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Time of Iron #2
All Hail Chaos
THE EMPEROR IS HERE. AND SHE MADE HIM WORSE.
Rae is a fantasy reader who's been transported to her favourite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far much more deadly than the one she knew.
Her friends are on the run: the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the irresistible emperor - Rae's favourite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land - wants her to be his evil queen.
What's a villainess to do? It's time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone.
All Hail Chaos is Sarah Rees Brennan's wicked, unmissable sequel to the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling Long Live Evil ('delicious, subversive' Leigh Bardugo).
Rae is a fantasy reader who's been transported to her favourite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far much more deadly than the one she knew.
Her friends are on the run: the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the irresistible emperor - Rae's favourite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land - wants her to be his evil queen.
What's a villainess to do? It's time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone.
All Hail Chaos is Sarah Rees Brennan's wicked, unmissable sequel to the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling Long Live Evil ('delicious, subversive' Leigh Bardugo).
18 pages, Audiobook
First published May 12, 2026
About the author
Sarah Rees Brennan
76 books6,122 followersSarah Rees Brennan is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. She's been writing YA books for more than ten years, which is terrifying to contemplate! She hopes you (yes you!) find at least one of them to be the kind of book you remember.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 485 reviews
May 28, 2026
Amazing things happening at the throne room right now!
“Behold: the bad bitch she’d bagged by being a worse bitch.”
The Beauty Dipped in Blood and I don’t argue; she commands me not to kill and I simple cut off tongues
Now back to Sabrina reporting on our local gay year-long situationship:
“When the king’s justice fell on them both, to die beside someone – when Marius had expected to live and die alone – would not be so bad.”
“Eric said he had learned of Marius’s world from a book, and seemed to believe he was now inside that book.
This was charming, but ridiculous: everybody would notice if the world was made of paper”
Could a not real person have hair this good, Cobra????
Alright! Back to the Castle!
Rae: IT’S RAINING SIDEWAYS!
“Now she considered the matter, the phrase “body count” did imply people should feel guilty.
The Emperor, unfamiliar with the concept of guilt, smiled. “Oh, I see. Not hundreds and hundreds of people, then.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“That takes much longer than killing someone.”
“How much longer—” began Rae,”
Let’s find a girlfriend for my Fiancee!
“Not even a sassy redhead,” Rae murmured.
“Red is actually a very unusual hair colour,” a woman said in an offended voice.
“Not in books!”
“The Emperor nodded. “I’m disgusted by the accusation. I don’t make assassination attempts. When I assassinate, I succeed.”
Oh Pio…
Alright... what about the city? What’s going on there?
Umm, Lady Lia?
Emer?
Alright, let’s take a look at the Valerius now.
With Eric
And Marius
And a new (old?) friend (foe?)
How could we forget about shit-daddy...
“Marius asked, “Is Lucius bothering you, Eric?”
The Cobra swallowed. “Yes.”
Oh Caracalla, the icon that you are
“The gods might fail, but not Marius.”
Back to the Castle with the War Report
Maybe something will bring us peace in book 3
Or not
“Behold: the bad bitch she’d bagged by being a worse bitch.”
The Beauty Dipped in Blood and I don’t argue; she commands me not to kill and I simple cut off tongues
Now back to Sabrina reporting on our local gay year-long situationship:
“When the king’s justice fell on them both, to die beside someone – when Marius had expected to live and die alone – would not be so bad.”
“Eric said he had learned of Marius’s world from a book, and seemed to believe he was now inside that book.
This was charming, but ridiculous: everybody would notice if the world was made of paper”
Could a not real person have hair this good, Cobra????
Alright! Back to the Castle!
Rae: IT’S RAINING SIDEWAYS!
“Now she considered the matter, the phrase “body count” did imply people should feel guilty.
The Emperor, unfamiliar with the concept of guilt, smiled. “Oh, I see. Not hundreds and hundreds of people, then.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“That takes much longer than killing someone.”
“How much longer—” began Rae,”
Let’s find a girlfriend for my Fiancee!
“Not even a sassy redhead,” Rae murmured.
“Red is actually a very unusual hair colour,” a woman said in an offended voice.
“Not in books!”
“The Emperor nodded. “I’m disgusted by the accusation. I don’t make assassination attempts. When I assassinate, I succeed.”
Oh Pio…
Alright... what about the city? What’s going on there?
Umm, Lady Lia?
Emer?
Alright, let’s take a look at the Valerius now.
With Eric
And Marius
And a new (old?) friend (foe?)
How could we forget about shit-daddy...
“Marius asked, “Is Lucius bothering you, Eric?”
The Cobra swallowed. “Yes.”
Oh Caracalla, the icon that you are
“The gods might fail, but not Marius.”
Back to the Castle with the War Report
Maybe something will bring us peace in book 3
Or not
Want to Read
October 31, 2024me checking everyday for this sequel release date has paid off. Cannot wait WOOP
May 28, 2026
October 28, 2025
FYI, release is now showing May 12, 2026 on retail sites…
Sept 9, 2025
Release date got pushed back to April 2026 😵
May 22, 2025
Not all of us waiting for September to come just to see the release date get pushed back to Feb 2026 😭
But hoping Sarah's surgery goes well and she makes a full recovery!
FYI, release is now showing May 12, 2026 on retail sites…
Sept 9, 2025
Release date got pushed back to April 2026 😵
May 22, 2025
Not all of us waiting for September to come just to see the release date get pushed back to Feb 2026 😭
But hoping Sarah's surgery goes well and she makes a full recovery!
May 20, 2026
People said about their favourite character, I can fix him, but Rae knew better...
She had made Key worse.
that cliffhanger was diabolical I NEED BOOK 3 STAT!!!!!
overall, i didn't love this as much as book 1 (pacing is kind of bogged down by multiple journeys and lots of new characters), but i still had a good time.
caracalla, i'm sorry girl but the secondhand embarrassment, oof. marius, you are still unintentionally hilarious. lia, fuck you. ivor, i'm intrigued. cobra and rae, still my fav little villains.
and key. my man. my man CLOAKED in red flags. in red BANNERS. i hope you go even crazier in book 3.
“I want to be the villain of your story, and I want you to love it. I know how to make the story go my way.”
She had made Key worse.
that cliffhanger was diabolical I NEED BOOK 3 STAT!!!!!
overall, i didn't love this as much as book 1 (pacing is kind of bogged down by multiple journeys and lots of new characters), but i still had a good time.
caracalla, i'm sorry girl but the secondhand embarrassment, oof. marius, you are still unintentionally hilarious. lia, fuck you. ivor, i'm intrigued. cobra and rae, still my fav little villains.
and key. my man. my man CLOAKED in red flags. in red BANNERS. i hope you go even crazier in book 3.
“I want to be the villain of your story, and I want you to love it. I know how to make the story go my way.”
April 23, 2026
“I CAN FIX HIM!!” I scream as they take me out the back and shoot me.
this was delightfully wicked and deliciously chaotic. I love these characters so much through all their terrible decision-making and unhinged dysfunction.
we pick up with Rae following the events of the last book: she has accidentally brought about the rise of the Emperor a bit too soon in the story, and also she may have egregiously messed up his character development a bit (or a lot.) however she quickly hatches a new plan to fix the story. will she be successful? if the last book is anything to go by, probably not.
I love Rae in all of her scheming and plotting, despite how misguided some of her decisions might be. she’s learned from the lessons of the last book but at the same time still making similar mistakes. she still thinks she can use her knowledge of tropes to “gameify” the story, just this time with the intention of fixing it. she realised how much of a mistake she made last time in not seeing Key as a person, however this time around she’s still not really thinking of him as a person, just as a character that matters rather than one that doesn’t. BUT. I still adore her. characters who make an absolute shitty mess of things with the best of intentions >>>>
Key is as entertaining as ever, but even more unhinged and insane this time around. his yandere tendencies are on full display now and he’s quite terrifying with his newfound godlike powers, but at his core he’s still just as desperate to be loved and eager to please. to say that his and Rae’s relationship is complicated would be an understatement. however I am rooting for them despite it all!! please give them a happy ending sarah 😭
I also loved following the adventures of Marius and the Cobra. Marius is so desperate to serve it’s insane!! honestly this whole book is filled with characters whose love language is acts of service. sarah rees brennan clearly knows what’s up because it is the SEXIEST love language.
will be forever mad about that cliffhanger ending and the emotional devastation I have been left with.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
this was delightfully wicked and deliciously chaotic. I love these characters so much through all their terrible decision-making and unhinged dysfunction.
we pick up with Rae following the events of the last book: she has accidentally brought about the rise of the Emperor a bit too soon in the story, and also she may have egregiously messed up his character development a bit (or a lot.) however she quickly hatches a new plan to fix the story. will she be successful? if the last book is anything to go by, probably not.
