"Dark Lord Davi rules the kingdom, but she must now break the time loop that binds her in this hilariously bloody conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology.

After countless failures (let's not dwell on it), Davi has finally saved the kingdom from evil by becoming the Dark Lord herself. But now, the hordes of wilders are at her command, and they still want blood. Human blood. And Davi's not sure she can commit to the total extermination of humanity.

With restless armies at her doorstep, a treasonous duke scheming for power, and the legend of an ancient magician looming over her shoulder, Davi must find a way towards peace and uncover the truth behind her time loop if she is to bring harmony to the kingdom. Also, her girlfriend is mad at her. So, there's that too."

Plus I'm sure Davi has a certain Tears for Fears song stuck in her head just like I do...

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler may not have the same sharp wit and nonstop entertainment as its predecessor, but it still delivers a fun, fast-paced ride. The story retains its charm with clever world-building and engaging characters, even if the humor doesn't hit quite as hard this time around. While it lacked some of the spark that made the first book stand out, it was still an enjoyable read that kept me entertained from start to finish. A solid four stars for a sequel that, while not perfect, is still worth the ride.

As a huge fan of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, the first book in Wexler's Davi duology, I was excited to read the second and final book. It definitely did not disappoint. A more lighthearted and fun take on the fantasy genre, it's full of fourth wall breaking, great humor, and beloved characters. In conversation with LitRPG books, I had a great time reading this. Highly recommended.

Django Wexler decided to step away from the ashburn of his flintlock fantasy catalog to write something different - perhaps a fun romp about a sassy mercenary so fed up of trying to save the world from the Dark Lord, that she decides to become the Dark Lord herself, to shake things up. So we got the irreverent How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying! 

Knowing that he had hit something hot with this theme, Wexler wrote up a cliffhanger to what was intended to be a standalone, extending it to a duology with Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me! 

In my review of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, I described the book as a "schlocky, cheeky tale" and even attempted to create a nanogenre for it - "cozy dark fantasy". A relatively low-stakes plot with plenty of humor, heart, and oodles of fourth-wall breaking references to real-world media. I praised Wexler for taking a risky step away from the genre he is most known for in fantasy circles, while also creating a unique character in Davi, - the dark fantasy Deadpool, with all that moniker would entail. 
However, I also lamented that How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying would not be for everyone. The prose style chosen to appeal to the younger millennial/GenZ readers had the potential to drive away the more puritanical among us dark fantasy consumers. In addition, much of the humor felt quite heavy-handed, which when added to the constant barrage of real-world references could cause the book to be a fatiguing read. 

When faced with the conundrum that Davi is now the new Dark Lord, she now must fulfill what is expected of that throne and title, namely the destruction of the human race. Faced with that ethical dilemma, a very human-Davi must walk the thin line of not pissing off the horde she now leads while also trying to appease the human kingdom out to exterminate them. 
This emotional conflict forms the central heart of this novel, and thereby the duology. Bolstered by her love interest, the sexy buff orc Tsav, along with her boyfriend-from-a-different-life the coward with a heart of gold, Johann and his husband, the nerdy Matthias, Davi must face off against both the bestial horde as well as fend off the human armies and broker lasting peace between the races. If Davi is doing her damnedest to raise the white flag, secret forces are trying to disrupt that stalemate and cause all-out war between the factions, wiping out most life in the process. 
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me does have an important message of setting aside differences between races to avoid mutually assured destruction, a sentiment that has never felt more pertinent to the reality around us. In his own cheesy way, Wexler does create significant moments of heart where Tsav and Johann have to face their own lifelong prejudices against their opposing factions and rise above their differences to help Davi. 

Fortunately, Wexler toned down many of the facets of How to Become the Dark Lord… in this sequel. In that regard, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me (which in itself is a not-so-subtle nod to the famous song), almost feels like a more straightforward YA Dark Fantasy book. While the stakes never reach the level of adult dark fantasy and are nowhere near grimdark levels of grit and bleakness, there is more of a serious weight to this sequel. There are still references drawn from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, to the Marvel and Star Wars Universes, as well as nods to classic movies and TV like A Few Good Men, Cheers, and Happy Days. These references mostly subside when the plot heads in more climactic directions. As a personal note, I fan-boyed when Wexler took a dig at grimdark when he said, "I'll leave that to Joe" (Abercrombie, often touted as Lord Grimdark). 

