ahhHh i REALLY don’t know what i feel about this??!

did i enjoy the chaos? hell yes

did i *fully* understand the chaos? hmMmm

i really loved every scene with rae in it (she has absolutely no self preservation, she is THE dramatic queen) but i also struggled so much trying to get my head around all the other plots?? i think the story was a bit too meta for my small brain to handle (aka this is a me & me only issue) so i don’t think i was able to enjoy it to it’s full potential 😭😭

this sort of reminds me of those times when i was 15 where i was reading percy jackson & divergent & throne of glass & relied on ✨fandom wikia✨ like it was a lifeline bcos i just couldn’t remember all the world building and side characters 🫣

i think if i approach this like watching lectures (aka repeat repeat repeat) 👀 if i reread this, i should be able to understand it better!

thank you so so much for the arc!!

Going into this book I knew it was going to be a good time, the synopsis for me definitely gave the impression this is not a serious book but a good fun take on the genre. I had similar feelings about this as I did with Assistant to the Villain, but I rated this slightly lower as I sometimes found the long chapters and plot a little overkill.

What I liked: i liked the character dynamics, though some were definitely forgettable for me. Emer in particular I kept forgetting existed and I had 0 attachment to her. I also enjoyed the pop culture references which obviously in the fantasy setting made no sense to any of the book characters except Rae and anyone else like her. The narration was brilliant! I really enjoyed how the narrator played each character and that was done really well. I really enjoyed the concept of a real person finding themselves in their favourite book and basically just changing the plot constantly and being confused about what was and wasn’t supposed to happen. I particularly liked the relationships between Rae, the Cobra, Key and Marius.

What I didn’t like so much: i found the chapters and the book as a whole too long, and therefore it felt a bit dragged out which is funny considering how quickly the pace actually moves. Because of this I did find myself distracted when listening a lot which took away from my experience. If I had read the physical version this would likely have put me off and led me to DNF. It just wasn’t quite engaging enough for the length.

Overall I did enjoy the audio of this book and it was a fun listen. This is the kind of book I’d recommend if you need a break from the heavier fantasy books. I gave this a 3.5⭐️ mainly as with the length it sometimes felt a bit of a slog to get through but will definitely give the audio of the next book a go.

DNF at 18%. This is supposed to be adult but definitely reads as YA. also, all the awkward names and places and memes, that i hope was supposed to be ironic - though it definitely doesn't feel that way.

And this is on me but I only saw the "villain's pov" and didn't realise she's been put in the world of a book series and is just playing the villain.

Narrator Moira quirk is always a good idea. She has a nice voice and does good character voices. I would probably have preferred different narrators for the different POVs just to make it clearer whose head we're inside.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for giving me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

When I read the synopsis I was interested in the book but I was definitely not ready for the rollercoaster that it was.
I loved Rae and I really loved that although that she’s inside a story we as readers never forget that she is actually dying and her motivation to be the villain is due to the bitterness she feels for the world.
I also love her character development and I honestly cannot wait to read more about her.
I honestly loved all the side characters, they were all so well written and is just amazing how you cannot help but rooting for all these villains.
There was so so much that happened after the first half and those last 100 pages were just amazing! I went from being sad, upset to shocked because I was really not expecting that ending.
I honestly don’t know how to feel right now. I have been left speechless and without book 2 already out so I can find out how Rae is going to clean her mess.

4.5 stars

I loved this book, and I loved the story. I just couldn't get into it as an audiobook.

I went into this audiobook really excited. To read a book where the villains win? Yes please. But as I was listening to this book I kept finding my interest and focus wavering.

This could be a me thing, maybe the way it was recorded just wasn't speaking to me. I didn't have any obvious faults with the voice artist. It just wasn't for me unfortunately.

I am however going to pick up the book and try reading it as a physical book to see if ill enjoy it!
If the story is something that interests you, 100% give it ago. I loved the idea and the story.

𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙. 𝘿𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘿𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙥 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨.

When Rae is transported the “fictional” land of her sister’s favorite books, she wakes up as the villainess, and so she embraces it!

Moira Quirk may be my favorite audiobook narrator of all time. Her performances are always amazing, and her performance here was definitely a HUGE reason I loved this book so much.

It was such an entertaining romp, with laugh out loud moments, and a fun story.

I was a dummy, and did not realize this was NOT a standalone, but the first in a series, and I was NOT prepared for that ending. (One of those, “What are they going to do?? There’s only 3 minutes left! 😱” They’re gonna leave me like THAT, that’s what! 😭)

I loved Rae and the other characters’ journeys during this book, and I may have kind of guessed what would happen at the end, but yeah, I still gasped. 🤣 I will DEFINITELY be tuning in for Book 2!!

