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A review by phantasmaboo
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Having read another trilogy from this author, I think that this one is a big miss for them. I struggled to think of what bothered me so much about this book, and it came down to balance, depth, and pacing. The book is supposed to be lighthearted and funny, but I found that the main character Davi was always "on", as it were. There were hardly any moments where we saw the growth or development of her character, and certainly no more than a surface representation of her. She was shallow and indifferent most of the book, having been defined primarily through her "training montages" and willingness to have sex. The moments that she had true growth that happened in the final third were outweighed by the middle third of the book where seemingly nothing happens rather than she grows her "minion horde". These moments pass by so quickly that you could almost miss them, and yet they were the areas that had the most potential. I felt like the book would have been loads better if there was room to breathe and more balance between comedy and world and character building.
Depth was also a problem. There were too many characters developed far too shallowly that I couldn't even really remember them all. There were even aspects of Davi's character that I forgot until the last third of the book, let alone any of the others. For example, I completely forgot that David -- true to the name of this book -- is stuck in a time loop. This is a key aspect to her character that doesn't get explored enough and almost feels like a way for the author to get away with torturing this female character over and over again in the name of "character development". Other than being mentioned in the first third and final third, the remainder of the book is absent any consideration of this detail.
The world building was also poor. By the end, all I understood was that some special rocks were eaten to give power. That's about it.
I know that this is the first book in a series, but I probably won't be checking out the rest.
Depth was also a problem. There were too many characters developed far too shallowly that I couldn't even really remember them all. There were even aspects of Davi's character that I forgot until the last third of the book, let alone any of the others. For example, I completely forgot that David -- true to the name of this book -- is stuck in a time loop. This is a key aspect to her character that doesn't get explored enough and almost feels like a way for the author to get away with torturing this female character over and over again in the name of "character development". Other than being mentioned in the first third and final third, the remainder of the book is absent any consideration of this detail.
The world building was also poor. By the end, all I understood was that some special rocks were eaten to give power. That's about it.
I know that this is the first book in a series, but I probably won't be checking out the rest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence