*Full disclosure: I rated this book 3.5 - 3.75 stars on review sites that allow it.*

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first but once I gave in and embraced the camp, I had a really good time with Long Live Evil. I love the concept of the book and the idea that entering a story can change its plot. It’s a lot like the idea that if you travel to the past, you can’t change a single thing or the future will veer wildly off track. Rae’s presence in the book and the decisions she made changed the future of every character, and it was a lot of fun to see if those changes were for better or worse.

This is Sarah Rees Brennan’s first adult novel but the writing and especially Rae’s dialogue read to me like YA. I actually struggled to like Rae very much. At first I thought it was because of her childish dialogue and obsession with her new body’s boobs, and while that didn’t help, I think my main issue was that her insistence that none of the characters were real made it hard for me to care about anything, including her. By reminding so many times that no one was real, she was also reminding me that she isn’t real. She was telling me not to care for her either, and I decided to go ahead and listen.

Despite Rae’s best efforts, I found most characters interesting and each had a lot of depth. My favorite character, Key, is one of the first that Rae meets when she wakes up in the world of this story and he’s fascinating. I’m not much for book boyfriends but I might make an exception for Key.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Moira Quirk. That’s right, Mo from Nickelodeon GUTS narrated this audiobook. God, I’ve always wanted a piece of The Crag. Anyway, sometimes it seemed like she was reading parts of conversations too quickly, faster than the person speaking would actually say them, but for the most part I enjoyed her narration and I think she did the voices of the many characters very well.

Despite the few issues I had, Long Live Evil was ultimately a satisfying read. The ending left me wanting more so I’ll definitely be reading the next book!

Long Live Evil is a delightful, dramatic story that celebrates and lampoon's some of the more popular themes, especially in YA fantasy. I loved the journey and the characters, laughing at their witty insights and shaking my head at their missteps. I can't wait to share this book with others.

I just left this review for another title and ugh!!! I really liked this title, but honestly, if I had known it would have been left open-ended and/or part of a series, I'd have never read it. 17+ hours is a long time to commit to a title not knowing it wasn't going to have a conclusion. Other than that, I loved the spunky attitude of Rae and the pop-culture references included in it. It was an interesting take and the opportunity to live vicariously through a "villain" and it was a treat!

This book was not for me. I am sure there are going to be a lot of people who love it, I am just not one of them.

It is listed as an adult fantasy, but it reads like a YA. My favorite genre is epic fantasy, so that might give you an idea why my rating is so low for this book. It is no where near that level of writing.

Cons:
The dialogue was too modern for a fantasy book setting.
I didn’t care for any of the characters, None of them were interesting or memorable.
The “evilness” of the main character just felt forced.

The idea was good, but the execution was lacking. I wasn’t sure if the book was meant to be a parody or a serious read.

3.5 stars

Nothing more evil than a cliffhanger ending, so I guess it's fitting, but I hate when so little is resolved at the end of a book. There is a bit of closure for a few characters and plot threads but for the most part the ending here felt frustrating to me. You are forced to keep reading the series if you want any kind of actual ending.

I listed to the audiobook ARC and the narrator was great. I struggled with the main character's accent at first, it felt off somehow, but I soon enough got used to it. Apart from that small quibble I think the narration was top notch. The way the chapters begin was a little confusing at times, because they start with an excerpt from the fictional book the main character has entered (Time of Iron), so suddenly we are hearing this story we haven't actually read that contains characters doing very different things from where the story we ARE reading left off. I think there needed to be more distinction between the excerpts and the regular story.

I found this book to be a mixed bag. For the most part I had fun while reading it, though the main character did really annoy me at some points. I felt emotionally invested in some of the side characters, though frankly, for most of them there wasn't much to invest in. There just wasn't enough backstory and character development with most of the cast. There were a few too many minor characters. And the motivation of a lot of the characters was either so simplified as to be uninteresting or so muddled that I couldn't figure out what their deal even was. Possibly much of this will be addressed in future books, but as it was it made this book feel a bit of a mess. I think tighter plotting and more fully realized characters would have gone a long way towards making this one more of a favorite. There were a number of things that just flat out didn't make sense to me. This might be on me, or might be cleared up in future books, but I had to really suspend my disbelief and stop trying to figure out why any of the characters were doing what they were doing. There were times when the humor made me laugh, but a lot of it was of the eye rolling variety. It's definitely got a YA tone, which I'm fine with, I like YA, but readers should go in with that expectation in mind.