I love Rae in all of her scheming and plotting, despite how misguided some of her decisions might be. she’s learned from the lessons of the last book but at the same time still making similar mistakes. she still thinks she can use her knowledge of tropes to “gameify” the story, just this time with the intention of fixing it. she realised how much of a mistake she made last time in not seeing Key as a person, however this time around she’s still not really thinking of him as a person, just as a character that matters rather than one that doesn’t. BUT. I still adore her. characters who make an absolute shitty mess of things with the best of intentions >>>>
Key is as entertaining as ever, but even more unhinged and insane this time around. his yandere tendencies are on full display now and he’s quite terrifying with his newfound godlike powers, but at his core he’s still just as desperate to be loved and eager to please. to say that his and Rae’s relationship is complicated would be an understatement. however I am rooting for them despite it all!! please give them a happy ending sarah 😭
I also loved following the adventures of Marius and the Cobra. Marius is so desperate to serve it’s insane!! honestly this whole book is filled with characters whose love language is acts of service. sarah rees brennan clearly knows what’s up because it is the SEXIEST love language.
will be forever mad about that cliffhanger ending and the emotional devastation I have been left with.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
Want to Read
March 21, 2025Gimme this book, I need to know what next for my wicked boy (it's Key, okey, he's my wicked, murderous boyfriend and I will fight everyone for him) 😭😭
May 13, 2026
All Hail Chaos
by Sarah Rees Brennan
Time of Iron #2
Fantasy
NetGalley Audio
Narrated by Moira Quirk/Shane East
Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Hachette Audio/Orbit
Ages: 18+
After being transported into a fictional world, Rae played the villainess character of the story, thinking she could change the book for the better, but it did the opposite, and now the 'fictional' friends she made are on the run from the new, powerful Emperor, who can control the dead, and wants her to be his evil queen.
To save her 'fictional' friends and herself, along with getting back to her world, Rae is going to have to stay by her betrothed's side until she can set things right, or make her escape.
As this is the second book of a series, I don't want to give too much away. The story was ok. There was a lot of what felt like circular rambling that didn't do anything to move the story along, so it was a very slow listen, one where I had to speed up the narrator because I wanted to get the book done. (Did take a break from this to listen and finish another book!)
Another thing that made this a slow and irritating read is the number of characters! There are too many!!! And that took away from the central idea: a girl transported into a book. I feel for the narrator, Moira Quirk, who did a good job, because she had to portray all of these characters, male and female, but the second narrator, Shane East, only had to do one, and I believe it was only one little segment, so I can't give a complete opinion on his talent. I get why it was thought to be a good idea, but pointless in my opinion. Should have had East do all the male and Quirk the female.
Even though it is a major cliff hanger and I'm curious what is going to happen, I don't know if I'll find out. It's started to get lame, repetitive, left the intended plot, and feels like it was written for a young audience, even though there's adult content and violence, some on the graphic side (mostly due to Rae changing the story).
2 Stars
by Sarah Rees Brennan
Time of Iron #2
Fantasy
NetGalley Audio
Narrated by Moira Quirk/Shane East
Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Hachette Audio/Orbit
Ages: 18+
After being transported into a fictional world, Rae played the villainess character of the story, thinking she could change the book for the better, but it did the opposite, and now the 'fictional' friends she made are on the run from the new, powerful Emperor, who can control the dead, and wants her to be his evil queen.
To save her 'fictional' friends and herself, along with getting back to her world, Rae is going to have to stay by her betrothed's side until she can set things right, or make her escape.
As this is the second book of a series, I don't want to give too much away. The story was ok. There was a lot of what felt like circular rambling that didn't do anything to move the story along, so it was a very slow listen, one where I had to speed up the narrator because I wanted to get the book done. (Did take a break from this to listen and finish another book!)
Another thing that made this a slow and irritating read is the number of characters! There are too many!!! And that took away from the central idea: a girl transported into a book. I feel for the narrator, Moira Quirk, who did a good job, because she had to portray all of these characters, male and female, but the second narrator, Shane East, only had to do one, and I believe it was only one little segment, so I can't give a complete opinion on his talent. I get why it was thought to be a good idea, but pointless in my opinion. Should have had East do all the male and Quirk the female.
Even though it is a major cliff hanger and I'm curious what is going to happen, I don't know if I'll find out. It's started to get lame, repetitive, left the intended plot, and feels like it was written for a young audience, even though there's adult content and violence, some on the graphic side (mostly due to Rae changing the story).
2 Stars
Currently Reading
May 13, 2026almost done with this... and have come to the conclusion that I still need more portal fantasy 🙂↕️
____________
Thank you to Orbit Books for the ARC.
____________
Thank you to Orbit Books for the ARC.
February 5, 2026
Huge thanks to Orbit for the advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!
If Long Live Evil (which I loved with my whole heart) was a campy, sparkling piece of costume jewelry, All Hail Chaos is a darkly glimmering black diamond. This picks up right where LLE left off, and Rae (and the reader) is deeply unsure how darling murderous puppy Key feels about her after she feigned nonchalance during his murder to save herself. This uncertainty — and the knowledge that her misunderstanding of the original novel led to this predicament — mean that Rae is on edge throughout the book, constantly trying to figure Key out and stay one step ahead of everyone else, and she can't exuberantly play with the story the way she did in LLE.
One thing that hasn’t changed is Rae’s metafictional awareness: heroines have demurely sized breasts, fake engagements lead to falling in love for real, readers will forgive all sorts of villainous deeds if committed by someone attractive. Sarah Rees Brennan is also clearly marvelously well-read, and sprinkles paraphrases of famous lines from classic literature — from Kerouac to Tennyson to Marvell — throughout the story. You’d have to have been an English major to catch all the references, but they (and Rae’s gimlet awareness of romantasy tropes) are delightful Easter eggs.
Our intrepid cast of secondary characters spend most of the novel away from all but their love interests: Emer and Lia are hiding in the Cauldron, the Golden Cobra and Lord Marius are off to the Valerius estate to save Marius' little sister, and Rae of course is at the Palace on the Edge with Key. The Cobra and Rae exchange letters, though, as they piece together how the original story has changed and figure out what does and does not work to as they try to fix it.
The romance that had me kicking my feet the most (to my surprise!) was Eric / Marius. We got just a hint at the end of LLE that Marius might have caught feelings, and those feelings have put down deep roots at this point. He doesn't yet seem to have admitted his feelings to himself, however, despite Eric doing his best to nudge him in that direction.
Lia… Lia I have thoughts about! Really intrigued to see where her character goes in Book 3.
Speaking of book 3… Sarah Rees Brennan has once again ended the book on a MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER (immediately following a pretty big unexpected reveal), and I am simply beside myself at how long I'll have to wait for it 😭
***
“Book boyfriends: you get older, they stay the same age. It gets awkward.”
“some readers defined “morally grey” as “a remorseless murderer who is good-looking”.
“It’s nice in a way, how books change. If the magic and illumination isn’t in the story any more, the magic and illumination was always in you. The story caught a reflection of you at the right time.”
“Treating everybody in the world as if they mattered would be disastrous for the economy.”
“Despite the horrors, people fell back into living their lives in the same old way. They wanted to talk about change but remain comfortable. Surely a true king or a just god would come soon, but tomorrow, not today. The enemy might be at the gates, but they surely wouldn’t get inside. No matter who sat the throne, surely those in charge had everything under control.”
“She loved the wolf-souled, who saw everything except for reason, who knew the only thing to do in a senseless world is start a howl of defiance echoing through the sky. The only ones for Rae were the wild ones, burning with a fire that would light up or burn down a world, but never go out.” (This is a paraphrase of Kerouac!)
“This type of heroine was never like the other girls. Ironically, this made them all very similar.”
“Heroines were always showing an anachronistic disregard for social class!”
