P-E-R-F-E-C-T.
So now excuse me while I read everything else by Sarah Rees Brennan I have on my shelf!

I'm sure that every keen reader sometimes dreams what it would feel like to travel to the world of their favourite stories, encounter beloved characters and get to be part of the incredible story they read about. That's what happens to Rae, a 20 year old girl, who, on the brink of death, gets a chance to get her life back, but only if she succeeds in her quest. And it's definitely not as simple as it sounds, because in order to do that, she needs to go to the world of her favourite book series, straight into the body of villainess with a set death sentence. The problem is, Rae doesn't remember all the details from the books, so she has to improvise to achieve her goal and come back to her family.

I loved the premise of this book and thought that it was a great idea, however, I don't think it was executed very well. The pacing was all over the place, which made me confused a lot of times of what and why some things were actually happening. The use of modern language was quite cringy for me as only one character used it and others were using more refined speech as is usual in fantasy books. I really liked the names of the characters (The Beauty Dipped in Blood, the Golden Cobra etc.), although the characters themselves didn't impress me a lot. To be honest, I found most of them quite flat. The evil part was strange as well, as, at least to me, it felt very forced, and every little. 'evil' action was meant to remind the reader 'Look, these people are so evil!'. I enjoyed some parts of the story, for example, that although the story seemed to be set, characters and their actions changed the plot a lot, making it more dynamic and diverse. All in all, I'm not sure that I would be very keen to continue with the series as my experience with Long Live Evil was very much a mixed bag.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions! As per publisher's request, my full review will be posted on Goodreads on the 18th of July, 2024.

Subtle as a brick and insanely over the top--a feature rather than a bug for its intended audience--but an entertaining, entertainingly meta read that kept me going through a whole day of covid misery and a truly remarkable return from stage 4 cancer. It's worth checking out a sample before committing to this one; stylistically it'll be polarising, and you'll know within the first few chapters whether it'll work for you or not.

Bravo to Sarah Rees Brennan, may she write very many more!

Thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my review!

This book was insanely good! I finished it in two days and it took me this long just because I had other adult things to do otherwise I would have finished it in a few hours, that’s how good it was!

Rae, our fierce protagonist, is extremely sick, in fact she’s dying, and the only comfort she has is when her sister Alice, reads out loud their favorite book, Time of Iron, so when a mysterious woman shows up and tell her there’s a way out of her suffering, she jumps right in.

For Rae to be cured of her sickness, she only needs to go to Eyam, the fictional realm of Time of Iron and steal the Flower of Life and Death, it seems easy enough, except Rae wakes up in the body of the villainess, Rhaela, the kings ex, who’s marked to be executed in the next morning.

Honestly, this book just became one of my favorites, the characters were so lovable, even if the majority were villains (or maybe because of that) and the plot was just too good, I figured out the plot twist pretty quickly but that just made me anticipate the unraveling even more.

I just don’t know how I will be able to wait for the sequel, I want more of this world and more of these characters !!

Thanks Netgalley and Orbit for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

Long Live Evil was a conflicted read for me.
Two parts of me were fighting with each other.
The plot quality searcher was screaming at the seams however the Fun Reader was loving every second of it.
This book was a weird mix of Pop Culture references, a crazy mixture of Modern language (Sometimes coming across as quite juvenile) with a lacklustre of fantasy elements that were fighting to make sense.
The emotional tone was overwhelming, but it did make sense if we think the Main Character’s emotional state was unstable throughout this book.
The premise was quite simplistic- yet so intriguing. Very reminiscing of the popular ISEKAI genre that we see so prominent in Korean manwhas, webtoons, and Anime.
A girl who dies in the real world gets transported into a fantasy world as the villainess. This is a popular subgenre of Fantasy Isekai. And some elements are influenced by it.
This book felt like an experimental film. I rode on the sarcastic, campy tone.
It is relatable to see Rae fall in love with the villain. We as readers do understand these feelings the best. “The villain will burn down the world to save you”.
Rae’s only solace was the notion that someone would burn down the world to save her because she had no real hand in what would happen in the real world. Where she was dying of cancer.
When she was given the opportunity to save herself, she grasped it with both hands.

If you are looking for a traditional book, this might not be the book for you. The modern pop culture references, the weird writing choices, and the unwillingness to conform to the traditional fantasy rote might throw you off the narrative.
This book is not about that.
This book is about having a fun ride. To not take things seriously, and to love the morally grey characters.
It’s reflective of what happens when you have nowhere to go and are given a chance to be whatever you want to be.

