This epic fantasy adventure from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain's shoes—expect a rogue's gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.  

"Funny, audacious, and supremely satisfying, Long Live Evil is the chosen one we've been waiting for." —Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House

"Brilliant." —Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Night

This is a tale for everyone who's ever fallen for 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.

★ "Absolutely wonderful.” ―Kirkus (Starred)

★ "Brennan's adult fantasy debut is two great stories in one: the romantasy in the background and Rae’s adventure in the foreground." ―Booklist (Starred)

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES "BEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY OF 2024" AND "BEST ROMANCE NOVELS OF 2024"