How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying is certainly a book of two halves and this has made writing a review quite difficult for me.

The story revolves around our protagonist Davi who has been transported from Earth and now finds herself living, dying and living again in a fantasy world where she is the chosen one sent forth to lead humanity in it's fight against the evil Dark Lord and their horde of Wilders (various anthropomorphic creatures and all sorts of monsters). Tired of dying over and over just to be sent back to the start (think a fantasy Groundhog Day) Davi decides to try being the Dark Lord and we follow her on her campaign to raising her own army.

Django Wexler has created an interesting world that plays on various fantasy tropes, a fire land, a huge jungle, a blizzard hit mountain pass, all recognisable from fantasy games, film and literature but they never seem boring due to the authors descriptive world building and prose. Living in that world are some fantastic characters. Tsav, a female orc and Mari, a female fox person (wilder) are the standout characters for me with great personality and character arcs.

The story itself moves along at a fast pace and never becomes too complicated or outstays it's welcome in any of it's various locations. As the story progresses it shows a good mix of action, set pieces and character building.

My main problem is that for the first half of the book our main character Davi is insufferable, I disliked her to the point of nearly DNF'ing the book though I'm glad I continued reading. Davi is horny to the point of it being a bit creepy and her constant pop culture references are so heavy handed that they pulled me out of the world every time. Around halfway through the book Davi's constant thirst is toned down considerably and for me the book drastically improved due to this, in the second half of the book her character arc becomes quite interesting with some problems and moral choices to overcome, this part of the book was fantastic with several characters really coming into their own.

Another trait of Davi's that I didn't care for was the constant F bombs, I'm not offended by it but when a sentence contains 3 or 4 F words it just becomes tiresome and the word fails to carry any weight at all.

A smaller annoyance I had with this book was the amount of footnotes, I'll be honest, I got to the point where I just ignored them.

Overall I thought the first half of the book was ok and the second half was great, I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this one, as I find fantasy often leans heavily into the darker side. And while this is certainly unserious and lighthearted, I think it missed the mark for me in terms of characterisation and plot. Davi is a very jarring main character - not particularly likeable and full of confidence to the point of irritation. They constantly break the fourth wall, making quips and put downs but at no point did I feel endeared to the character. I also hate pop culture references in books, as I think it really takes me out of the story. Davi uses these references constantly, and it just felt like too much, too try hard for me.

The plot overall is fine, with Davi repeating a groundhog style situation for over 1000 years to the point where they've gu en up on bring good and turned to the 'dark side'. And I also liked the side characters too, as they allowed a bit of warmth to come out of David's personality and make them more likeable. However overall I just couldn't get past the constant 'quirky' writing style.

Since I am the shallowest person ever, I requested this book only for its title. I tried another book by this author some time ago and things didn’t go really well (so much so, that I did not finish the book), so I should have been maybe a tad more cautious, but as soon as I read this title I fell in love with it and I had to read it. It was simple like that. And I am so so happy to have done it!

With this book, it was love at first sight. Not only because I fell in love with the title, but because as soon as I started reading it, I was madly, deeply, truly in love with it. And to me, this book can do no wrong. Sure, there are some things that aren’t maybe so great, and when I started it I didn’t understand that this was the first of a series and not a standalone so when we reached the end I was quite surprised (and, to be honest, usually this kind of ending didn’t make me exactly happy, even if it is at least an ending, of sort. But this time I didn’t mind it at all. I had so much fun with this book that I honestly do not care!). Also, keep in mind that this is a comic-fantasy book and humor does not work the same for everyone. That said, I’ll try with a bullet list of things that I loved, to keep things a tad less confusing (the alternative is just reading me trying to find new ways to say “wow, this was brilliant! Go read it!”):

1)Footnotes. We have footnotes here! And they are perfect!! They are always on point. Funny. And amazing. And I love footnotes.

2)The humor. It perfectly matches everything that works for me.

3)It is irreverent. It is snarky. It is mouthy. It is bad-mouthed. It is slighting. And it is the most adult book I have read in ages. Both in all the best ways and the worst. Okay, not really the worst worst.
And I think that this is what made me fall so deeply for this one. And it is not about the sex (we have some of it in there, but it’s not on scene and I have to say that I appreciated this a lot too) but it is about the attitude toward sex, for example. And the attitude toward life in general. It is like Ricky Gervais but more joyous.

4)Davi. And this is strongly linked to the previous point. Because she is foul-mouthed and unrepentant, but she cares for the people who are following her, and her heart is in the right place. But following her around was quite liberating. I loved her and her approach to life (or lives, to be more correct).

5)The footnotes. I loved them and I think is right to repeat it!

6)The tons of pop culture references. I know that they are not everyone’s favorite, and the other day I read in a post that they are the fastest way to make a book dated (I am paraphrasing, but the sense it’s there) and that’s quite right, I found that I agree with this, but still… I loved them here, and they made me laugh.

7)This book is the right brand of humor for me and I laughed so much while reading it! I raised an eyebrow or two while reading in disbelief, and my eye popped out in surprise a couple of times too, because I couldn’t believe what I was reading, but in the best possible way. This book is brilliant, is pointy, and it is genius.

8)The LitRPG vibes. Especially in the beginning. It was sort of surprising, even if it made a lot of sense, and I appreciated it quite a lot.

9)“Oh My Gosh! She really did it!” “Oh Gosh, she said it!” and “Really?? Oh Gosh, I can’t believe it!” was a recurrent refrain while reading. And I loved it!

10)A nice little bonus is that we have some scenes that are pure comedy gold. Usually, they involve the deerwilders (or was it deerpeople? I don’t remember, sorry about that!), but they are not the only one. And really, some scenes were just so damn fun!

11)I was going to say “the footnotes” again but then I decided to be good and say a tad more about the book. The worldbuilding is on the light side, but it is full of amazing and diverse creatures, it was such a pleasure to explore it and discover all the different kinds of wilders that exist! And some of them are so darn cute!

I think that this is all. I loved this book to pieces. I had an amazing time reading it, it worked perfectly for me, and it was exactly what I needed. It is brilliant, bright and original. And so irreverent!
I think that 4 stars would have been a more objective rating but I simply don’t care!

Received arc from little Brown Book group UK and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my own.
I have read a few books from Django over the years, but this is a new one for me, where he goes for the funny bone.
This was a cracking read that had me hooked from the beginning and did not let up to the end.
Main POV , Davi is absolutely brilliant and such a star, she is what makes this book.
At times the story did slow.a.little, but all in all, very enjoyable read.

This was a fun romp: after being stuck in a time loop for hundreds of lives and a thousand years, Dani decides that her assigned task of defending the human realms against the rising Dark Lord is a non-starter, and so the next time around she decides to join the baddies and become the dark lord. There's a lot of entertaining competence porn, first as she uses her local knowledge acquired across hundreds of loops through her spawning pool, where each life begins; later as she moves beyond her exact knowledge of events and people, she still draws on 1000 years of experience in the world learning archery and magic and warcraft and politics and so on. I found Dani's voice a little bit much after a while, but the story itself was quite entertaining, and I'll definitely enjoy reading the sequel. Be warned: it ends on a cliffhanger.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

This book is fun, often gruesome, and completely irreverent. It almost felt like a video game with Davi’s respawning. Davi is a princess who keeps being reborn hundreds of times in a pool where she’s told by a wizard she must save the humans from the Dark Lord and the Wilder armies. Every time she tries and is killed and reborn. One respawn, Davi has had enough and decides she will have a go at being the Dark Lord instead rather than continually being killed by them. We now find her navigating unfamiliar territory as she attempts to convince the wilders to follow her and become her horde so she can become Dark Lord.

This is dark comedy fantasy. It’s often very violent and graphic. Davi’s constant dying and being reborn over hundreds of years has given her a level of sarcastic apathy where she doesn’t take things too seriously as she knows she’ll be reborn if she fails. However as she builds her horde she doesn’t want to go back and start over and starts to become more invested in the people around her. Davi is pretty funny and often quite shocking!