This book was a surprise.

First I feel I have to be that person and point out that this one will really delight all the readers that have read or known any isekai/villainess story, because it was a great inspiration for the author and it definitely shows in the type of story, the narrative and all the little choices the protagonist makes, even the terribly bad one. It very much is a love letter to the genre.

The premise of the story is a common one for this genre: If you had a chance at salvation, would you take it?
Alone in her hospital room, awaiting her obvious end after her long battle with cancer, Rae is contemplating all the little choices she made and how she would change some, like the terrible fight she had with her sister, the only person that stayed by her side, love unchanged and sharing all the enthusiasm and joy with their favorite novel series Time of Iron.
In the middle of this she is visited by an odd lady that presents the choice to steal the magical cure, a flower that blooms once a year, in the fantasy novel that Rae loves. Rae is a sensible girl, so of course she calls for a nurse and when none come, she gets up and tries to leave the room, unknowingly taking the offer and so, when she crosses the door is thrown into her favorite book series, the blood stained story of the beautiful heroine and her multiple love interests that would die and burn the world for her, but she is in the skin of Rahela, the villainous step sister that will be executed for treason that very same day. So, as many other villainesses before her, she must scrabble to find a way to survive her terrible odds.

I absolutely adored Rae as a protagonist, and of course, I battled a lot with her penchant with seeing the whole word as a fantasy filled with not real people, because I knew that would bite her in her generous assets. And I love the band of villains that she gathers to make her heist possible.

Even if you can see how the story goes, and you can see coming every twist and turn (and where everything goes terribly wrong), this book id a great read, it's a fast and fun read and I am more than hooked waiting for the next one.

A fantastic spin on the classic fantasy genre, I loved every second of this one!

It was funny, with elements of plot that made you rethink everything.

Can’t wait to read this again in August!

Different fantasy tale, interesting and quite fun.

Rae, lying in hospital on chemotherapy, finds herself becoming a character in a much-loved fantasy series. She decides to become the villainess as a more interesting character than a boring heroine. However her effect on the plot is alarming. This is a relatively easy read, amusing in places, with a straightforward plot, nicely told. My criticism would be there are far too many florid comparisons and metaphors which pad the book out a bit. It’s enjoyable and original as well as engaging. There looks as if there will be a sequel. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Orbit Books, Netgalley and Sarah Rees Brennan for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Well, DAMN.
I had an inkling I would love this story (not just because Sarah's In Other Lands is one of my all-time favorite books), but I couldn't have anticipated just HOW MUCH.

It was funny, as in giggle out loud sort of funny; it was emotional, as in brought me to tears sort of emotional; it was honest, and knowing what the author has gone through in her pesonal life, it means all the more.

The characters were incredible, nuanced and complex and so unique in their own kind. As always, Sarah weaves representation seamlessly in her stories, and that's wonderful to read about.
It's hard to narrow it down to a favorite character, but I will say Marius and Eric's relationship was executed incredibly (I was rooting for them from their very first interaction and I can't wait to see how their bond develops); Key broke my heart in a million pieces, and without spoiling anything, I really hope that amongst all the capital letter Evil he gets to find peace. The female characters being badasses was a given, but I was pleasantly surprised by Lia in particular.

I can't believe I have to wait one+ year for the sequel, but trust me you don't want to miss the first installment in the Time of Iron series!
Excited to get my hands on a physical copy! <3

✨"Watch me. This is my villain origin story"✨

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you found yourself in your favorite book?

Rae is 20 years old and terminally ill with cancer. So when a mysterious woman gives her the opportunity to enter her favorite book for a chance to survive in the real world, Rae accepts. Too bad she finds herself taking the place of one of the story's villains just before his execution.

Long Live Evil is a very complex read,but trust that. it is still worth it! It’s composed by a world building full of plots and subplots that , given the protagonist's knowledge of the story already, will be explained as it goes along. Also, I found myself having to keep in mind two timelines: the one of " how the story should have been" and the one of " how it is actually proceeding" thanks to Rae's actions however, at about 1/3 of the book I started to get used to it coming to love everything.

