Rae is dying of cancer when she gets the opportunity to go live in her favorite book series. She has to get a certain flower when it blooms, and if she does, then she will be healed and get to live. If she dies in the book, then she dies forever. When she wakes up in the book, she realizes that she is in the body of one of the book's villains. As she comes to terms with this, she finds herself figuring out how to stay alive.

I had ups and downs with this one. I think it was a little slow to get going. Then there was a lot good in the middle (and even toward the end), The best character of the book: the Cobra. A flamboyant fool with a heart of gold and lots of comic relief. The castle intrigue and outsmarting people in the middle was enjoyable. However, it was wayyyyy too long for the plot I think. Especially because it seems like this might be the first in a series. It definitely could have been condensed/things cut out. I understand why Brennan was doing some of these things, but it still just felt so slow. Part of it maybe was that I was listening to it rather than reading it, so I could not really speed read through some of the slower parts. I also wish Brennan had leaned into the being from a different world a bit more as these moments I felt added some much needed humor to areas.

Finally, the ending.... What I think would have been 3.5 stars was brought down to an even 3 because of the ending. I feel a little better if Goodreads is correct and this is book one because then maybe there will be some more resolution. When I ended it before realizing that though, I literally was like really??? I also just don't know how I feel about the twist. SPOILERS AHEAD. I grew to love Key as this rapscallion character, was super saddened by his death, and now he's a zombie emperor? Maybe not a zombie, couldn't quite tell from the audio book and didn't want to rewind. I still don't see how Rae didn't know who the emperor was in the books. There is no way that it was never mentioned and he was just called "Emperor." Especially since this was her favorite character!!!

In terms of the narrator, overall she was good, except her voice for Rae felt weirdly country/Southern? It was just kind of a strange accent to choose. Also, the writer's word choice/style at times was a little cringey.

Will I read the second (if there is one)? Yes, because now I need to know if we have resolution. Would I urge people to go run out and buy this? Probably not, no. Such an interesting premise, but just overall felt tedious to get through and then a mediocre ending.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so fun and different! The pace was great, the narrator did a really wonderful job, and this was such a fun fantasy that left me wanting more!

This was the weirdest thing I’ve read in a long time and I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about it.

Leigh Bardugo recommended this book to me [and to the hundreds of other people that were in the crowd at her signing for <i>The Familiar</i> in April]. I immediately added it to my TBR and smashed the request button when I saw the audiobook appear on Netgalley. I was absolutely stoked to get approved for the eARC.

My experience reading the first 25% was drastically different from the rest of the book. I was <i>living</i> for this premise: a girl dying of cancer is offered a chance to be cured if she steps into the world of her favorite book series to accomplish a nearly impossible task. Considering the modern-day MC’s awareness that she is within a medieval fantasy story, you can imagine the funny hijinks she gets into. There’s a lot of meta commentary on the fantasy genre, on plot structure in general, and on tired, sexist tropes.

Right off the bat, <b>this felt more like a parody than the epic fantasy story that the synopsis pitched</b>. And, honestly, I was on board. I laughed out loud an incalculable number of times while listening to the main character, who has woken up in the body of one of the villains of the story, wax poetic about her evil schemes. The IRL references (see: Friends and Google Maps) continuously caught me off guard and cracked me up.

The problem with parody, however, is that <b>it’s difficult for any story that doesn’t take itself seriously to have any kind of gravity.</b> This was the case here. Toward the end, this book attempted to become the epic fantasy that was promised in the synopsis. There was gore, there were major character deaths, and the MC Rae dropped her jokester facade, at last deciding to take these major events with the gravity that is normally afforded in a serious fantasy story.

The issue is that this was too little, too late. Rae’s comedic insistence that nothing mattered because “it’s not real, I’m in a fictional world from a book series” didn’t feel like a character in denial, grappling with an impossible new reality; it felt like a character who is aware she’s in a parody and jokes along with it. Don’t get me wrong though—characters can be lighthearted and make silly quips. But once you veer into meta-commentary about tropes and being an evil villainess, complete with her own minions, “wicked curves,” and “the voice of a phone sex operator”—that’s where you lose me.

