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Dark Lord Davi #2
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me
The hilarious sequel to How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler!
Dark Lord Davi rules the kingdom, but she must now break the time loop that binds her in this hilariously bloody conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology.
Davi has left the horde behind her, hoping to find a peaceful solution to keep the Kingdom from being destroyed this time. But her plan to guide the Kingdom to peaceful prosperity is thwarted when she finds her usual love interest, Prince Johann, already married and the bloodthirsty Duke Aster running the government. Johann's new husband is everything Davi is not, but he holds a key to the one mystery she can't solve - the origins of the time loop that has entrapped her.
With restless armies at her doorstep, Duke Aster reaching for power, and an ancient magician hounding her every turn, Davi must scheme her way to peace and uncover the truth behind her curse if she is to break the spell that binds her once and for all.
Praise for How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying
'A darkly comic delight of a novel' Anthony Ryan
'Twisty, pacey and full of reverent irreverence for fantasy. I can't get enough' Max Gladstone
'A brash swords-and-satire romp that draws you into its rollicking adventure even as it pokes fun at the whole genre. Gamers in particular will appreciate the irreverent upending of classic roleplaying tropes' James L. Sutter
Takes the old saying 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em,' to the next level. A sarcastic, action-packed, intrigue-filled (mis)adventure. One of the funniest books I've read in a long time' Matt Dinniman
'Lord of the Rings crossed with Groundhog Day, narrated by a gender-flipped Deadpool' Mike Brooks
Dark Lord Davi rules the kingdom, but she must now break the time loop that binds her in this hilariously bloody conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology.
Davi has left the horde behind her, hoping to find a peaceful solution to keep the Kingdom from being destroyed this time. But her plan to guide the Kingdom to peaceful prosperity is thwarted when she finds her usual love interest, Prince Johann, already married and the bloodthirsty Duke Aster running the government. Johann's new husband is everything Davi is not, but he holds a key to the one mystery she can't solve - the origins of the time loop that has entrapped her.
With restless armies at her doorstep, Duke Aster reaching for power, and an ancient magician hounding her every turn, Davi must scheme her way to peace and uncover the truth behind her curse if she is to break the spell that binds her once and for all.
Praise for How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying
'A darkly comic delight of a novel' Anthony Ryan
'Twisty, pacey and full of reverent irreverence for fantasy. I can't get enough' Max Gladstone
'A brash swords-and-satire romp that draws you into its rollicking adventure even as it pokes fun at the whole genre. Gamers in particular will appreciate the irreverent upending of classic roleplaying tropes' James L. Sutter
Takes the old saying 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em,' to the next level. A sarcastic, action-packed, intrigue-filled (mis)adventure. One of the funniest books I've read in a long time' Matt Dinniman
'Lord of the Rings crossed with Groundhog Day, narrated by a gender-flipped Deadpool' Mike Brooks
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2025
429 people are currently reading
3325 people want to read
About the author
Django Wexler
51books3,601followersDjango Wexler graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. Eventually he migrated to Microsoft in Seattle, where he now lives with two cats and a teetering mountain of books. When not planning Shadow Campaigns, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
May 11, 2025
All hail Dark Lord Davi! After 1000+ years in a time loop, Davi finally decided to try something different � instead of fighting the Dark Lord, she became the Dark Lord. Unfortunately, that means that she's now in charge of a horde of wilders who want her to lead them to victory over the humans that she's spent centuries trying to protect. Oops. Davi decides to look up her old boyfriend Johann, hot himbo extraordinaire and prince not-so-extraordinaire of the human kingdom, to see if she can manipulate him into attempting to save his people � again. Needless to say, hijinks ensue.
If you enjoyed How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, there's a pretty good chance that you're going to love this sequel. It takes a bit for the story to really get going, but once it does it's almost impossible to put down. There are orcs and magic and evil dukes and subterfuge and epic battles and maybe even a dragon or two, and it's all absolutely delightful. And, of course, there's also lots of fucking (Davi's phrasing, not mine) and crude humor and language. This time, however, it's also possible that Davi might just acquire some emotional depth and maybe even a bit of a conscience?
All of the main characters from the first book make a reappearance in this one, but I have to confess Johann might just be my new favorite character (other than Davi herself, of course). He's a lot of fun in a hot himbo prince sort of way, and it turns out that there just might be more to him than meets the eye.
Do expect this book to be somewhat more serious than its predecessor. It still has plenty of humor and snark, but Davi does a lot more soul-searching in this one. Now that she can't rely on the time loop to reset everything back to the very beginning whenever she dies, all of the death and destruction starts to seem a little � permanent. She's not quite sure how to feel about it all, and then she also has the whole relationship with (and feelings for) Tsav to figure out.
If I absolutely had to choose, I'd probably say that I enjoyed How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying more than this one, but not by much. This is a solid sequel to an amazing book, and it wraps up Davi's story rather nicely. I'm sad that it's only meant to be a duology because I don't want to leave these characters behind, but perhaps it'll wind up being a duology in the same way that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series ended up being a “trilogy in five books.� A girl can dream, anyway.
4.6 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is May 27, 2025.
If you enjoyed How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, there's a pretty good chance that you're going to love this sequel. It takes a bit for the story to really get going, but once it does it's almost impossible to put down. There are orcs and magic and evil dukes and subterfuge and epic battles and maybe even a dragon or two, and it's all absolutely delightful. And, of course, there's also lots of fucking (Davi's phrasing, not mine) and crude humor and language. This time, however, it's also possible that Davi might just acquire some emotional depth and maybe even a bit of a conscience?
All of the main characters from the first book make a reappearance in this one, but I have to confess Johann might just be my new favorite character (other than Davi herself, of course). He's a lot of fun in a hot himbo prince sort of way, and it turns out that there just might be more to him than meets the eye.
Do expect this book to be somewhat more serious than its predecessor. It still has plenty of humor and snark, but Davi does a lot more soul-searching in this one. Now that she can't rely on the time loop to reset everything back to the very beginning whenever she dies, all of the death and destruction starts to seem a little � permanent. She's not quite sure how to feel about it all, and then she also has the whole relationship with (and feelings for) Tsav to figure out.
If I absolutely had to choose, I'd probably say that I enjoyed How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying more than this one, but not by much. This is a solid sequel to an amazing book, and it wraps up Davi's story rather nicely. I'm sad that it's only meant to be a duology because I don't want to leave these characters behind, but perhaps it'll wind up being a duology in the same way that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series ended up being a “trilogy in five books.� A girl can dream, anyway.
4.6 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is May 27, 2025.
May 31, 2025
3.0 Stars
This was a fun conclusion to this humorous fantasy duology. This is a pretty silly series and personally I would have loved to see a darker version of our supposed “villain�.
I'm not sure that this series needed a second book so I'm glad this wasn't turned into a trilogy. It's a fun concept but ultimately shouldn't be dragged out too long.
If you loved the first book, then I'd recommend finishing the series.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was a fun conclusion to this humorous fantasy duology. This is a pretty silly series and personally I would have loved to see a darker version of our supposed “villain�.
I'm not sure that this series needed a second book so I'm glad this wasn't turned into a trilogy. It's a fun concept but ultimately shouldn't be dragged out too long.
If you loved the first book, then I'd recommend finishing the series.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
March 5, 2025
Davi, fully realizing that her reset button is malfunctioning, has come up with a plan to hopefully save humans and wilders alike. And it would have gone absolutely wonderfully if Prince Johann was actually in charge but Duke Aster is running the show in the Kingdom and now Davi, The Dark Lord, must pretend to be The Wizard's Apprentice and hope that her predictions of the future convince the humans that going up against the Wilders would be a really bad idea.
Unfortunately, while Davi and Tsav are in The Kingdom trying to keep the humans from heading to their doom, Artaxes and Sibarae have taken control of The Horde. With Davi's plans completely unraveling, she is going to have to do something she's never done in a thousand years: Rely on other people.
That's an ominous rely on other people because many of you reading this I can guarantee just thought of that gives you anxiety, hell it gave me anxiety just reading it. Honestly, this was significantly better than I was expecting especially since it wrapped the whole story up with a truly insane villain who as far as I can tell is just a sad lonely little man who probably needed someone to tell him no a few times in his life. As Davi points out at one point, he'd be a serial killer on Earth, and I think that says everything you need to know about him.
How Davi actually gets to The Kingdom was oddly not as mind blowing as I expected, once you start hearing the bad guys backstory, that sort of takes backstage because my gods did he fuck Davi up. Although it does account for why she's got all this random 20/21st century pop culture knowledge which was honestly the *one* thing I needed to explain.
