⭐️⭐️💫
I can see what the author was trying to do with this novel, a quirky and campy fantasy. But, it was just so incredibly cringey.
I enjoyed the narrator, Moira Quirk, a lot and think she did a really good job bringing the characters to life. Unfortunately, I just didn’t like our FMC, Rae. She felt over the top with wanting to be the villain and the abundance of cringey behavior and language.
I usually love the fantasies where a person from our world/reality gets placed in a fantasy world but Rae’s incessant usage of slang terms and things that a fantasy world clearly wouldn’t have, it wasn’t cute or silly, it was overdone and ended up being really annoying and taking away from the story.
This book just missed the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review

What even was this book? I still don't quite know, but I know that after all was said and done, I enjoyed it. This was a story in a story where the main character wakes up as a character in a series that she and her sister enjoy. Rae must decide how to survive thrust into a fantasy novel and quickly determines that leaning into the side of "evil" is the only way to accomplish her goal. She teams up with "secondary" characters to create her Den of Vipers. Rae finds another misfit from the real world during her schemes and they team up to try and save her "real" self.
This story was an interesting look at how a person's choices can impact not only their own trajectory, but also the people around them. Rae finds that small changes (and big changes) can have a huge impact on the story she knows and leads to some huge revelations at the end that I did not see coming. (Like for real though - I spent the last third of the book trying to figure out how Brennan was going to resolve this (but also knowing that this is not a standalone and there are more books coming in the Time of Iron series) and I didn't even come close to figuring out the ending!)
This book was a masterclass in character development, both the "original" characters and the "story" characters. Some are completely unique and some are more archetypes of characters, but each changed and evolved in ways that supported the plot and made me want to know more about them.
I had an audio ARC and I really enjoyed the narration of this novel. The narrator created many voices for the different characters and it really helped to make the characters shine.

I will admit with my whole chest that I picked this book up solely because Moira Quirk narrates the audiobook. And she delivers a fantastic performance.

The book itself, however, was not that great. It was essentially a Japanese isekai light novel (reincarnated into another world with either a super power or very detailed insight into the way things work) but with western wordiness. It didn’t need to be nearly as long as it was, and most of the interactions are shockingly surface level. Rae doesn’t have any apparent attachment to the life she left behind (beyond “dying of cancer would be absolutely horrible” - which is true but doesn’t necessarily give us a real sense of what she’s fighting for) and a good portion of the plot seems to focus on the Cobra and Marius (which is understandable since they have 1. actual chemistry and 2. a more interesting storyline).

We didn’t understand the politics or situation of the larger world (beyond “Rae knows how the book goes so obviously none of the intricacies actually matter”). The best scenes are, quite frankly, when the horrible undead creatures start feasting on unsuspecting or underprepared nobles.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy to review!

If you like fantasy reincarnation stories with hilarious characters and subversive tropes, this book is for you!!

First of all, I want to praise the narrator - Moira Quirk. Long Live Evil has 3 different POV characters, but she made it very easy to feel how these characters differ just by her intonation. Also her delivery of some of the lines made me laugh out loud during my daily walks - so thank you for the slight public humiliation (just kidding!).

I have read a couple of isekai stories, but this is the first one that uses tropes in such enjoyable way. Loved that the MC Rae doesn't even try to adapt to the new world - yes, she plays a character assigned to her, but she immediatly seperates herself from the 'made-up people' of that world. And the other characters are so well developed! Yes, they represent the usual fantasy tropes, but the author really puts a spin on them.

The big reveal didn't surprise me, but it left me intrigued how the story will continue. So please dear author-give me the sequel!

*Long Live Evil* by Sarah Rees Brennan had all the makings of a great read—an absolutely stunning cover, an intriguing blurb, and promotional materials that really grabbed my attention. I was so excited to dive into it, expecting a thrilling story to match the hype.

But unfortunately, the book ended up being a huge disappointment. The story itself was boring, and the storytelling just didn’t pull me in. It felt like it had so much potential, but the execution fell flat. I kept waiting for the plot to pick up or for something to really grab me, but it never happened.

And as for the audiobook, it was a real letdown. When you have one narrator trying to voice dozens of characters, you need to deliver something special to keep listeners engaged. Sadly, that just didn’t happen here. The narration didn’t live up to the challenge, which only added to my frustration with the story.

Long Live Evil and long live Sarah Rees Brennan! Five friggen stars for this story!

This was my first read from Sarah and it was so different than any other fantasy romance I've read before. The concept of having the FMC dive into the world of a popular book was original and very meta. I enjoyed the way the author weaved the "story" version of events with Rae's reality and how Rae fell naturally into the role of villain while still being true to herself. At around 8% into the book I was already shipping her with a particular character and found myself screaming later in the book. It's been a while since I had such a reaction to a read. I couldn't put it down! There is a cliffhanger at the end so prepare yourself now. I'm literally counting down the days until book two.