Another major flaw with this novel is that I couldn’t connect with the romance at all. Well over a decade ago, when the <i>Twilight</i> craze was booming, parodies abounded. We had the novella, <i>Nightlight</i> (which I read and owned), and the movies, <i>Vampires Suck</i> and <i>Breaking Wind</i>. If you read or watched any of these, I think you’ll understand where I’m going with this. The primary job of a spoof is to poke fun at the source material and make people laugh. These examples did that. What they did not do, however, was craft any semblance of a romance that felt believable.

Parodies are always more concerned with the laughs than they are with developing genuine connections. <i>Long Live Evil</i> is no exception. While Rae delivered self-aware villainess monologues and heavy-handedly refered to her co-conspirators as her evil minions, I struggled to see her genuinely connecting with the characters around her (except for the Cobra).

So, when she started a romance with Key, it always came across on the page as a farce. Rae continued calling him her minion and using him in her schemes, never allowing herself to see him as a real person. The fact that she stepped into this fantasy world, knowing it was fiction, and never took anything seriously undermined our ability as readers to feel a connection between her and the characters she interacted with.

This includes the romance with Key. The scene where they first kiss seemed more like a set up for a punchline about oral sex than an actual romantic development. Every significant interaction between these two characters involved a joke: a Friends reference as the two bond, farcical meta-commentary on magical loopholes when he saves her life—I could go on.

Key as a character has issues as well. He’s a self-admitted sociopath who states multiple times that he’s only following Rae until she bores him. He almost kills her once so he can sell her dress for coin. Yet somehow we are to believe that, in the span of a few weeks, this man becomes a starry-eyed romantic who worships the ground she walks on? Nope. None of that fits the character that was developed earlier in the story. Add to this that Rae never takes a single moment between them seriously and you’ve got a recipe for a romance I don’t care about.

Now, let’s talk about the things I liked. I loved the subversion of sexist tropes in the fantasy genre. The helpless noblewomen of the harem who always need saving? They slay beasts on their own. The man who has traditionally feminine traits so everyone thinks he’s gay? He marries a woman. The clumsy heroine who’s always falling into manly arms? It’s because she needs glasses. There are lots of fun subversions I enjoyed seeing, so I won’t spoil the big ones that I loved even more than these. But I had fun seeing Brennan develop these very one-dimensional tropes into relatively fleshed-out characters.

Overall, I had a blast reading this. It was irreverent and laugh-out-loud funny. However, I recommend going into it knowing there will be some lines that will make you want to cringe out of your skin. For one: “Seriously, you will be powerful AF.” What twenty-year-old talks like that in the modern day? You’ll also probably struggle to connect with the side characters and the relationships “developed” throughout this book. Even though these things didn’t work for me, if the comedy in this book jives with you, this may still be a fun read. It certainly was for me.


<b>Overall Rating:</b> 2.5 stars.

<b>AUDIOBOOK REVIEW:</b> Moira Quirk’s comedic timing as she delivered the funnier lines was fantastic. I’m not sure if I would’ve laughed as much if I read this physically versus listening to it. For that, definitely consider picking this one up on audio!

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Hachette Audio, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Campy and entertaining this was a fun book within a book type of story. 20-year-old Rae is a cancer patient who is offered a chance at a healthy life by entering into the world of her favorite fantasy books, books by an anonymous author. She must capture the flower of life and escape the story. She wakes up to realize she is in the villain's role, the day before her execution. In order to outwit everyone she claims to be a prophet and proves it by knowing the future, using her knowledge of the books. I really liked seeing Rae get to experience life as a healthy, snarky, voluptuous main character in comparison to her bed ridden, cancer treatments where she was frail and in pain. She gratefully accepted all of that even if she was to be the villain, and she embraced that too. I feel like maybe she vocally exclaimed this a little too often, very dramatically, to be believable though.
While this a fun read, there was a large cast of characters and overall they weren't very developed. It was like they all just were there to be the stereotype character of a book but not have much depth. I wished I had known the story she was in but it instead comes to us in pieces as far as world building and prophecies and the reader is often then informed, that wasn't supposed to happen. That made it hard to follow at times. There was a lot happening at once and listening on audio could also make that difficult to follow.
The narrator though was fantastic with her accents and expressions. It felt like a true performance, though with such a wide a cast, multiple narrators would have maybe helped follow the dialogue and differentiate characters.
Overall I did like the breakdown on story, and humanizing villains. Very little in the way of romance, but definitely a character driven story. I actually kept forgetting there was much more happening behind the castle doors until the end of the book when certain events occur.