“She held her brother’s sword as close as a childhood toy, and whispered, “I am half sick of waiting, Marius.” (Tennyson!)
“Mention of small breasts was perfectly acceptable and overlooked in books, while any character who happened to have a large chest was regarded as obtrusively pneumatic. Heroines didn’t get their tits out.”
“Half agony, half hope” (Austen!)
“That was the problem with a villain who would kill anybody, Rae thought with terrible clarity. You could pretend this was a video game, with every victim a faceless nonentity, but a villain who would kill anybody would eventually kill somebody you cared about. Someone brave and beloved, and that death would cast a light on all the other deaths and show their horror.”
“Listen, I wanted to make one thing clear. I know how fake engagements usually go, but please do not fall in love with me. I don’t mean that as a fun challenge. I have enough to deal with.”
“Had we but world enough and time” (Marvell!)
“I saw the red flags and I said red’s my favourite colour.”
“What a generous heart this woman had. Affection to spare for all the countless men to whom she was betrothed.”
If Long Live Evil (which I loved with my whole heart) was a campy, sparkling piece of costume jewelry, All Hail Chaos is a darkly glimmering black diamond. This picks up right where LLE left off, and Rae (and the reader) is deeply unsure how darling murderous puppy Key feels about her after she feigned nonchalance during his murder to save herself. This uncertainty — and the knowledge that her misunderstanding of the original novel led to this predicament — mean that Rae is on edge throughout the book, constantly trying to figure Key out and stay one step ahead of everyone else, and she can't exuberantly play with the story the way she did in LLE.
One thing that hasn’t changed is Rae’s metafictional awareness: heroines have demurely sized breasts, fake engagements lead to falling in love for real, readers will forgive all sorts of villainous deeds if committed by someone attractive. Sarah Rees Brennan is also clearly marvelously well-read, and sprinkles paraphrases of famous lines from classic literature — from Kerouac to Tennyson to Marvell — throughout the story. You’d have to have been an English major to catch all the references, but they (and Rae’s gimlet awareness of romantasy tropes) are delightful Easter eggs.
Our intrepid cast of secondary characters spend most of the novel away from all but their love interests: Emer and Lia are hiding in the Cauldron, the Golden Cobra and Lord Marius are off to the Valerius estate to save Marius' little sister, and Rae of course is at the Palace on the Edge with Key. The Cobra and Rae exchange letters, though, as they piece together how the original story has changed and figure out what does and does not work to as they try to fix it.
The romance that had me kicking my feet the most (to my surprise!) was Eric / Marius. We got just a hint at the end of LLE that Marius might have caught feelings, and those feelings have put down deep roots at this point. He doesn't yet seem to have admitted his feelings to himself, however, despite Eric doing his best to nudge him in that direction.
Lia… Lia I have thoughts about! Really intrigued to see where her character goes in Book 3.
Speaking of book 3… Sarah Rees Brennan has once again ended the book on a MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER (immediately following a pretty big unexpected reveal), and I am simply beside myself at how long I'll have to wait for it 😭
***
“Book boyfriends: you get older, they stay the same age. It gets awkward.”
“some readers defined “morally grey” as “a remorseless murderer who is good-looking”.
“It’s nice in a way, how books change. If the magic and illumination isn’t in the story any more, the magic and illumination was always in you. The story caught a reflection of you at the right time.”
“Treating everybody in the world as if they mattered would be disastrous for the economy.”
“Despite the horrors, people fell back into living their lives in the same old way. They wanted to talk about change but remain comfortable. Surely a true king or a just god would come soon, but tomorrow, not today. The enemy might be at the gates, but they surely wouldn’t get inside. No matter who sat the throne, surely those in charge had everything under control.”
“She loved the wolf-souled, who saw everything except for reason, who knew the only thing to do in a senseless world is start a howl of defiance echoing through the sky. The only ones for Rae were the wild ones, burning with a fire that would light up or burn down a world, but never go out.” (This is a paraphrase of Kerouac!)
“This type of heroine was never like the other girls. Ironically, this made them all very similar.”
“Heroines were always showing an anachronistic disregard for social class!”
“She held her brother’s sword as close as a childhood toy, and whispered, “I am half sick of waiting, Marius.” (Tennyson!)
“Mention of small breasts was perfectly acceptable and overlooked in books, while any character who happened to have a large chest was regarded as obtrusively pneumatic. Heroines didn’t get their tits out.”
“Half agony, half hope” (Austen!)
“That was the problem with a villain who would kill anybody, Rae thought with terrible clarity. You could pretend this was a video game, with every victim a faceless nonentity, but a villain who would kill anybody would eventually kill somebody you cared about. Someone brave and beloved, and that death would cast a light on all the other deaths and show their horror.”
“Listen, I wanted to make one thing clear. I know how fake engagements usually go, but please do not fall in love with me. I don’t mean that as a fun challenge. I have enough to deal with.”
“Had we but world enough and time” (Marvell!)
“I saw the red flags and I said red’s my favourite colour.”
“What a generous heart this woman had. Affection to spare for all the countless men to whom she was betrothed.”
March 10, 2026
A four if I'm thinking with my head, a five if I'm thinking with my heart.
This definitely feels like a second book, in that it's laying a lot (a lot) of groundwork that will see its pay off in a future instalment. It felt a little like Rae lost track of her braincells for a second there, in order to rally them all in the final third. I'm not trying to critique her for being stupid or acting unideally, it more just felt the book had to keep her in a plateaued state for longer in order to achieve its plot goals. I missed the genre savviness of Book 1, but that's bc genre savviness is my favourite thing.
But the character work still shone through so hard. And.... the good news is that this must mean there's a third book. Goodreads doesn't know that yet, but I do 💕✨️
This definitely feels like a second book, in that it's laying a lot (a lot) of groundwork that will see its pay off in a future instalment. It felt a little like Rae lost track of her braincells for a second there, in order to rally them all in the final third. I'm not trying to critique her for being stupid or acting unideally, it more just felt the book had to keep her in a plateaued state for longer in order to achieve its plot goals. I missed the genre savviness of Book 1, but that's bc genre savviness is my favourite thing.
But the character work still shone through so hard. And.... the good news is that this must mean there's a third book. Goodreads doesn't know that yet, but I do 💕✨️
Want to Read
October 31, 2024I AM READY. SEPTEMBER CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH!!
Currently Reading
January 1, 2025I crave this. Give me fresh villainy. Give me more sly references to Shakespeare, Taylor Swift and memes.
Want to Read
August 14, 2025i legit can’t stop staring at the cover and i NEED this NOWWWW
May 19, 2026
2.5 stars
Oh, man, this sucks. I was so excited for this book, my pre-order (from January 2025) is on its way. I was so looking forward to this sequel, and though I did not love the first book, I absolutely loved the characters, the friendships and romances. So I was excited to continue with their journey, sadly, it did not deliver.
All Hail Chaos picks up right where Long Live Evil ended, Key is now the Emperor and Rae her evil bride. Though she is still looking for the ways to change the narrative, save her friends and find a way to come back to her sister in the real world, an invasion awaits. War is coming, gods appear, new plans are hurriedly hatched while trying to survive the weird mix of adoration and hatred that Key feels now for Rae.
Meanwhile, Emer and Lia are hiding in the Cauldron, and the Cobra and Marius are traveling to the Valerius ancient home, the one place the white knight is scared of.
This book suffers from second book syndrome. Though there are three main plots happening, Rae's is a mess. It's repetitive from book one, it's confusing as Key as the Emperor loses all his charm and charisma from book one and his relationship with Rae suffers so much from it. I feel like he was such a deep character in LLE, even though he's painted at first glance as this sociopath minion, he had so much going on. In this book, his actions, violence and words feel hollow. And Rae doesn't know how to react which makes her act like a horror movie character, making the worst silly decisions over and over again, making the spectator (or reader) so mad about it. This is book two, I can't take another of her inner monologue thinking "Oh, I should tell him the truth, I should be kind to him, I should do x" only to choose to lie once again or answer with the silliest comeback.
The same mistakes from book one, the same inner thoughts, all over this book, I was done halfway through.
As for Emer and Lia's arc, there's a big chunk in this book where they barely make an appearance. Though we get to learn both of their real identities and personalities, I feel like they were barely there. Their arc was by far the least developed, though I liked their last scene.
