This book is sarcastic and wild. The concept of the book is really good and has so much potential within the series. I did not care for the narrator and will just read moving forward. You're really having fun rooting for the villains who got suckered into the story with a bad circumstances in the real world.

A thoroughly enjoyable, creative story that makes you cheer the villains. A bit too predictable, and Rae is a bit too clueless for my taste. Still, she has confidence, a heart/conscience, and a blast doing everything. So many unanswered questions with an explosive ending makes me anxious for the sequel!

This book didn’t end like I expected it to, but I think it ended how it needed to.

Rae is offered the chance to go into her favorite fantasy novel and complete a task, and then return to her real life healed of her cancer. She accepts, but finds as she makes plans to complete her task, thinking she knows what’s going to happen every step of the way, for every little change to the story she makes, bigger changes happen in a ripple effect. She ends up liking “characters” she didn’t, and vice versa.

An entertaining new fantasy novel from Sarah Rees Brennan - I've been a fan of the author's work for quite some time (In Other Lands is a particular favourite). The tone is very inviting, very now, and often funny and amusing. Maybe the novel as a whole could have been a bit tighter, but if you're looking for a clever, lighter fantasy novel (but not one that shies away from some darker subjects), then I think you'll find much to like in LONG LIVE EVIL.

Well this one has me torn. It was one of my anticipated books for the year and while it definitely was unique and fascinating, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I loved the idea of a book told through a villain’s POV and I loved the idea of being — literally — sucked into a book that you love. Can’t tell you guys how many times I would’ve killed to be in one of my fantasy books (even though I’d surely be a side character and probably die). On the flip side, I thought the characters were very flat (excluding our MC), the book was too slowly paced or could’ve been edited down, and the ending was… interesting. Though I’m not sure if that’s good in this case. All in all a unique read and concept, but not executed as well as I’d wish. Thanks to Netgalley for ARC access!

Rae is dying. But she is given one last chance when a mysterious person opens a door to her favorite book series. She just has to retrieve a flower from the king. But she comes into this world as a villain who is about to die to her treason. So, Rae decides to form an evil coallision and fight for her real and fictional life.

The pacing of this book is all over the place. The action begins but in the middle of it the author goes into huge tangents talking about the characters feelings and/or the character's backstory. And after pages and pages the action is resumed. It's such a convoluted way to tell the story and to build the world. Most of the time this info dump is not even relevant to the story or the present situation. There were so many boring chapters depending of the PoV (I could not stand Marius's nor Emer's). The Golden Cobra is a cool character and his dynamic with Rae was interesting enough to follow. What was happening to the book series itself was intriguing because it was changing due to Rae's interference. But that was not enough to save the book from being so boring.

The characters are extremely one-dimensional. Maybe Rae has a little bit of depth?! But most of them are really paper thin. The main twist was just so obvious since the introduction of a certain character and ******SPOILERS***** Rae reasoning his name as the key character was just so cringy ******END OF SPOILERS********

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

**Features:**
- Real world character thrown into a fantasy world
- Main characters are the villains
- Quirky and funny while also exploring more serious themes such as death, human nature, and what it really means to be considered a ‘villain’
- Book about books

**Summary**

Rae is dying. A long battle with cancer has already denied her the life of a normal teenager and now it looks like she will never get to truly experience adulthood either. However, when Rae finds herself in the fantasy world of one her favorite book series, it seems she is being given one last shot to save herself. There’s only one problem: she woke in the body of this story’s villain and her execution is tomorrow.

**Thoughts**

This book is simply a good time from start to finish! This is both a parody of fantasy/romantasy stories and a deeper examination of how we define ‘villains’ and the importance of stories in general. It is quirky and has a lot of charm while also containing some really impactful moments. Brennan does a good job showing how Rae’s past experiences influence her approach to people and situations without allowing the topic of Rae’s battle with cancer to drown out the adventure she is on. Rae enters this fantasy world like a bulldozer and it is fun to see her grow and become more in-tune with the world around her, even if growth ultimately means being a more effective villain. The other villains that she pulls into her orbit along the way are really enjoyable even if they don’t feel particularly deep. Rae truly seems to be having fun immersing herself in her favorite fantasy world despite the high stakes and it makes me want to jump in and have fun with her!

Though endearing and enjoyable, this book certainly has its flaws. Though it makes sense in the context of the story, Rae is self-absorbed and feels somewhat immature for her age, so it took me a while to really appreciate her as a character. A large part of this book’s humor comes from Rae’s frequent use of modern references and slang while in a fantasy world where they don’t exist. However, I feel Rae does this way too often and it doesn’t always hit right. Whether it is the way something is worded or how the other characters respond, the commentary sometimes just feels silly and awkward in a way that doesn’t add much to the experience of the story. That being said, when the humor hits, it really makes for some fun moments. Overall, this book lacks some detail and finesse, but it is still incredibly fun to read and that is what counts for me in the end!

DNFed bc the first chapter has one of my triggers. I can see how people who don't have that trigger could enjoy the book. Seems like a good read; just not for me.

This is so weird in the best way.
Rae being a late stage cancer patient dying with a ton of rage and anger honestly makes the best villain. She’s hurting

Her further belief that none of these people matter propels her to make some sketchy choices. She acts like a b*tch which is completely perfect.
The premise and the plot are so fun. And it’s as humorous as the blurb promised to be.

Marius is also a homoerotic mess and I love that for him.

Have you ever dreamed of being thrown into your favorite fantasy world? What if you were thrown into a character that was set to be executed the very next day? What if the fate of the world rested on your shoulders?

Sarah Brennan absolutely brought to life every reader’s biggest dream and did it in a way that seemed both plausible and entertaining as all hell. I enjoyed every single moment in this story, laughed so many times I lost count, and thoroughly fell in love with every character. I could not recommend this book more!

This was a fun read! It starts slow but when it starts hitting it hits. The many nicknames and other characters were a bit confusing because one sentence used their real names then the next was their nicknames. I sort of wish there was a glossary in the back to help keep them straight.

I loved Rae’s character because she was confident and sure of herself. The story felt original and entertaining with this cast of characters keeping you on your toes. The end was a cliffhanger but don't mind cliffhangers. I'm excited to read the next book.



I received this as an ARC from NetGalley

This is the 3rd book I have read recently from the perspective of the villain - not antihero, not a book with no real heroes, but explicitly the *villain*. Protagonist, but still the villain of the story. *Dreadful* by Caitlin Rozakis was a farce; *How to Become the Dark Lord & Die Trying* by Django Wexler was a satire. This book was deadly serious.

Our main character is Rae. She’s 20 years old, and dying of leukemia. Her main comfort is her kid sister, and their mutual love of the “Time of Iron” book series. (As an aside, I’m curious to hear from someone who’s read both this and Sarah J. Maas. I haven’t read any of Maas’ stuff, but from what I know of it I suspect there was a lot of inspiration drawn from there. I also see a lot of Bella Swan in the book-in-a-book’s heroine Lia.) She’s visited at the hospital by a mysterious woman, who tells her that the doctors will soon tell her that her cancer has gotten worse, and her slight chance of survival has turned to no chance at all. But this woman offers an improbable chance; she will send her to the universe of the Time of Iron, and if she’s able to pluck a magical flower from the king’s greenhouses (an element of the books known to Rae) she will return to the real world and recover. Rae is suspicious, but naturally, but willing to take any chance. She finds herself in the cartoonishly-curvaceous body of the lascivious Lady Rahaela, also known as the Beauty Dipped in Blood, wicked stepsister to the good and pure heroine Lia, the night before Lady Rahaela is to be horribly executed at the end of the first book. But Rae is undaunted. She is determined, has nothing to lose, and knows how the story goes. She was put into the body of a villain, so a villain she shall be. Villains get to have more fun, after all.

Rae is a very angry person. She’s angry at her own body for failing her. She’s angry that she can’t be the protective older sister she used to be. She’s angry that her friends and boyfriend would complain about how *hard* her illness was on *them* until they abandoned her (and her best friend and ex boyfriend hooked up soon after). She’s angry at her dad for ditching the family soon after she was diagnosed, she’s angry at her mom whom she never sees because she is always working to pay Rae’s medical bills, she’s angry that she’s dying before she really got the chance to live. And now she’s dropped into the body of a villainess, with a fundamentally selfish (if entirely understandable) goal, in a world she considers fictional surrounded by people she doesn’t think of as real. So, yeah, she’s quite happy to be a villainess.

But things are not quite so simple, for lots of reasons. Her conviction that none of the people around her are real wears thin very quickly; she tries to tell herself it’s the case long after she should have realized otherwise. She doesn’t know the books as well as she thinks she does - she had a tendency to zone out during the “boring” parts. And in any case the [Laws of Narrative Causality](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheoryOfNarrativeCausality) don’t hold as strongly as she thinks they do.

