This is one of the most surprising and fantastic books that I read all year. It is unapologetic about having a protagonist who is evil and as you go through the story, you cannot help but cheer them on at times. It’s fascinating and the building is excellent, and the characters are so entertaining that you can’t help but find yourself immersed in the story from start to finish.

A story where you'll root for the villain!

“Finding a favourite character was discovering a soul made of words that spoke your own.”

My rating: 4.5/5⭐️

Rae the MMC, a terminally ill teenager, gets a second chance by going on a high-stakes quest in her favourite fantasy world, not to mention in the body of a sexy villainess! Imagine a plot filled with morally grey characters, you’re spoilt for choices! 😮‍💨

While the storyline was fun, the emotional depth squeezed my heart with the complex characters. Rae and Key’s relationship had me hooked from the start.

There have been times when I’ve thought of how I’d fare in my favourite fictional worlds, this book had me yearning the actual experience!

If you’ve ever wanted to fall into fictional worlds, this book is definitely for you!

This is a fun story about the chance to enter your favourite books - with high stakes, as it's also a chance for the main character to save her own life. But she's in the shoes of the villainess instead of the heroine - giving her the opportunity to take control of her life and the story in a way she never has before.

I enjoyed this story and it's a great premise, but I found the pacing uneven and in general both the chapters and the overall story to be too long. If you enjoy this sort of premise and the mix of modern and fantasy worlds, you'll enjoy it if you've got the time to truly devote to it.

This is such a fun story! It's highly entertaining, and I had a great time reading it. I love how meta this story is and how it doesn't take itself so seriously. Brennan does a fantastic job of taking the fantasy tropes and flipping them upside down. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Review: Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

Quotes: "The story wasn't real, but love made it matter."

"Finding a favorite character was discovering a soul made of words that spoke to your own."

"I told myself if I died, she'd tell her kids stories about me. I wouldn't be anything but a story then, but that's better than being nothing at all. Nobody lives forever, but a story can. Stories are how I survive. When I'm fighting to live, I think to myself: what a story to tell my sister. I will be her favourite story. I will be the greatest story she ever heard."

Review: The story starts with two sisters who bond over a series of fantasy books. Rae is terminally ill. And can't read for herself anymore, so Alice reads to her. They're almost at the last book in the series, and Rae isn't ready for the end..
One morning in the hospital, a strange woman appears. Seemingly knowing how Rae's "story" ends. Gives her an offer. To go into the fictional world of the series, and have a chance to save herself. To become a character she's most suited to be. Which happens to be a Villain. To achieve what she needs to, she'll have to change the story.
It all unfolds from there..

The book speaks to how powerful stories can be to someone. A safe haven in troubled times. There's tons of small soundbite quotes in here that I liked.
The writing is smart and has some good bookish humor mixed in. I liked Rae a lot. I instantly wanted to root for her. After she's dropped into the book world, the story starts to become a bit complicated. Lots of characters are introduced. It felt hard for me to follow. I was also unaware that this was the start of a series. I am interested to see what happens next. The idea of this I loved. The beginning I was hooked.
I just wish it was a little less complex.
I would rate this 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received an Arc of this to review from Netgalley and @orbitbooks_us and I thank them for the opportunity.

Thanks for reading 📚

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC! This book has me seated. The story revolves around a dying girl with cancer, Rae, that gets thrust into her favorite fantasy series. This book at first was hard to get into because of the suddenness of being in this fantasy world and a lot of character introductions close together. It was definitely campy, but in a good way? Kind of like the last two evil dead movies. It was also super funny, I felt like Rae and I shared a brain because some of the stuff she said was so relatable. It was a love letter to the genre. The romance present was also aces. Because villains, evil and murder as a love language are apparently things that I love. Somehow the ending was exactly what I needed. Will be reading any further books in this series.

Long Live Evil was so chaotic in the best way! This was very entertaining. And also left me pondering who the villains really are in this world.