The one story I was really looking forward, however, was the journey to the Valerius manor with Marius and the Cobra. It was my favorite part, though I feel like there was a lack of resolution that felt like it was needed here and the author chooses to purposely leave it for book three. It frustrated me. I feel like this book messed up with all the ships, and though I like the decision of introducing conflict and other potential love interests ( i.e. not to settle with the obvious partner established in book one right away), I still feel disappointed. Maybe because it happened to all three main ships so it feels shallow, formulaic and an unnecessary way to stretch their tension for book three.
As for the plot. I was not a fan of. Like I said, Rae makes so many mistakes recycled from book one, we have another queen competition with a couple of side characters that end up not mattering at all. The whole invasion is background noise until the end and yet I found myself so bored reading those scenes. The worldbuiling is just... poorly written to say the least.
The side characters from Long Live Evil are barely here, except for the Prime Minister, and his pov doesn't end up giving something new or necessary.
Overall this was a disappointing sequel. A lot of the same beats, none of the emotional vulnerability of the first book. Key, who was one of my favorites, lost his charm, and not because of him becoming evil, but because of his vague motivations and actions towards Rae. Rae, once a spunky main character, frustrated me to no end with the never ending cycle of making bad decisions despite being very aware she's messing everything up.
I wish we had more of Emer, I wish we had more of the main characters together, but because all of the pairs were out and about in different places the camaderie, the banter, and the overall fun of the first book was missing.
As for the audiobook and narrator, Moira does a great job maintaining the tone from LLE. She's fun and sassy, though if I'm being honest there are a couple of (male) characters I did not like how she portrayed. However, the experience was fun to listen to, there's a second narrator for a very short chapter and I was really enjoying his portrayal too.
Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook.
Oh, man, this sucks. I was so excited for this book, my pre-order (from January 2025) is on its way. I was so looking forward to this sequel, and though I did not love the first book, I absolutely loved the characters, the friendships and romances. So I was excited to continue with their journey, sadly, it did not deliver.
All Hail Chaos picks up right where Long Live Evil ended, Key is now the Emperor and Rae her evil bride. Though she is still looking for the ways to change the narrative, save her friends and find a way to come back to her sister in the real world, an invasion awaits. War is coming, gods appear, new plans are hurriedly hatched while trying to survive the weird mix of adoration and hatred that Key feels now for Rae.
Meanwhile, Emer and Lia are hiding in the Cauldron, and the Cobra and Marius are traveling to the Valerius ancient home, the one place the white knight is scared of.
This book suffers from second book syndrome. Though there are three main plots happening, Rae's is a mess. It's repetitive from book one, it's confusing as Key as the Emperor loses all his charm and charisma from book one and his relationship with Rae suffers so much from it. I feel like he was such a deep character in LLE, even though he's painted at first glance as this sociopath minion, he had so much going on. In this book, his actions, violence and words feel hollow. And Rae doesn't know how to react which makes her act like a horror movie character, making the worst silly decisions over and over again, making the spectator (or reader) so mad about it. This is book two, I can't take another of her inner monologue thinking "Oh, I should tell him the truth, I should be kind to him, I should do x" only to choose to lie once again or answer with the silliest comeback.
The same mistakes from book one, the same inner thoughts, all over this book, I was done halfway through.
As for Emer and Lia's arc, there's a big chunk in this book where they barely make an appearance. Though we get to learn both of their real identities and personalities, I feel like they were barely there. Their arc was by far the least developed, though I liked their last scene.
The one story I was really looking forward, however, was the journey to the Valerius manor with Marius and the Cobra. It was my favorite part, though I feel like there was a lack of resolution that felt like it was needed here and the author chooses to purposely leave it for book three. It frustrated me. I feel like this book messed up with all the ships, and though I like the decision of introducing conflict and other potential love interests ( i.e. not to settle with the obvious partner established in book one right away), I still feel disappointed. Maybe because it happened to all three main ships so it feels shallow, formulaic and an unnecessary way to stretch their tension for book three.
As for the plot. I was not a fan of. Like I said, Rae makes so many mistakes recycled from book one, we have another queen competition with a couple of side characters that end up not mattering at all. The whole invasion is background noise until the end and yet I found myself so bored reading those scenes. The worldbuiling is just... poorly written to say the least.
The side characters from Long Live Evil are barely here, except for the Prime Minister, and his pov doesn't end up giving something new or necessary.
Overall this was a disappointing sequel. A lot of the same beats, none of the emotional vulnerability of the first book. Key, who was one of my favorites, lost his charm, and not because of him becoming evil, but because of his vague motivations and actions towards Rae. Rae, once a spunky main character, frustrated me to no end with the never ending cycle of making bad decisions despite being very aware she's messing everything up.
I wish we had more of Emer, I wish we had more of the main characters together, but because all of the pairs were out and about in different places the camaderie, the banter, and the overall fun of the first book was missing.
As for the audiobook and narrator, Moira does a great job maintaining the tone from LLE. She's fun and sassy, though if I'm being honest there are a couple of (male) characters I did not like how she portrayed. However, the experience was fun to listen to, there's a second narrator for a very short chapter and I was really enjoying his portrayal too.
Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook.
April 23, 2026
I really wish this would’ve just been a duology. This book felt very much like a filler. The first half half was very drawn out and repetitive and the second one very convoluted. I still had fun, but honestly mostly cared about Eric and Marius. Still looking forward to the last book in this series.
May 8, 2026
Yeah it had issues but idgaf, five outta five I love my vipers so bad.
Thank you, SRB, for another banger cast of characters. As usual they’re so loveable they basically sit beside you as you read, poking fun at themselves and laughing along. I hope book three is stuffed with deeply unserious reunions and a horde of disgusting, sickeningly happy endings.
Thank you, SRB, for another banger cast of characters. As usual they’re so loveable they basically sit beside you as you read, poking fun at themselves and laughing along. I hope book three is stuffed with deeply unserious reunions and a horde of disgusting, sickeningly happy endings.
Want to Read
May 13, 2026My motivation to survive until September 2025 tbh
upd: now it’s February 2026?? Girl, I’m already tired of surviving
upd2: well, now the book comes out in May 2026, and I’m not sure I can keep holding up, but that’s fine, no rush
upd3: I can’t wait to finally read it!!! But work makes it impossible for the next two weeks 😭
upd: now it’s February 2026?? Girl, I’m already tired of surviving
upd2: well, now the book comes out in May 2026, and I’m not sure I can keep holding up, but that’s fine, no rush
upd3: I can’t wait to finally read it!!! But work makes it impossible for the next two weeks 😭
Want to Read
December 29, 2025I sort of love this cover.
Want to Read
December 10, 2024WAHHHH I'm waiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 17, 2026
I’ll start this off by saying that I wasn’t the biggest fan of book one. But with such a unique and interesting plot, I just had to read book two.
Sadly, the same issues I had with book one came back in this one. The writing, especially the modern references but also the endless descriptions and nicknames that were supposed to be funny but fell flat quite often for me. At one point the main character was called ‘my Ferarri of darkness’ and I just had to take a break lol.
Besides that it also suffered from the second book curse that was even talked about in the book itself. There is quite a bit going on but by the end of the book we’re not much farther along than at the start. And then suddenly there was so much going on but all crammed into the last couple of chapters that I was only left confused instead of desperate for more.
I’ve accepted by now that this series just isn’t for me and I’ll have to ask my friend to recap book 3 so I can still enjoy the messy plot twists and reveals.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Sadly, the same issues I had with book one came back in this one. The writing, especially the modern references but also the endless descriptions and nicknames that were supposed to be funny but fell flat quite often for me. At one point the main character was called ‘my Ferarri of darkness’ and I just had to take a break lol.
Besides that it also suffered from the second book curse that was even talked about in the book itself. There is quite a bit going on but by the end of the book we’re not much farther along than at the start. And then suddenly there was so much going on but all crammed into the last couple of chapters that I was only left confused instead of desperate for more.
I’ve accepted by now that this series just isn’t for me and I’ll have to ask my friend to recap book 3 so I can still enjoy the messy plot twists and reveals.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
May 14, 2026
...what happened? 😭
I was SO excited for this but this book was literally all chaos, just like the title says.
Every single character is off having their own little adventure/problem and it became way too much, especially with the constant POV switches. Like I’m sorry but why was I suddenly reading the prime minister’s POV!???