Trust me , in this book you can't help but be part of the team villain : The characters are both predictable and unpredictable and are so well characterized that they have no problem shining even on their own. In particular, though, I loved the interactions between Rae and her "minions," which were hilarious most of the time.
I couldn't help but love the ship between Rae and Key about which I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but I assure you that it won't be what you imagine and you will fall in love with Key.

✨As I said before it was a complicated read in every way and one that I had to put on hold for a while...but once I picked it up again I loved it! I found myself not knowing what was going on for a good part of the book ( I loved this).Then suddenly I knew what was going on laughing and crying in the process. Long Live Evil is that book for everyone who (Like me) in real life would like to would like to be a little more "villain" ,plus was a book able to make me laugh ,make me emotional and that I found brilliant and original!

❓Which book would you like to live in?

Rae is dying of cancer. Her father has left, her mum is running out of options to pay for treatment and her boyfriend has decided he's better off with her best friend. When a mysterious stranger offers her the chance to step into her and her sister's favourite fantasy novel to save herself in the real world she jumps at the chance. Unfortunately, she jumps straight into the satin slippers and impressive corsetry of a villain due to be executed.

I think most fantasy readers have wondered how they'd fare in their favourite fictional settings and come to the conclusion they wouldn't last long! Rae does what she must to survive and often, that makes her an unlikeable character. I love this. After years of having a female character's only permissable flaw be "adorably clumsy" having a woman actually be allowed to make mistakes and work through them feels like real progress.

Sarah Rees Brennan takes all of the fantasy tropes and leans into, subverts or flat out tramples them.all. Including the aforementioned "adorable clumsiness". This book managed to go from heart wrenching to high camp fun to mortal peril and all the way back again. I can't wait for the second.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK for providing an ARC via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Buzzwords: portal fantasy, villain main character/aesthetic, fantasy spoof (with heart), queer characters (love triangle, what?), royal plot, multiple POV, plot twists, i’ll kill for you, shock ending.

Sarah Rees Brennan writes unique fantasies that will appeal to fantasy fans seeking a different experience whilst still being the ultimate adventure. Brennan will write a fantasy to point out the overused parts of the genre as if it is an inside joke for the two of you. This light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek is refreshing. Not only does it provide a distinctive narrative, but it also celebrates fun in a very serious realm.
If you don’t take yourself too seriously and fancy a quick-witted adventure, Brennan is an author not to miss. Very few take on the task of writing a book like this, and fewer still can develop character relationships and a good storyline to go alongside it.

As a fan of Brennan’s young adult book, In Other Lands, I was eager to experience what she would explore in an adult fantasy series following a seductive villainess. Upon reading it, I quickly realised this wasn’t necessarily what I imagined, yet I still think there is an ideal audience for the book and I endeavour to explain who I think this shall be.

Let’s start with the initial concept of this book. A portal fantasy. You don’t get many portal fantasy stories anymore. Sometimes they feel that little bit more unbelievable, as if from the child’s realm of dreaming. Yet, I loved how this book sought to bring to life (literally) the escapism of magic.
Rae, our main character, is a cancer patient living in a hospital until a strange lady appears offering her the chance to enter her favourite fantasy series. This is not a simple choice for many reasons, but I liked It draws on feelings of what stories can mean to you, especially during hard times. How you might even imagine being your favourite character. They provide much-needed escapism from your own worries and a feeling of greater strength. Long Life Evil poignantly demonstrated a fun portal fantasy whilst remembering the real, personal struggles of living with an illness.

Rae steps into the fantasy story, but rather than leaping into the role of a heroine ready to be saved by the golden hero, she is the villainess. The villainess on the day of her execution. Immediately Rae needs to scheme to save her life.
The book community, as a whole, talks about villains a lot. How they offer more complexities than heroes and are willing to go one step further for their goals. This book doesn’t necessarily provide an insight into the workings of a villain, but how one might survive in the villain’s role. This was the first expectation I had to change as it didn’t feel like a villain’s story, but rather “playing act” as a villain which felt more childish than I expected from the author’s adult debut.
However, Rae knows she is in a fictional landscape and exists for self-interest, disregarding the other characters. They are fictional and can be stepped on for her own gain. Her assigned role and outlook towards other people gave her a dangerous mindset. The story doesn’t worry about how she might appear to readers by trying to rationalise every decision made but shows a single-minded character, not caring for others. In this, you get a character who feels like the villain. It certainly demonstrated the dangers of justification.