Rae gets dropped into the world of her favorite fantasy series with a quest to retrieve a flower than can save her from dying of cancer out in the real world. Only she finds herself in the role of a villain scheduled to be executed the next morning. And as you can guess, chaos ensues.

This started off with a bang and I was immediately pulled into the story. Rae generally knows the plot and tries to use this to her advantage but is a fuzzy on some details. This is because she was listening to her sister read the books to her during her cancer treatment and the brain fog sometimes caused her not to remember parts. So sometimes she comes up with detailed schemes based on what she knows will happen and other times her plans are to just fly by the seat of her pants. I thought this was a nice balance and lended itself nicely to a lot of comedic relief. I also love that she fully leaned into being a villain.

Moira Quirk did the audiobook narration and I usually love her, but it did take me a minute to get used to that Oklahoman accent used for Rae's voice. It was just a smidge too pronounced for me at first and pulled me out of the story a few times. But I did get used to it eventually and enjoyed listening overall. Also, the story is pretty chaotic at the beginning so I did find myself going back to re-listen to parts or going to the ebook sometimes to make sure I didn't get lost. But once I found my footing, it was smooth sailing. I would recommend the audiobook if you are typically an audiobook listener.

Thanks so NetGalley and Orbit for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait for the next book!

Read if you like...
-villain POV (kinda)
-chaos and scheming
-where the main character goes into a fictional world
-court intrigue

I can’t stress how much I ADORED this book! Anyone who enjoys isekai stories and portal fantasies needs to pick up this book! Hilarious and so much fun, Long Live Evil explores character archetypes, the evolvement of stories, and where one is willing to draw the line to achieve their own happy ending.

Long Live Evil follows, Rae, a young woman dying of cancer. One day, a mysterious figure appears before her, offering her the chance to become perfectly healthy if she enters the world of Time of Iron (essentially her world’s Lord of the Rings) and can recover a guarded, magical flower. The only catch? She’s transported into the body of the heroine’s evil stepsister, the night before her execution.

Rae and her minions are a hoot! I cackled out loud so many times during their antics (at one point they perform a song from the book’s musical in order to create a distraction). I cannot emphasize enough how FUN this book is.

It’s the mark of a great author when they get you adore side characters on equal par with the main character. Cobra (a minor villain) and Marius’ (second male lead) relationship was complex and enthralling. I never once bemoaned when their POVs popped up. The two start out with Cobra obsessing over Marius and blackmailing him. But when Cobra stops extorting him, Marius finds himself confused about the absence Cobra left in his life. Honestly, I think I might have loved them even more than Rae…

The novel also fully embraces the “cheesiness” of having a reader landed in a novel (though sometimes the “cheese” was too cheesy for my taste). But like the character exploration mentioned above, the novel sprinkles in many thought-provoking moments (so many quotable lines!!) to balance out the crazy shenanigans that Rae and her villainous buddies get up.

I will note the twist at the end was easy to see coming (I called it about a third of the way in), but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story. I am still GNAWING AT THE BIT to get more of these characters after that cliffhanger of an ending!

I will without a doubt be preordering the sequel (once it’s announced) as well buying myself a physical copy of Long Live Evil. If you’re looking for a fun and vivacious fantasy read, please PLEASE go out and read this book!

Long Live Evil was a weird ride for me. There was a lot of telling and info dumping at the beginning to set the scene, which was a little disappointing after the first paragraph pulled you into what seemed like the middle of a super compelling fantasy story. The jump to a modern setting after that opening chapter was a little discombobulating.

The concept of the story is great. Finding yourself in the world of your favourite book series, getting to experience the settings and characters firsthand could be such an amazing gift or could backfire terribly. But I don’t know if the execution worked for me. It was ultimately the story was too meta way too much of the time. The characters speak directly about the creative process themselves and it feels like the author is shoving the opinion down the readers throat.

I was really intrigued by the glimpses we got of the story that the main character Rae found herself in. I almost wished I could read that book instead of this one.