What this book is giving:
✅ Isekai Fantasy
✅ Must survive to live
✅ Humor
✅ Fictional Stereotypes
✅ Embrace the Evil
✅ NOT a Standalone!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

If you’ve ever thought that the villain of the story is more interesting, if you’ve ever thought it would be fun to actually be in your favorite fantasy series, if you ever thought it would be cool to enter and change the story, or if you’ve thought all three of those things then this book is for you.
Rae is a 20 year old fighting cancer and losing when a stranger enters her life and offers her the opportunity to escape into her sister’s favorite fantasy series. All she has to do is enter and find the prize to escape the story and be cured of cancer. Soon Rae finds herself as the infamous villainess of the story and she inadvertently starts making changes. What will be the happy ending and whose will it be?

Thank you NetGalley, Orbit, and Hachette Audio for this ARC of the audio book!

The narrator did a great job and I loved how she subtly shifted her accent for the different characters.

I do not think this was the book for me. While I thought the premise sounded interesting, it ended up being way too silly for me. The writing and characters were good but I couldn't connect with the story at all. The written musical number pushed it into a extra level of silliness that had me rolling my eyes. While the discussions on cancer and escapism were great and there were some hard hitting one-liners, I had to put this one down. DNF @60%.

Well, that was fucking incredible! I love so much about the ways Long Live Evil was in conversation with fantasy books and the idea of evil and how much perception determines who someone is. These characters were all so amazing and complex and GOSH that ending. I need the sequel as soon as possible because while I had some suspicions on some elements, in the end this was not the story I anticipated! So fun, so amazing, so interesting!

Moira Quirk is an amazing narrator and I loved the tones that really got across a lot of personality for all the characters.

My favorite book of the year! Perfect for fans of My Lady Jane, Shrek and Charming by Jade Linwood! Full review on TikTok, below!

This started really strong. The concept is fantastic but soon the plot turned and became quite gimicky and to be honest childish, a seasoned edit would have done a world of good.

Points for originality but needed heavy edits on tone and dialogue.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook!

Just want to say that the narrator did an amazing job. So many different accents and were well delivered, o don’t imagine it’s easy to do several different accents for several different characters. Great narration.

However, the audiobook itself is too confusing to have many different accents. The different accents make more sense later on but, starting out was not a great call. Narrator is speaking with an English accent but the FMC has an American accent. No context for the reasoning whatsoever. Then the characters in the other world had their own accent. Listening was so hard to differentiate the diff POVs. So confusing, better to read this physically.

As for the book, was not a big fan. This book felt like it was written by an English author and their take on how an American talks based on American reality shows. Did not enjoy the valley girl FMC in an olden fantasy setting. Felt it was super annoying and took away from the idea of going into a fantasy book. Also, was no one questioning why she would have a diff accent? I’m sure the book did not say that bc the audio didn’t say that so not sure why the decision to have diff accents came into play.

Don’t think I really liked anybody in this book. Pretty much ESH.

This book had potential. Sooo much potential.

This book is what I imagine when someone says chaotic evil. It is a romp of a good time for all of us who are intrigued by the villains. There is a LOT going on, but I feel like it all weaves together quite well. The start of a series that I am definitely curious to finish! 3.75 rounded up!

This book was a lot of fun! It was perfect for those of us who grew up always rooting for the villain or us queers who always had a crush on her. I will say I did read a book with a very similar concept that I felt did this quite a bit better. For that reason I am only giving the three stars. I still greatly enjoyed this book though and I look forward to the rest of this series.

'Long Live Evil' is an epic fantasy comedy that brings to mind those anime about reincarnation in an alternative universe (see That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Weekly & Monthly ... Fans!)

The story is pretty unique, with some interesting premises that blend an epic fantasy tale with humor and contemporary details.

The book also is filled with twists (especially the final one was chef's kiss) and turns and the worldbuilding is smooth. Fortunately, the romance was an afterthought for this one, so it was more focused on the characters and developing the story rather than throwing in a half-baked love story. Though, I can see some romance in future books, but, by then, the characters and the story would have developed enough so that the dynamics would be believable.

However, I would have to point out that, and even though the switch was one of the smoothest I've read so far, the multiple povs didn't work for me at first, especially since we didn't know the characters yet and it was confusing. It got better though in the second half of the book.

Finally, the narrator of the book did a great job presenting all the characters with different dynamics for each one. The production was also splendid.