Rae, to an extent, enjoys the role to start. Feeling energised by a different body, and exploring a world she loved. Not to forget the adrenaline rush after escaping death (you know, girl things). She highlights a light tone in times of danger, especially as she picks apart the classic stereotype of a villainess. The sensual, curvy villain who will seduce men to do her bidding. Her commentary was amusing, although I don’t think the story warranted as many tit jokes as we got.
It was interesting to see her navigate the story with prior knowledge of the plot. The author does a good job of using this to the character’s advantage, whilst adding multiple challenges that change the dynamic of the story so Rae doesn’t know everything.

One part I enjoyed was how Rae went in with images of each character and how this changed throughout the story. This was the main strength and appeal of the story, next to the unique narration. The characters started as clear-cut “basic” archetypes, but as Rae got to know them, they evolved into characters with their own causes and reactions. Building them beyond their role got you thinking about how a person like them might feel about their “role” on a deeper level. As a fantasy reader, this approach appealed to me as it challenged what you often see from these kinds of characters.
This journey of getting to know the side characters affected Rae as well. After seeing them as characters to use to reach her goal, she grew to care for them. This was an emotional journey readers could get behind. It was especially nice seeing the women form a closer attachment.

The side characters had a strong page presence, making it easy for readers to quickly become invested in their lives, from backstories to their own brand of humour. I liked the attention to detail throughout the whole book, not just for the characters. The aspect of being in a fantasy novel becomes more than just a novelty (wink wink) fact. I was impressed by how Brennan linked it to the wider plot, with its own revelations. The novel is well thought out and this intrigue will keep fans coming back for me.

I have ended up being rather complimentary about this novel and, honestly, it deserves it. I saved many quotes from it, both amusing and surprisingly emotional ones. Even if it was not a new favourite for me, *cough cough* it took the first 100 pages to get into the story, the writing sometimes reads a bit younger and the villainy direction wasn’t what I wanted, I genuinely felt like it was well-crafted for what the author wanted it to be. The series will go from strength to strength with characters fans will be quick to love. I’m just not 100% sure it’s for me.

Thank you to Sarah Rees Brennan, Orbit Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

When I'm reading fantasy novels I always think about how I would fare in the often brutal and unforgiving worlds such as Westeros or the Continent in The Witcher books. I'd probably try to lay low, find a bookshop or apothecary to work in and avoid anyone who looked like a main character as much as possible.

Rae very much gets the reverse experience as she is thrown into the worst moment to be in. She has the advantage of knowing how the story goes, but how much of an advantage is it truly? What if that knowledge changes the story in ways you could never anticipate? The story certainly didn't move in ways I expected and I loved being kept on my toes for the whole time.

This is a story for everyone (like me) who is too scared to be the villain in RPGs even though there's no consequences in the real world. I loved reading Rae revel in being the villain, especially after living a life of pain and suffering.

This is love story to the true magic of books and their power to transport us out of ourselves into another life. If you like isekai anime, especially book related ones like Ascendance of a Bookworm, you'll love Long Live Evil.

Long Live Evil is a fun and exciting book story of twists, betrayals and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for those who've been a goody-two-shoes all their lives but dream of the freedom of being the villain.

I give Long Live Evil 5 stars!

My review will be published on 14th July 2024.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for my digital review copy.

3 stars.

It took a lot of this book for me to decide if I wanted to continue it. I'm not sure what expectations I had going into it, but it didn't seem to align with what I thought. Once I got over that, and realised that this book was just pure fun, I had a way better time.

This book is a mix of a character book and a plot book, in that there is a plot, but I'm not too sure I could tell you the plot and we do spend a lot of time with the characters and see them become tropes, or subvert tropes.

The subverison of well-know fantasy tropes was a joy to read. It was refreshing to read about villains being villains for villany's sake, and seeing all the wicked people interaact and scheme.

The pacing did seem to suffer in the middle of the book- this was where the plot went more on the backburner and we have more focus on the characters and their relationships.

It did take me a little bit longer than usual to read this book, which I think stemmed from the pacing, and that my kindle sometimes had the chapter lengths as upwards of 20 minutes (it felt like there was some very long chapters in this) and some parts did fell infodump-y, but I was able to persevere.