I also appreciated Wexler's attempt at giving more weight to the world he created by adding more history, lore, and mythos to the world, which ties into the overarching plot quite well. While I was not the biggest fan of the predictable direction he took the plot, big bad, and climax, I believe that Wexler was not out to write the most convoluted plot, relying more on creating an enjoyable vibe to carry his fun characters through to a rewarding conclusion. By that metric, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, mostly succeeds. 
I enjoyed the sequel to the Dark Lord Davi duology much more than the first, to a point that the rewarding resolution makes the first book a much less jarring experience. I can now look back fondly at the entire series.

If you like the idea of a Dark Fantasy Deadpool being her sassy best, give this series a twirl, you will not be disappointed. 

Alright, Wexler, let's get back to the blood and gunpowder now!

The fun and adventure continues as Davi, the Dark Lord, tries to save the world and those she cares about. Lots of fun, adventure and thrills!

Davi tries to bring peace between the people and the wilders, not an easy task. She has always had her reset safety net, but the wilders and people she cares about do not. And this makes her mission even more difficult.

The story is really good and I enjoyed seeing the characters and how they deal with all the crazy things that happen to them. The characters are well written, the world where they live is interesting and there is a lot of craziness going on here. I really enjoyed these two books! A crazy, funny adventure! Jump on for the ride!

This was such a nice finale to the first book. As much as I loved the loop plot of the first at times it felt redundant so to have a straight shot plot this time around was enjoyable.

Davi had to do so much growth this time around as her spawn location had changed and she could no longer be as far free and temporary as she had before and watching her have such a crisis over this and trying to figure out how to actually care about things other then staying alive and getting laid was hilarious.

I do feel like there was a lot of build up to the end that did feel a bit rushed. I was kind of surprised at the end when I reached the epilogue because I felt I needed 1-2 more chapters to get the full story of the thing we’ve been leading up to for so long.

Though this book was even more enjoyable than the first the the humor this duology has is unmatched

You've spent thousands of years stuck in a time loop trying to fulfill the prophecy. This time you decide F$#% it, I'm gonna be the bad guy. You are proclaimed the Dark Lord, but now what? This hilarious, exciting story takes you through Davi's struggles after becoming the Dark Lord and venturing to save both Wilders and Humans alike. I really enjoyed this second installment, it left me laughing and continually engaged in the story. When the real BBEG you HATE them, but can't help but wonder if they are doing the right thing, just going about it the totally wrong way. (A beautiful mind conflict honestly).

Good character growth and found family but didn’t enjoy as much as the first one. The humor worked some of the time for me in this book but wasn’t as fun and lighthearted as the first. Overall amazing writing, and ideas and would probably recommended it.

Davi returns as the Dark Lord, and sets her plans in motion with her usual wit. The problem this time, though, is that she knows she no longer has the reset from dying she had in the first book. I liked the first book just a bit more than this one, largely because the dying and coming back got so funny. However, not having the reset gave Davi a chance to grow as a character, and that turned out pretty well.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this is a real damn good job at sticking the landing, as Dani actually figures out how and why the time loop is working, and who the big bad of the situation actually is. For the most part Wexler nails the voice and humor on Dani, though I will admit there were some comments about leaving the horny shit for AO3 (but actually guys the sex was totally raunchy) that got a bit eye rolly at times for me personally. Show, don't tell! The footnotes still do great though, and the ultimate resolution is pretty damn great. Fun duology that's absolutely worth your time.

Django Wexler’s first book in the Dark Lord Davi series, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying was a phenomenally fun time loop fantasy. I read it right at the tailend of 2024 and put it on my Top Ten list for the year. The follow-up, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me misses the mark at times for me, but is still loads of fun. The ending works really well and the humor puts the two books on a “Re-read in the Future” list for me.

In my previous review of HTBTDLADT, (found here), I noted my love of time loop stories from Star Trek to Groundhog Day. Here, the Time Loopiness of the story is a key part, but kinda disappears for a while. In the first part of the book, it’s definitely hanging over Davi and her closest friends, but Wexler subverts Chekhov's Gun a bit with how it plays out. In the final third of the book, Davi’s unique gifts come roaring back to the forefront of the story as the circumstances of her place in this world become clear. Sometimes in time loop stories, such as Groundhog Day, we don’t ever find out the nature of the loop and what forces are in control of it, but Wexler crafts the origins of the loop and its creator into the overall story.