What makes this great once again is Davi. Her character growth was phenomenonal while still maintaining her smart ass personality. And I think what's great about this little found family Isekai is that this time loop thing can truly be viewed as breaking many, many toxic cycles. Assign your own accordingly.
Honestly, this is probably my favorite series by Wexler. Not only was much of this highly relatable in terms of Davi learning to rely on others even though it's fucking terrifying, I think it genuinely shows just how good of writer Wexler is if you've read his other books, especially doing an Isekai. Definitely recommend this one especially if enjoy Isekai of course but also if you just enjoy a found family story definitely not for children.
As always, thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the eArc!
Unfortunately, while Davi and Tsav are in The Kingdom trying to keep the humans from heading to their doom, Artaxes and Sibarae have taken control of The Horde. With Davi's plans completely unraveling, she is going to have to do something she's never done in a thousand years: Rely on other people.
That's an ominous rely on other people because many of you reading this I can guarantee just thought of that gives you anxiety, hell it gave me anxiety just reading it. Honestly, this was significantly better than I was expecting especially since it wrapped the whole story up with a truly insane villain who as far as I can tell is just a sad lonely little man who probably needed someone to tell him no a few times in his life. As Davi points out at one point, he'd be a serial killer on Earth, and I think that says everything you need to know about him.
How Davi actually gets to The Kingdom was oddly not as mind blowing as I expected, once you start hearing the bad guys backstory, that sort of takes backstage because my gods did he fuck Davi up. Although it does account for why she's got all this random 20/21st century pop culture knowledge which was honestly the *one* thing I needed to explain.
What makes this great once again is Davi. Her character growth was phenomenonal while still maintaining her smart ass personality. And I think what's great about this little found family Isekai is that this time loop thing can truly be viewed as breaking many, many toxic cycles. Assign your own accordingly.
Honestly, this is probably my favorite series by Wexler. Not only was much of this highly relatable in terms of Davi learning to rely on others even though it's fucking terrifying, I think it genuinely shows just how good of writer Wexler is if you've read his other books, especially doing an Isekai. Definitely recommend this one especially if enjoy Isekai of course but also if you just enjoy a found family story definitely not for children.
As always, thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the eArc!
May 11, 2025
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me
by Django Wexler
Dark Lord Davi #2
Fantasy Dark Humor
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+
Book two (and last) picks up a few days/weeks after the first book, where Davi and Tsav are off to the Kingdom to try to make peace with Prince Johann. But things have changed since the last time she was in the Kingdom... Prince Johann is married! Worse, his cousin, Duke Aster, is running things.
So now Davi needs to find a way to get Johann back in charge and get Aster out of the kingdom before her horde arrives and.... spoilers.
This book gave a lot more backstory to Davi and her plight, but sadly, she wasn't as morally gray as in the first book, so she wasn't as snarky, thus not as funny. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but instead of the dark humor from the first book, this was almost cozy...
I enjoyed the book and liked how it progressed at a decent speed, though it got a little 'technical', and that part needs some fleshing out. I liked the birthday cake idea, but there needs to be a little more 'icing and sprinkles'.
There is violence, language, and sexual situations, and with those combined, this isn't suitable for readers under eighteen. (Take a smidgen of each out, then maybe.)
Great story, great characters, highly recommend!
4 Stars
by Django Wexler
Dark Lord Davi #2
Fantasy Dark Humor
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+
Book two (and last) picks up a few days/weeks after the first book, where Davi and Tsav are off to the Kingdom to try to make peace with Prince Johann. But things have changed since the last time she was in the Kingdom... Prince Johann is married! Worse, his cousin, Duke Aster, is running things.
So now Davi needs to find a way to get Johann back in charge and get Aster out of the kingdom before her horde arrives and.... spoilers.
This book gave a lot more backstory to Davi and her plight, but sadly, she wasn't as morally gray as in the first book, so she wasn't as snarky, thus not as funny. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but instead of the dark humor from the first book, this was almost cozy...
I enjoyed the book and liked how it progressed at a decent speed, though it got a little 'technical', and that part needs some fleshing out. I liked the birthday cake idea, but there needs to be a little more 'icing and sprinkles'.
There is violence, language, and sexual situations, and with those combined, this isn't suitable for readers under eighteen. (Take a smidgen of each out, then maybe.)
Great story, great characters, highly recommend!
4 Stars
May 26, 2025
This book was every bit as silly and ridiculous as . If you found that one to be unbearably annoying (which I completely understand) you won’t like this either. But if you enjoyed HTRTWADT, I am happy to say that Wexler wrapped the duology up perfectly. Every bit as silly, but also with a lot of heart.
The books starts out with Davi working to prevent a war between the wilders and the Kingdom. She is, given the events of the first book, able to play both sides, using both her friends and allies among the wilders and her deep knowledge of the Kingdom. This involves both convincing the people on both sides who would welcome peace that peace is possible, while also overcoming resistance from those (again on both sides) who actively oppose any sort of peace. Much maneuvering happens. Along the way we finally get to meet the oft-mentioned Prince Johann the Himbo Boyfriend. Happy to report that he fits all three requirements of the classical Himbo: he is beefy; he is kind; he is dumb as a bag of hammers. He’s an utterly delightful cinnamon roll.
We also get answers about why, exactly, Davi has been stuck in this time loop for hundreds and hundreds of iterations.
Mostly what we get is a spectacular story of character growth. Centuries of fighting the same utterly futile battle, ending painful death after painful death, has understandably left Davi a tab bit fucked up. Not a bad person, but very definitely damaged. The real heart of this book is her personal arc. She has to grapple with the absolute trauma of what happened at the end of HTRTWADT (which was profound in ways I hadn’t appreciated at the time, but make perfect sense). She has to deal with the kind of person she has become, both the realization of it and growing beyond it. And she does. It’s not easy for her, and the path isn’t smooth, but it was very well done and everything felt appropriately earned.
My one complaint: we never did learn how Artaxes poops. Django, if you read this, the people (and Davi) need answers.
The books starts out with Davi working to prevent a war between the wilders and the Kingdom. She is, given the events of the first book, able to play both sides, using both her friends and allies among the wilders and her deep knowledge of the Kingdom. This involves both convincing the people on both sides who would welcome peace that peace is possible, while also overcoming resistance from those (again on both sides) who actively oppose any sort of peace. Much maneuvering happens. Along the way we finally get to meet the oft-mentioned Prince Johann the Himbo Boyfriend. Happy to report that he fits all three requirements of the classical Himbo: he is beefy; he is kind; he is dumb as a bag of hammers. He’s an utterly delightful cinnamon roll.
We also get answers about why, exactly, Davi has been stuck in this time loop for hundreds and hundreds of iterations.
Mostly what we get is a spectacular story of character growth. Centuries of fighting the same utterly futile battle, ending painful death after painful death, has understandably left Davi a tab bit fucked up. Not a bad person, but very definitely damaged. The real heart of this book is her personal arc. She has to grapple with the absolute trauma of what happened at the end of HTRTWADT (which was profound in ways I hadn’t appreciated at the time, but make perfect sense). She has to deal with the kind of person she has become, both the realization of it and growing beyond it. And she does. It’s not easy for her, and the path isn’t smooth, but it was very well done and everything felt appropriately earned.
My one complaint: we never did learn how Artaxes poops. Django, if you read this, the people (and Davi) need answers.
June 3, 2025
This book is a hilarious and heartfelt ride that blends magical mayhem with everyday anxiety in the best way. The MC Davi is charmingly awkward, and it’s easy to root for her as she stumbles through a world full of supervillains and secret plots. Wexler nails the balance between snappy dialogue and genuine emotion, making every chapter feel fresh and fun. If you've ever felt out of place but still wanted to do something big, this book gets you.
**Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.**
**Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.**
January 23, 2025
I think I found one of my top 2025 reads already!
May 29, 2025
I did not know this was a duology because I am bad at reading summaries! But I think the length worked REALLY well. The split between the first and second book was well-placed. This was a great conclusion to the duology.
The plot here is very unique, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but from start to finish it’s a breath of fresh air in the fantasy department. The world created is unique, and the cast of characters provides great variety. The ending did not disappoint!
I was sad that so many of the characters I liked so much from book one did not feature as heavily here. However, you do get a few new gems.
The second book was not as funny as the first. I understand why, but I missed a little of Davi’s snark. Still love the addition of the footnotes, which are almost always laugh-out-loud material.
Thank you to Django Wexler, Orbit Books, and NetGalley for the ARC!
The plot here is very unique, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but from start to finish it’s a breath of fresh air in the fantasy department. The world created is unique, and the cast of characters provides great variety. The ending did not disappoint!
I was sad that so many of the characters I liked so much from book one did not feature as heavily here. However, you do get a few new gems.