First, I’m going to preface this by saying I listened to the audio and think I may have enjoyed it more as a physical or ebook. This isn’t about the narrator at all, there was just was a lot going on, and I personally found it tricky to keep up with all the details via audio.

Rae is given a second chance at life when she wakes up in the castle of one of her favorite fantasy series - except she doesn’t know much about the book she is transported to at all. The world building felt a little all over the place to me. It was hard to keep up with what was happening and which characters were involved. There were so many moments that I did laugh out loud throughout the book. Sarah Rees Brennan definitely has a sense of humor! I love the overall premise of this book and I’m planning on trying it again once I have a physical copy.

While I struggled with the plot via audio, the narrator spoke clearly and did a great job giving each character a distinct voice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC!

Was this a perfect book? No. Was this the perfect book for me? Possibly.

This book is pure camp, pure meta. I ended up loving the characters despite a lot of them feeling pretty one-dimensional, but isn’t that kind of the point?

I cannot wait to see where this series goes and if its inherent silliness will strike the same chord for me in future installments.

the narrators really sold this book, I do not know if I would have enjoyed it as much had I just read it myself.
Thank you Hachette Audio Orbit for letting me listen to this amazing audiobook

Long Live Evil is a fun mess all around. I often think about what life would be like if I were a little evil and this book is the perfect getaway for that.
Rae and Key were their own brand of crazy and I enjoyed every second of it. I wish there was more of a plot but the the character driven narrative still saved the book from being boring. All the charcaters were so funt to get to know. I am looking forward to the reading the rest the series.

3.75/5

3.5 stars. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with an audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw Sarah Rees Brennan has a new book coming out, I had to jump at the chance to read it early. I sadly don’t remember the plot of either Demon’s Lexicon or The Unspoken because I read both series so long ago, but I do remember how much I adored those books. The characters still hold a special place in my heart.

Long Live Evil lived up to my expectations in many ways but there were also elements that I was kind of bothered by. I loved all the side characters who, despite essentially all being comic relief villains, turned out to have some intriguing depths. The Cobra and Marius were my favorites and all I want out of the next book is for them to be happy. And I didn’t even realize when I became obsessed with Key. At first, he was a goofy stereotype and then suddenly I was finding him kinda hot lol. What a truly unhinged character. I love him. Rae was…. okay but I didn’t love her sense of humor, and I often got irritated by how unwilling she was to adapt to the world she was in and see the characters around her as real people.

The audiobook narrator did a great job, she speaks clearly, she has a very pleasant voice, and I enjoy how distinct her voices for different characters are. Sometimes fantasy books are hard to follow if you don’t have the words in front of you but that was not the case with this book at all, I never had the desire to flip to the right page and check spellings or make sure I’d heard something right.

However, I don’t think I struggled this much with the author’s humor back when I first read her older books. I’m SURE I wouldn’t struggle this much if I reread the Demon’s Lexicon now. The book is fun, campy and isn’t meant to be taken too seriously but at the same time all the slightly outdated online slang and memes just didn’t land for me personally. I found many jokes genuinely funny (for example, there’s a horse named Google Maps) and I think the author is clearly very witty, the writing just strayed too often over the line of what I find tolerable. Especially in the beginning. I got more into the book as its’ more earnest heart slowly got revealed but sometimes Sarah Rees Brennan unexpectedly still hits you with a truckload of cringe that leaves you reeling. Nothing against the author, like I’ve said I’m a huge fan of hers, I just don’t think anyone can seamlessly integrate a musical dance number into a book.

At the end of the day the author had fun writing this and you can feel that while reading. Even though it comes across as silly, goofy, messy and a bit hectic at times, it has an underlying sincerity, and it subverts fantasy tropes in a clever, interesting way. I think it’s a good book but whether you’ll enjoy it very much depends on your sense of humor and how much chaos you can take. Go into this when you want to have fun, not when you’re in the mood for a serious read.

Thank you NetGalley and Hatchette audio for this advanced copy of Long Live Evil.

Overall rating 4.5/5 rounded up to 5 Stars

Okay, this book is definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but I loved it. It’s high fantasy with a comedic twist and it’s quite the journey. At first you have to really pay attention to the world building. But as the story progresses it’s an interesting look into how much we actually care about our favorite characters vs. the characters that are required for a story. It has you question what you would do in the protagonists place. Does the story belong to the reader, or the author? Are we willing to risk our morals in the protagonist shoes? What makes someone a villain?

I loved this, and I really can’t wait for book 2.