I couldn’t resist Long Live Evil after reading the synopsis. I mean, who doesn’t want to see what it’s like to live out the ultimate villain fantasy? Rae’s journey—falling into her favorite series and embracing the role of the villainess—had me hooked. She’s relatable in so many ways, trying to stay ahead of the plot she already knows but quickly realizing that her decisions ripple through the story in ways she didn’t anticipate. Her humanity really shines through as she navigates this chaotic new world.

The characters? Absolutely wild in the best way. You’ve got your classic fantasy archetypes but with some major twists. Each “minion” has their own unhinged agenda, and the way they clash and work together makes the plot even more fun. I found myself rooting for Rae and simultaneously questioning everyone’s motives—just when I thought I had it figured out, the story would throw me for a loop.

The humor was right up my alley, too—campy and meta, with modern slang thrown in for laughs. And that cliffhanger? Evil. In the best way.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3
Sadly I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would. It felt like the author wasn’t sure whether she wanted this to have a serious tone or a lighthearted one. This book was unnecessarily long and overall just a bit meh. It was a decent read but overall I wish it was split up into multiple books or some parts were shortened. The world building was sub par and the lack of real plot made the story feel more like a chore to read than anything else. Normally you can make up for that with a good romance but I felt like this book lacked that too. There was action and danger, but I never felt like anyone important to this story was actually at risk of dying or being seriously hurt. The book was ok I guess, but I didn’t find myself hooked or feeling too excited about what was to happen next. I still enjoyed the overall concept of the book. It was an overall an ok read and definitely a good escape and change from my normal genres of choice. I'll probably not continue with this series though.
Last but not least, I listened to an audio version and the performances of the audiobook were marvelous. The narration tipped this book from being 2 stars to almost 3 stars.

I received this audio DRC from NetGalley.

The narrator did a good job. I think the story was fun, and there was a good amount of action. The main character does announce a lot that she's a villain and evil, but in a story where she's not taking it too seriously because it's all based on some romantasy in her world, I didn't mind. I'm iffy on the use of current slang and that some things didn't make full sense, but I tried not to think about it too much.

*4.25 stars*

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. The recent trend of meta fantasy books have not been my favorite but this balanced the absurdity with an interesting plot and fleshed out characters.

This is what I was hoping other books would have been and I think if you’re a fan of books like Assistant to the Villain and How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, you will really like this as well. I will definitely look forward to the next book in the series.

The audio was great. Moira Quirk is my favorite narrator of all time, everything she does is great and this was no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

I listened to Long Live Evil twice before writing this review, and I'm glad I did. On my first listen, I almost gave up in the first half. Rae, the main character, was hard to like at first -- her constant comments about being a villain and having sidekicks, and her frequent remarks about her new figure quickly became grating.

However, the second half of the book completely turned things around for me. Rae's character became a lot more endearing as the story progressed, especially through her relationships with Lia and Key, which became some of the highlights for me. By the end, I found myself fully invested in her journey, and the cliffhanger that the book ended up on means I will be reading the rest of the series.

On my second listen, I was able to pick up on clues and nuances I had missed the first time, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

As for the narration, Moira Quirk did an amazing job. She gave each character a unique voice, and she made the characters feel real.

