The second novel in the Dark Lord duology by Django Wexler (Ashes of the Sun) brings the battle between humans and wilders to a thrilling end. The hilarity and obscenity from the first volume (How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying) continue in Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, in which plot twists, double crosses, and near-death experiences abound.
Davi, the new Dark Lord, is tasked with leading a horde of wilders (nonhuman beings whom humans love to slaughter) to attack the Kingdom. In Davi's past thousand years of living, dying, and doing it all over again, she's always helped the Kingdom defend itself against the wilders and watched it fall every time. Now she's on the other side, but she still doesn't want to see the Kingdom destroyed. She's also discovered that she might not start all over again if she dies this time. The stakes for her own life are higher, and all the people she's led to their deaths in this iteration might actually stay dead. Accompanied by Tsav, her "sexy bald orc lady" girlfriend and captain of the horde, Davi heads to the Kingdom, where she discovers secrets about her situation beyond what she ever imagined.
As wild and unpredictable as the duology's first entry, this novel is also more desperate as Davi grapples with the idea of not getting another do-over. Wexler takes readers on a fantastic ride through thought experiments and intimate emotions in scenes that burst with action and excitement, culminating in a deeply satisfying conclusion. --Dainy Bernstein, freelance reviewer