I could not have been more excited for Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, and it did not disappoint. As the sequel to last year’s How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, it adds so much to the existing world and the lore built up around the protagonist. We get to see the human side of things and all of its glorious messes, from stumbling characters to dark secrets and battles galore. I couldn’t put it down and it was gripping until the very last page. I can honestly say it’s the only time I’ve gasped out loud five pages before the end. 

The Best Bits

A Few of My Favorite Things

Enter the Humans

We spent book one staying away from the humans as Davi dove into the world of the Wilders and built up the horde we know and love. Now, she’s tromping through the human world and trying to change things in this go around. We didn’t get to see her prior time among the humans, so it’s still fresh and new even though she’s spent hundreds of years among them. We get to hear how everything has changed now that she’s been absent for six months of storyline. We get to see the utter nonsense of a ruling class who fights to fight and who hoards wealth for themselves. Above all, we get to finally meet Johann, who became a personal favorite character of mine. All in all, humanity was a messy and solid addition to the journey. 

Constant Betrayals, Regroups and Strategy Shifts

The first book had its share of betrayals and surprises, and the sequel goes a step further. You’re constantly getting whiplash as alliances shift, people appear out of nowhere, and things that seemed okay are suddenly going horribly wrong. Between Wilder betrayals and human betrayals, there’s a lot to process and Davi and her companions navigate it relatively well. I enjoyed the strategy playing out in real time. The author does a great job with writing battles, which can be a slog in my experience. He illustrated the magic system very well, making it easy to imagine every encounter. Honestly, the final quarter of the book is one big ‘omigod how did I now see that coming’ and I loved it. 

So Many Secrets

I can’t spoil anything, but the secrets sprinkled throughout were complete with hidden rooms, workshops, and histories that fix a lot of the little things that didn’t make sense. The reveals were perfectly timed and everything played out better than I could have imagined. 

A Fitting End to Davi’s Story

All in all, this was a great addition to the story. In the first book, we got to see Davi grow into a leader, dealing with the responsibility of having companions who count on her in a timeline she can’t reset. The sequel expands upon that, eventually leaving the fate of the entire world in her hands. It’s an exciting mix of research, intrigue, history, social alliances, magic, and creatures that makes for the perfect fantasy novel.