At times I found the audio challenging to follow. Being book one in the series there was lots of world building and many moving parts. At times I lost track between Rae's reality in the book world and the actually passages from the story. That said, narrator Moira Quirk did an AMAZING job of bringing the author's world to life. I would be willing to check out book two on audio as well.

There are some elements that may be sensitive for readers, so I recommend checking content warnings before diving in.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Sarah Rees Brennan for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

After a slightly slow start I really ended up loving this book. It is an absolute blast but it also has a lot of really emotional weight to it. Rae is funny and strong. I loved all of the other characters too. The idea of ending up in your favorite story isn't new but it was executed in a very different way here. And that ending!!! I can't wait to see where this story goes.

I first read this as an e-book. When I saw the audiobook was going to be narrated by Moira Quirk I immediately requested the ALC also. I can't say enough good things about Moira Quirk's narration. She is one of the best out there and really made this book sing. I recommend the book in general but HIGHLY recommend the audio version.

Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Long Live Evil follows Rae, who is dying of cancer. One day, she makes a magical bargain and finds herself in her favorite fantastical world, but with a twist–she is not the hero, but the villainess. I really enjoyed reading this book; it was a lot of fun and made me laugh. I have always loved a good villain story, and I especially enjoyed the unique twist in this one. The audiobook was also amazing to listen to. I liked the narrator from her previous works, and she did an excellent job portraying the characters. I loved this book and can't wait to read the next one in the series. I highly recommend the audiobook. Thanks to the Netgalley and the publisher for the audio arc.

I found the starting of the book to be unique. I'm sure other stories have told this before, but this was my first time seeing someone enter into a book series they loved and have to become one of the characters of the story. I loved the idea of getting to interact with your favorite book characters and see what you might try to change knowing the future. Though the other does a great job of adding in a butterfly effect to the story. You can't change things without ruining something else. I couldn't wait to see where the story went next. I love that the main character was stuck in a villain's body. though some of the dialogue given to the main character is a little cringe and a bit too repetitive. Overall though I can't wait to read the next book in this series

Stars: 4.5 rounded up

This book is a bit of a wild ride, and I am here for it. A terminally ill young woman is given a chance to save herself by going into one of her favorite fantasy book series where she ends up as a villain.

Book was a bit slow-paced in the beginning, but the pace picked up and I found myself excited to pick it up each and every time. The book was surprisingly heartwarming, love a villainous found family, and I enjoyed the surprise twists and turns.

This book appears to be pretty polarizing, and it seems most folks will know pretty quickly if they will love it or not. Personally, I loved it. Definitely a few cringe moments, but for the most part I felt like they were very intentional and made sense considering the story.

The narrator, Moira Quirk, does an excellent job portraying each of the characters.

Note: book ends on a cliffhanger and there is no spice. I am incredibly curious to see what happens with these characters in the next book.

Thank you to Sarah Rees Brennan, Hachette Audio | Orbit, and to NetGalley for providing an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I'm not sure how to feel about this story honestly. There were parts of it that I really enjoyed (all of Rae's smart scheming, and Marius pledging his allegiance to Erik) and parts I abhorred (the musical number Rae and Erik did in the ballroom??? some of the language that was used??) I don't know what to rate this book because I wouldn't call it a 4 but like a 3.75. I rounded up to four obviously though.

What makes me really upset is that, at one point, I was only listening to the audiobook for one person (Rae is great and all but sometimes she was also a bit annoying. I didn't like how she saw all of them as characters and not actual people even though she was talking to them and had interactions with them that were wholly unique and not following the story plot she knew), and that person was Key. I thought he was incredible. He had a great backstory and was tough and murderous with his complete and utter devotion to Rae. When they kissed I was so happy because I really, really, (desperately honestly) wanted them to be together and have a happy ending. I don't think I realized this book was going to be part of a trilogy until it was too late. Key had such odd plot armor that even though Rae knew he was destined to die, I didn't believe it. So when he was actually "killed" in front of her I WAS DEVASTATED. I was so sure that Key actually played a bigger role in the novel and so I was torn up when he died. When it was revealed that he hadn't died though and was the true Emperor I was astounded by how right I had been. Now I'm just worried that it's only going to end badly for Rae and Key because Key believes Rae betrayed him in the end. I will be on the look out for the sequels but I'm not sure if I'd buy the story myself just yet (despite how much I just praised Key lol).

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me a copy of this audio book in return for an honest review.

Rae is 20 years old and dying of cancer, when a strange woman shows up in her hospital room and offers her the chance to go to the fictional land of her favourite fantasy series where she will have the chance to cure herself she doesn’t see a downside. Upon waking she discovers she is in the body of Lady Rahela, The Lady Dipped in Blood, the heroines evil stepsister, on the eve of her execution, well that’s going to make things interesting…

Moira Quirk is an utter dream of a narrator, I had previously fallen in love with her portrayal of Gideon the Ninth so I was delighted when I realised she was reading this gem of a book. The characters were all easily distinguishable from each other and she added heart and humour to the narrative.