I enjoyed this book so much. It was a superb, slightly tongue in cheek look at the fantasy genre. Working in many recognisable tropes and fantasy races. This had an interesting magic system too based around Thaumite, coloured rocks that are eaten by wilders but used by humans to do magic.

A really entertaining, comic read.

A modern high fantasy comedy read, full of nerdy pop culture references, for people who enjoy isekai light novels, video games and dnd.

It's definitely not the most original plot, if you're familiar with the genre, but I enjoyed the easy-going, snarky tone and fourth wall breaks throughout the narration and found myself heartily laughing out loud a lot, which was exactly what I was looking for from the book.

Be warned though, that this is not a standalone (which I wasn't aware of) and it ends with a massive cliffhanger!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC for review purposes.

I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. 

The description caught my eye "hilarious fantasy time-loop duology that is All You Need is Kill meets Kill the Farm Boy, where a young woman stuck in a time loop tires of defending humanity from the Dark Lord and decides to become the Dark Lord herself"

The story starts strong, really fun and enjoyable, reminiscent of the early days of Terry Pratchett. The time loop is used well and I kept reading without a break. Suddenly the story lost its steam. It meanders and becomes generic, before picking up a bit a bit at the end. Be warned, it does end in a cliffhanger. If you are anything like me, you'll want to wait till the second book is out as well.

I almost wrote a scathing review about generic fantasy intermixed with humour when I realised what I was mad about, is it could be good, to be another Terry Pratchett, yet falls short. It's swamped with failed potential that's so evident, it's frustrating. When the plot and writing are good, it's good. However, it's very uneven. At times the plot carries you along, at others, it slows to a crawl. The humour can be great for one moment and then the story can become boring.

Groundhog Day and similar time-reset films, or TV shows like Quantum Leap were a secret passion of mine growing up. Regardless of the fact it was just an excuse to cheap out on filming costs. I had high hopes for the story and at first, it lived up. Live, die, live, die, then somehow, inexplicably, the whole point of being an immortal being who can repeat a day or time and learn from it, ends. It changes into a normal fantasy story, no more "hook" to capture my interest. At this point, I stopped being distracted by the background and was left with a generic attempt at comedic fantasy that failed to live up to the earlier potential.

It's not a terrible book. I read the whole book and enjoyed it. If you have a casual weekend or long plane ride, it will distract you. It's just got nothing special to recommend it as being above the pack. Mediocre.

My first book from this author. The title is was intrigued me about this book.

I was laughing from the first page which I thought to be a good sign about this book.

Time loop is something which I can enjoy but after a while it all starts becoming repetative and I’ve come to realise time loop is better for watching and not reading for me

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I don’t read a lot of funny books, so I wasn’t sure about this to start with. This book is satirical and witty and sarcastic and a bit crass. Almost every page has one or several footnotes of the main character’s thought tangents.

Thankfully, Davi is likeable and her situation is weird enough to draw you in straight away. If I woke up in a fantasy world time-loop being expected to save the world? I’d go insane long before Davi did. Each time she fails and dies, she wakes up at the start of the loop.
And after hundreds of loops, failing to stop the Dark Lord each time, she decides to go the opposite way. If you can’t defeat the Dark Lord, why not become him?

I hit a small slump in the middle, but overall this was a quick read, and the cliff hanger makes me very eager for the hopefully just as fun sequel.

Sadly this was such a disappointment.
I just started reading and enjoying some LitRPGs so I thought this would be similar but sadly this was just written in a way that was unbearable for me so I gave up at 30%.

Davi screams "Woman written by a man" while also being your stereotypical "I will fuck everything I find vaguely attractive" bisexual stereotype which is a big no no for me. Davi also doesn't respect boundries at all and is proud of her "record time" for having sex with a women who turns her down and says she's straight so yeah that's not problematic at all...

