Long Live Evil

When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favourite fantasy series.

She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she's not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor's tale.

So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they're doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor's fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

This adult epic fantasy debut from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain's shoes, for an adventure that is both 'brilliant' (Holly Black) and 'supremely satisfying' (Leigh Bardugo). Expect a rogue's gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.

This was one of my most-anticipated fall reads! The premise was so tantalizing and the cover is awesome. And I loved this book! If you’re looking for a fun fantasy read, this is it!

I really enjoyed the way the story played with, and maybe subverted, some familiar fantasy book tropes and archetypes, and I particularly liked the way it handled the character-enters-the-world-of-a-book aspect. I like that idea but sometimes struggle with the way it’s carried out in stories, and I had fun with the way Rae addressed that.

The world of the story that Rae finds herself in was dark and violent, and I loved seeing the way she tried to maneuver based on what she knew from the books. And the story took a couple of twists and turns that kept Rae (and me) on her toes. I loved the tension between Rae and Key, and loved how she had to navigate relationships with, and win over, all the characters who saw her as a villain.

This was just a fun, exciting romp with humour, violence, tension, and characters I want to read more about! I am desperately waiting for the sequel!