Because the main selling point of this book from my experience is that it is fun, the juxtaposition of devastating late stage cancer and silly fantasy world felt at odds, and for me as a reader that jarring back and forth actually detracted from the book. I hate saying this, because I know this is a personal book for the author and of course the experience of being extremely ill for a long period of time is worth writing and reading about. But I never felt it fit together here. This is a book with really graphic and gut wrenching descriptions of terminal illness, it could never be recommended as a light read. But I think a light read is really all the fantasy aspects of the story are, I don't think they holds up as anything beyond that, at least thus far in the series.

I know this review is full of negativity, but in fact I did mostly have fun reading this. I do think I'll probably read the second book. I would recommend it to readers who are willing to completely suspend their disbelief in pursuit of having a good time, and those who like lighter YA reads, with the caveat that the cancer elements of this book are the opposite of lighthearted.

4.5 stars

Wow, what a FUN ride! This book manages to cleverly balance humour and wit with pain and loneliness, trauma with hope, and villainy with heroics in this whirlwind of a story.

I <b>could</b> criticise this book in areas if I wanted to- the pacing was off a bit with timeline jumps, and some of the plot twists were really obvious- but overall I had such a good time listening to the beautiful chaos of the story that I'm not going to.

Rae is ill, and the outlook is not good. So when a women turns up in her hospital room and tells Rae she could have a chance to live, all she has to do is pick the flower from her sisters favourite book series, she think the woman is crazy. But when she wakes up in a stronger and healthy body, she sees a chance she is going to seize. The only problem? The body she is in is that of the Villain of the story, and on the eve of her execution.
But Rae won't let a little problem like that stop her- after all, she is armed with knowledge of how the story is supposed to go, and she's willing to lean into the villainess' shoes and gather herself a merry band of minions to ensure her character lives long enough to get the flower of Life and death and return, healthy and hale, to her own world.
After all, these are just book characters and not REAL, so what does it matter if a few of them get hurt along the way? <I>'Being nice was nice. Being nasty got sh*t done'</I>

Honestly, this was such an enjoyable read, with a brilliant story-within-a-story, great characters, a fun play with storyline and character arch-types and villains you were routing for.
I loved the way every decision that was made had unintended and accidental consequences, and watching Rae trying to right the story so she can stay in it long enough to get the flower and return home was a blast.
I was racing to the end eager to see the disaster play out, whilst simultaneously dragging my feet in the sand, not wanting to see all the wrong decisions be made.

Honestly, if you've ever wondered what its would be like to go into your favourite fantasy story, be a villain or if you love a villain, you should read this book!

I listened to this book and I have to say the narrator was absolutely fantastic! The different character voices, the emotion and feeling was just so on point and engaging- I honestly struggled to hit pause and get on with stuff as I just wanted to keep listening and find out where the story went!
***Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for offering me and E-audio of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

This audiobook is a delight.
Long Live Evil is cheeky, joyfully unserious, yet at the root of it all, there's the pain of loss and mortality. This book is a portal fantasy where a sick girl is given the chance to survive, she only has to enter the world of her favorite book series and against all odds survive enough to pick up the Flower of Life and Death. If you are familiar with Sarah Rees Brennan, you'll know her strength lies on humour, the way she builds up characters and relationships, and of course, how she can throw an emotional moment after making you laugh like no other. This book is no exception. However, because I've seen some reviews, if you are looking for a generic by the numbers fantasy, or even romantasy, be aware, this book is not that. It's camp! It takes fantasy tropes and character archetypes and comments on them, twisting them, and all of it with a irreverent humour and a protagonist ready to scheme and become a villain while being aware of narrative constrictions and the twists in the story.