It did fell like we were missing knowledge of the "Time of Iron" series (the fictional book series that is in Rae's world) and I don't know if it's a me thing, but I'm reminded that it's one of my least favourite things (it also happens in Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, which reminds me why I still haven't read past the first one). Maybe the meta levels of this weren't for me (that being said, I did love picking up on all the pop culture references)

Long Live Evil is a fun, high energy fantasy that is full of adventure. It is funny, witty and doesn't take itself seriously, full of references and nods to things from our world. Our first setting is the hospital as we meet Rae, a young adult with cancer who knows she is dying. Then we are quickly thrown into something very different. Our next setting couldn't be more of a stark contrast to reality as Rae is dropped into the role of a character in the fictional fantasy world from her and her sister's favourite series. With villains and heroes, main characters and side characters, stereotypes, witty one liners and dramatic speeches, at first the world is exactly what Rae expected and she does not see the characters around her as real, or care about the consequences of her actions.

It took me a little bit of time to get into story, I think in part because there is so much we don't know. Rae is a superfan, so she knows almost everything about this fictional world, whilst we don't and have to slowly build our own understanding of it. But once I was sucked into the story, I was in. The author did such a good job creating this world that by the end of it I could totally believe this series of books, and the fandom surrounding it, were real. There are also references throughout to Rae's experience of cancer and treatment, how it affected her physically and still changes her mental perspective even in this 'new' body. I understand cancer is something the author has experience of herself and I think that comes through in the book. Whilst being silly and irreverant a lot of the time, there are also moments that made me pause and rung true to me as someone whose life suddenly changed due to illness.

Recommended to fantasy fans looking for an entertaining read. Whilst it is different to The Other Lands also by Sarah Rees Brennan, it has that same humour and style of writing, so I believe fans will also enjoy this.

I cannot put into words how much I loved this book! This is the story of Rae, age 20, who finds herself being offered a life-or-death choice to enter the story of her favourite book-series and become a character within it. A very engaging portal fantasy with a dark side - both in its humour and content - and some really heart-warming queer representation. It made me laugh and cry throughout, and I really cannot wait for the next instalment (I screamed when I reached the end of this one!).

I found this a bit of a tough read at first (but entirely worth the challenge!), for two reasons: the first reason is the significant lore dump early on as you learn about a *lot* of different characters & plotlines involved in the novel Rae is jumping into; the second reason is the detailed descriptions of the first-hand experience of symptoms & treatment of Stage 4 cancer (which the author handles very honestly since she is speaking about it from her own first-hand knowledge) which come up throughout the story. The latter is likely something I only happened to find so challenging at this time, because I lost my mother to Stage 4 cancer less than a year ago, but I would warn that the descriptions are hard-hitting and sometimes very detailed, so may still be upsetting for anyone with particular sensitivity around terminal illness in a young adult or around cancer specifically.

The lore is really complex but incredibly interesting & entertaining, so it is well worth the time to take it all in (and maybe skip back a few times early on to remind yourself of the various monikers/titles & relationships of each character). Keeping the two 'timelines' in my head - of how the story was 'supposed' to go in the book, and how Rae's presence in the story has changed things - took me some time, but I would say I had gotten my head around all of those aspects within the first 1/3 of the book. The character development is top-tier, with new reveals throughout, and each character's growth feeling extremely well-earned & justified. It's also really difficult not to love every single one of them for very different reasons.

This book made me laugh out loud so many times, even at points when I was already crying my heart out about some poignant moment in the paragraph above. This felt like such a satisfying journey, and I loved every moment of Rae's development; I really fell for her as the main narrator within even just the first few chapters, but I also really appreciated the chapters told from other characters' perspectives (mainly Emer and Marius). Even the characters who don't get narrator rights were so endearing and I loved finding out so much about each of them at a very consistent pace.

I would also add minor content warnings for sexual harassment, self-injury, torture and homophobia.

Sarah Rees Brennan is such an emotive and thoughtful writer, and I adored her writing style and her sense of humour. She is easily one of my new favourite writers, and I am so excited to try out some of her other books. My eternal gratitude to Little Brown Book Group UK & NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book (in exchange for an honest review) - you absolutely made my year!

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for this e-arc, all thoughts are my own!

Unfortunately I did not finish this, I really really did try but I could not get past chapter 6. I am fully of the belief that fantasy books take some time to push through with all the world building but this was too much, just info dump after info dump with no real value to the story. I wanted to like this so badly because I adore the idea of a mortal going into their favourite fantasy book, but the supposed humour fell flat and the characters were unlikable.