Overall, Long Live Evil may have had a rocky start for me, but it ended up being a rewarding and entertaining experience, especially on a second listen.

Thank you to Netgallery, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Hachette Audio for the free e-arc, provided in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Have you ever wanted to fall into a fantasy novel and have a chance to meet the characters in it? Then this book is for you!! Long Live Evil is campy, meta, over the top and seriously so much fun. I saw someone say this book was “strangely enchanting” and I wholeheartedly agree.

Rae falls into her favorite book series as the villainess and takes the reins of being totally evil to meet her ends. This leads to a lot of shenanigans because she is aware of plot points that are going to happen in the book, but like any story where you mess with time/narrative, we see her choices begin the directly impact the story. She is so HUMAN, I was really endeared to her character.

This book is strongest with its characters, I loved getting to follow Rae and her “minions.” Everyone has a common fantasy archetype, but it’s often turned on its head and we get to flesh out some of my new favorite characters. I love how they’re able to drive the plot forward with their differences. They’re all a little unhinged and nasty as they try to achieve their own goals.

This book also definitely plays with fantasy tropes in a way that feels new and fresh when romantasy as a genre was starting to feel a little stale. It’s a bit silly at times but my enjoyment wasn’t ever diminished as I devoured this book. I actually laughed out loud at moments which is rare for me with books, particularly with the use of modern slang (which I don’t usually like in fantasy books) because of the way the characters react to it.

I was able to listen to an advance edition of the audiobook and Moira Quirk truly made the experience for me, she added charm to each character she embodied which was such a treat. Thank you to @orbitbooks_us and @hachetteaudio for the advance audiobook!

Long Live Evil is out NOW and is a wild romp that you won’t regret if you just let yourself be taken for the ride 😈

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

DNF @ 20%.

Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. I was hoping that the concept would grab me and drag me on an exciting ride where I could root for characters who maybe aren't the best people. It didn't. And the main reason I stopped listening was because the main character was extremely annoying. I understand she is a modern-day girl who ends up in a fantasy world, but not even trying to fit in with the narrative? Confusing characters by saying something was AF? Using pop culture references every second sentence? Yeah, that wasn't enjoyable to read.
The audiobook itself was really good. The narrator did a great job of giving each character a distinctive voice and expressed emotion through the dialogue. So, if you're interested in the story, the audiobook is a great way to experience it.

This book was amazing. For once I didn’t see the ending coming. I adored the characters and they truly go on journeys where they improve as the flawed people they are.

This book ends on an absolute cliff hanger so if that isn’t your cup of tea please, for your own sanity, wait until the next book is released.

Rae is probably who we would all be if we woke up to find ourself in a book. She believes nothing is real and is blind to reality as she knows what’s going to happen. She knows the characters thoughts and feelings and nothing will change that. Except for the fact that it does change.

This book really shows the consequences of the butterfly effect. Little changes can completely alter a plot. Rae is an amazing character and her vipers really bring the story to life. I cannot wait for the next book.

The start of the book really made me think of Gideon the ninth and yet this feels more mature. It has a similar humour to the locked tomb which I loved and it wasn’t until the horror sisters were given voice that I realised it is the same narrator. I don’t think a better narrator could have been chosen. She really brings out Rae’s character and helps immerse you into the story. I found myself struggling to turn the book off and being disappointed when I had to.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I had so much fun with this book! I struggled a bit to get
Into it for the first 1/4 but once I got into it I ended up having a really good time!

We’ve all wondered what it would be like to get sucked into the pages of our favorite story right? Well now we have the answer of what it would be like if we were the villain!

There was humor, it was dramatic and fun and it’s just a good time. There was also a great plot twist that I feel like I should have seen coming but didn’t. The ending also left me screaming and desperate for the next book!

I also do feel like a lot of the side characters like Key and the Golden Cobra really shined and I really enjoyed reading about them. Lady Lia also ended up pleasantly surprising me.

