Review by Booklist Review
In Wexler's newest novel (after Emperor of Ruin, 2023), readers are plunged into a riotous fantasy-adventure series starter featuring Davi, a protagonist whose sarcasm and wit make her instantly endearing. The story kicks off with Davi's encounter with Tsav and her band of orcs, setting the stage for a tale brimming with cunning manipulation and unexpected alliances. As Davi navigates her journey towards becoming the Dark Lord, she faces battles, betrayals, and the challenge of controlling her burgeoning horde. Wexler's narrative thrives on its humorous tone, punctuated with pop-culture references and a Deadpool-esque charm. The plot twists and turns, culminating in an exhilarating climax that will leave readers hungry for more. Perfect for fans of irreverent fantasy and wisecracking protagonists, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying delivers laughs, excitement, and a fresh take on the classic hero's journey. Get ready to join Davi on her quest--it's a rollicking ride readers won't want to miss.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
By turning the themes of chosen-one fantasy on their head, this sardonic romp from Wexler (the Burningblade & Silvereye series) brings out the smiles. Davi, an exile from the human world, has been reborn 238 times over the 10 centuries she's spent trapped in the fantasy land known as the Kingdom. She's tired of trying and failing to stop the Dark Lord from conquering the land--so this time around, she switches teams. ("We have an expression back home concerning what course of action to take if you find yourself under no circumstances able to beat 'em. I intend to follow its advice.") Using her past-lives' knowledge, she convinces her former foes that she is destined to be the next Dark Lord. Events snowball, and soon Davi has her own horde of orcs, stone monsters, and shark-toothed dwarves marching off to the Convocation that anoints the next Dark Lord. ("I don't know exactly how they pick the Dark Lord, but a major factor is personal charisma as measured in armed henchpersons.") Wexler balances the snarky asides with the angst of Davi's repeating existence and evolving awareness that her actions have consequences. Under the flippancy, a truly touching grimdark story lurks, complete with hilarious footnotes. Readers will be wowed. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Co. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
At what point in failing to defeat evil forces does one give up and join the other side? Wexler (Emperor of Ruin) explores this conundrum in the first tale of Dark Lord Davi, an exiled woman from the human realm who finds herself transported to the fantasy world known as the Kingdom. Here she battles the Dark Lord and dies again and again, each time waking up back at the point she started from. Why keep trying? Why not just become the Dark Lord? Jeanette Illidge's narration strikes the right note, energetically capturing Davi's outsized adventures as she tries to take on a new role. From good choices in character voices to the hilarious moments when Davi breaks the fourth wall, Illidge's immersive narration is far better than reading the print. VERDICT A rollicking novel that doesn't take itself too seriously, recommended for anyone needing to get lost in a good world, explore their inner demons, and enjoy some serious bloodshed. A needed addition to lighten the mood of any audio fantasy section.--Richard Winters
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A woman trapped in a time loop decides she's had enough of trying to win an unwinnable war in Wexler's fantasy comedy. Davi is stuck in a time loop. Though she's from our world, her loop starts when the wizard Tserigern wakes her from a magical pool and tells her she's been summoned to save the humans of the Kingdom from the wilders, magical creatures like orcs and other monsters. The wilders are led by the Dark Lord, and though the Dark Lord might be any number of figures, what matters is that the wilders destroy the humans over and over and over. Which means that Davi has died and woken back up in that pool so many times that she's been alive for thousands of years and knows the fantasy world inside and out. After dying yet again in the Dark Lord's dungeons, Davi decides she's had enough. Clearly the war against the wilders is unwinnable. Instead, Davi decides she'll change sides to become the Dark Lord herself, and maybe be on the winning side for a change. Though Davi doesn't remember much of her life on Earth, she does remember plenty of pop culture references, and her frenetic sense of humor is both wonderfully sharp and probably an accurate depiction of how someone's mind might crack a bit after reliving the same life hundreds of times. The fact that Davi's life doesn't reset until she has died adds dimension to the time-loop trope, making it more like a video game, where she might make it for a few years or a few hours depending on what she chooses to do. As Davi moves forward in the only version of her life that she hasn't yet tried, fighting with the wilders, she forms new kinds of bonds and finds exciting new mysteries about the fantasy world where she's spent multiple lifetimes. Tremendous fun. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