The second book was not as funny as the first. I understand why, but I missed a little of Davi’s snark. Still love the addition of the footnotes, which are almost always laugh-out-loud material.
Thank you to Django Wexler, Orbit Books, and NetGalley for the ARC!
June 2, 2025
The sense of humour will not align with everyone, but obviously those people just have terrible senses of humour because I rofled the entire time.
Author, if you happen upon this review: let’s be friends! Everyone could use more friends! And I’m maybe a 6/10 friend, so� above average 👀
Author, if you happen upon this review: let’s be friends! Everyone could use more friends! And I’m maybe a 6/10 friend, so� above average 👀
May 30, 2025
Super solid finish to the duology. No lingering questions, clear rationale and methodology for all that occurred. Loved the himbo and some of the new characters. Another wonderful addition to the Dark Lord Davi universe, especially with some of the character growth. Doesn't quite lose a star, but not a 5 star because some of the magic / novelty that I loved in the first book isn't novel this time. Still 10/10 usage of footnotes.
May 20, 2025
Thank you to Orbit for the advanced copy of Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me!
In the conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology, Davi has to figure out how to break the time loop she's stuck in. She leaves her horde behind to find her usual boyfriend, Prince Johann, planning to use him to prevent a war. However, she finds him already married, with the bloodthirsty Duke Aster in charge. Davi has to figure out a way to stop Duke Aster, contain the restless wilder armies, and uncover the truth about her curse once and for all.
Once again, I was really pleased with the wide range of different characters, creatures, and races in this book. We even got a dragon this time! (Surely that's not a spoiler if there's a dragon on the cover, right?) I did have an issue with the motivation for most of the characters. I found that with multiple characters, ranging from Davi's allies to the actual villain of the story, I didn't believe their motivation. I think the characters lacked some depth, but maybe it's just because this book is more centered on being funny and chaotic. And that's totally okay!
I also think there was a lot of potential for this book to dive deeper into the lore of the world they live in. Why can humans perform magic one way, while wilders have a different form of magic? This is touched on, but not fully explored. The Old Ones and the dragon never really received much explanation either. Where did they come from? Again, I think it's okay for this story to just be fun and only focus on Davi's life. But it's a little disappointing seeing how much potential this world has to really thrive that was just neglected.
There were a couple of inconsistencies that really bothered me.
Overall, I will say that again, this is a really original story that's incredibly funny and well-done. The mixture of medieval(ish) fantasy with modern-day references and jokes is so unique. One of my favorites was a reference to Joe Abercrombie's grimdark works that made me laugh out loud.
That being said, this book seems to have a lot less humor infused into it than the first one, but I think that's due to how much Davi changed over the course of the first book. The longer she's alive, the more she's at risk of losing the relationships she's made. Speaking of which, the found family aspect of this story is great. Everyone is so different, and almost none of them liked each other at first. But they learn to get along and love one another despite all their differences.
I post other reviews + bookish and lifestyle content on my blog, :)
In the conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology, Davi has to figure out how to break the time loop she's stuck in. She leaves her horde behind to find her usual boyfriend, Prince Johann, planning to use him to prevent a war. However, she finds him already married, with the bloodthirsty Duke Aster in charge. Davi has to figure out a way to stop Duke Aster, contain the restless wilder armies, and uncover the truth about her curse once and for all.
Once again, I was really pleased with the wide range of different characters, creatures, and races in this book. We even got a dragon this time! (Surely that's not a spoiler if there's a dragon on the cover, right?) I did have an issue with the motivation for most of the characters. I found that with multiple characters, ranging from Davi's allies to the actual villain of the story, I didn't believe their motivation. I think the characters lacked some depth, but maybe it's just because this book is more centered on being funny and chaotic. And that's totally okay!
I also think there was a lot of potential for this book to dive deeper into the lore of the world they live in. Why can humans perform magic one way, while wilders have a different form of magic? This is touched on, but not fully explored. The Old Ones and the dragon never really received much explanation either. Where did they come from? Again, I think it's okay for this story to just be fun and only focus on Davi's life. But it's a little disappointing seeing how much potential this world has to really thrive that was just neglected.
There were a couple of inconsistencies that really bothered me.
Overall, I will say that again, this is a really original story that's incredibly funny and well-done. The mixture of medieval(ish) fantasy with modern-day references and jokes is so unique. One of my favorites was a reference to Joe Abercrombie's grimdark works that made me laugh out loud.
That being said, this book seems to have a lot less humor infused into it than the first one, but I think that's due to how much Davi changed over the course of the first book. The longer she's alive, the more she's at risk of losing the relationships she's made. Speaking of which, the found family aspect of this story is great. Everyone is so different, and almost none of them liked each other at first. But they learn to get along and love one another despite all their differences.
I post other reviews + bookish and lifestyle content on my blog, :)
May 25, 2025
A fun follow-up to How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, with the same brand of irreverent fantasy humour! I would like to personally thank the author for including a short recap of the previous book at the start of this one, as there were so many time paradox twists and side characters that I had forgotten in the year since I’d first read it. In true Davi style, the recap was quick and dirty, and launched me right back into her world. Being a Dark Lord is not all it’s cracked up to be, and behind all the pop culture references and raunchy jokes, it was great to see some deep emotional growth from Davi as she learns to trust other people. It’s hard to talk about the plot without giving any spoilers, but I will say I really enjoyed the campy D&D-style tone and conceptual nature of the first book, and while the vibes were still present in the sequel, there were some necessary changes to the concept in this one that affected the plot momentum and made the stakes feel a lot lower. Still, it’s a fast-paced and entertaining read, with a breezy bawdy internal monologue and some satisfying character development.
3.5 stars
Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars
Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
June 5, 2025
Final rating: 3.5/5 Stars. I was given a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
June 2, 2025
The particular genius of Django Wexler in the first book was to drop the main character in a world that was at once completely familiar and completely new. In case you haven't read the first book, HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING (go! read it now! what! is! WRONG! with! you!), Davi is a somewhat-normal human person cast into a fantasy world. Okay, this is a trope as old as, I don't know, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but the difference is that Davi is caught up in a GROUNDHOG DAY / EDGE OF TOMORROW time loop that condemns her to repeat her existence every time that she dies (usually horribly). The upshot is that Davi is familiar (yes, often intimately familiar, wink wink, nudge nudge) with all of the characters and the settlements in the human half of the world, due to thousands of repetitions, all of which end in disaster. She eventually throws up her hands and decides to, you know, walk on the wild side, as one does, which involves leaving the human world and raising a horde in the sort-of kind-of half-human world, which is inimical to the human world.
The brilliance of this is that you don't have to do all that much explanation of what's going on, because Davi is very familiar with it all, but it also gives her new vistas and things to learn about, like gigantic monsters who don't like it when you build staircases. But it's a trick that only works once.
So in the sequel, Wexler basically had a choice. Keep Davi with her horde, or toss her back to the other side? Allow her to continue leading her horde, or send her off on a new adventure with new characters (new to the reader, but utterly familiar to Davi). Wexler takes the second path. I am not going to sit here and say that he is wrong; everyone's a critic, and one of the things that make Davi so appealing is that she is, generally speaking, utterly without disregard to the consequences of her actions. (Although she appears to be learning.) And I can see Wexler wanting not to have the horde retrace its steps, so fair enough. What this means, though, practically, is that there is rather a lot of nonsensical political intrigue to wade through before battle lines are drawn. Also, there is rather a lot less space given to the wildling characters from the first book. (I am especially disappointed that the adorable cowboy mouse gets short shrift.)
I mean, of course I had to read this book, and I'm not, you know, super-extra-unhappy that the book, you know, exists, and it is perfectly fine, in the way that most sequels are, but it's just not quite as good as the first book. So go read the first book! Do that first and then come back here and we can talk.
The brilliance of this is that you don't have to do all that much explanation of what's going on, because Davi is very familiar with it all, but it also gives her new vistas and things to learn about, like gigantic monsters who don't like it when you build staircases. But it's a trick that only works once.
So in the sequel, Wexler basically had a choice. Keep Davi with her horde, or toss her back to the other side? Allow her to continue leading her horde, or send her off on a new adventure with new characters (new to the reader, but utterly familiar to Davi). Wexler takes the second path. I am not going to sit here and say that he is wrong; everyone's a critic, and one of the things that make Davi so appealing is that she is, generally speaking, utterly without disregard to the consequences of her actions. (Although she appears to be learning.) And I can see Wexler wanting not to have the horde retrace its steps, so fair enough. What this means, though, practically, is that there is rather a lot of nonsensical political intrigue to wade through before battle lines are drawn. Also, there is rather a lot less space given to the wildling characters from the first book. (I am especially disappointed that the adorable cowboy mouse gets short shrift.)