Every time I thought “okay NOW it’s finally getting good,” Rae would just repeat the exact same mistakes or continue lying for no reason. Girl PLEASE learn something.
The whole thing honestly felt like a filler book. there were moments I enjoyed and some emotional scenes still hit, but overall this felt messy.
I was SO excited for this but this book was literally all chaos, just like the title says.
Every single character is off having their own little adventure/problem and it became way too much, especially with the constant POV switches. Like I’m sorry but why was I suddenly reading the prime minister’s POV!???
Every time I thought “okay NOW it’s finally getting good,” Rae would just repeat the exact same mistakes or continue lying for no reason. Girl PLEASE learn something.
The whole thing honestly felt like a filler book. there were moments I enjoyed and some emotional scenes still hit, but overall this felt messy.
May 6, 2026
After being transported into her favorite book series, Rae thought it would be easy to complete one task and reclaim her life in the real world before the cancer that's been ravaging her body for years finally kills her. Instead, Rae was alarmed to find that the characters she knew as fictional were painfully real people.
Now Rae has to deal with the catastrophic consequences of her own actions.
Rae's favorite character the Once and Future Emperor is here. But he's come into his power too early and he is far too angry--especially at Rae. As she keeps trying to fix him and get him the happy ending he deserves, Rae is forced to admit that she made him worse. Which makes things worse for everyone else in the kingdom.
Rae's friend The Golden Cobra is in hiding with Marius Valerius, the Last Hope. The Cobra hopes to change things for the tragic Valerius line. But all Marius wants is for someone else to take charge instead of forcing him to acknowledge uncomfortable feelings he can't even name. Emer and Lia hide in the poorest parts of the city but although they are together they have very different goals with Emer struggling to help their friends while Lia grasps at the power that keeps eluding her.
In a world where the dead walk and lies travel through the court faster than beasts can take to the skies, the truth is a very dangerous thing. Especially when telling the truth means revealing your heart in All Hail Chaos (2026) by Sarah Rees Brennan.
All Hail Chaos is the second book in Rees Brennan's Time of Iron trilogy, picking up moments after the dramatic conclusion of book one, Long Live Evil. The story shifts perspectives between the main players as they are scattered throughout the kingdom dealing with the aftermath of the emperor's return. Epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter once again highlight the differences between the narrative before Rae's arrival began to shape the story into something new.
Dismayed to find herself still within the pages of her favorite book, Rae observes "Great sequels took risks and got complicated. Great sequels did everything great first books did, backwards and in high heels. Great sequels upped the stakes, the tension and especially the body count." Which All Hail Chaos does admirably with a repeat of the Queen's Trials from book one but this time in a bloodier form all while the Emperor runs riot through a court that knows they need his power as much as they despise his presence.
With a cast bumbling through their interpersonal relationships with mixed results, All Hail Chaos continues to explore themes of agency and feminism within a fantasy framework. The story also asks, repeatedly, what it means when a reader is changed by a story and, given the magic system at play, what it means when those same readers try to change the story in turn. With sky high stakes and danger at every turn, Rae has her worked cut out for her as she tries to save her favorite character and herself. Rae continues to lean into her villainess persona even as she works heroically to get the narrative back on track reminding readers that even the blackest hearts can sometimes change with the right plot devices at play.
All Hail Chaos is everything a reader could want in a sequel. Come for the beloved characters, stay to see everything blow up in their faces and anxiously wait for the sequel. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: The Witch Who Trades With Death by CM Alongi, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews, The Empress by Kristin Cast, Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson, Mistress of Lies by KM Enright, The Deathless One by Emma Hamm, Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, The Half King by Melissa Landers, The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow, Assitant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam, The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, Starter Villain by John Scalzi, Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
Now Rae has to deal with the catastrophic consequences of her own actions.
Rae's favorite character the Once and Future Emperor is here. But he's come into his power too early and he is far too angry--especially at Rae. As she keeps trying to fix him and get him the happy ending he deserves, Rae is forced to admit that she made him worse. Which makes things worse for everyone else in the kingdom.
Rae's friend The Golden Cobra is in hiding with Marius Valerius, the Last Hope. The Cobra hopes to change things for the tragic Valerius line. But all Marius wants is for someone else to take charge instead of forcing him to acknowledge uncomfortable feelings he can't even name. Emer and Lia hide in the poorest parts of the city but although they are together they have very different goals with Emer struggling to help their friends while Lia grasps at the power that keeps eluding her.
In a world where the dead walk and lies travel through the court faster than beasts can take to the skies, the truth is a very dangerous thing. Especially when telling the truth means revealing your heart in All Hail Chaos (2026) by Sarah Rees Brennan.
All Hail Chaos is the second book in Rees Brennan's Time of Iron trilogy, picking up moments after the dramatic conclusion of book one, Long Live Evil. The story shifts perspectives between the main players as they are scattered throughout the kingdom dealing with the aftermath of the emperor's return. Epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter once again highlight the differences between the narrative before Rae's arrival began to shape the story into something new.
Dismayed to find herself still within the pages of her favorite book, Rae observes "Great sequels took risks and got complicated. Great sequels did everything great first books did, backwards and in high heels. Great sequels upped the stakes, the tension and especially the body count." Which All Hail Chaos does admirably with a repeat of the Queen's Trials from book one but this time in a bloodier form all while the Emperor runs riot through a court that knows they need his power as much as they despise his presence.
With a cast bumbling through their interpersonal relationships with mixed results, All Hail Chaos continues to explore themes of agency and feminism within a fantasy framework. The story also asks, repeatedly, what it means when a reader is changed by a story and, given the magic system at play, what it means when those same readers try to change the story in turn. With sky high stakes and danger at every turn, Rae has her worked cut out for her as she tries to save her favorite character and herself. Rae continues to lean into her villainess persona even as she works heroically to get the narrative back on track reminding readers that even the blackest hearts can sometimes change with the right plot devices at play.
All Hail Chaos is everything a reader could want in a sequel. Come for the beloved characters, stay to see everything blow up in their faces and anxiously wait for the sequel. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: The Witch Who Trades With Death by CM Alongi, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews, The Empress by Kristin Cast, Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson, Mistress of Lies by KM Enright, The Deathless One by Emma Hamm, Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, The Half King by Melissa Landers, The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow, Assitant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam, The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, Starter Villain by John Scalzi, Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
May 16, 2026
I’ve been creeping NetGalley hoping to snag an audio arc of this second book in the Time of Iron saga. Finally! So thankful!
It was soooo good!!! I don’t care how many red flags the emperor gives off, he’s my ride or die, I feel for him. While I enjoyed most of the other POVs, it was hard to tear away from the action at times to a more chill section of the story. I really didn’t think we needed Caracalla’s insights at all. The ending was a total cliff hanger and killed me! I don’t know how I’m supposed to wait for the next book 😭
Definitely going to be replaying this audiobook in the next month to see if I missed any details, there is A LOT going on, and we get to explore more of the world too.
Moira Quirk is an amazing story teller. Her voices of all the different people are incredible. While I love Shane East’s timbre and depth, I don’t think I see him as the emperor’s voice unfortunately.
Don’t miss this next book in the series! It’s been so worth the wait to dive back into Eyam and its heroes, villains, and gods.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the narrators, and Orbit/Hachette Audio for a copy!
It was soooo good!!! I don’t care how many red flags the emperor gives off, he’s my ride or die, I feel for him. While I enjoyed most of the other POVs, it was hard to tear away from the action at times to a more chill section of the story. I really didn’t think we needed Caracalla’s insights at all. The ending was a total cliff hanger and killed me! I don’t know how I’m supposed to wait for the next book 😭
Definitely going to be replaying this audiobook in the next month to see if I missed any details, there is A LOT going on, and we get to explore more of the world too.
Moira Quirk is an amazing story teller. Her voices of all the different people are incredible. While I love Shane East’s timbre and depth, I don’t think I see him as the emperor’s voice unfortunately.
Don’t miss this next book in the series! It’s been so worth the wait to dive back into Eyam and its heroes, villains, and gods.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the narrators, and Orbit/Hachette Audio for a copy!
May 19, 2026
4.25⭐️ That reveal on the last page was absolutely DIABOLICAL, Sarah!!! I loved this so much. If you enjoyed book one, I highly recommend picking this one up. The writing style remains one of my favorite parts of this series.
