I am in shock and the brilliance and darkness of all this.

The story starts out with Rae, who is seriously ill and facing down death, being given a chance to visit her favourite story (A Grimmdark fantasy) to get a flower to come back to her life healthy. The problem is she wakes up as the Villain in the story. Rae, as a spectator of the story, loved the dark cruel “burn the world” characters in theory, but when she starts to have to live in it, things get more complicated.

There are a lot of poking fun at Romantasy as a genre, all the Something and Something names, the Court of Air and Grace, the Flower of Life and Death. There is also some poking at character tropes, and you can see people straining slightly at their roles. What do you do when tears are your only weapon, what does it actually meant to be the Good Guy when you can’t figure out how to balance truth and mercy. And while the story starts off light, it goes to some really dark places.

I enjoyed the twists and turns, and there were a few places where I full out gasped is shock and needed to take a minute to get myself back together.

The narration of the audiobook was fantastic. The accent choices really worked for me. To have Rae with a more US accent, and the rest of the court and narration in a variety of accents from across the UK really worked to help reinforce the subtle otherness of Rae. I particularly liked Marius (the Last Hope) with the slight Sean Bean vibes.

This was brilliant and heart-breaking and amazing and I am now DESPERATLY hoping that it will be a series!

Moira Quirk is my all-time favourite audiobook narrator and I’ve now listened to more books from her than any other narrator and she never disappoints.
I was intrigued by the premise for Long Live Evil but unfortunately, I found Long Live Evil failed in it's execution; disorienting with modern modern vernacular from MC while in a fantasy setting, the pacing was a little off, characters felt two-dimensional, and the twists could be seen way to far ahead.
While I’m not the biggest fan of this book, I know there are going to be tons of readers out there who will absolutely adore this unique fantasy adventure with campy vibes and an interesting exploration of archetypes.

This was a very unique book! I LOVED the fmc and her whole character! The story line was very entertaining and I enjoyed the whole concept. I would highly recommend this book to readers.

I can't remember the last time I had this much fun reading. This book is a wild ride but it's FUN.
Listen, if someone gave me a bargain and a second chance at living that allowed me into my fantasy book series, l'd JUMP ON IT. This book was such an interesting concept and I enjoyed it a lot!
Definitely a book you need to pay attention to. There's a lot going on especially in the beginning but keep going as it's worth it!
Not 5 stars only bc the other POVs added too much confusion to it imo. It also felt a little unnecessary.

The idea behind this book is excellent. I’m not sure my experience with the story was at the same level. I felt a lot of information was missing because it’s based off of a series of books but we don’t know anything about them and our FMC also doesn’t really know a lot about them. I didn’t dislike my time in this world but I do think there was the capacity for me to have loved this but I have lukewarm feelings. Im undecided if I will continue.

While the concept of this story had me itching to get my hands on it, unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. The premise of the story is that Rae gets transported to the world of her favorite fantasy series, and I wanted to live vicariously through her just for that fact. Imagine: me? Stuck in Game of Thrones? Call the police, I’d be so down!! …However, I find it extremely unbelievable that a Big Fan of a Popular Fantasy Series hasn’t read the first book. Anyone who’s ever read epic/high fantasy knows that the first book is CRUCIAL to world building and character development. Ain’t no way Rae doesn’t know what happens in the first book, which she gets transported to, although that works as a plot device for her journey.
Anyway, I got so lost in the sauce while audiobooking this. I really believe I would have had a different experience with this having physically read it (and I might try that when my Fairyloot box comes in for this month, as this is rumored to be the August pick). However the world building was strangely paced, and I found it difficult to keep up with what was Rae’s story and what was the fantasy world she was in; that is, there was So Much telling instead of showing in terms of what happened in what book and which character does this, etc. and I found it difficult to keep up with the world building at times. Although the second half of the book got so much better, I still find that the parts writing in the side characters’ POVs was flat and unnecessary. I think this novel would have worked so much better as a 1st person POV.
Overall, the ending was satisfying, if predictable.

This book was INCREDIBLE! I absolutely loved it! Think of Magic Kingdom for Sale by Terry Brooks, or the Frugal Wizards' Guide to Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson. Only, it's female and a thriller fantasy, but ITS JUST THAT GOOD. Gah, I loved this book and can't wait to tell everyone about it.

