After absolutely devouring How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, I was equal parts excited and anxious to dive into the sequel. Would it still have the razor-sharp wit? The chaotic energy? The morally gray queen of sarcasm that is Davi?
The answer: yes... but also no. Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me takes a definite tonal shift—and while that may leave some fans of the first book missing the snarkier days, it also deepens Davi’s story in some surprising and satisfying ways.
Summary
We pick up shortly after the explosive ending of Book One. Davi, once stuck in an endless time loop trying and failing to defeat the Dark Lord, has now decided to become the Dark Lord. And let me tell you, the promotion comes with some serious baggage.
Now the unlikely leader of a horde of wilders—magic-infused, chaos-hungry beings with an appetite for destruction—Davi finds herself in an uncomfortable position. She spent centuries trying to protect humanity… and now she’s expected to conquer it? Cue moral crises, political schemes, and a desperate attempt to bluff her way through world domination while maybe, just maybe, trying not to burn it all down.
Enter Johann: former boyfriend, royal, and newly reintroduced plot device. Davi decides to pay him a visit (read: manipulate him into fixing everything for her), and things spiral from there. Add in familiar faces from book one, a few epic battle scenes, a smidge of dragon fire, and a LOT of crude humor, and you’ve got a sequel that knows how to have fun—even as it gets a little more serious.
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Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Fantasy | Antiheroine | Snarky Sequel
Let’s talk tone. If How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying was all chaotic glee and delightfully dark gallows humor, this sequel trades some of that sharp edge for emotional depth. Davi is no longer invincible. Without the time loop safety net, her choices carry weight. Real people die. Consequences matter. And that shift in stakes forces her to confront parts of herself that she’s long kept buried.
The snark? Still there. But this time it’s tempered by introspection. Davi wrestles with questions of identity, leadership, morality, and love. Her relationship with Tsav adds a layer of emotional complexity, and her interactions with Johann—who, by the way, totally stole the show—offer moments of levity and genuine heart.
Is it as funny as the first book? Not quite. But does it pack a more emotional punch? Absolutely.
What I especially appreciated was the way this book honors character growth without losing the spark that made the first one shine. Davi is still messy, still brilliant, and still wielding power like it’s a weapon and a burden rolled into one. Watching her navigate her new role as the Dark Lord while grappling with guilt and growing feelings makes for a compelling (and sometimes chaotic) read.
The pacing is a bit slower in the beginning, but once the story hits its stride, it’s unputdownable. The final chapters tie things together in a satisfying way, offering closure without feeling too clean or too convenient.
Final Thoughts
If you’re here for the snarky antiheroine energy of book one, just know that book two takes things in a more serious direction. But it works. It’s a natural evolution for a character who’s been through literal centuries of pain, loss, and time-looping madness.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me may not have made me cackle on every page like its predecessor, but it gave me something better—emotional payoff, character growth, and the kind of ending that sticks with you.
A strong sequel that deepens the world and the heart of the series, even if it trades a little snark for soul.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own!