I got really sucked in by the 25% mark. There were a couple surprising elements that I really enjoyed. The Cobra was a particularly fun edition. Every male character was described pretty identically, which was irritating. All with dark hair and lighter arresting eyes and endlessly gorgeous. Many characters grew on me and I found myself quite attached to several by the end.

I liked that you got perspectives from some of the characters original to the story. It was fun seeing them wonder why the villainess was acting strangely.

It slowed down for me in the middle. I’m not sure why. I just wasn’t compelled to pick it up. I think Rae’s inner monologue reflecting on how a story works, or how villains work in fiction was too repetitive.

I thought it was a standalone but it ends so weirdly and abruptly and on a cliffhanger so I assume a sequel will be coming. I don’t know if I want to read it but I want to know what happens next.

Unfortunately I was not a fan of this story. I attempted to read it multiple times as the premise was promising and I had been looking forward to it after it was announced. I DNF’d at 25% through the story and am unable to give a complete review as such. Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit for generously giving me an arc. I hope this book finds its perfect audience.

ARC from Netgalley:

AAAAHH MY EMOTIONS!?!?!?!?! How dare this book be so gooooood. This is as immensely evil as the name suggests because it hits way harder than it should.

A delightful and occasionally very depressing literary isekai (normal person in a fantasy universe) that really focuses on the delights of being evil, and then the cold reality of it.

The fantasy characters take themselves deadly seriously, whilst the fish out of water characters provide some great comedic relief. This is not an action book, although a lot of action happens it really is yadda yadda'd for a tighter focus on character and consequences, with a healthy dose of good ole romance!

Everyone should buy this book so we can ensure more are made because I cannot live with that cliffhanger.

If “pure fun” came in book form, this would be it. Once again we are back with the premise of stepping into one’s favorite book series, but in this case it’s to save their own life (oh, and she enters the story as the evil stepsister character and decides to create a team of the story’s minor villains to get what she wants).

My favorite part of this book was getting to read from the perspectives of multiple different characters, my favorite being Marius’s POV because I am so deeply obsessed with the dynamic he has with The Cobra (seriously, I need more of them NOW). While yes, Marius and The Cobra were my faves, I did enjoy our main character Rae and her take no sh-t attitude.

Is this book a little wacky? A little unserious? Yes, but I would argue that is absolutely part of its charm.

And we MUST discuss that ending!! It was somehow both completely unexpected while also being something I totally should have put together sooner, which is the best kind of twist

Overall, this book exceeded all of my expectations, and I am so excited to read more from this utterly delightful author

DNF @ 53% - 2.5 rounded up

I really wanted to like this one, and I knew going into it that it was probably going to be the kind of book I absolutely adored or absolutely couldn't connect with. The comedy element of it was too meta for me, and I would have liked it more if I was reading the original story instead of a modern person from the real world transported into the story. For me, the humor kind of grated against the more violent backdrop of the story. These scene where I really decided the book was not for me was when Rae and The Cobra broke into song at a ball about being villains.

The story really interested me - I love the idea of stories within stories, and the fantasy setting was so immersive. I loved all the poetic fantasy nicknames like "The Lady Dipped in Blood." I think many readers may enjoy this one, especially those looking for something that reminds them of The Princess Bride or Robin Hood Men in Tights, crossed with Game of Thrones. Lots of violence and bloodshed like the latter, but also humor like the former.

I also think if the romantic sub plot had just a little more page time, it might have swayed me to finish this, because I did find the romance compelling.

People can have such different tastes in comedy, and this kind is just not for me, but I can absolutely understand the appeal for other readers.

Thanks to Orbit for the gifted copy of this book!

LONG LIVE EVIL is the best second chance trope, reminding me a bit of how The Princess Bride starts and there's a contrast between a gloomy real world and a fantasy world with adventure and love. Sarah Rees Brennan is FUNNY - there are so many entertaining one-liners and tropes, making this a really enjoyable read. It did feel a little on the long side, but there was lots of action through until the end!

i am so sorry, but i just cant read about a certain trigger that this book has - had i known, i would not have requested. i am wishing sarah and the whole team for this book the best of luck <3

This isn’t going to be a book for everyone, but also the right audience will go absolutely feral over it. (It’s me. Hi.)