The humor was sometimes there and a few footnotes made me giggle but also quite a bit of the jokes is just Davi using pop cultural phrases and punchlines from our world noone understands in their world. Sometimes she gets called out for talking seemingly nonsensical stuff but often times people will just ignore it which somehow was worse?

The author is also very obviously American so some of the jokes made me roll my eyes, the Hitler reference for example. Yup that's in there.
Also LOTS of mentions/hints at of Tolkin, GRRM and DnD.


The concept makes this a 1,5 star but I really did not enjoy this and I am just so disappointed.

I honestly don't know the last time I was THIS disappointed in a book. I checked some negative early reviews and a fair few mention not having liked either the violence, sex, or wise cracking. I have absolutely no problem with any of those things. My problem was this book so loudly screamed ‘woman written by a man’ that I couldn't get past that, even for the cool premise.

I was so wanting to enjoy this that I actually finished it and then sat there wondering why?

The concept was brilliant, death resets with knowledge of previous 'rounds' all building up to defeating the dark lord then decide after a long time to play for the other side with a strong, quirky, female lead...

For a start the quirky got grating very quickly and was sustained to the detriment of the story for the length of the book, and the female character was definitely written by a man, I was waiting for her to 'boobily' all the time.

It gets the extra star just for concept.

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying is an epic fantasy comedy following a young woman who becomes stuck in a time loop in a fantasy world. Davi has tried and failed to be the chosen one hero humanity needs to defeat the Dark Lord hundreds of times. She is sick of restarting her hero’s journey and decides to become the Dark Lord instead this time around.

This book is not for everyone but definitely has an audience that will eat it up. Let’s just say that it is aggressively male (take that how you will). Despite its female protagonist and several strong female supporting characters, that was still the vibe I got. It is crass, vulgar, and horny with some off-color jokes that might be a bit much for some like references to masturbation, sex/anatomy, sexual assault, and murder. It reads very adolescent male (like it was written by a teenage boy, written for teenage boys or even stars one despite the protagonist being female) that some may find off-putting and maybe even a bit over-the-line. Davi may be jaded and tired, but she puts her wit, snarkiness and resourcefulness to good use throughout the story.

Once you can get past the tone or once it grows on you (like I fungus), the book is actually quite an enjoyable and fun read. The book has tons of footnotes that gave me several genuine laugh-out-loud moments and makes plenty (a lot) of modern pop culture references. I know both those things are a bit divisive for fantasy readers, but both really worked for me. I liked its satirical tone and how it parodies the genre while both playing up and subverting fantasy tropes. I also liked the supporting cast of quirky non-human characters who provide some counterpoints and distinctions from the strong personality that is Davi.

While not for everyone, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying is a fun fantasy comedy and a first in a duology. So while it tells a complete story arc, it is not yet the full story (and the ending is a bit cliffhanger-y).

Wow, this was not what I had expected.

How to write a fantasy-ish computer game recap with lots of gore, sexual content/violence, self-harm/suicide, from a female point of view and fail at it.

Davi wasn't the kind of female lead I expected. She's the centre of her universe. Whenever she dies, she respawns at the beginning of her adventure and has been doing so for over a thousand years. Yes, that would blunt the edges of any of us, but she was too blunt to be likeable.

I gave up at about 22% - there was nothing that enticed me to read on.

How to become the Dark Lord or Die Trying is a quirky, fast paced adventure with an interesting time loop, lots of battles, different creatures, and creative storytelling. If you enjoyed Assistant to the Villain or Shanghai Immortal you'll likely enjoy this too.