I mean, of course I had to read this book, and I'm not, you know, super-extra-unhappy that the book, you know, exists, and it is perfectly fine, in the way that most sequels are, but it's just not quite as good as the first book. So go read the first book! Do that first and then come back here and we can talk.
May 10, 2025
Thank you Net Galley for the Arc! I was so excited to get accepted to review this arc early because I LOVED the first book How to become a dark lord or die trying. We pick back up in the second book with Davi as the dark lord trying to steer the wilders from basically going to war with the humans. Now what I loved about this book is that I felt we got to know Davi on a deeper level. Davi was so compassionate and kind in this book whereas in the last book she was comically selfish. I also really loved all the characters we get to know and the ones we already know. I loved the adventure that Davi and Tsav embarked on to save their worlds and the different things that got up to.
Things that I didn’t like however were the fact that I felt like that same raunchy/ immature comedy to Davi was slightly missing. It felt super serious the majority of the time. I also felt like the footnotes in this book didn’t add anything to the story like they did in the first book. I just felt them to be unfunny and like they were just there to be there.
With all that being said I enjoyed my time with this book and Getting into this world and I am sad that it’s over but I definitely liked the first book that most and would highly recommend anyone who loves a raunchy/comedy/ fantasy book to check out these books.
Things that I didn’t like however were the fact that I felt like that same raunchy/ immature comedy to Davi was slightly missing. It felt super serious the majority of the time. I also felt like the footnotes in this book didn’t add anything to the story like they did in the first book. I just felt them to be unfunny and like they were just there to be there.
With all that being said I enjoyed my time with this book and Getting into this world and I am sad that it’s over but I definitely liked the first book that most and would highly recommend anyone who loves a raunchy/comedy/ fantasy book to check out these books.
March 26, 2025
If there was one book that I absolutely needed this year, it was a Dark Lord Davi sequel and Django Wexler did not disappoint in this hilarious follow up to How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying.
Picking up right where the last book left off, Davi now realizes that her actions do in fact have consequences and that changes her entire prospective on her time loop and the world in which she is falling hard for a sexy bald orc lady. Saving her friends lives now becomes her mission, while also trying to figure out who or what has been messing with her all this time. We've got himbo ex-boyfriends this time around, a dragon, and of course Davi's relentless need to find out how Artaxes poops.
Written with the same snark and wit, Wexler maintains the vibe, personalities, and worldbuilding that was started in the first installment. There are plenty of shenanigans, laugh out loud dialogue, and revealed secrets to keep the pages turning. My only complaint is the ending. That's my complaint. That it ended. I need so much more Davi in my life to help distract from the horrors that persist outside. I don't think I doomscrolled once while reading this book which is worth an award in and of itself.
Recommending this series to anyone and everyone who loves fantasy and does not mind raunchy dialogue or some interspecies loving. Love is Love, people - as long as it is consensual, of course.
Please continue this series. Two books is simply not enough. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and Django Wexler for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
Picking up right where the last book left off, Davi now realizes that her actions do in fact have consequences and that changes her entire prospective on her time loop and the world in which she is falling hard for a sexy bald orc lady. Saving her friends lives now becomes her mission, while also trying to figure out who or what has been messing with her all this time. We've got himbo ex-boyfriends this time around, a dragon, and of course Davi's relentless need to find out how Artaxes poops.
Written with the same snark and wit, Wexler maintains the vibe, personalities, and worldbuilding that was started in the first installment. There are plenty of shenanigans, laugh out loud dialogue, and revealed secrets to keep the pages turning. My only complaint is the ending. That's my complaint. That it ended. I need so much more Davi in my life to help distract from the horrors that persist outside. I don't think I doomscrolled once while reading this book which is worth an award in and of itself.
Recommending this series to anyone and everyone who loves fantasy and does not mind raunchy dialogue or some interspecies loving. Love is Love, people - as long as it is consensual, of course.
Please continue this series. Two books is simply not enough. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and Django Wexler for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 10, 2025
Sequels are difficult, especially when following up to a banger (pun intended) of an initial book, but EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD EXCEPT ME delivered in spades. If you enjoyed HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD, then you will absolutely enjoy this. It is 100% more genre-bending, raunchy, ridiculous, and often blood-stained fun. You can tell the author had an absolute blast writing this and I'm so glad we got to go along for the ride.
June 12, 2025
A fun conclusion to a duology that (mostly) sticks the landing.
In a lot of ways I enjoyed this more than the first book. There are some fun new characters introduced and a realistic progression in Davi's character.
In a lot of ways I enjoyed this more than the first book. There are some fun new characters introduced and a realistic progression in Davi's character.
April 15, 2025
Biggest thing to know is if you liked the first book, you'll like this. The Davi we know and love is front and center and just as enjoyable. What I really like about Wexler's depiction of Davi is that she's very snarky and brash and, honestly, a bit off-putting and unlikable (I think maybe because she's got such a modern sensibility) but, she's learning and growing throughout book 1 and into book 2 which redeems her character immensely; you can't help but like her. I think what helps is the cast of secondary characters Wexler has introduced. In book 1, we get to see the wilders but, now, we get to meet some of the humans - hot himbo Johann, Matthias, Duke Aster, etc - while still getting to experience characters we loved before (Mari, Tsav).
This reads really fast and isn't actually super long which is nice. I like that Wexler knows to get in and get out for the most part and tell a pretty concise story. There was a moment during the denouement where it kind of dragged but, when the villain has to have his shining moment, when doesn't that kind of drag out a little. However, in such a short book, for me, it was a little hard to get through.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for this advanced reader copy. I will say it every single time, if you are a fan of Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Orbit is a publishing house that you need to know about. Even if they're not all 5 stars, I love getting to experience their stories and authors.
This reads really fast and isn't actually super long which is nice. I like that Wexler knows to get in and get out for the most part and tell a pretty concise story. There was a moment during the denouement where it kind of dragged but, when the villain has to have his shining moment, when doesn't that kind of drag out a little. However, in such a short book, for me, it was a little hard to get through.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for this advanced reader copy. I will say it every single time, if you are a fan of Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Orbit is a publishing house that you need to know about. Even if they're not all 5 stars, I love getting to experience their stories and authors.
May 29, 2025
Loved loved loved
June 6, 2025
Outstanding book, just as good as the first.
June 3, 2025
Deserves far more than 5stars!
Loved it! I loved it even more than the first book and it was just an all round brilliant second instalment and final ending.
Loved Davi. But really I loved all the characters and enjoyed being in The Kingdom this time around.
Favourite fantasy series - possibly!?!. The duology felt complete but I would have happily read more books following these characters.
Loved it! I loved it even more than the first book and it was just an all round brilliant second instalment and final ending.
Loved Davi. But really I loved all the characters and enjoyed being in The Kingdom this time around.
Favourite fantasy series - possibly!?!. The duology felt complete but I would have happily read more books following these characters.
April 13, 2025
Advanced Review Copy provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley.
Score: 3/5
Since this is an ARC, the review aims to be as Spoiler-free as possible.
Read this review and more on my Medium Blog:
Django Wexler decided to step away from the ashburn of his flintlock fantasy catalog to write something different�- perhaps a fun romp about a sassy mercenary so fed up of trying to save the world from the Dark Lord, that she decides to become the Dark Lord herself, to shake things up. So we got the irreverent How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying!
Knowing that he had hit something hot with this theme, Wexler wrote up a cliffhanger to what was intended to be a standalone, extending it to a duology with Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me!
In my review of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, I described the book as a "schlocky, cheeky tale" and even attempted to create a nanogenre for it�-�"cozy dark fantasy". A relatively low-stakes plot with plenty of humor, heart, and oodles of fourth-wall breaking references to real-world media. I praised Wexler for taking a risky step away from the genre he is most known for in fantasy circles, while also creating a unique character in Davi,�- the dark fantasy Deadpool, with all that moniker would entail.
However, I also lamented that How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying would not be for everyone. The prose style chosen to appeal to the younger millennial/GenZ readers had the potential to drive away the more puritanical among us dark fantasy consumers. In addition, much of the humor felt quite heavy-handed, which when added to the constant barrage of real-world references could cause the book to be a fatiguing read.
When faced with the conundrum that Davi is now the new Dark Lord, she now must fulfill what is expected of that throne and title, namely the destruction of the human race. Faced with that ethical dilemma, a very human-Davi must walk the thin line of not pissing off the horde she now leads while also trying to appease the human kingdom out to exterminate them.