Let's talk more about the plot.
Rae is a 20 year old young woman who has been battling cancer for the last four years. Her little sister has been her companion while her friends have abandoned her. In these years, Rae and her sister have shared the love for Time of Iron, a fantasy book series full of heroes, villains, revenge, death and love. But Rae has a secret from her sister, she actually has never read book one. When she started, while on chemo, her mind struggled to retain any information. But book two and three has a her favorite character, so through the fog in her mind, she can remember more of the sequels.
One night, after a really bad day, Rae is woken up in the hospital by a strange woman. The woman tells her she's dying, but offers her the chance to survive by inviting her to the world of Time of Iron.
In there, Rae wakes up as Rahela. A minor villain that dies in the first book. The evil step sister of the heroine. The previous lover of the King. The woman currently incarcerated, waiting for execution the next day.

In her mission to survive enough to pluck the magic flower that blooms one night a year, Rae finds companionship in the villains of the story. She has a pretty good idea of the plot of the first book, though she does not remember everything. With the goal of going back to her sister in the real world, she's ready to embrace the fantasy tropes, the violence and dangers, while telling herself over and over that this world is not really real. However, friendships, feelings and losses start to weigh Rae's heart more than she cares to admit.

I have to be honest, though I'm reviewing the audiobook provided by NetGalley, this is my second time reading this book this month.
I read the hardcover in four days. And though I ended up loving the characters; the ships (oh, the ships, there's one in particular totally unaware of their feelings that I'm dying to see next book); and the ending HURT me, I did not truly love the book the first time. Sarah is the writer of my favorite YA stand alone, In Other Lands. So I went with high expectations. However, this second time around, experiencing the story narrated by Moira Quirk was a delight.

Moira was the perfect narrator, the way she gives life to Rae, most importantly, Rahela, was amazing. Rahela, the character Rae plays in this world, is a seductress. She's the harlot of the tower (or at least that's how people refers to her). So a lot of times we are reminded that Rahela's voice is a seductive purr and Moira embraces all of it. I loved it. I also really love how she portrayed other characters, like the sarcastic, but dangerous criminal Key; the serious scholar with berserker blood Marius; or the playful, yet kind-hearted spy master The Cobra.

This is an amazing production and I think the story benefitted a lot from Moira's narration. It's clear she had fun embracing the humorous and villainous aesthetic Sarah created. It was such a joy to experience the book through this medium.

I can't wait for the sequel. Sarah writes portal fantasy in such a distinct way, I'm ready for more jokes, tears and adventures.

3.75 Stars
After a bit of a slow confusing start, this was such a fun and unexpected read! It’s one of those books that is going to require you to look below the surface and dig into the actual story crafting process of fantasy writing, and explore how a single character can change a story. If you are not willing to do that, I don’t think you will enjoy this one. If you are someone who enjoys a plot to wrap your brain around and you enjoy campy, swiftie, meta comedy, you will absolutely love this story! I did find the beginning a little slow, but I’d say about the 30% mark I was fully immersing myself in the story, anxious about what would happen next and caring about all of the characters! The ending was fantastic and definitely made me want to continue on with the next installment!!

I thought the narrator did a fantastic job with characterization and keeping the pacing of this book, which felt lengthy at times, moving along. I always appreciate when a solo narrator adds enough dimension to each character’s POV to help immerse the listener in the story without distracting from it!!

So fun and funny. I'm a sucker for a Stranger in a Strange Land type of tale and this ticked the boxes for me.

Where high fantasy and low fantasy meet, the characters here were so interesting, and what fun to be on the side of villainy.

I'm excited to get stuck into this when more books are released.

I love the ability to look at the antihero - different (and more fun) than a typical fantasy! The prose got a little tedious at times, but I overall enjoyed.

Long Live Evil was non stop fun! This is a highly original twist on the character from our world finding themself in their favorite book, only to wreak havoc on the original story. I appreciated how the difficulties of Rae's cancer are woven throughout the story- both in terms of her flashbacks in the real world, and the way in which she is able to live in a strong healthy body in the book world. With each beat the story kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew what would happen, there was a turn I didn't expect!

I also loved how the story makes us think about what is real and what isn't- for Rae and all of the characters, what is happening in the world of "Time of Iron" is real and it is wonderful to see Rae begin to grapple with how her villainous actions affect the other characters; not to mention how she grows to care for many of them. For anyone who has wanted to visit a bookworld they have loved, this is a great exploration as to what it might be like.

While I would have liked to see more of this wrapped up by the end, I didn't also enjoy how the book closes. I am looking forward to seeing where this story goes in the future.