Wow, this was a real Romp (yes, with a capital ‘R’, that’s how much of a Romp it was).
Except for the early cancer scenes, which felt very real (having read the acknowledgments I completely understand why), I pretty much smiled the whole way through this book. It was fantastic escapism, loved all the characters Rae, Key, Lia, The Cobra, Emer and Marius - gobbled up all their various chapters, although was routing for Key (and Marius - weird) from the start.

Rae is dying and while she is dying she is offered another life in another world where she won’t be ill or dying anymore, in fact she won’t be in her own body at all. As with most deals with the devil type scenarios there were stipulations which would mean if she played her cards right she would be able to come back to her own world fully healed. Yadda, yadda, yadda. And so Rae enters not just any world but the world of her favourite fantasy novels, a world where she is fully aware of the characters and storylines but has appeared not in the body of the heroine (I mean don’t we all play the hero/heroine in the tale of our own lives?) but in the body of the villainess who is shortly due to be put to death.
What an opener!

I adored this book, it was unique, interesting and pushed the fantasy boundaries, who knew reading from the POV of a group of socio/psycho paths would be so entertaining? Long live the villains! Can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Long Live Evil" is my first novel by Sarah Rees Brennan, and it's easily one of my favorite reads this year. By playing with classic fantasy tropes and subverting genre conventions, Brennan crafts a refreshing fantasy debut that explores what it would be like to be set loose in your favorite fantasy series. The book is packed with adventure while offering a nuanced take on narrative and character archetypes. With villains causing chaos and heroes pushing the limits of their morality, "Long Live Evil" is far from a typical fantasy novel. It's campy, meta, and an absolute blast, making for an unforgettable reading experience.

Thank you, NetGalley, Hachette UK, and Orbit for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Writing an isekai is hard - there's no doubt about it. Writing one filled with modern slang and Gen-Z references by an author who is not part of said generation but still tried to seem like it - while still keeping the readers immersed in said world - felt like an impossible task entirely for this book. Up until 70% of the book I simply could not bring myself to care about any of the characters or the plot, mostly because our main lead, Rae, didn't give a damn about those elements either.

Had the story followed the Cobra instead, who had been a more appreciative fan of the source material, built his own identity there from nothing, and fought tooth and nail to become an active player in the story - I probably would've appreciated Brennan's work more. Instead, I was left constantly having to stop and groan in frustration at every other page, having Rae refer to the characters as 'her minions' and constantly enforcing her own identity as a 'villain' for no apparent reason in a really tasteless fashion.

Some such highlights were:

"Rae was so glad she was a villain. Innocent maidens were useless and Rae's evil minion was making her proud."
"I won't hear Marius slandered! He's my little cupcake who never does anything wrong."
"Your poor little meow-meow is built like a brick murder house, he'll be fine."

All the above might seem fun at first glance, but they had grown overbearing way too quickly, considering the overall setting of the story. Rae never seemed to care about blending in - and this ruined my enthusiasm for the book very quickly.

I am not one to DNF books. Ever. But I was seriously considering it. And I kept questioning the wonderful reviews I kept seeing, especially because Leigh Bardugo's been praising this story for more than a year during her own tour.

However, once I reached the 70% mark of the story my experience improved immensely. Perhaps because Rae finally seemed to have some stakes. By that point, I knew I was intrigued by Key as a character, finding his unapologetic violence incredibly refreshing, and I did care about one specific character dynamic of the story, between Marius and the Cobra.

From experiencing one of the worst slumps in recent history I went into full investment in the story. I gasped when we lost a character, staring into oblivion for a full minute, and pulled the whole 'screaming, crying, throwing up' routine whenever Marius and Cobra shared the spotlight towards the end of the book. I ended up caring so much for them. Their bond feels so precious to me now, and it's for sure the main reason why I am SO GLAD that I didn't give up on the book. It would've been a tragedy to lose that.

"What are you planning to do?" Marius hesitated. "Care for you."

The reveal from the last chapter made me lose my mind as well. Bless the author for coming out with that incredible twist. It's been SO WELL executed.

Overall, I believe this specific book suffers from a very clear case of 'first book syndrome'. It's incredibly frustrating that it took so long for the main character to care about her own story, thus finally making us care as well, but with that unexpected ending and the affection I now feel for Marius and Eric, I admit that I a intrigued enough to want to know more.