This emotional conflict forms the central heart of this novel, and thereby the duology. Bolstered by her love interest, the sexy buff orc Tsav, along with her boyfriend-from-a-different-life the coward with a heart of gold, Johann and his husband, the nerdy Matthias, Davi must face off against both the bestial horde as well as fend off the human armies and broker lasting peace between the races. If Davi is doing her damnedest to raise the white flag, secret forces are trying to disrupt that stalemate and cause all-out war between the factions, wiping out most life in the process.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me does have an important message of setting aside differences between races to avoid mutually assured destruction, a sentiment that has never felt more pertinent to the reality around us. In his own cheesy way, Wexler does create significant moments of heart where Tsav and Johann have to face their own lifelong prejudices against their opposing factions and rise above their differences to help Davi.
Fortunately, Wexler toned down many of the facets of How to Become the Dark Lord� in this sequel. In that regard, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me (which in itself is a not-so-subtle nod to the famous song), almost feels like a more straightforward YA Dark Fantasy book. While the stakes never reach the level of adult dark fantasy and are nowhere near grimdark levels of grit and bleakness, there is more of a serious weight to this sequel. There are still references drawn from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, to the Marvel and Star Wars Universes, as well as nods to classic movies and TV like A Few Good Men, Cheers, and Happy Days. These references mostly subside when the plot heads in more climactic directions. As a personal note, I fan-boyed when Wexler took a dig at grimdark when he said, "I'll leave that to Joe" (Abercrombie, often touted as Lord Grimdark).
I also appreciated Wexler's attempt at giving more weight to the world he created by adding more history, lore, and mythos to the world, which ties into the overarching plot quite well. While I was not the biggest fan of the predictable direction he took the plot, big bad, and climax, I believe that Wexler was not out to write the most convoluted plot, relying more on creating an enjoyable vibe to carry his fun characters through to a rewarding conclusion. By that metric, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, mostly succeeds.
I enjoyed the sequel to the Dark Lord Davi duology much more than the first, to a point that the rewarding resolution makes the first book a much less jarring experience. I can now look back fondly at the entire series.
If you like the idea of a Dark Fantasy Deadpool being her sassy best, give this series a twirl, you will not be disappointed.
Alright, Wexler, let's get back to the blood and gunpowder now!
Score: 3/5
Since this is an ARC, the review aims to be as Spoiler-free as possible.
Read this review and more on my Medium Blog:
Django Wexler decided to step away from the ashburn of his flintlock fantasy catalog to write something different�- perhaps a fun romp about a sassy mercenary so fed up of trying to save the world from the Dark Lord, that she decides to become the Dark Lord herself, to shake things up. So we got the irreverent How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying!
Knowing that he had hit something hot with this theme, Wexler wrote up a cliffhanger to what was intended to be a standalone, extending it to a duology with Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me!
In my review of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, I described the book as a "schlocky, cheeky tale" and even attempted to create a nanogenre for it�-�"cozy dark fantasy". A relatively low-stakes plot with plenty of humor, heart, and oodles of fourth-wall breaking references to real-world media. I praised Wexler for taking a risky step away from the genre he is most known for in fantasy circles, while also creating a unique character in Davi,�- the dark fantasy Deadpool, with all that moniker would entail.
However, I also lamented that How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying would not be for everyone. The prose style chosen to appeal to the younger millennial/GenZ readers had the potential to drive away the more puritanical among us dark fantasy consumers. In addition, much of the humor felt quite heavy-handed, which when added to the constant barrage of real-world references could cause the book to be a fatiguing read.
When faced with the conundrum that Davi is now the new Dark Lord, she now must fulfill what is expected of that throne and title, namely the destruction of the human race. Faced with that ethical dilemma, a very human-Davi must walk the thin line of not pissing off the horde she now leads while also trying to appease the human kingdom out to exterminate them.
This emotional conflict forms the central heart of this novel, and thereby the duology. Bolstered by her love interest, the sexy buff orc Tsav, along with her boyfriend-from-a-different-life the coward with a heart of gold, Johann and his husband, the nerdy Matthias, Davi must face off against both the bestial horde as well as fend off the human armies and broker lasting peace between the races. If Davi is doing her damnedest to raise the white flag, secret forces are trying to disrupt that stalemate and cause all-out war between the factions, wiping out most life in the process.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me does have an important message of setting aside differences between races to avoid mutually assured destruction, a sentiment that has never felt more pertinent to the reality around us. In his own cheesy way, Wexler does create significant moments of heart where Tsav and Johann have to face their own lifelong prejudices against their opposing factions and rise above their differences to help Davi.
Fortunately, Wexler toned down many of the facets of How to Become the Dark Lord� in this sequel. In that regard, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me (which in itself is a not-so-subtle nod to the famous song), almost feels like a more straightforward YA Dark Fantasy book. While the stakes never reach the level of adult dark fantasy and are nowhere near grimdark levels of grit and bleakness, there is more of a serious weight to this sequel. There are still references drawn from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, to the Marvel and Star Wars Universes, as well as nods to classic movies and TV like A Few Good Men, Cheers, and Happy Days. These references mostly subside when the plot heads in more climactic directions. As a personal note, I fan-boyed when Wexler took a dig at grimdark when he said, "I'll leave that to Joe" (Abercrombie, often touted as Lord Grimdark).
I also appreciated Wexler's attempt at giving more weight to the world he created by adding more history, lore, and mythos to the world, which ties into the overarching plot quite well. While I was not the biggest fan of the predictable direction he took the plot, big bad, and climax, I believe that Wexler was not out to write the most convoluted plot, relying more on creating an enjoyable vibe to carry his fun characters through to a rewarding conclusion. By that metric, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, mostly succeeds.
I enjoyed the sequel to the Dark Lord Davi duology much more than the first, to a point that the rewarding resolution makes the first book a much less jarring experience. I can now look back fondly at the entire series.
If you like the idea of a Dark Fantasy Deadpool being her sassy best, give this series a twirl, you will not be disappointed.
Alright, Wexler, let's get back to the blood and gunpowder now!
April 20, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was pretty excited to see how things were going to turn out. The second and final book in the duology did not disappoint.
The long and the short of it is: if you liked the first book, you'll like this one. As the story begins, Davi is trying to steer the Wilder horde she's now Dark Lord away from their gameplan of killing all humans. While the first book had Davi trying to break her depressingly repetitive time loop (wherein she tried for a thousand years over hundreds of lives to defeat the Dark Lord) by becoming Dark Lord herself, gathering her horde with her wits and skills built up over all those multiple lives, this one has her using those same skills to try to broker a peace between humans and wilders that might mean she gets to just... live her life. The first book was a lot of re-setting and using people as pawns, and this one is more about her trying to get used to her new reality.
Davi and Tsav travel to the human side of the border and meet up with himbo boyfriend Prince Johann (mentioned in the previous book as the guy she usually ended up trying to steer towards defeating the wilders), but find that he's not in charge in this timeline. Davi runs into a ton of obstacles and situations to overcome but no longer has her deeply ingrained knowledge of the world to guide her. However, like the first book, she still uses her brains and unique powers to try to come out on top, and this time she also has allies and a life she wants to keep (including her relationship with Tsav the sexy bald orc lady, which continues to be a bright spot when things get a little dark).
I like Davi as a character. I liked her in the first book too, in part because her cynicism and general attitude about the world was earned. She wasn't just some random person we come across who is just good at everything instantly. She's good at everything because she's had a thousand years and hundreds of deaths to *get* good at them. She's also had a thousand years and a hundred deaths to develop a very particular way of seeing the world. However, one of her strengths is that, even as she became more and more disillusioned, she was still, deep down a decent person.
In this book, Davi deals even more with the fact that, now that she can't just re-set at will (or at least, the fact that she doesn't know exactly what will happen when she *does* re-set), her actions have real consequences. If someone dies because of something she does, there isn't any way to undo it. She has to work against her own impulse to distance herself from people or see them as chess pieces she can just move wherever she wants. Her struggles made me root for her to finally get her closure, to succeed and get to just live.
As with the first book, she has a fun cast of supporting characters, with a few new additions aside from Prince Johann (who truly is a guileless, dumb but decent himbo), who are just as likable as the sidekicks she picked up last book.
On top of trying to bring about world peace, Davi also finds herself looking into the mystery of how she came to be stuck in the time loop in the first place, and what the purpose of it is. This mystery is resolved by the end and I thought it was clever and surprising. The final battle against the true big bad was a nice combination of Davi's cleverness and long ingrained skills, and her newfound desire to have and keep friends and to continue to live.
All in all a great ending to the duology and another book by Django Wexler that I really enjoyed reading. He has a knack for writing books with fascinating worlds, compelling plots and characters you can really root for. Anything involving time travel can pretty easily fall apart, but he manages to explain what's going on with getting too far down the rabbit hole.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy and/or humor.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was pretty excited to see how things were going to turn out. The second and final book in the duology did not disappoint.
