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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s…hm. You can tell that Davi is insane. Makes sense, she’s spent a lot of time living life. Too much time. The first quarter of the book felt pretty well paced, the next half felt so fast, and it lost me in the last quarter. For someone who claims not to remember a lot about earth, she makes a lot of pop/general earth references. Maybe I’ll remember a tv show instead of where I lived, but I kind of doubt it. I was also kind of confused by her romance with Tsav and suddenly willing to be committed to her after apparent centuries of not being connected to someone . I suppose that’s just how love goes sometime, but since no one else was mentioned as a past SERIOUS love interest, it kind of felt like a token gay moment. I was rooting for Amitsugu or at least Davi to go down the poly route since that seemed more in line for her personality…but I suppose envy takes its toll huh
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I knew when I saw this book it would be right up my alley and it did not disappoint. As a fantasy, dnd, time loop and ttrpg lover I was thrilled with the premise and more than pleased with the “reverent irreverence” of the execution. Excited for the next one!
I wasn’t sure about this book at first but I really started to enjoy the characters and the story the deeper I got into it. By the time I was at the conclusion I was sad it was over. Looking forward to the next one for more laughs and further exploration of this world.
funny
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, let me be real, this was a guilty-pleasure romp. It’s Deadpool crossed with Game of Thrones, drenched in over-the-top meta jokes and snark. It’s not Shakespeare-level prose (and that’s perfectly fine), but when you’re in the mood for something irreverent and unapologetically silly, you’re in for a treat.
The premise is a blast: Davi, trapped in an endless time loop where she keeps failing to stop the Dark Lord, finally says “fuck it” and decides to become the villain herself. Cue a hilariously motley crew of orcs, mouse-people, and stone monsters. Wexler gives these side characters just enough color to matter without slowing down the ride.
This is campy fantasy, fierce and unfiltered. I laughed a lot. The final pages left me itching for the sequel. If you're ready for a dark-lord origin story that leans hard into humor, this is your ride. Just go in with your expectations set on “fun over finesse.”
The premise is a blast: Davi, trapped in an endless time loop where she keeps failing to stop the Dark Lord, finally says “fuck it” and decides to become the villain herself. Cue a hilariously motley crew of orcs, mouse-people, and stone monsters. Wexler gives these side characters just enough color to matter without slowing down the ride.
This is campy fantasy, fierce and unfiltered. I laughed a lot. The final pages left me itching for the sequel. If you're ready for a dark-lord origin story that leans hard into humor, this is your ride. Just go in with your expectations set on “fun over finesse.”
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying seemed to promise a fresh perspective on the time-loop story, wrapped up in a fantasy world packed with satire and wit. It pulled through on about half of those promises.
*Mild spoilers below*
Davi is a woman from Earth who has spent the last thousand lifetimes trying to save the Kingdom from the torment of the Dark Lord. She's spent so much time in this world relative to her life on Earth that she has forgotten almost everything about her past life... except hyper-specific pop culture references, her favourite websites, how the language works, and many more things. This wouldn't have been a problem for me, had the text not mentioned several times that these were things she should have forgotten.
The main character is bisexual woman (good), with a very unhealthy idea of sexual boundaries (bad). At best, this comes across as humorous when applied to evil snake-women. At worst, it comes across as abuse of power and sexual harassment when applied to her subordinates.
The humour is not anywhere near as subtle or nuanced as a Pratchett-style fantasy satire (despite the use of humorous footnotes), but is more akin to a Deadpoolian swearing-and-killing-and-talking-about-sex audience.
Despite my above points, I did enjoy this book, and will be picking up the second book when it releases. The writing is simple but punchy, the pacing is good, and the characters all have a distinct voice (love you, Droff).
*Mild spoilers below*
Davi is a woman from Earth who has spent the last thousand lifetimes trying to save the Kingdom from the torment of the Dark Lord. She's spent so much time in this world relative to her life on Earth that she has forgotten almost everything about her past life... except hyper-specific pop culture references, her favourite websites, how the language works, and many more things. This wouldn't have been a problem for me, had the text not mentioned several times that these were things she should have forgotten.
The main character is bisexual woman (good), with a very unhealthy idea of sexual boundaries (bad). At best, this comes across as humorous when applied to evil snake-women. At worst, it comes across as abuse of power and sexual harassment when applied to her subordinates.
The humour is not anywhere near as subtle or nuanced as a Pratchett-style fantasy satire (despite the use of humorous footnotes), but is more akin to a Deadpoolian swearing-and-killing-and-talking-about-sex audience.
Despite my above points, I did enjoy this book, and will be picking up the second book when it releases. The writing is simple but punchy, the pacing is good, and the characters all have a distinct voice (love you, Droff).