While the pacing felt a little uneven at times, and parts of the story seemed focused on setting the stage for book three, the character development more than made up for it. I grew so attached to so many of these characters, and I’m already desperate to see where the story goes next.
While the pacing felt a little uneven at times, and parts of the story seemed focused on setting the stage for book three, the character development more than made up for it. I grew so attached to so many of these characters, and I’m already desperate to see where the story goes next.
May 19, 2026
[3.5]
well this time there were plot twists i didn’t see coming at all, but i guess the issue is i didn’t like most of them. i was wary at the beginning when there was that huge cast list and i’d say i was right for it. there is a lot going on here and i don’t know if it all works. that’s not to say that this isn’t a good sequel. the prose is clever and funny and even improved from the first book. the characters i love are still here. it took a lot of risks, it had some incredible moments, it made me feel so much. at the beginning i adored it. by the end however i felt like i was reading a train wreck. which yeah, maybe that’s the point. i get that things are supposed to become the darkest they’ll ever get in this book.
maybe it’s just my own preference — i’d probably be on alice’s side because marius was the only thing that didn’t frustrate me by the end. speaking of alice, she’s one of the twists i did get, and she and caracalla are two of the new characters i actually liked. i don’t think she needed as much pagetime as she got but i liked her. others, however, i didn’t feel much about. it was a fight to care about the rest of the new characters, especially the tagar ones. and this includes merel or whoever, who by the time he showed up i was like??? who the fuck cares about this guy rn marius’s mom just died 😭 also i did feel incredibly betrayed and irritated that eric slept with merel. like it’s fine ok i want a slowburn, i get that eric’s scared of everything with marius, and neither of them have promised each other anything like that. there’s a lot of good set-up for the third book, if srb goes there. my problem is i just don’t have as much trust that she will, or that it’ll be done well. i’m disappointed that this is how eric’s side culminated, because i thought marius’s storyline was the best part of the book up until eric and marius separated. yeah it does feel kind of irrelevant but it also feels important to marius’s character and lucius was fun and ofc marius and eric were so good (although admittedly im biased, they’re my faves). i was literally kicking my feet and giggling over them and then i was like wait what the fuck.
i’m also disappointed with emer and lia. i had such high hopes in the beginning, but their storyline was so disconnected. it was no wonder pages and pages would go by before it was emer’s pov, because there just wasn’t anything really going on there. then all of a sudden forge strike is kissing emer and it comes out of nowhere and im not against it but it’s confusing. we learn little about emer and lia’s past relationship and we see little of them renewing their feelings for each other. in fact we barely see lia until she puts on the fucking cursed jewel which i HATED. i HATE CURSED JEWELS!!! genuinely always one of my least favourite tropes ever in the world. i wanted more development about lia’s character, her relationship with emer, her relationship with rae. both of them barely did anything until the end. i liked them together at the end of book 1, i wanted to love them, but i didn’t even get the chance to. i do think emer being a valerius bastard is a great twist tho.
meanwhile rae and key’s plotline…i didn’t know where it was going until the end and i was let-down tbh. so many things felt repetitive from the first book when rae is supposed to have learned from her mistakes not make more illogical ones that i have to struggle to understand (SEE WHY I HATE CURSED JEWELS?? they take away the actual characters’ choices because you can blame everything on the jewel but unlike possession it’s just annoying to know that everything could be easily solved if they just took off the jewels). rae should be smarter than this! it really felt like she should have learned her lesson about villains after meeting the cobra and the nemeths and realizing that though she thought they were villains, they actually have unexpected layers. she even sympathizes with rahela in the first book. but now she’s like well yes these people are real but i’m a villain so i can’t change anything. like what??? if everyone is real everyone can make their own choices the whole point is that they’re not characters trapped into tropes and thereby lacking autonomy!
there’s also this passage that rubbed me the wrong way where srb has rae talk about the typical shy and underdeveloped female protagonist in this dismissive way, and i agree with a lot of what’s being said, but the way it’s being said feels so mean-spirited for no reason, as though the problem is that kind of girl rather than the societal standards that would make that character common. i’m sure that’s not the intention, it’s more of a small issue bugged me because since rae is so isolated, we also lack scenes of her with other women who aren’t her competition or enemy. both ninell and glacia, for instance, aren’t important or developed the way the nemeth twins were. i missed rae’s interactions with the nemeths, emer, and lia. there’s also some potential with rahela’s mother and grandmother coming in, but it doesn’t go anywhere. however we do have scenes of rae with vasilisa, which i loved. unfortunately vasilisa’s imprisoned for most of the book, and key’s actions there add to the list of things i personally can’t defend (along with fab 😔) because the point of how a character like the emperor is supposed to love is that he tries to do what his love wants, and rae didn’t want vasilisa or fab hurt.
and i really do love rae so so much, but i couldn’t fathom why she didn’t try to help key in realizing his actions were wrong by trying to explain that she realized she was wrong for her own actions. she could at least have explained that when she kissed the king in front of him, she was only trying to manipulate him to free key (key CONSTANTLY brings this up it’s clear it’s what hurts him most so WHY does rae never say, hey i was crushed when you died i never wanted you to die i’m so sorry for what i’ve done). i’m not expecting her to try to be good to him, i realise she believes she can’t be because she doesn’t think she’s worthy of love and doesn’t think she’s a good person. but she doesn’t try to explain anything even once. it’s just this big misunderstanding that never gets resolved and it’s genuinely maddening to read. and what is key even doing??? was he on his father’s side the whole time because there are moments where it doesn’t seem like he is. we randomly got one key pov but it didn’t do much. i really missed the depth of first book key.
i know this is a book series about villains and evil, but i also thought it was about survival and joy. the biggest flaw to me, besides parts of the plot being meandering and confusing (the tagar stuff esp is uninteresting), is that there’s barely any of the friendship of the first book. i remember being delighted about eric and rae’s friendship, but that gets like two paragraphs here. rae, lia, and emer should be interacting, but instead rae only meets them once and just thinks about sneaking down to them later and doesn’t actually get to. similarly emer thinking they should go to key because he was their friend was brief. i mean what if they had gone to key? what if rae didn’t act afraid of him and no longer fond of him right from the get-go? what if emer and the cobra expressed the friendship that key liked them for? for some reason no one even tries! it’d be one thing if it failed but it’s not even attempted. i get the whole joke with key and the “i can fix him” thing, that we’re supposed to be confronted with how far his actions can go, that the book is questioning the ideal of being on the villain’s side the same way it’s questioning the ideal of being on the hero’s side with marius. but it feels like things could in fact have been fixed and everyone instead keeps making these choices that are making things worse for no apparent reason.
i did read the last 30% in kind of a rush (and read the whole thing in basically a day) so maybe if i went back i might feel differently but i have no desire to. which is sad because for the first 70% i thought this would be a solid 4 stars. i didn’t want to give it 3 stars because this series means so much to me and i think it has so much potential. i was looking forward to rereading but if i did that now i’d probably just stop after ch 36. even at the (rushed) end eric isn’t there so the mains don’t get to interact all together even once. meanwhile random new potential love interests are set up in this book to question the relationships set up in the first book. unfortunately i dont care about emer’s out-of-the-blue kiss with forge strike, or the potential of rae and ivor the heartless’s fake engagement or, least of all, eric and that fucking minstrel guy (i realize merel is probably very plot-relevant/potentially count starost, but sorryyy im bitter cause while eric is still my favourite character i became a hardcore marius girl this book). like i loved my core six, i was engaged in their relationships (to the point where i don’t even want an emer/lia/forge strike ot3), i didn’t want to see new characters be the obstacles to that. i don’t think any of those are endgame (rae and ivor definitely aren’t, it’s pretty clear including the trope there was a bit), but it’s frustrating to include that rather than to actually spend more pagetime on these very interesting relationships.