Long Live Evil is such a fabulous story, I have had a book hangover all day over the conclusion, and can’t believe I’m going to have to wait for however long it takes to write the next one in the series before I get to dive back in. I will be re-listening as often as possible, that's for sure. The characters are complex, flawed, broken and believable, the fantasy world makes sense, the narrative was brilliant, the plot twisted perfectly, I was laughing out loud at times, gasping in shock at others, and even shedding a tear or two on occasion.

Final thoughts: I am so in love with this book! A fantastic take on the fantasy portal genre, told with both depth and humour.

Who would enjoy this: Fantasy fans, especially those who enjoy stories that poke fun at the damsel in distress trope.

This was such a wild journey and I really loved the story it was weird and wacky and just what I like! I love Sarah Ress Brennan so knew it would be my vibe. The characters were interesting and I never knew what was going to happen next. Only one star off because the narrator was not my favorite and kept doing some weird accent that took me out of the story. I think I’ll have to reread this as a physical book! But will be adding to our library for sure.

I am just going to say it, I loved Long Live Evil! I was lucky enough to get the audiobook and it was so well done! I really enjoyed listening to this. I cannot believe that this is Sarah Rees Brennan’s debut novel. We follow Rae who in the real world is dying of cancer but one day she is given a second chance. All she has to do is transport into a fantasy world of a series her and her sister read and find a flower. Easy right? Wrong. She wakes up and learned that in this story she is a villain, a villain about to be executed. Now I may be biased because I am a sucker for a villain but I loved Rae. The characters, plot, and premise made for a very enjoyable listen. The problem with reading something before it is released is you have to wait longer for the next one. I absolutely recommend picking this up.

I truly loved the premise of this book, especially with the FMC fighting terminal cancer. Before she was sucked into this book world, I thought Rae & her story would be one of my favorites of the month. Then, she went into the other world. In my mind, Rae becoming the evil step-sister & living through the story was poorly executed. I tried to enjoy the book, but ultimately I chose to DNF at the 15% mark.

୨⎯ 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔 ⎯୧
rating: 3.75
plot: 3.75
characters: 3
writing: 4
romance: 3
spice: 0
narration: 4

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

°•*⁀➷ what to expect
morally grey
unhinged chaos
villain centered
found family
immersion
banter
cancer rep

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

°•*⁀➷ the plot
being transformed into your favorite book series sounds like the best thing ever until you realize you’re the villain!

rae is bedridden with cancer, having her sister read Time of Iron to her since her memory has become fuzzy. a mysterious woman shows up asking if she’d like a chance to survive, she just had to play the part and get the flower of life before times up!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ the characters
𝜗𝜚 rae: she’s a relatable character right off the bat, i really enjoyed her personality and her way of problem
solving while in the book.

𝜗𝜚 key: he was unhinged and diabolically cut throat. but so damn loyal and i had a feeling about his character despite what rae kept assuming. i’m curious where his role will go from that shocking ending.

𝜗𝜚 cobra: he’s a fun flamboyant character, i enjoyed getting to see him become good friends with Rae and the way he was so determined to help certain characters to whatever end. the way he was shocked to hear he was a villain is still my favorite of his.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ the writing
for the most part it was enjoyable and easy to follow, but a lot of the twists and surprises were not as shocking as i hoped but didn’t mean i had less emotions toward them.

despite the characters being villains, they honestly didn’t seem like the bad guys… like e

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ the romance
i was rooting for a certain couple that didn’t even happen or at least not til that final chapter… it’s infuriating but still hopeful as this is a series.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ the narration
the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the story to life, it was read so smoothly!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

°•*⁀➷ in conclusion,
i liked this book a lot and had a lot of fun reading it, i really hope the sequel is just as good and immersive.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 do i recommend? — yess!!!

thank you netgalley for the early copy!

Honestly, the synopsis of this book made for an interesting and intriguing take on fantasy, but in the end, it ultimately misled. Book hyped up major villainy and evil doings, but it didn’t do much villainy. The main character was one note and she kept falling over her big boobs. In the end, the plot seemed like a bunch of different books merged into one that didn’t really turn out well

Thank you, NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Orbit books for this advanced audiobook. I was having a hard time getting into this story reading it, but when I switched to the audiobook, I couldn't put it down! This book is a fun fantasy novel about being about to step into your favorite book. Rae makes a magical bargain to step into her favorite novel and when she wakes up, she's in a castle and all the characters in the kingdom surround her, and she must find a way to get out of them killing her. Also, as she finds out, she's not the heroine of the novel, she is the villainess, and SHE'S LOVING IT!! She bands together a merry group of villains to do her dastardly deeds and try to change her fate. This book was a riot and so much more fun as an audiobook.

Honestly, I was getting lost trying to read this via audio and fear I will have to revisit it when I can read it with my eyeballs. What I did listen to and comprehend was immensely promising and I'm very curious to see how this author executes this idea!

The narrator did such a fantastic job. I didn't want to step away from the story at all. I really enjoy how she embodied all the characters and brought them to live. Phenomenal performance!