My one gripe is that I hate when characters use contemporary words/slang in portal fantasies. I just don’t like it, I find it irritating and it makes the characters look ridiculous for not even trying to fit in. But I assume it was meant to add to the humor of the book so I understand why it’s there even if those moments didn’t quite work for me.

All in all this was a very fun time and I’m looking forward to the next book!

I tried so hard to love this book but I think it's a case of a "not right now" book. It's one I will definitely try again in the future, but just isn't one that compells me now.
I DNFed at 26.1%, I am sad to say.
The book is good. It has a very promising plot:
Rae is dying of cancer. She's known this for a while, but eventually the night comes where she knows she won't make it. That is until a woman appears in her hospital room, offering her a chance to be cured... if she enters her favourite fantasy book series as a random character, steals a magical flower, and returns. Seems simple enough. What could go wrong?
I get that Rae is supposed to be a fun character but she is rather infuriating. The novel is set in a high fantasy realm, filled with bloodshed, treason, and badassery. It has medieval elements to it so it is by no means "modern". Except our heroine uses modern slang the entire time which naturally causes confusion and misunderstandings. I understand Rae is supposed to be young and caught up in all this whimsy, but it's your favourite fantasy book where you are trying not to die... Using slang like "A.F" and referring to Batman and Jesus is just plain silly. The references, whilst technically used correctly, just don't fit with the novel. Also constantly referring to your "allies" as your evil minions is... definitely a choice.
Whilst I only did get a short way into the book, the plot goes nowhere and somewhere at the same time. The pacing can't decide what to do with itself. It's one of those things that when I come back and read the book, it will definitely make a bit more sense.
I think the setup for the plot is good enough. I love that the author includes exerts from the supposed actual book as it really ties everything together and gives a backstory to the plot when needed rather than explaining everything. My only issue with the setup was the excessive names. When being tossed into a story, we first get acquainted with the FMC name and well as her sisters. I kept confusing the two but persevered. Rae then enters the novel under a character's name, who also happens to have many nicknames and references. Whilst being intruduced to new, and importnant, along with their backstories, the author flips between Rae's real name, her character's name, and references to the character. Rae's character is also a twin so we get given her "sisters" story thrown in there too. Fantasy character names are never easy, but I found it quite difficult remembering who was whom when there were seven different names used for each character, along with their royal titles and relations to other characters.
I do want to stress that I want to come back to this book and try it again. I definitely want to get the physical copy and I do encourage people to give it a chance.
Its perfect for fans of Fantasy who have always wondered how they would fair if they were trapped inside their favourite fantasy series. Hopefully you will remember more of it than Rae...

A dying women is given an opportunity to live by becoming a character in her favorite book series. She portrays the villain in this story filled with her favorite character, the handsome king, a sociopathic bodyguard, a dis-gruntled maid that knows how to use an axe and an entrepreneur playboy with a secret. Rae has one chance to change her fate and return healed to her world. She finds herself in many dangerous, compromising positions as well as some pretty hilarious ones.

This is the perfect book for any book lover that would love to meet and share the story with their favorite characters. This has a bunch of great pop culture references, lots of witty one liners and some really good action. The ending made my heart hurt and I cannot possibly wait until the next one is out!! What a unique and clever story. It was a so much fun!! The narration was fantastic!!

5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review .