The long and the short of it is: if you liked the first book, you'll like this one. As the story begins, Davi is trying to steer the Wilder horde she's now Dark Lord away from their gameplan of killing all humans. While the first book had Davi trying to break her depressingly repetitive time loop (wherein she tried for a thousand years over hundreds of lives to defeat the Dark Lord) by becoming Dark Lord herself, gathering her horde with her wits and skills built up over all those multiple lives, this one has her using those same skills to try to broker a peace between humans and wilders that might mean she gets to just... live her life. The first book was a lot of re-setting and using people as pawns, and this one is more about her trying to get used to her new reality.
Davi and Tsav travel to the human side of the border and meet up with himbo boyfriend Prince Johann (mentioned in the previous book as the guy she usually ended up trying to steer towards defeating the wilders), but find that he's not in charge in this timeline. Davi runs into a ton of obstacles and situations to overcome but no longer has her deeply ingrained knowledge of the world to guide her. However, like the first book, she still uses her brains and unique powers to try to come out on top, and this time she also has allies and a life she wants to keep (including her relationship with Tsav the sexy bald orc lady, which continues to be a bright spot when things get a little dark).
I like Davi as a character. I liked her in the first book too, in part because her cynicism and general attitude about the world was earned. She wasn't just some random person we come across who is just good at everything instantly. She's good at everything because she's had a thousand years and hundreds of deaths to *get* good at them. She's also had a thousand years and a hundred deaths to develop a very particular way of seeing the world. However, one of her strengths is that, even as she became more and more disillusioned, she was still, deep down a decent person.
In this book, Davi deals even more with the fact that, now that she can't just re-set at will (or at least, the fact that she doesn't know exactly what will happen when she *does* re-set), her actions have real consequences. If someone dies because of something she does, there isn't any way to undo it. She has to work against her own impulse to distance herself from people or see them as chess pieces she can just move wherever she wants. Her struggles made me root for her to finally get her closure, to succeed and get to just live.
As with the first book, she has a fun cast of supporting characters, with a few new additions aside from Prince Johann (who truly is a guileless, dumb but decent himbo), who are just as likable as the sidekicks she picked up last book.
On top of trying to bring about world peace, Davi also finds herself looking into the mystery of how she came to be stuck in the time loop in the first place, and what the purpose of it is. This mystery is resolved by the end and I thought it was clever and surprising. The final battle against the true big bad was a nice combination of Davi's cleverness and long ingrained skills, and her newfound desire to have and keep friends and to continue to live.
All in all a great ending to the duology and another book by Django Wexler that I really enjoyed reading. He has a knack for writing books with fascinating worlds, compelling plots and characters you can really root for. Anything involving time travel can pretty easily fall apart, but he manages to explain what's going on with getting too far down the rabbit hole.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy and/or humor.
May 28, 2025
BEWARE! HERE THERE BE SPOILERS FOR BOOK ONE!
SERIOUSLY. GO READ BOOK ONE.
Did you do it? Okay.
Cool. Here we go.
Hail Dark Lord Davi!
Last time we checked in with Davi, she’d successfully manipulated the time loops that she’d been experiencing since she first woke up in The Kingdom, roughly 1,000 years ago (by her own personal reckoning). Since that day, when the wizard Tserigern first told her that she was the Chosen One, fated to save The Kingdom from the Dark Lord, she’s lived and died thousands of times. Each time, beginning a new time loop has allowed Davi to take advantage of her own memories and predict the actions of others around her. Each time, she’s failed to save The Kingdom. So, back at the beginning of Django Wexler’s absolutely brilliant How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, she started a new tactic—killing Tserigern and setting off on a path to become the Dark Lord (surprise! Bet you didn’t see that coming).
Finally arriving on the far side of the continent and triumphing over her rivals, Davi now stood at the head of a massive horde of wilders with her second in command, the orc woman, Tsav, at her side (as well as frequently in her bed). With Artaxes, the arbiter of the challenges, having officially crowned her as Dark Lord Davi, all that remained was� wait� what happens now?
See, during the challenges, Davi died. Again. Only this time, she didn’t reset back to the beginning with Tserigern. She only went back one day. The rules changed, and suddenly consequences meant something again. Now, Davi faces a new problem. If she doesn’t want to lose all of the progress that she’s finally made in her march to power (and her relationship with Tsav), she’s going to have to stop treating the other people around her as tools and stepping stones. So, new list of tasks: 1.) Convince the wilders that they don’t have to kill all the humans. 2.) Convince the humans that they don’t have to kill the wilders. 3.) Not die.
No big deal, right? Davi sets off from the wilderness back to The Kingdom to uncover the mysteries of how humans ended up in this world in the first place, what changed about the time loops, and, if she’s The Chosen One, who did The Choosing.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me is another brilliant, darkly hilarious fantasy adventure from Django Wexler, and is a perfect ending to Davi’s long, long, long life. The footnotes throughout continue to annotate Davi’s incredibly ADHD approach to things (supplementing many of her thoughts with her own intrusive thoughts based on her fading memories of our world). Wexler’s humor ensures that Davi’s journey isn’t too fraught, but there’s definitely more consequences for her actions this time around.
It’s out in the world today, May 27th. Get yourself a copy, and dive in!
My utmost thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a fair review. I’m pretty glad I didn’t need a time loop to get it.
OR DID I?!
This review originally appeared here:
SERIOUSLY. GO READ BOOK ONE.
Did you do it? Okay.
Cool. Here we go.
Hail Dark Lord Davi!
Last time we checked in with Davi, she’d successfully manipulated the time loops that she’d been experiencing since she first woke up in The Kingdom, roughly 1,000 years ago (by her own personal reckoning). Since that day, when the wizard Tserigern first told her that she was the Chosen One, fated to save The Kingdom from the Dark Lord, she’s lived and died thousands of times. Each time, beginning a new time loop has allowed Davi to take advantage of her own memories and predict the actions of others around her. Each time, she’s failed to save The Kingdom. So, back at the beginning of Django Wexler’s absolutely brilliant How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, she started a new tactic—killing Tserigern and setting off on a path to become the Dark Lord (surprise! Bet you didn’t see that coming).
Finally arriving on the far side of the continent and triumphing over her rivals, Davi now stood at the head of a massive horde of wilders with her second in command, the orc woman, Tsav, at her side (as well as frequently in her bed). With Artaxes, the arbiter of the challenges, having officially crowned her as Dark Lord Davi, all that remained was� wait� what happens now?
See, during the challenges, Davi died. Again. Only this time, she didn’t reset back to the beginning with Tserigern. She only went back one day. The rules changed, and suddenly consequences meant something again. Now, Davi faces a new problem. If she doesn’t want to lose all of the progress that she’s finally made in her march to power (and her relationship with Tsav), she’s going to have to stop treating the other people around her as tools and stepping stones. So, new list of tasks: 1.) Convince the wilders that they don’t have to kill all the humans. 2.) Convince the humans that they don’t have to kill the wilders. 3.) Not die.
No big deal, right? Davi sets off from the wilderness back to The Kingdom to uncover the mysteries of how humans ended up in this world in the first place, what changed about the time loops, and, if she’s The Chosen One, who did The Choosing.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me is another brilliant, darkly hilarious fantasy adventure from Django Wexler, and is a perfect ending to Davi’s long, long, long life. The footnotes throughout continue to annotate Davi’s incredibly ADHD approach to things (supplementing many of her thoughts with her own intrusive thoughts based on her fading memories of our world). Wexler’s humor ensures that Davi’s journey isn’t too fraught, but there’s definitely more consequences for her actions this time around.
It’s out in the world today, May 27th. Get yourself a copy, and dive in!
My utmost thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a fair review. I’m pretty glad I didn’t need a time loop to get it.
OR DID I?!
This review originally appeared here:
April 5, 2025
Django Wexler’s first book in the Dark Lord Davi series, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying was a phenomenally fun time loop fantasy. I read it right at the tailend of 2024 and put it on my Top Ten list for the year. The follow-up, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me misses the mark at times for me, but is still loads of fun. The ending works really well and the humor puts the two books on a “Re-read in the Future� list for me.
In my previous review of HTBTDLADT, (), I noted my love of time loop stories from Star Trek to Groundhog Day. Here, the Time Loopiness of the story is a key part, but kinda disappears for a while. In the first part of the book, it’s definitely hanging over Davi and her closest friends, but Wexler subverts Chekhov’s Gun a bit with how it plays out. In the final third of the book, Davi’s unique gifts come roaring back to the forefront of the story as the circumstances of her place in this world become clear. Sometimes in time loop stories, such as Groundhog Day, we don’t ever find out the nature of the loop and what forces are in control of it, but Wexler crafts the origins of the loop and its creator into the overall story.
