Long Live Evil and All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan

 

Every fantasy fan wonders what they would do if they were dropped into their favorite fantasy world and had to play the hero. But what if you were dropped into the villain's shoes instead? 20-year-old Rae is offered that opportunity as she lies dying in a hospital bed. Rae accepts the offer and steps through a door to find herself inhabiting the body of Lady Rahela, The Beauty Dipped in Blood. All she has to do is steal a magical flower, and she will be saved in the real world. The first step is avoiding Lady Rahela's execution. Scheduled for the following morning. Easy, peasy, no?

Rae always appreciated the villains in the story, which her sister Alice read to her in her hospital bed. She especially liked the Once and Forever Emperor. After all, does a villain ever see themselves as a villain? Why not have some fun with it? Rae's knowledge of the story allows her to pose as a prophet and escape her impending execution. Lady Rahela was already a favorite of the King, which is a point in her favor. It turns out Rae's attention to the story details was a little imperfect, so there are some gaps in her knowledge. If some people get hurt now who didn't in the original story, what's the harm? They're not real. 

Rae quickly assembles her own band of villains, the Vipers, and begins manipulating events in hopes of surviving long enough to steal the Flower of Life and Death. Brennan has tremendous fun twisting familiar fantasy tropes. Rae's knowledge of the books gives her an advantage, but her imperfect memory proves just as dangerous as ignorance. Every change she makes ripples outward in unexpected ways, creating a story that continually surprises both Rae and the reader.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ALL HAIL CHAOS

By the start of the second book, things have gone drastically wrong. Rae got the identity of the Emperor all wrong. Instead of Octavian, her guard Key is the Emperor! He emerged as emperor years ahead of schedule. Rae's maneuvering has also brought an army from the frozen wastes to the gates of the city, way ahead of the time in the books as she remembers them. With a battle raging, the Golden Cobra and Marius rescue as many people as they can and get them out of the city.  

Key came to power far too early, before many of his rough edges and violent tendencies were softened by time and love, as they were in the books. Rahela maneuvers herself into a second chance at saving her own life in the real world, if only she can nudge events back onto their proper course, and help Key find the love he needs. 

Rae's plotting becomes more emotionally fraught in this book. She knows that these people are just characters on a page, but they have become real to her. Causing them harm they weren't destined to experience weighs on her. Her task is increasingly complicated by her feelings for these people. Her genuine affection for Key weighs on her, especially as his actions become monstrous.

Rae is easy to cheer for in the first book. She is smart, sassy, and reveling in her villainous role. She develops a frustrating tendency when offered information to stop the person before they finish, assuming she knows what they are going to say. She is usually wrong, making many of her problems ones of her own making. Rae becomes somewhat less sympathetic in the second novel, but Brennan wisely expands the roles of Marius and the Golden Cobra, both of whom become compelling viewpoint characters in their own right. Thankfully, we get plenty of time with them and learn a lot more about each of their pasts. Other supporting characters, including some welcome new ones introduced in the second book, are further fleshed out, making them more and more interesting. Rae's machinations aren't faring much better, though, and she finds herself in even more of a pickle by the cliffhanger ending of book two, setting up a much-anticipated next book!

Moira Quirk does a wonderful job with the reading in both books. Her voices are distinctive, making it easy to tell characters apart. The pacing is handled very well and, along with intonation, transitions from humor to romance to dramatic tension with ease and excitement. The second book briefly adds a second narrator for the Emperor, Shane East. While his narration is fine, it is jarring when he appears after Moira had been ably voicing all the characters up until then. It seemed unnecessary and momentarily pulls you out of the story.

Both books move along briskly and are a great combination of court intrigue, scheming, action, and light romance. The main characters are sharply drawn, and the side characters become more fascinating as the books go along. Rae becomes slightly more irritating due to some obvious missteps, and the point of her life in the real world hanging in the balance is not made to feel as significant as it should. Too little time is spent with it, and while Rae occasionally references it, she seems more emotionally vested in her life in the fictitious world. Fortunately, other characters, such as Marius and the Golden Cobra, become even more interesting and exciting to follow. Long Live Evil lays a terrific foundation, introducing an inventive fantasy world full of memorable characters. All Hail Chaos builds on that foundation with deeper emotional stakes, richer supporting characters, and an even more engaging story. Coupled with Moira Quirk's outstanding narration, these audiobooks are easy recommendations for fantasy fans.

I was provided a copy of these books by the publisher.