This book was the most fever dreamy book I’ve ever fever dreamt. I had so much fun reading this and it had this very nostalgic quality to it that came with our main character Rae, being a fan of the series (if she can be called a fan lmao). In a way, she was a very self-insert character but in the sense that, as an avid fantasy reader, I’ve always somewhat wanted to be a part of the fantasy world I was reading about, and Rae got to be that very thing. However, she also had an amazing and extremely witty personality that was a result of her experiences in the real world, and she was absolutely hilarious. This book is just a series of « what ifs? », taken to the extreme and turned into a parody but still with a compelling plot, a fun world-building and hilarious characters. The author used very common fantasy tropes (especially in those older fantasy published in the 80s/90s) and added their own twist to them so that they created this super refreshing storyline. My only thing was that it was maybe a bit too long and the 60 to 80% mark dragged a little in my opinion but it was still such a good time and I truly recommend. 4.25 stars

<b>”by the time I’m done with it, the story will beg <i>me</i> for mercy”</b>

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

<b>Long Live Evil</b> follows Rae, who is dying of cancer and is given a chance to live by being added to the fantasy book ‘Time of Iron’ and stealing the flower of life & death when it blooms.
She is added to the story as the heroine’s evil step sister who is due to be executed tomorrow, & she immediately begins rallying all the evil doers & discovering what being the villain truly means for her.
⚔️
<i><b>”if they curse your name, at least they remember it”</b></i>
⚔️
I will say a lot of the things I’ve seen in other’s reviews are things that were done intentionally - like the modern into the fantasy. I mean she was literally yoinked from her hospital bed into a fantasy book.
The characters are archetypal and expected because they are <i>supposed</i> to be - it challenges typical tropes and makes you confront the fact that things don’t happen based on your expectations (even if you know how the book ends 😉).

🗡️

The narrator was fantastic and seamlessly transitioned between accents. This book is so funny and I feel like she contributed much to that - there were times I was literally laughing out loud and texting quotes to my husband.

<b>”all this slut shaming and no slut praising”</b>

The beginning did feel a bit clunky to me and it became a lot more coherent and easy to follow around halfway through.
That being said, the ending was <i>fantastic</i> and had me thinking I will be reaching for book 2 when it comes out.

<i><b>”being nice was nice, but being nasty got shit done”</b></i>

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, & Orbit for the ARC 💕

<i><b>”time to take evil to the next level”</b></i>

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan is a very interesting story. It follows Rae, a young woman who is very sick and makes a bargain to enter the world of her favorite book series. Only when she enters, she find that she has actually taken the place of the villain character. What else can she do but embrace it?

The biggest thing about this book is it is very campy. If you do not like things that are a little silly and goofy, this isn’t the book for you. Rae is in a story book world and is constantly using modern terminology and having to explain what it means to the other characters around her. This is really funny in the book but I know it could get on some reader’s nerves if they want something a little more serious.

I really had a good time with this one. I was laughing out loud more than once and I thought the main plot was intriguing. There is a large cast of characters but I think the author does a good job giving everyone a distinct personality.

My only issue with this book is that it feels long. Some parts seem kind of repetitive and it makes the pacing feel a bit off. I think fifty pages could probably have been edited out and it would have helped a lot. But it was still an enjoyable read.

Moira Quirk narrates the audiobook. She is one of my favorite audiobook narrators and I thought she did great in this book. Her voice matched the type of story very well.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the arc of Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan. After her chances of surviving cancer are dwindling, Rae gets the chance to enter the world of her favorite book series, Time of Iron. However, after waking up she realizes that she is in the body of the stories villain, who is the heroine’s stepsister. She uses her knowledge to recruit other villains for her cause as well as navigating the unfolding plot.

The concept of this book is really fascinating, as it depicts the POV of a villainous character in a different light. I also really enjoyed Rae using modern day phrases and words. The world building could have improved a bit, as it was introduced all at once. I read this book in an audiobook format and really liked the narration. The characters were really brought to life by using the different voices.

3.5 stars, rounded up
——————

A story within a story with a villain MC? Sign me up!

Long Live Evil is an “all vibes” kind of book. It’s fun and witty, the plot is interesting. I liked the insertion of modern terminology into a world it has no place in. The concept of telling the story from the villians POV (who maybe isn’t really a villain at all) was certainly a fun take on fantasy. It just lacked in proper character and world building. It didn't feel "polished."

The book is a world building info dump. There are so many unique rules and magic, but I lacked the ability to fully grasp it between POVs. You get a lot all at once at times, making it pretty overwhelming to grasp. Once I got the gist, I found myself enjoying the book. I would have loved to see Rae stumble around the world, learning as she goes alongside the reader, though. I would have made the book more enjoyable for me.

There are so many characters to this book, but it was mostly easy to distinguish them. The narrator did an amazing job in making the characters voices unique and they fit them so well. There is certainly growth, they just lacked some depth to me. I was not aware going in that this was multiple POV, so I really lacked the ability to appreciate the book from the villains perspective because you have two other perspectives competing for attention. They felt like devices to introduce the world to the reader more than they felt like necessary. I understand what Brennan was trying to do with them, it just didn’t work for me personally.

I liked this one enough to look out for the sequel, but I wouldn’t be in a rush to do it.

Not only was this book fantastic, very campy & unique concept but this was such a fun audio read. Side note: this is the way you incorporate modern language into a fantasy world (with the concept it just made sense). Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Long Live Evil had a cool premise. Main character Rae is going through a lot after getting ill (cancer) and at the face of death she gets an unbelievable opportunity. Enter the magical world of a book series (Time of Iron) in search for the Flower of Life and Death and she will get another chance to live. The twist is as soon as she wakes up into the story she is in the body of the villain Lady Rahela, who is also the heroine’s stepsister. She might have some advantages having read most of the story due to her sister that lets her get out of some tight spots. She then gathers group of other villainous characters to help her with this quest.

The story had good humor, specially when Rae would let slip real world modern words and phrases. I read this in audiobook format so I liked the different accents the narrator gave certain characters. Specially Key, he sounds like Jason Statham to me even in the narrator’s female voice he was one of my favorite characters. It had some slow moments mid story which sadly made me feel a bit bored at times and not be as invested in the story line. It is certainly a character driven story but it did have nice fantasy world elements with the good versus evil trope and how we see the "villains" perspectives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Machete Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC and share my honest review.

Long Live Evil reads like one of those mangas where the main character ends up dying and transported magically into their favorite novel. And to be truthful, I think this story is better fit for a manga than a long form novel. The premise intrigued me and I enjoyed parts of the story, but the clunky writing got in the way of full enjoyment. There was a lot of telling and not showing, internal dialogue overkill, and over-explaining things throughout the book. This took me out of the story so many times, only for me to discover we were still in the same scene and still in the character's head. The snark throughout the story was enjoyable at first, but then it became obnoxious as the book went on; it's definitely an acquired taste and won't be for everyone. I feel like the beginning was a tad confusing, the middle just had too much going on, and the ending scenes felt rushed. At 17 hours, this book was much too long for the story it was trying to convey, so I think it needed another round of developmental edits. That said, I did enjoy the audiobook format and that is all due to the narrator- she was excellent at switching accents within the same chapter, including multi-character dialogue. I fully believed she saved this story from being a 2 star review. Many thanks to Hatchette Audio & Orbit books for this advanced review copy.

It's not a secret that I adore me a villain so when this book first got announced I was SOOOO excited to get my hands on it! The book was really good! It's a book I can see myself needing to re-read before book 2 comes out since its a pretty big chonk of a book and some information 100% went over my head on my initial read. I really enjoyed the plot and the characters, it was very entertaining! I will say the book did feel a bit too long at some points but I think that's just me being biased for short books lol.

Honestly tho it's a really fun concept for a series and I know this book will fly off the shelves!!

Thank you so much to Hachette for the opportunity to listen to Long Live Evil as an ALC! I adore Moira Quirk as a narrator and have heard nothing but good things about Sarah Rees Brennan, so I was very excited to get access to this title.

Long Live Evil is essentially the story of a girl who leaves the "real world" behind for the fictional world of her younger sister's favorite novel. I thought this was such a fun an interesting concept, and there were a lot of things I really enjoyed about this- every reader has wanted the chance to live inside their favorite book! I think this particular story would have been better absorbed had I physically read this one, rather than listen to the audiobook- I found myself confusing characters from time to time. Although Moira Quirk is a goddess among women when it comes to audiobook narration, I felt so thrown off by the FMC having a southern accent. Probably just a personal preference, but something about this really threw me off! Otherwise, her narration was as captivating as ever.

Even if I had physically read this book rather than listen to it, I think I would still have settled on a 3 star rating. I did enjoy a lot of elements of this book, but some of the pacing and characterization fell flat for me. If the premise of this story sounds like something you might be interested in, I definitely think it's worth a shot! Long Live Evil is out on August 27th, and I'm looking forward to seeing it out in the world!

What a fun and morally grey book! Long Live Evil by Sarah Reese Brennan was an entertaining story full of villains being villains. I really liked how few characters were good. Most characters were a unique shade of grey and it lead to some interesting situations. I know this book is supposed to be epic fantasy but it honestly feels more like a cozy fantasy. The pacing is somewhat slow but the deep character development and interactions keep things moving. It has a lot of campy vibes that lead to a lot of laughs. Even though the stakes are high, the casual atmosphere takes a lot of the tension out of it. But I'm a fan of cozy reads so it really worked for me. The audiobook narration was really well done. The narrator did a great job at having so many distinct voices for so many different characters.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I started reading this book I found something that I did not expect. The beginning is a little too on the nose for my taste, and the modern references are sometimes too much, but besides that, it is a wonderful concept, executed in a fun and entertaining way. It does not take itself too seriously, but it touches on some important topics in a fresh way. It also deconstructs the tropes of fantasy as we know it, so that little by little the safety in the formula of the genre comes apart, and on the other hand the formula is kept safe and sound, because what shoud happen, actually happens, it's just that we are on the opposite end of the spectrum this time.
the only reason it is not four stars is because it's too "quirky" at times, and that pulled me out of the story.

DNF - it had an interesting start but the dialogue was cheesy and I didn’t find myself enjoying the main characters