The narrator of this audiobook made the story all the more engaging and humorous. This narrator hits all of the jokes with just the right tone and keeps the story moving, even when I began to feel it drag just a bit. I loved being able to listen along and feel these characters come alive through the narrator's different voices and personas. With such a big cast of characters that was a difficult thing to do! Bravo.

3.5/5

This was a lot of fun (even if a bit ridiculous at times though); some of the jokes were great and some not as much. It is definitetly not a to-be-taken-seriously plot, as much of it is just having fun with as many cliches and tropes as possible.
Boob jokes aside, Rae was actually a very fun protagonist, and the isekai element of the story is really well used for both comedic and dramatic effect.
Moira Quirk was, as usual, an outstanding narrator!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE RELEASE OF 2024. I couldn't put this down for one moment. I don't even know where to start.

For one, Rae. Rae makes a bargain to go into the fictional world of her favorite book... and ends up a villain. She uses the knowledge of the books to help her as she navigates this world and attempts to make it through and back to her world. While there, she gathers a team of villains and begins her scheming. Amongst them, we have an insane love interest who I loved from the moment we met him.

But what I loved, besides the fantasy world she finds herself in, is as she's scheming, she changes the path the story is supposed to take and things go absolutely off the rails.

And that ending?! What a cliffhanger!! What an absolute beast of a book. I'm now dead and need book 2. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT?!

As for the audiobook, definitely worth it. The narrator does an absolutely fantastic job with this. Highly recommend.

Long Live Evil, the first installment in Sarah Rees Brennan's new fantasy series, takes the classic bookworm's daydream and twists it into something fresh and unexpected. When Rae's life collapses around her, she clings to the solace of her favorite fantasy series. In a desperate moment, she seizes a chance at a magical bargain that transports her into the very world of those beloved books. She awakens not as the hero but as the villainess in the tale of the Once and Forever Emperor—a character she adores and has always seen as the story’s centerpiece.

From the start, Brennan cleverly subverts expectations by casting Rae not as the heroine but as the wicked antagonist. However, Rae embraces her new role with a mix of humor and determination. After all, villains often have the best wardrobes and sharpest one-liners. She quickly gathers an unlikely band of villains to her cause, intent on rewriting the story’s narrative and escaping her supposedly inevitable doom.

Brennan’s writing is engaging, filled with wit and charm, but it can also be quite disjointed. The narrative occasionally jumps erratically from one event to the next, making it difficult to keep track of the story’s progression. Rae herself is a compelling character—smart, funny, and relatable in her fangirl devotion to the Emperor. However, she also makes some baffling decisions that left me scratching my head.

The world-building is intriguing, populated by a cast of captivating characters, each with their own unique motivations and secrets. Key, Rae’s loyal bodyguard, particularly stands out, bringing a depth and loyalty to the story that adds layers to Rae’s journey. But as Rae starts to meddle more deeply in the world she thought she knew so well, the story takes a turn. Her unwavering belief that she knows how the plot will unfold becomes a frustrating flaw, especially when her presence begins to change the very fabric of the narrative and we as the reader see it immediately while it tales Rae far too long to come to these realizations.

I would, however, recommend reading this book as opposed to listening to the audiobook if possible. The narrator did a good job as the stories narrator but the voices she used for the characters themselves wasn't for me, especially how she voiced Key. It just didn't fit with his character and the jarring juxtaposition between the English accents for everyone but Rae and the Cobra threw me out of the story more times than I could count.

Despite those narrative bumps, Long Live Evil is a fun, fresh take on the “trapped in a book” trope that explores the complexities of villainy and the nature of storytelling. Brennan invites readers to question what it means to be a hero or a villain, and whether one’s fate is truly set in stone. It's a promising start to a new series, and I’m curious to see how Rae’s story continues to unfold. If you enjoy stories with a twist on classic fantasy tropes and morally grey characters, this book is worth picking up.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I really liked the premise of this novel where a person gets pulled into the world of an epic fantasy series as one of the villains. However, I really struggled with the pacing, which made it difficult for me to ever really get immersed in the story.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan has a really intriguing premise, and I was excited to dive in. The idea of a character embracing their evil side in a twisted fantasy world sounded like a lot of fun. However, the execution fell a bit flat for me.