TLDR: despite the insanely long essay, i did love a lot of this and i am still really looking forward to the third book. i wouldn’t have written this much if i didn’t care about this series that much, and some of my quibbles are just based on my own preference. but i’m not as excited as i was after the first one. i originally believed that srb believed what she had the cobra say in the first book: that the best story has an exciting set-up, an angsty middle, and a happy ending. this delivered on the angsty middle, but im not convinced there will be a happy ending. and the reason i want there to be one is because i thought it was important to the series as a whole. i know i could be wrong and the third book could tie everything together perfectly. but i feel like these characters that i loved are completely lost. and i get that it seems like that’s the point. the story’s gone wrong. it might have gone too wrong for me, though.
well this time there were plot twists i didn’t see coming at all, but i guess the issue is i didn’t like most of them. i was wary at the beginning when there was that huge cast list and i’d say i was right for it. there is a lot going on here and i don’t know if it all works. that’s not to say that this isn’t a good sequel. the prose is clever and funny and even improved from the first book. the characters i love are still here. it took a lot of risks, it had some incredible moments, it made me feel so much. at the beginning i adored it. by the end however i felt like i was reading a train wreck. which yeah, maybe that’s the point. i get that things are supposed to become the darkest they’ll ever get in this book.
maybe it’s just my own preference — i’d probably be on alice’s side because marius was the only thing that didn’t frustrate me by the end. speaking of alice, she’s one of the twists i did get, and she and caracalla are two of the new characters i actually liked. i don’t think she needed as much pagetime as she got but i liked her. others, however, i didn’t feel much about. it was a fight to care about the rest of the new characters, especially the tagar ones. and this includes merel or whoever, who by the time he showed up i was like??? who the fuck cares about this guy rn marius’s mom just died 😭 also i did feel incredibly betrayed and irritated that eric slept with merel. like it’s fine ok i want a slowburn, i get that eric’s scared of everything with marius, and neither of them have promised each other anything like that. there’s a lot of good set-up for the third book, if srb goes there. my problem is i just don’t have as much trust that she will, or that it’ll be done well. i’m disappointed that this is how eric’s side culminated, because i thought marius’s storyline was the best part of the book up until eric and marius separated. yeah it does feel kind of irrelevant but it also feels important to marius’s character and lucius was fun and ofc marius and eric were so good (although admittedly im biased, they’re my faves). i was literally kicking my feet and giggling over them and then i was like wait what the fuck.
i’m also disappointed with emer and lia. i had such high hopes in the beginning, but their storyline was so disconnected. it was no wonder pages and pages would go by before it was emer’s pov, because there just wasn’t anything really going on there. then all of a sudden forge strike is kissing emer and it comes out of nowhere and im not against it but it’s confusing. we learn little about emer and lia’s past relationship and we see little of them renewing their feelings for each other. in fact we barely see lia until she puts on the fucking cursed jewel which i HATED. i HATE CURSED JEWELS!!! genuinely always one of my least favourite tropes ever in the world. i wanted more development about lia’s character, her relationship with emer, her relationship with rae. both of them barely did anything until the end. i liked them together at the end of book 1, i wanted to love them, but i didn’t even get the chance to. i do think emer being a valerius bastard is a great twist tho.
meanwhile rae and key’s plotline…i didn’t know where it was going until the end and i was let-down tbh. so many things felt repetitive from the first book when rae is supposed to have learned from her mistakes not make more illogical ones that i have to struggle to understand (SEE WHY I HATE CURSED JEWELS?? they take away the actual characters’ choices because you can blame everything on the jewel but unlike possession it’s just annoying to know that everything could be easily solved if they just took off the jewels). rae should be smarter than this! it really felt like she should have learned her lesson about villains after meeting the cobra and the nemeths and realizing that though she thought they were villains, they actually have unexpected layers. she even sympathizes with rahela in the first book. but now she’s like well yes these people are real but i’m a villain so i can’t change anything. like what??? if everyone is real everyone can make their own choices the whole point is that they’re not characters trapped into tropes and thereby lacking autonomy!
there’s also this passage that rubbed me the wrong way where srb has rae talk about the typical shy and underdeveloped female protagonist in this dismissive way, and i agree with a lot of what’s being said, but the way it’s being said feels so mean-spirited for no reason, as though the problem is that kind of girl rather than the societal standards that would make that character common. i’m sure that’s not the intention, it’s more of a small issue bugged me because since rae is so isolated, we also lack scenes of her with other women who aren’t her competition or enemy. both ninell and glacia, for instance, aren’t important or developed the way the nemeth twins were. i missed rae’s interactions with the nemeths, emer, and lia. there’s also some potential with rahela’s mother and grandmother coming in, but it doesn’t go anywhere. however we do have scenes of rae with vasilisa, which i loved. unfortunately vasilisa’s imprisoned for most of the book, and key’s actions there add to the list of things i personally can’t defend (along with fab 😔) because the point of how a character like the emperor is supposed to love is that he tries to do what his love wants, and rae didn’t want vasilisa or fab hurt.
and i really do love rae so so much, but i couldn’t fathom why she didn’t try to help key in realizing his actions were wrong by trying to explain that she realized she was wrong for her own actions. she could at least have explained that when she kissed the king in front of him, she was only trying to manipulate him to free key (key CONSTANTLY brings this up it’s clear it’s what hurts him most so WHY does rae never say, hey i was crushed when you died i never wanted you to die i’m so sorry for what i’ve done). i’m not expecting her to try to be good to him, i realise she believes she can’t be because she doesn’t think she’s worthy of love and doesn’t think she’s a good person. but she doesn’t try to explain anything even once. it’s just this big misunderstanding that never gets resolved and it’s genuinely maddening to read. and what is key even doing??? was he on his father’s side the whole time because there are moments where it doesn’t seem like he is. we randomly got one key pov but it didn’t do much. i really missed the depth of first book key.
i know this is a book series about villains and evil, but i also thought it was about survival and joy. the biggest flaw to me, besides parts of the plot being meandering and confusing (the tagar stuff esp is uninteresting), is that there’s barely any of the friendship of the first book. i remember being delighted about eric and rae’s friendship, but that gets like two paragraphs here. rae, lia, and emer should be interacting, but instead rae only meets them once and just thinks about sneaking down to them later and doesn’t actually get to. similarly emer thinking they should go to key because he was their friend was brief. i mean what if they had gone to key? what if rae didn’t act afraid of him and no longer fond of him right from the get-go? what if emer and the cobra expressed the friendship that key liked them for? for some reason no one even tries! it’d be one thing if it failed but it’s not even attempted. i get the whole joke with key and the “i can fix him” thing, that we’re supposed to be confronted with how far his actions can go, that the book is questioning the ideal of being on the villain’s side the same way it’s questioning the ideal of being on the hero’s side with marius. but it feels like things could in fact have been fixed and everyone instead keeps making these choices that are making things worse for no apparent reason.
i did read the last 30% in kind of a rush (and read the whole thing in basically a day) so maybe if i went back i might feel differently but i have no desire to. which is sad because for the first 70% i thought this would be a solid 4 stars. i didn’t want to give it 3 stars because this series means so much to me and i think it has so much potential. i was looking forward to rereading but if i did that now i’d probably just stop after ch 36. even at the (rushed) end eric isn’t there so the mains don’t get to interact all together even once. meanwhile random new potential love interests are set up in this book to question the relationships set up in the first book. unfortunately i dont care about emer’s out-of-the-blue kiss with forge strike, or the potential of rae and ivor the heartless’s fake engagement or, least of all, eric and that fucking minstrel guy (i realize merel is probably very plot-relevant/potentially count starost, but sorryyy im bitter cause while eric is still my favourite character i became a hardcore marius girl this book). like i loved my core six, i was engaged in their relationships (to the point where i don’t even want an emer/lia/forge strike ot3), i didn’t want to see new characters be the obstacles to that. i don’t think any of those are endgame (rae and ivor definitely aren’t, it’s pretty clear including the trope there was a bit), but it’s frustrating to include that rather than to actually spend more pagetime on these very interesting relationships.
TLDR: despite the insanely long essay, i did love a lot of this and i am still really looking forward to the third book. i wouldn’t have written this much if i didn’t care about this series that much, and some of my quibbles are just based on my own preference. but i’m not as excited as i was after the first one. i originally believed that srb believed what she had the cobra say in the first book: that the best story has an exciting set-up, an angsty middle, and a happy ending. this delivered on the angsty middle, but im not convinced there will be a happy ending. and the reason i want there to be one is because i thought it was important to the series as a whole. i know i could be wrong and the third book could tie everything together perfectly. but i feel like these characters that i loved are completely lost. and i get that it seems like that’s the point. the story’s gone wrong. it might have gone too wrong for me, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
that man is in leopard print armor you cannot change my mind.