Leigh Burdago’s cover blurb called this “audacious,” and that’s a good word for it. I am looking forward to the sequel.

I haven't had this much fun reading in a long time! First of all, the premise is amazing. We've all dreamt of entering our favorite stories, but what if we were afforded the chance to do so only to find out we're the villain? Sarah Rees Brennan wrote so vividly that I could picture all the scenes playing out perfectly in my mind. It was insanely clever, super cheeky, and wickedly entertaining. It was perfectly constructed and chaotic, and the little twist at the end was the cherry on top. The sequel is going to be one of my most highly anticipated reads next year!

I really really really wanted to love this book. Villains as protagonists is such a fun concept, and camp fantasy is just a great vibe. But kind of nothing makes sense in this book, and parts of it are a little cringey. It's definitely well written, and the plot is original! And parts of it I did enjoy. But overall, a little bit of a miss.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The concept for this book is so cool and unique and I honestly had a blast reading this. It was funny and silly, while still having emotional moments. I ended up liking a lot of the characters and rooting for them.

However some of the writing and dialogue was really circular and hard to follow, and when I have to read a sentence 4 times to understand what is going on, it really takes me out of the story.

Overall really enjoyed this and will be looking forward to the sequel!

This book was a ride and a half. I was initially very excited for this as a villain story in a time where everyone loves villains felt so fun, and that’s exactly what this book is!

Following a young girl thrust into her favorite fantasy book, but as the villain, she builds her empire with the other villains of the story. A twisty, satirical, bit on the nose humor made this book feel like it was rushed at times, as the author is trying to play fun at classic “fantasy tropes” while also making it seem unique by breaking the fourth wall. I really enjoyed this book, but then I got uninterested and then the last ten percent got me back.

I would recommend this to anyone who
🖤loved the villain
🖤loves classic fantasy tropes
🖤want a fun, twisty story

For some reason this book took me awhile to finish. I really loved the premise of the book, but I wasn’t always keen to pick it back up. Overall it was a really unique and interesting fantasy book, but it did feel a bit long and convoluted.

When dying Rae is confronted by a strange woman and told she can make a choice to enter into the fantasy world of her favorite book series and go on a quest, or not do anything and die in her world, she has to make a decision to stay or go. And when she does enter into this fantasy world, she’s placed in the body of a character whose fate has been sealed. Can she change the course of the books?

Like I said, this is such a fun and interesting premise. I enjoyed it for the most part, but the amount of times these characters talked about how they were evil or the villains felt very heavy handed. I do recommend this to fantasy book lovers, but it’s probably not for the casual fantasy reader.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you've ever imagined dropping into one of the character's bodies in your favorite book series, beware! Our main character, in the last throes of cancer, is given the chance to enter Time of Iron and finds herself as the villainess about to die. As she makes villainous allies and tries to save herself in both stories, she keeps changing things. I found the very last events of the book to be surprising (no spoiler), and look forward to reading what comes next in the series. Rae is a great character - I loved the way she tried to embrace the villain life, then wanted to help people, which back fired, and then tried to be a villain again. The cycle kept perpetuating. The secondary characters were interesting as well, and even though I felt lost to begin with in the story, I soon appreciated the way you were given the "original" book snippets and then shown how Rae was changing it.

I was excited to receive this ARC NetGalley and was lucky enough to also get a physical ARC by mail. I was ridiculously excited to read this story. I love a villain story and fairy tales. I am sad though because I do not think I was the intended audience for this story, or the writing style was not my preference. I attempted to also immersion read with the audiobook once the book came out. I was unable to connect with the characters and felt it was a bit childish in banter. I do not however think this was a bad book. I think there is absolutely an audience for this series and they will love it. I am going to keep my copies and try again in a year or two as well. Sometimes it’s very much about timing when reading books for me. I do not post DNF reviews or lower reviews on my social media as I do not think that is fair to the author. I also avoid rating anything below a 3 star unless it was absolutely horrific, which this was NOT! I appreciate the ARC and look forward to reading more Orbit published books as they have been my favorites this year!

This was such a fun read! I loved seeing it being from a "villains" point of view. It was dark and murdery but also not deeply dark and triggering. It made me laugh and swoon at key while also rotting for the bad guys to win the day I can't wait to see what happens in book two!