Review by Booklist Review
This conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology (which began with How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, 2024) subverts fantasy tropes while exploring questions of fate and agency. Davi, the reluctant leader of a bloodthirsty horde, abandons her followers to seek peace with the Kingdom and uncover the origins of the time loop that ensnares her. Her plans go awry when she discovers her recurring romantic partner, Prince Johann, is now married to Matthias, a cautious and intelligent man who hasn't appeared in any of her past lives. Matthias' connection to Duke Aster, who wields dangerous political power, complicates Davi's efforts to rally Johann. As armies march and political intrigue swirls, Davi must balance chaos and diplomacy, solve the mystery of her endless reincarnations, and resist her own destructive tendencies. Wexler's fast-paced, sardonic prose delivers gut-punch humor, tender moments, and complex characters who challenge the boundaries of morality. Fans of Deadpool or Terry Pratchett's Discworld series will revel in Davi's brash antics, while gamers and fantasy enthusiasts will appreciate the clever nods to role-playing lore. Hilarious, thought-provoking, and unputdownable.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With some well-earned swagger and winks, Dark Lord Davi (first met in 2024's How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying) breaks the time loop that had her endlessly failing to stop the Wilder horde from overrunning the Kingdom in Wexler's rousing wrap-up to the series. Davi's able to avert the expected final showdown by bringing the two sides together via a dance-off ("something that has been bringing people together and crossing boundaries since the days of Electric Boogaloo"), only to discover that her real enemy is one of the legendary Founders of the Kingdom, and that she has been caught in his trap for many, many more years than she thought. With the help of her disparate allies (including a "sexy orc lady," Davi's "himbo" ex-boyfriend and his new husband, and a devoted fox-woman), Davi launches a literal suicide mission to free herself and the Kingdom. Wexler raises the stakes by removing Davi's "reset" option this time around: now deaths are permanent. The added emotional weight nicely balances out the snarky humor and barrage of pop-culture references. This is a worthy finale. Agent Seth Fishman, Gernert Co. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Dark Lord Davi takes things a bit more seriously in this follow-up to How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying because the rules have changed, or she has--or both. Suddenly, dying only resets Davi by one day, and everything and everyone around her becomes consequential. Now she's trying to get both sides to a bargaining table, hoping to manipulate them so everybody lives. She learns that it's never really been Dark Horde versus Kingdom, but Davi versus whoever is pulling all the strings. If there's a chosen one, there must be a chooser, and he's chosen war and annihilation. Davi doesn't need to conquer the Kingdom after all. She just needs to kill the one who thinks he's a god (and has the power to back it up). For the moment. Davi's saga is still a wildly snark-filled romp of an adventure, but there are more consequences and a whole lot more heart in this conclusion. VERDICT Readers who loved the first book, and anyone who adores an antihero with a heart of gold and a brain filled with terrible one-liners is going to swoon over Dark Lord Davi's surprising but well-earned happy ending.--Marlene Harris
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