May 19, 2026
I’m not sure how to rate this book because I liked some parts, but overall it felt like a huge waste of potential, and that fact is making me want to rant. Sooo much slow burn groundwork laid out in the first book that was all totally negated in the second, amounting to nothing. All three relationships that were just budding have now taken several steps backward (two seem pretty over at this point, in fact).
This entire book could be summed up with “and everyone refused to communicate a single thing”. Not a single feeling was shared across all three couples. I’ve actually been daydreaming about the tearful apology Rae SHOULD have given to Key 😭 At one point she THOUGHT the literal most perfect thing she could have said to Key but said nothing -.- And don’t even get me started on the goddam TRUTH POTION that amounted to LITERALLY NOTHING. Uuuughh!!!
I had been salivating thinking about the romance between the evil emperor and the fake villainess that I was going to get when this book came out. But the two didn’t even interact until the 50% mark, and probably had 4 solid interactions the whole book. And half of the interactions were them fooling around rather than saying anything.
The biggest strength of the first book was largely missing from the second, in my opinion. There was so much heart with the found family aspect, and the relationship-building/ breaking down each other’s walls in the first, while the second was mainly everyone building up their walls again and drifting apart.
While I appreciated that the first book had an actual plot and multiple people to root for, the second actually took it too far with the plot being so spread out, and with so many people and POVs to bounce between. It felt like it took forEVER to get anywhere with any of the plots. And all I actually wanted was to see Rae and Key interacting with each other.
So, in summation, the whole book kinda bummed me out and refused to give me what I wanted. Maybe I misunderstood and was expecting a fantasy romance but got a fantasy instead. The first book was my favorite book of the year and has lived rent-free in my head. The second had some good aspects that were overshadowed by my general disappointment. I will, of course, eagerly await the third…
This entire book could be summed up with “and everyone refused to communicate a single thing”. Not a single feeling was shared across all three couples. I’ve actually been daydreaming about the tearful apology Rae SHOULD have given to Key 😭 At one point she THOUGHT the literal most perfect thing she could have said to Key but said nothing -.- And don’t even get me started on the goddam TRUTH POTION that amounted to LITERALLY NOTHING. Uuuughh!!!
I had been salivating thinking about the romance between the evil emperor and the fake villainess that I was going to get when this book came out. But the two didn’t even interact until the 50% mark, and probably had 4 solid interactions the whole book. And half of the interactions were them fooling around rather than saying anything.
The biggest strength of the first book was largely missing from the second, in my opinion. There was so much heart with the found family aspect, and the relationship-building/ breaking down each other’s walls in the first, while the second was mainly everyone building up their walls again and drifting apart.
While I appreciated that the first book had an actual plot and multiple people to root for, the second actually took it too far with the plot being so spread out, and with so many people and POVs to bounce between. It felt like it took forEVER to get anywhere with any of the plots. And all I actually wanted was to see Rae and Key interacting with each other.
So, in summation, the whole book kinda bummed me out and refused to give me what I wanted. Maybe I misunderstood and was expecting a fantasy romance but got a fantasy instead. The first book was my favorite book of the year and has lived rent-free in my head. The second had some good aspects that were overshadowed by my general disappointment. I will, of course, eagerly await the third…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and ALC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
All Hail Chaos is a darker instalment—nothing is as it should be, the rules are out the window, and the chaos is very much in charge. It’s packed with another fantastic cast of characters (most of whom I adore), sharp banter, and twists that go spectacularly wrong. You genuinely never know where this story is heading.
I loved Rae’s character growth, and it was great to see the rest of the cast feel more firmly rooted in the narrative compared to book one. And I will always appreciate a villain who stays a villain rather than being “fixed.” I’m so attached to these characters that I fear for every single one of them.
I do hope Rae has a clearer goal in book three. Here, her focus is mostly survival—which fair, but it left her feeling more like a supporting player next to the rest of the ensemble.
Still, this was such a fun, messy, chaotic ride, and I think I might love it even more than the first book. And that ending? Sarah, when I find you.
The audiobook is fantastic. Moira Quirk once again delivers an incredible performance, giving each character a distinct voice and personality. And Shane East as the Emperor? Absolutely divine.
All Hail Chaos is a darker instalment—nothing is as it should be, the rules are out the window, and the chaos is very much in charge. It’s packed with another fantastic cast of characters (most of whom I adore), sharp banter, and twists that go spectacularly wrong. You genuinely never know where this story is heading.
I loved Rae’s character growth, and it was great to see the rest of the cast feel more firmly rooted in the narrative compared to book one. And I will always appreciate a villain who stays a villain rather than being “fixed.” I’m so attached to these characters that I fear for every single one of them.
I do hope Rae has a clearer goal in book three. Here, her focus is mostly survival—which fair, but it left her feeling more like a supporting player next to the rest of the ensemble.
Still, this was such a fun, messy, chaotic ride, and I think I might love it even more than the first book. And that ending? Sarah, when I find you.
The audiobook is fantastic. Moira Quirk once again delivers an incredible performance, giving each character a distinct voice and personality. And Shane East as the Emperor? Absolutely divine.
May 18, 2026
September cannot come soon enough 😭 (KEY MY BELOVED I MISS U ALREADY)
May 24, 2026
Unhinged in the most delicious of ways! Sarah Brennan’s sequel to Long Live Evil was a villainously whimsical romp (that has only cemented my love for portal fantasy.) I honestly never wanted it to end!
I really don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll try to keep this as brief as possible.
We pick up right where we left off, with Rae, (a reader transported into her favourite fantasy series, as the villainess) whose schemes to change the story’s outcome have gone disastrously wrong.
With the Once and Future Emperor (Rae’s all time fave character) now in play, there’s even more at stake. Especially for Rae, whose fictional alter ego (Lady Rahela) didn’t make it this far into the book series.
The meta commentary surrounding the fantasy genre, its tropes and readers was so entertaining to explore. Especially with such a self aware and unapologetic protagonist like Rae, who (as a fan of the books) knows all the character arcs and plot conventions.
Her experiences in the real world have left her with a lot of trust issues, so seeing Rae learn to care for others, (and see them as more than just expendable characters) was such a big breakthrough. Though she hasn’t given up all of her villainous ways just yet.
However, it was Rae’s dynamics with Key and the repercussions of her actions (in Long Live Evil) that really fascinated me the most. And led some of the biggest emotional shifts for her.
And THAT cliffhanger of an ending?! I’m still processing but I need to get my hands on the final book (Kill Your Darlings) ASAP.
I liked that we also delve deeper into the world and explore beyond Eyam’s Palace (which brought even more depth and immersion to the plot.) And gave us a chance to know Emer, the Golden Cobra and Marius on a deeper, (more emotionally compelling) level.
Overall, an enjoyably chaotic read perfect for fans of portal fantasy or morally grey MCs. But do check TWs.
Also, thanks to Nazia & Orbit UK for the HB copy.
I really don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll try to keep this as brief as possible.
We pick up right where we left off, with Rae, (a reader transported into her favourite fantasy series, as the villainess) whose schemes to change the story’s outcome have gone disastrously wrong.
With the Once and Future Emperor (Rae’s all time fave character) now in play, there’s even more at stake. Especially for Rae, whose fictional alter ego (Lady Rahela) didn’t make it this far into the book series.
The meta commentary surrounding the fantasy genre, its tropes and readers was so entertaining to explore. Especially with such a self aware and unapologetic protagonist like Rae, who (as a fan of the books) knows all the character arcs and plot conventions.
Her experiences in the real world have left her with a lot of trust issues, so seeing Rae learn to care for others, (and see them as more than just expendable characters) was such a big breakthrough. Though she hasn’t given up all of her villainous ways just yet.
However, it was Rae’s dynamics with Key and the repercussions of her actions (in Long Live Evil) that really fascinated me the most. And led some of the biggest emotional shifts for her.
And THAT cliffhanger of an ending?! I’m still processing but I need to get my hands on the final book (Kill Your Darlings) ASAP.
I liked that we also delve deeper into the world and explore beyond Eyam’s Palace (which brought even more depth and immersion to the plot.) And gave us a chance to know Emer, the Golden Cobra and Marius on a deeper, (more emotionally compelling) level.
Overall, an enjoyably chaotic read perfect for fans of portal fantasy or morally grey MCs. But do check TWs.
Also, thanks to Nazia & Orbit UK for the HB copy.
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