Short Synopsis:
Rae is sick. She’s dying. And she’s gotten through some hospital stays by her sister reading to her from her favorite fantasy series - Time of Iron. But when a mysterious woman comes to Rae and sends her to the Time of Iron world on a mission and if she’s successful, she’ll be healthy, Rae can’t refuse. But she enters the would as a villainous and has to learn how to navigate it on the team of evil.

My Thoughts:
Long Live Evil is deliciously unique, creative and for lovers of fantasy (especially those morally grey villains we all love so much.) Truly one of the most unique, genius books I’ve read in awhile. I adored Rae and her scheming and one liners. The side characters were a blast and really all played their fantasy role beautifully. (Key and Cobra especially.)

It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed this much in a fantasy. It was seriously so funny.

I will say I first attempted this book on audio and I struggled with following the details and the different POVs, so picked it up again as an eyeball read and enjoyed it a lot more that way.

What You’ll Find:
🖤Morally grey characters
🐍Adventure
🖤Scheming
🐍Found family
🖤Humor
🐍Villain’s POV
🖤Real world + fantasy world
🐍Adult fantasy

This was a wildly fun read that had me CACKLING. No cons, only pros. The wit was as stacked as the library of Alexandria (my new favorite reference), and of course, our evil heroine’s evil twins.

The novel also tackled some really serious issues in a very lighthearted way. Very well done in that regard, and in the ways in which our main and minor characters grew and developed throughout.

Long Live Evil is a thrilling and cheeky read laced with satire. The layers and level of detail spread across the pages had me captivated.

Sarah Rees Brennan did a great job at providing an interesting take on the Fantasy genre that made you want to root for the villain but also question what really makes a villain in the first place. With some beautifully thought out twists, and some hilarious banter, I was left satisfied while reading this one. I can't wait to see what comes next!

I was utterly obsessed after reading the premise of Long Live Evil! What book lover wouldn’t want to enter the universe of their favorite book series? That’s what happens when Rae, a young woman dying of cancer, is given a mysterious second chance at life and is thrust into her favorite book series, Time of Iron. As she enters a fantasy world beyond her wildest imagination, she realizes that she in inhabiting the body of the book’s seductive villainess Lady Rhaella. There’s nothing a modern woman loves more than making a splash, and as Lady Rahela, Rae takes advantage of her newfound health to wreak playful havoc upon the kingdom. Along with an eccentric cast of characters, Rae will have to find her way in a new universe all while juggling the mounting attention of the Once and Forever Emperor.

Readers are quite literally thrown into the world of Time of Iron much like Rae. I liked that we weren’t given an info dump right at the beginning. The Time of Iron universe was fairly easy to follow (especially for those who have read epic fantasy prior) and I was able to pick up the mechanics of the world quickly. At the beginning of each chapter, we got snippets from the fictional books which organically integrated information as well. The characters all have different titles and nicknames which was a little confusing at times but Sarah Rees Brennan usually referred to them by one defining monicker so I was able to keep everyone straight.

This book is quirky in many ways you wouldn’t expect. A lot of the story relies on fantasy archetypes which contributed to the overall campy feel but it subverted traditional ideas of good vs. evil. I do think the pacing was a tad slow in the beginning and the additional character POV’s were a bit distracting since this was very much Rae/Rahela’s story, but once the action picked up, I was fully engrossed and entertained.

I really enjoyed how unique and fresh Long Live Evil felt and loved seeing an author have unabashed fun with a fantasy world!

Many thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a tough time with this one. My expectations were pretty high (especially with so many authors I love raving about it) which unfortunately made this a DNF for me. I didn’t find the premise of a dying girl getting ported into the villain of her favorite fantasy novel received the necessary structural support to allow me to buy into the story and keep reading beyond halfway. I did enjoy the Princess Bride vibes, especially with the intro, which kept me reading for as long as I did, but it was just not for me.