t get hooked in. I love the fantasy aspects of this book. I just could not grasp being thrown all over the place.

I even went so far as to get the audio thinking that maybe it was just the e-book that was throwing me and still I kept zoning in and out of the story.

The narrator did a great job. I do not think it was the narrator at all just because I did try reading this book on my Kindle first, but I just didn’t love this book.

At first, it gave me the never-ending story vibes, but then it just morphed into something else and I really had a hard time following the story just because I couldn’t stay hooked in it. I really wanted to love this book.

I started with the e-book in August and I am now just finishing with the hybrid in December if that tells you anything. I am normally a fast reader.

It took me a bit to get into this one. The premise was great, but it was slow to get going. However now that I have finished reading it, I cannot stop thinking about it. Absolutely loved Key and Rae, but even more so Eric and Darius. The characters in this are well rounded and engaging and the twists and reveals were so surprising. I am so ready to find out what happens next.

Mostly I want to know more about the anonymous author of the fictional book. And I want to know what is happening in the real-world during Rae's stint in fiction. There are so many further angles to explore, and I am excited to see where Sarah takes us.

Thank you to Orbit Books for this e-ARC of Long Live Evil in exchange for an honest review! This book surprised me in a lot of ways. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. That being said, I definitely enjoyed it in the moment, but afterward, I couldn't really recall anything from the book itself, but at least it was a good time!

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan is a fun and campy twist on the traditional fantasy, with a lovable and charismatic cast of villains that you’ll gladly root for instead of the hero.

I was excited to read this book. In Other Lands, The Demon’s Lexicon series, and The Lynburn Legacy series were some of my favorite books when I was younger. I remember spending a whole summer happily waiting for each chapter of In Other Lands to upload on the author’s blog, before any of us knew that it’d eventually become published as a physical copy. In Other Lands was the last thing I read by the author, so this felt like a nostalgic homecoming of sorts.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I read 37% of it before deciding to call it quits. This book has an interesting premise, where the main character, Rae, is transported to her favorite fantasy series and has to survive the storyline as the villain of the story. Knowing how the books end should make it easy for her to survive, but she soon finds out that not everything is as it seems. I enjoyed the twists and turns, I enjoyed Rae and her evil entourage, and I enjoyed how the author poked fun at the various tropes and archetypes found in fantasy worlds. But something about the writing felt stilted in its flow, and awkward in its transitions. I also felt like the humor was a hit-or-miss for me, with most of it falling flat due to references to the modern world / Rae’s world feeling too forced. I wasn’t having as much fun as I thought I would be reading this book.

I rate this book 2/5 stars instead of 1/5 stars, because I think other people would like this book. I just think this book wasn’t for me. And I’ll still keep an eye out for future books by this author, because I’m looking forward to what she comes up with next.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. 2/5 stars.

i think i had too high expectations of this one because i'm was desperate to find fantasy novels about female villains. i genuinely enjoyed the premise of this because it was a unique concept and different from anything i've read recently. sick with cancer and on the verge of dying, rae is visited by a random stranger and offered a cure for her illness if she completes a quest that transports her into the world of her favorite fantasy book series. such a fun concept!

i did enjoy the characters, especially with how rae became the villainess in this story. she was morally gray, as were several of the other side characters she met and conspired with. however, there was a lot less action than i thought and i felt as if certain parts just draaaagged on forever. we also got different pov's from the other characters and to be honest, i think they added anything substantial to the story.

because rae knows what happens in the story and how each individual characters story plays out, she makes certain decisions to alter the fate of these characters which ultimately causes chaos for the rest of them. there were times where what was happening in reality and what was destined in the book was so jumbled that it became confusing for me to keep up with (but that could just be a personal issue for me). the pacing was so off because she kept trying to keep a timeline of when things were supposed to happen and things began to spiral out of order which only added to the chaotic storyline.

towards the end, i didn't feel invested enough to the characters or story to continue. again, a totally unique and fun concept that unfortunately lacked in execution. i would definitely give this a try if you're looking for a fantasy book that offers a different and fresh perspective than other fantasy books out there today!

Thanks to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
3.5/5

Have you ever finished a book and still not known exactly how you feel about it?? This is one of those rare times where I find myself in exactly this situation. I like the idea of a person being transported into a favorite fantasy book, taking up the role of the villain and being irreverent while doing it. The main thing that held me back from really enjoying the story is not feeling any connection the characters. For the most part, they felt a bit flat, and I just wasn't invested in what happened to them. There were also several times where the use of our modern jargon just felt so out of place and pulled me out of the story. I can honestly say I really have no idea right now if I will continue on with this series.

I enjoyed it! It was definitely super chaotic but I kind of just let myself get taken for the ride and I think the author pulled off the chaos and the writing tone pretty well. It did drag for me a little bit here and there but not too badly overall. I liked the way the plot got thrown off the rails once Rahela started to intervene. I liked the way the author kind of subverted all the classic fantasy archetypes and tropes and kind of threw them on their heads with the entire setup of the book. And the whole idea that got touched on during the book of real vs "real" characters was an interesting thread and how that idea affected the villainy.
I'm not actually sure how interested I am in the sequel though? Like the door is clearly open for one but idk I think I feel satisifed with just the one romp?

I didnt get a chance to read this book before the publish date, but now that I have read it I gave it 3 stars.

EDITED: SO ITS BEEN LIKE SEVERAL HOURS AND IM STILL OBESSING OVER THAT ENDING.

This was such a fun read!
I won't lie, the beginning 40%, except a few twists and moments, was a STRUUGLE - I did almost DNF. Which surprised me because I usually EAT UP Sarah Rees Brennan, but it must have been the tone at the start, which was slower & very info heavy. Either way after that 40% I was in for this book, the fact that the story was changing because of certain characters really added that tense what is happening element.

Key, the Cobra, Rae & the potential of Lia are very much the drive of this story.
I really ship Rae and Key.
I cant wait for book 2!!!

Perfect book for readers who love the villain in the stories. I didn't love this book, it took some time to feel any connection to the characters. Still had to see how it ended though

Long Live Evil felt like the a more fun and entertaining Chronicles of Narnia! I love a good villain story and this lives up to it! Ray is the kind of character that has you rooting for her even though she’s the villain of the story! It was a true adventure filled with unique characters that added fantastic detail to the story! Very enjoyable read!!

I'm not going to lie, I struggled with this one. I think I started it like five different times and really really couldn't get past the first few chapters. But I loved the premise and so many authors I liked enjoyed it, and so I finally obtained the audiobook and listened.

And honestly, it took about 50% of the way, but once I was in, I was in.

I really loved the found family aspect of it all. I loved the ability for people who had been dropped into the world to find one another.

I will say, some of the dialogue really made me cringe, and some of the chapter pov aspects threw me off, especially in audio form. So it took a while, but once I was in, I was in!

A fascinating isekai story about a woman having to realize what's more important, getting healthy and getting back to what is familiar (even if the world is kinda...trash), or the found murder family you made along the way.

I'd definitely dive into book 2!

Thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for a chance to read and review.