I really did want to enjoy this dark fantasy with the intriguing title- How to become the Dark Lord by Django Wexler but perhaps I am not the target audience for this book. This is the first book in a duology.
I received a copy for a free and unbiased opinion.
The book has an explosive and breathtaking start when Davi decides she has had enough trying to be the saviour and is going to become the Dark Lord instead. I loved the premise, and I was so excited to see how this would pan out. The story wasn’t the one I was expecting from the blurb- a fresh take on the chosen one.
The world building in this book is unusual, Davi seems stuck in a time loop almost like she is stuck in a video game. I would have loved to have read more about this society and the politics etc but it is populated with orcs and fascinating humanoid animal people.
How to become a dark lord has a lot more sex than I was expecting and Davi’s character just didn’t click for me. She starts out being funny with hilarious footnotes but after a while she become a little too hard to like.
The author’s note discusses his inspiration for his book from anime and I suspect fans of this particular subgenre will love this book and the sequel.
Content Warning
Please make sure you read the authors content warning at the start particularly around self-harm and suicide.

”I," I announce to the world, "am going to become the fuck-ing Dark Lord."

Basically, there's another universe where magic is real and so is time travel or the multiverse or and also there are sexy orcs and fox-people.

For the last thousand years, Davi has been trapped in a time loop, so that when she dies - and she keeps dying - she restarts and is told she is the only one able to save the Kingdom from the impending rise of the Dark Lord and the monstrous armies of the Wilds.

After being tortured one time too many, Davi decides, ‘screw it, I’m going to become the Dark Lord and lead the Wilders’.

”Where do you see yourself in five years?"
“Er." He scratches his scalp and shrugs at his fellows. "Prob'ly dead, if we're being honest? Gotta be realistic."

This sounded extremely cool and funny and was one of my most anticipated releases…. Yet this was one of the most infuriating and disappointing reads of the year.

Sadly, this felt too forced and almost like a D&D campaign. Davi is too full of herself as the universe literally revolves around her, restarting and sending her back to the beginning every time she dies.

There’s just a lot of crass swearing and such a focus on sex that it becomes tedious and unbearable.

There’s also footnotes which I normally love, however this felt over indulgent and grated on me. Too many pop culture references that tried too hard to be witty.

I kind of want her to step on me and make me lick her toes, if we're being honest.

I briefly contemplate what it would be like to get head from a snake-wilder, but I have let's say a premonition that this is not on the agenda.

I am gutted as I was so excited for this.
I also thought this was a standalone, but I was mistaken and it’s a duology.
However, I will not be reading EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD EXCEPT ME Book TWO of the Dark Lord Davi.

Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for a review.

Django Wexler’s novel cleverly inverts the typical fantasy narrative by placing its protagonist, Davi, in a relentless cycle of confrontation with a Dark Lord. Tired of perennial defeat, Davi opts to become the Dark Lord herself, a twist that brings a novel perspective to the fantasy genre.

The story's premise is undeniably engaging, blending elements reminiscent of Groundhog Day with the epic scope of a high-stakes fantasy adventure. Wexler’s narrative style is infused with humour, which, while generally well-written and amusing, sometimes feels a little strained and at times overshadows deeper narrative potential and character development

The novel also delves into themes of morality and may not appeal to readers who prefer their protagonists to maintain clear moral compasses. Davi's character is a tough one to like sometimes. She is resourceful, determined, and wryly humorous but also just a bit annoying sometimes. Secondary characters do not receive the same depth of development, often serving more as catalysts for Davi’s exploits rather than as fully fleshed-out individuals.

This novel offers a fresh take on fantasy tropes, but those searching for a story with deep character development and a less frenetic pace might find it lacking.

This was not what I was expecting, and although I enjoyed it, I think it's important to state that it's a lot more adult than the jacket suggests. There was a lot of spice. It also probably needs some trigger warnings about suicide.
Our main character, not sure if we can call them the hero, has died many times trying to defeat evil, each time waking up (respawning) in a pool of water and reliving the same events, the only thing that changes are her actions. This time she decides that the best way to win is to become the Dark Lord herself. To start it's a slow process, each time she fails (dies) she respawns, gradually learning the best way to achieve her goal. But eventually she realises that there's much more at stake and her choices become harder.
Personally my biggest frustration was the amount of references to real life, it helped set up the video game feel but there were just too many quips about popular culture, especially when she supposedly couldn't remember life before or how she got here in the first place.