TL;DR Review: Beautifully balanced between epic and cozy, it’s an adventure as action-packed as it is heartwarming.
Synopsis:
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.
After countless failures (let’s not dwell on it), Davi has finally saved the kingdom from evil–by becoming the Dark Lord herself. But now, the hordes of wilders are at her command, and they still want blood. Human blood. And Davi’s not sure she can commit to the total extermination of humanity.
With restless armies at her doorstep, a treasonous duke scheming for power, and the legend of an ancient magician looming over her shoulder, Davi must find a way towards peace and uncover the truth behind her time loop if she is to bring harmony to the kingdom. Also, her girlfriend is mad at her. So, there’s that too.
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!
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