The story itself felt strange, with some parts being overly campy and others dragging on without much substance. The characters were hit or miss—some were really interesting, while others felt underdeveloped and, honestly, very boring. I was hoping for more from the 'evil' aspect, but it didn’t quite deliver on that front.

On a brighter note, Moira Quirk did an amazing job narrating the audiobook. Her ability to switch between different voices and accents really brought the characters to life and added a layer of enjoyment to the experience. If it wasn't for her narration, I honestly probably would have DNF'ed this book.

Overall, Long Live Evil didn’t live up to its potential for me. If you're a fan of campy fantasy with a mix of humor and Disney villain "darkness," then you might like this book.

4 ⭐️

If you want to feel like Evira, Mistress of the Dark got thrown into a campy version of The Neverending Story….look no further. This was a very self aware story that was a little cheesy at times but overall it was quite a fun experience. The audiobook narrator really helped up the fun camp factor and really improved my experience. My major gripe would be this book sells itself as were following the villain, but we aren’t really she is still quite a good person who ends up in the body of a villain if the story which isn’t the same thing. But don’t let that deter you, I would highly recommend giving this book a shot.

Thank you to Orbit for providing me a copy to review.

This book sounded like it would be such a fun adventure, unfortunately it did not live up to the expectations it set within its premise. Overall, I found it really underdeveloped. I felt no real connection or stakes regarding any of the characters and the events that transpire with them. When I began reading it I felt like the writing was not up to par with other adult fantasies I have read. When checking the authors bio I realized that this was her first work outside of young adult, and it definitely reads as such. This book is a lot, A LOT, of exposition. The author is trying to build depth in the real world, the original book world, and the book as it changes with our main characters entrance into it. Which gets confusing and convoluted most of the time. I don’t know if I can say much else without getting into spoilers so keep reading at your own discretion.

‼️Spoilers ahead‼️

Honestly, this is just going to be a list of grievances I have for this book in no particular order. There was, NO LIE, reference to the main characters boobs in every chapter. It added nothing to the plot or to her as a character. In the real world Rae is suffering from cancer. There was one time when it was brought up in reference to this fact, making note of how wonderful she feels to have full strength back. But mostly it boils down to “I have big boobs”. This really could have been something special but the way to author utilized the references just didn’t read the way I think she intended. There was not one, but TWO times where “and then everyone clapped” was used seriously. Not that big of a deal but not particularly something I enjoy. This book is very meta and breaks the fourth wall constantly with references to pop culture. I didn’t really find this fun, it mostly just took me out of the story. For example Rae is telling the characters of Time of Iron stories, they end up just being episodes of Friends. In another scene the Cobra is just able to make sunglasses for everyone? Even though based on all other context of time period that is not something they would have. Also it seems like there is magic, but no magic system was ever explained. Literally it would be like and then the magic gauntlets punched the undead to death. What/how/why never explained, it’s just magic I guess. There’s more nit-picky things but I don’t want to harp on this book too much, so I’ll leave it at that. I can’t say I recommend it as a read but I wouldn’t tell anyone not to if they were truly interested in it.

Honestly, the best thing I can say is that it kept me intrigued enough to not DNF. (I really, really wanted to). Though that shouldn’t be something you strive for. Thank you NetGalley for early access to the book.

This was a great book! The story was so good! This book was from a very unique story and from a very different perspective. I would recommend this book!

rae seizes a second chance at life through a magical bargain allowing her to become part of her favorite fantasy series. she wonders if her life isn’t just as threatened in the fictional world, though, when she awakes in a kingdom that’s on the brink of war and filled with dangerous monsters. despite this, she’s elated to have the chance to get to know her favorite fictional character, the once and forever emperor…until she finds out that she’s not the hero of this story, but the villain.

this was such a cool concept, so i was very excited to read it. i didn’t have very many expectations going into this, but i was still surprised. i enjoyed how the plot played out, from the magical bargain that placed rae into this world to her taking on the role of villain. the juxtaposition of the world of time of iron (rae’s favorite series) and rae’s upbringing in the modern world was pretty funny at times.

overall, this was a fun book, and i’m eagerly awaiting the sequel!

narration: the narrator, moira quirk, did a wonderful job bringing this story to life!