Overall, a good amount of what worked for me in the first book was either absent or positioned differently in the sequel, so for the first two-thirds of the book I found it a little harder to buy-in and engage with the story. In HTBTDLADT, the concept of found family sprung up organically as the book progressed. Soon after EWTRTW starts, Davi and Tsav leave their Wilder Army and infiltrate the human kingdom. It’s necessary for the story and where it eventually goes, but something just felt missing. Throughout the books we’re reminded the Davi has lived hundreds of years and countless lives among these people. She tells the audience over and over about her relationship with Prince Johann in previous iterations, but there���s still a little bit of “show, not tell� that hampers the story at times.
For a little over the first half of the book, I was enjoying it, but had some troubling vibing with it. But I’ll give Wexler a lot of credit -- about two-thirds of the way through, EWTRTW turned it on. I could not put the book down, anxiously going from one page to the next to see what was happening and where Davi’s fate was taking her and her friends next. In the end, the final arc of the book paid off big time. I really enjoyed Davi’s humor, but also totally understood why the villain was annoyed to death (literally) by her throughout it all.
If you enjoy humor with your fantasy and a little bit of time loop shenanigans, I recommend reading both books in Django Wexler’s Dark Lord Davi Duology.
Thank you to Orbit for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
In my previous review of HTBTDLADT, (), I noted my love of time loop stories from Star Trek to Groundhog Day. Here, the Time Loopiness of the story is a key part, but kinda disappears for a while. In the first part of the book, it’s definitely hanging over Davi and her closest friends, but Wexler subverts Chekhov’s Gun a bit with how it plays out. In the final third of the book, Davi’s unique gifts come roaring back to the forefront of the story as the circumstances of her place in this world become clear. Sometimes in time loop stories, such as Groundhog Day, we don’t ever find out the nature of the loop and what forces are in control of it, but Wexler crafts the origins of the loop and its creator into the overall story.
Overall, a good amount of what worked for me in the first book was either absent or positioned differently in the sequel, so for the first two-thirds of the book I found it a little harder to buy-in and engage with the story. In HTBTDLADT, the concept of found family sprung up organically as the book progressed. Soon after EWTRTW starts, Davi and Tsav leave their Wilder Army and infiltrate the human kingdom. It’s necessary for the story and where it eventually goes, but something just felt missing. Throughout the books we’re reminded the Davi has lived hundreds of years and countless lives among these people. She tells the audience over and over about her relationship with Prince Johann in previous iterations, but there���s still a little bit of “show, not tell� that hampers the story at times.
For a little over the first half of the book, I was enjoying it, but had some troubling vibing with it. But I’ll give Wexler a lot of credit -- about two-thirds of the way through, EWTRTW turned it on. I could not put the book down, anxiously going from one page to the next to see what was happening and where Davi’s fate was taking her and her friends next. In the end, the final arc of the book paid off big time. I really enjoyed Davi’s humor, but also totally understood why the villain was annoyed to death (literally) by her throughout it all.
If you enjoy humor with your fantasy and a little bit of time loop shenanigans, I recommend reading both books in Django Wexler’s Dark Lord Davi Duology.
Thank you to Orbit for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
June 6, 2025
"'The Guild is always pushing the edges of human territory outward. What the Dark Lord wants it for us to rein them in, and in return she'll put a stop to the raiders.'
'Seems fair, seems fair,' Johann say. 'It's a deal!'
'No, it isn't,' Matthias says.
'No, it isn't apparently,' Johann amends. 'Why not?'"
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me finds Davi caught in a tough position. She is now officially the Dark Lord, but she is also in charge of a horde that wants to kill and destroy all humans. And now that her actions have consequences, she wants peace. But brokering peace with the humans is going to be tough, and she also has to discover the origin of her curse. The work is just never done for a Dark Lord.
The quote above definitely highlights why Himbo Ex-Boyfriend Prince Johann was the breath of fresh air that this series needed. Don't get me wrong; Davi is still Davi, but after the revelation that we ended with in the last book, we do get a lot of existential crises. Which does make Davi feel more like a real character, but also tones the humour down a bit. So I was very happy to get a lot of comedic relief from Johann, who I very quickly fell in love with.
We spent most of our time in the human Kingdom with Davi trying to get peace between the humans and the Wilders. I was initially excited to explore the kingdom some more, but apart from a very few characters, we hardly meet anyone or get a feel for their traditions and politics. Davi mentions it a lot, but the details are glossed over. There were some very interesting lore stuff that was pretty much glossed over.
And speaking of the lore, I was very excited that we delved more into what was going on with Davi and the religion. Again, it would have been great to delve even more into it, but that is also because those bits are my favourite in a fantasy novel. And I can appreciate that this was so not the vibe that Wexler was going for in this series. However, I will also say that the ending felt a bit rushed, and some answers were 100% just brushed over. So that was a bit disappointing in my lore-loving heart.
I make it sound like I was very disappointed with this conclusion, but I really wasn't. I actually even enjoyed it more than How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (mainly because of Johann!). I am happy that the story wasn't dragged out but concluded as a duology. And if you were a fan of the first one, then I ultimately think that you are also going to be very happy with the ending. I overall really was. And I am excited to pick up more from Wexler!
My other reviews in the Dark Lord Davi series:
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (#1)
'Seems fair, seems fair,' Johann say. 'It's a deal!'
'No, it isn't,' Matthias says.
'No, it isn't apparently,' Johann amends. 'Why not?'"
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me finds Davi caught in a tough position. She is now officially the Dark Lord, but she is also in charge of a horde that wants to kill and destroy all humans. And now that her actions have consequences, she wants peace. But brokering peace with the humans is going to be tough, and she also has to discover the origin of her curse. The work is just never done for a Dark Lord.
The quote above definitely highlights why Himbo Ex-Boyfriend Prince Johann was the breath of fresh air that this series needed. Don't get me wrong; Davi is still Davi, but after the revelation that we ended with in the last book, we do get a lot of existential crises. Which does make Davi feel more like a real character, but also tones the humour down a bit. So I was very happy to get a lot of comedic relief from Johann, who I very quickly fell in love with.
We spent most of our time in the human Kingdom with Davi trying to get peace between the humans and the Wilders. I was initially excited to explore the kingdom some more, but apart from a very few characters, we hardly meet anyone or get a feel for their traditions and politics. Davi mentions it a lot, but the details are glossed over. There were some very interesting lore stuff that was pretty much glossed over.
And speaking of the lore, I was very excited that we delved more into what was going on with Davi and the religion. Again, it would have been great to delve even more into it, but that is also because those bits are my favourite in a fantasy novel. And I can appreciate that this was so not the vibe that Wexler was going for in this series. However, I will also say that the ending felt a bit rushed, and some answers were 100% just brushed over. So that was a bit disappointing in my lore-loving heart.
I make it sound like I was very disappointed with this conclusion, but I really wasn't. I actually even enjoyed it more than How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (mainly because of Johann!). I am happy that the story wasn't dragged out but concluded as a duology. And if you were a fan of the first one, then I ultimately think that you are also going to be very happy with the ending. I overall really was. And I am excited to pick up more from Wexler!
My other reviews in the Dark Lord Davi series:
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (#1)
June 2, 2025
TL;DR Review: Beautifully balanced between epic and cozy, it’s an adventure as action-packed as it is heartwarming.
Full Review:
What a delight to be back in this world!
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying was so much fun—a sarcastic, entertaining, and surprisingly heartwarming adventure that led our heroine, the titular Davi, to become the Dark Lord.
So now what? That’s the question on both our and Davi’s minds as we begin this second (and final) quest.
With all the “wilders� intent on destroying humankind, it’s up to Davi to figure out how best to keep everyone she’s come to care for alive. In the inevitable battle between the two races, casualties are guaranteed to be high. She has to try and navigate the murky waters of a future and present she is no longer familiar with (given that she can’t die and respawn to do it all over again) to avert war.
Only both humans and wilders have plenty of people intent on seeing blood spilled. The wilders are enraged that humankind has hunted them and stolen their hands. Humans want the thaumite (magic stones) the wilders consume to stay alive. There are enemies on both sides of the aisle, and only one Dark Lord can reach across the gap to try and bridge the divide.
A task that you just know will be next to impossible—but Davi’s determined to try anyways.
I had such a good time with the first book in this duology. It was a rollicking, fast-paced adventure that took so many familiar tropes and flipped them on their heads. By the end, however, the story led to some surprisingly heartwarming places—and it’s those people we want Davi to fight for as she keeps the world from deteriorating into all-out war.
The character growth is straightforward but with a really lovely depth of complexity that made Davi a unique protagonist in more ways than one. She’s smart and capable but surprisingly fragile, and the challenges she faces in this story push her to her physical, magical, and emotional limits. All we can hope is that she doesn’t break—because the world will break with her.