4.25 stars
So freaking good! The premise itself is amazing, and the execution did not let me down. The humor was my taste, very tongue-in-cheek and balancing poking fun at books, while also showing the love and impact they have, as well as social commentary of common tropes. This is what I was hoping Assistant to the Villain would be.
To start off, the audiobook was really well done, and easy to follow even with all the POV switches (which is not an easy feat). Each character's voice felt distinct and added to their characterization.
I immediately found myself rooting for Rae, which was a tough position because things were just really not going her way for so long and I was holding my breath when she would ally with someone because I was hoping against hope they wouldn't betray her and was disappointed when it sounded like they were. I was pleasantly surprised though that she realized quickly, I love that Rae was actually smart. I also really appreciated the way it depicts illness- feels real and moving, and didn't romanticize it.
As for the side characters, my feelings are more complicated. There were a lot of them and they all had second titles as well that were used interchangeably, which was confusing at first. It got less so by the end, but there was a learning curve, though it's a funny 'complaint' to have when Rae herself complains about that at the start of the book lol. There were characters who I loved right away, like Key and Eric, but someone like Lia was really annoying for majority of the book. I can't say I'm a fan of hers by the end but she is more bearable when she's acting less holier-than-thou. Emer felt like one of the weaker characters (in terms of characterization) and I felt like her emotions were kind of all over the place/ very hot and cold. That being said, I'm hoping that book 2 will have a bigger focus on the side relationships and so we can get a better grasp on who Emer and Lia, and even Last Hope and Eric are.
The last bit of the book is nonstop action that made it impossible to breath normally (spoiler: I was holding out hope about Key and could not calm my heart down until the very last page, albeit my heart still breaks for the poor bby, I NEED him to know Rae didn't mean it 😭 I wanted to chuck my phone across the room when it all went down because wtffff my heart can't take it).
The cliffhanger was- *diabolical*. Jaw on the floor, evillllll. I need book 2 ASAP.
Huge thank you to the team at Hachette Audio and Netgalley for an early copy of the audiobook for an honest review :)

DNF at 75% 
This book was just boring, while there were some parts I enjoyed it was overall boring and didn't make me want to continue it.
There was a strong start and the FMC modern day references were really funny.
However as the story progressed it just became more and more boring.

Thank you so much for the early audiobook of this beauty!!

WOW what a wild ride. Not going to lie, took me a second to really understand what was going on and to get into this but once i was in, BOY WAS I IN.
These characters all took me by surprise and I was blown away by the creativity and characterization of Brennan's world. Brennan knows how to make captivating characters and has created something completely unique in this story. Obviously some of the fates of the characters were heartbreaking but I loved that I did not feel like Brennan held back. They knew exactly what they were doing and we all just got to go along with them.

Moira Quirk did an amazing job narrating this audiobook! She really brought Rae to life and did a great job distinguishing between all the characters. The accent (although VERY appropriate for the story) got to me a few times and I found it slightly annoying at times. However, she helped suck me into the story and brought these characters really to life.

I am 100% recommending this one to anyone who likes a little bit darker of a story, and who has ever wondered what it would be like to be sucked into your favorite book series....but do you think you'd be a good guy or the villain of the story?

Was this a little predictable? A little corny at moment (a noble steed named google maps?) sure. But was it also a delightfully fun romp through a storybook world, with a heroin, excuse me villainess, desperately trying to find the one thing she needs to get back home and save her life? Absolutely!
Rae is dying. But luckily for her, a mysterious woman appears in her hospital room with a magical way to save her life. Navigate her way through a popular fantasy series, find the magical flower and earn her way back to reality, hale and hearty again. Simple right?
Well... not so much.
Rae awakens on the eve of her own execution, well the execution of the character she has been dropped into, and it takes some first rate plotting and villainy to get herself out of it. Gathering up some evil minions and a plan, she manages to wiggle her way out of that!
But manipulating her way through a world she doesn't quite remember all the details of (okay she didn't really read the first book.. and only focused on her favorite parts...) is more challenging that she had hoped. But as Rae goes more comfortable, and gains a few more allies, she starts to get a real plan to reach her goal.
But nothing in the stories stays the same as it was on the page, and some background characters will surprise you with their leading man energy when you least expect it.
The ending was quite a surprise, especially as I didn't realize that this was the start to a series, and now I really want to see what happens next!

3.5 🌟
I really enjoyed the concept of this book. How it is about Rae, whom may be dying, but doesn't let that stop her. She enters her favorite storybook, as a villain and gathers other Villains. Trying to change their fates that are in the original story. I found some parts had a lot going on, so made it a little difficult to follow at points, may be because I listened to this on audiobook, or because this was higher fantasy than what I am used to. It was a pretty good book, and I would recommend it. Thank you netgalley for an advanced listener copy for an honest review.