Overall, a good amount of what worked for me in the first book was either absent or positioned differently in the sequel, so for the first two-thirds of the book I found it a little harder to buy-in and engage with the story. In HTBTDLADT, the concept of found family sprung up organically as the book progressed. Soon after EWTRTW starts, Davi and Tsav leave their Wilder Army and infiltrate the human kingdom. It’s necessary for the story and where it eventually goes, but something just felt missing. Throughout the books we’re reminded the Davi has lived hundreds of years and countless lives among these people. She tells the audience over and over about her relationship with Prince Johann in previous iterations, but there’s still a little bit of “show, not tell” that hampers the story at times.

For a little over the first half of the book, I was enjoying it, but had some troubling vibing with it. But I’ll give Wexler a lot of credit -- about two-thirds of the way through, EWTRTW turned it on. I could not put the book down, anxiously going from one page to the next to see what was happening and where Davi’s fate was taking her and her friends next. In the end, the final arc of the book paid off big time. I really enjoyed Davi’s humor, but also totally understood why the villain was annoyed to death (literally) by her throughout it all.

If you enjoy humor with your fantasy and a little bit of time loop shenanigans, I recommend reading both books in Django Wexler’s Dark Lord Davi Duology.

Thank you to Orbit for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is absolutely an "if you liked book one, try book two!" sort of sequel--the stakes are properly raised and the book does a great job of answering questions without getting bogged down in details, while maintaining the same tone and humor of the first one. I also really appreciated the "hey, do you remember anything at all from book one? Let me remind you" prologue. I am a serial book one forgetter, and not having to go look for a summary after reading the first ten pages and being confused was really nice.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This one was slow to pick up for me. I didn’t think it got real interesting until 40% of the way through, because I like the wilder characters better than the human ones. However, it did answer all my questions from the first book and I’m happy with the way it ended. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Orbit and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity.

This takes off immediately after the events of [book:How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying|198493860], so read them back-to-back or at least in very close proximity. Reading this book alone would not provide a satisfactory experience.

We get to see some personal growth from the Dark Lord; her origins, if not completely explained, are at least partially illuminated. There's a wrap-up with everyone's happily-ever-afters, so further series installments seem unlikely (although spinoffs in the same universe could be on the table).

eARC from NetGalley.

My only complaint is I wish there was more. Just as good, if not better, than the first. Begins in a pleasing recap, so a reread of book prior isn't needed to pick up right where we left Davi. Raunchy and scrappy as ever, Davi is just as I remember her. The tone of the duology is just too damn fun and I enjoy the footnotes just as I did previously. Worth the read if you're looking for a good time, as I'd imagine Davi would suggest.

This book is an absolute blast from start to finish. If you didn't read the first book, don't worry, as the beginning catches you up. This book is a chaotic, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt romp through a world where supervillains are the norm, and one painfully average girl is stuck in a death loop and now has to reluctantly be caught up in global domination schemes. Wexler nails the balance between laugh-out-loud moments and genuinely clever world-building, with quirky characters who are equal parts lovable and infuriating.

I really enjoyed this book. It is full of humor and adventure. The magical world is interesting and the quirky characters are great. I like the humorous writing style. It is engaging and fun. This is a fantastic book.

I received a copy of this book from Orbit in exchange for an honest review.
Thankfully, this one does not end on a cliffhanger like the first book. Everything gets wrapped up nice and tidy at the end.

This book is not quite as fun and lighthearted as the first one. There aren't as many consequences when everything starts as Davi is still working hard to find the right path which necessitates many restarts of the loop. In the sequel, we see her struggle with the weight of not wanting to restart again and hold on to what she's accomplished. There's a lot that Davi has to process with the ramifications of that and that felt very real.

Overall though, if you liked the first book, you'll like this one as well. Still a lot of action and it's very fast-paced as Davi has to juggle quite a lot at once. Lots of characters though so hopefully you remember them from the first book!

Thank you Django Wexler for giving us a duology instead of an endless series. This book picks up right where we left off with Davi as the dark lord and questioning all her choices. She may have become the dark lord but her problems are far from over. The wilders are set to destroy the humans (which Davi is) and her death loop issue is still not resolved.

This book was enjoyable, however lacked some of the craziness the first book had. Davi is a little more serious and questions her choices now more than she had before when she believed everything would eventually just reset anyways.
The humor of the overall book is the same. So if you enjoyed book 1 you will most likely enjoy book 2. There's a lot of breaking the fourth wall and Davi's hilarious inner monologue.

Overall the plot kept moving and never felt slow, however the long chapters might put some in reading slump as it's hard to pause or take breaks. The overall pace of the book was fast which I appreciated about both books. Lots of twists and turns. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.