Don’t go into this one expecting a grand epic; it’s got plenty of adventure and action, but with a surprisingly cozy feel that makes it as much Legends and Lattes as it is Kings of the Wyld. It strikes a beautiful balance between the two tones and keeps you rolling with the punches while still giving you a heart-warming story you can fall in love with.
All in all, a really great time, and a hell of an action-adventure fantasy with a really cool take on the time loop trope!
Full Review:
What a delight to be back in this world!
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying was so much fun—a sarcastic, entertaining, and surprisingly heartwarming adventure that led our heroine, the titular Davi, to become the Dark Lord.
So now what? That’s the question on both our and Davi’s minds as we begin this second (and final) quest.
With all the “wilders� intent on destroying humankind, it’s up to Davi to figure out how best to keep everyone she’s come to care for alive. In the inevitable battle between the two races, casualties are guaranteed to be high. She has to try and navigate the murky waters of a future and present she is no longer familiar with (given that she can’t die and respawn to do it all over again) to avert war.
Only both humans and wilders have plenty of people intent on seeing blood spilled. The wilders are enraged that humankind has hunted them and stolen their hands. Humans want the thaumite (magic stones) the wilders consume to stay alive. There are enemies on both sides of the aisle, and only one Dark Lord can reach across the gap to try and bridge the divide.
A task that you just know will be next to impossible—but Davi’s determined to try anyways.
I had such a good time with the first book in this duology. It was a rollicking, fast-paced adventure that took so many familiar tropes and flipped them on their heads. By the end, however, the story led to some surprisingly heartwarming places—and it’s those people we want Davi to fight for as she keeps the world from deteriorating into all-out war.
The character growth is straightforward but with a really lovely depth of complexity that made Davi a unique protagonist in more ways than one. She’s smart and capable but surprisingly fragile, and the challenges she faces in this story push her to her physical, magical, and emotional limits. All we can hope is that she doesn’t break—because the world will break with her.
Don’t go into this one expecting a grand epic; it’s got plenty of adventure and action, but with a surprisingly cozy feel that makes it as much Legends and Lattes as it is Kings of the Wyld. It strikes a beautiful balance between the two tones and keeps you rolling with the punches while still giving you a heart-warming story you can fall in love with.
All in all, a really great time, and a hell of an action-adventure fantasy with a really cool take on the time loop trope!
April 27, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and to Orbit Books for the ARC of Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler.
I absolutely loved the first book in this duology, How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. For those new to these books and attracted by the awesome covers, you do need to read the first book to understand the second.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me picks up a few months after the ending of the first book, though it fills in the blanks of what happened during that time. Davi is now in control of the wilders as Dark Lord, but instead of eradicating the humans, she is scouting ahead of her army to try and make peace. She is also grappling with her forward progress in surviving her 1000th lifetime, while still trying to make sense of the artifacts from her world and what it means for her ability to end the time loop she is trapped in.
Despite her general worries, Davi is still full of humor with excellent zingers as she tries to bolster her himbo ex boyfriend's leadership or start a dance-off for peace. The book is laugh out loud funny, while still allowing Davi to grow and to question what kind of life she truly could lead if freed.
The only reason I removed a star was what felt like an imbalance between the first and second books. When I read the first book, I didn't realize it would be a duology, so I definitely felt the cliffhanger, but I also felt really deeply embedded with the wilders, and we spent about 400 pages in their world. The sequel feels like it cuts off all of the community building Davi strove for to push for peace and then, midway through, to end the time loop. We don't get to spend as much time with the characters we spent a significant amount with in the previous book, and so it felt like many of Davi's reltionships became a bit more transactional / momentary vs the first book as she tried to complete the tasks she's been working on for 1000 years. I wish we had just gotten a bit more of time with all the characters in the epilogue, and that there was more of an equal spread between becoming Dark Lord to peace to end.
Regardless of that one issue, this duology is a must for anyone looking for the funniest groundhog-day-esque-take on a fantastical time loop adventure.
I absolutely loved the first book in this duology, How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. For those new to these books and attracted by the awesome covers, you do need to read the first book to understand the second.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me picks up a few months after the ending of the first book, though it fills in the blanks of what happened during that time. Davi is now in control of the wilders as Dark Lord, but instead of eradicating the humans, she is scouting ahead of her army to try and make peace. She is also grappling with her forward progress in surviving her 1000th lifetime, while still trying to make sense of the artifacts from her world and what it means for her ability to end the time loop she is trapped in.
Despite her general worries, Davi is still full of humor with excellent zingers as she tries to bolster her himbo ex boyfriend's leadership or start a dance-off for peace. The book is laugh out loud funny, while still allowing Davi to grow and to question what kind of life she truly could lead if freed.
The only reason I removed a star was what felt like an imbalance between the first and second books. When I read the first book, I didn't realize it would be a duology, so I definitely felt the cliffhanger, but I also felt really deeply embedded with the wilders, and we spent about 400 pages in their world. The sequel feels like it cuts off all of the community building Davi strove for to push for peace and then, midway through, to end the time loop. We don't get to spend as much time with the characters we spent a significant amount with in the previous book, and so it felt like many of Davi's reltionships became a bit more transactional / momentary vs the first book as she tried to complete the tasks she's been working on for 1000 years. I wish we had just gotten a bit more of time with all the characters in the epilogue, and that there was more of an equal spread between becoming Dark Lord to peace to end.
Regardless of that one issue, this duology is a must for anyone looking for the funniest groundhog-day-esque-take on a fantastical time loop adventure.
March 4, 2025
I absolutely loved How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, and was quite excited to get an arc of this book. I legit ran to NetGalley when it said I was approved and started it right away. Sadly this one wasn’t the laugh out loud riot of the first book. It’s a firm 3.5 stars rounded up.
What I loved:
❤️ The Characters! Wexler creates these amazing characters that you love, characters that you love to hate and side characters that feel really fleshed out.
❤️ The World. The world Wexler builds is well done without being over done. It’s simplistic in nature but makes for an enjoyable fantasy land.
❤️ The humor. The author has a great sense of humor that he pours into his books.
What fell flat:
⏺️ In his first book his footnotes were hilarious and had great timing. In this one there were way too many and they weren’t that amusing.
⏺️ The story dragged. I wanted more of the evil villian dark lord Davi and all we got was Davi old sorcerer’s apprentice who just stays with the humans the whole time.
⏺️ The why. The why of it all just seemed odd. The villain created this complex magic to do one thing and it doesn’t seem legit. Like why go through all this work when you could have done this yourself?
⏺️ This happened in the last one I let it pass l, but it bothered me more this time. If Davi has only vague recollections of earth, how does she have all these modern earth references? It would be okay if the author hadn’t said multiple times that she doesn’t remember earth like at all, so where do all these quips come from.
Blurb:
We start the book near the end of the last. Davi and Tsava are in the human lands trying to figure out how to make each group not kill each other.
Davi finds her old boyfriend married, the duke (not the prince in charge,) and has to figure out how to proceed.
Meanwhile the horde is on the move and thinks Davi has been taken by the humans. With a satisfying conclusion and a (kind of) predictable but good end villain the book is a fun quick read.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC.
I was given an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
What I loved:
❤️ The Characters! Wexler creates these amazing characters that you love, characters that you love to hate and side characters that feel really fleshed out.
❤️ The World. The world Wexler builds is well done without being over done. It’s simplistic in nature but makes for an enjoyable fantasy land.
❤️ The humor. The author has a great sense of humor that he pours into his books.
What fell flat:
⏺️ In his first book his footnotes were hilarious and had great timing. In this one there were way too many and they weren’t that amusing.
⏺️ The story dragged. I wanted more of the evil villian dark lord Davi and all we got was Davi old sorcerer’s apprentice who just stays with the humans the whole time.
⏺️ The why. The why of it all just seemed odd. The villain created this complex magic to do one thing and it doesn’t seem legit. Like why go through all this work when you could have done this yourself?
⏺️ This happened in the last one I let it pass l, but it bothered me more this time. If Davi has only vague recollections of earth, how does she have all these modern earth references? It would be okay if the author hadn’t said multiple times that she doesn’t remember earth like at all, so where do all these quips come from.
Blurb:
We start the book near the end of the last. Davi and Tsava are in the human lands trying to figure out how to make each group not kill each other.
Davi finds her old boyfriend married, the duke (not the prince in charge,) and has to figure out how to proceed.
Meanwhile the horde is on the move and thinks Davi has been taken by the humans. With a satisfying conclusion and a (kind of) predictable but good end villain the book is a fun quick read.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC.
I was given an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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