The second book in the Time of Iron series by Sarah Rees Brennan, All Hail Chaos, has just hit the shelves, promising all the hilarious, witty wickedness that enchanted readers with Long Live Evil. After the insane ending of that first book, I could not wait to get my hands on the second to see what’s in store for Rae and her villainous friends.
*This review contains spoilers for Long Live Evil*
In our world, Rae is dying of cancer, but in the pages of her favorite fantasy novel, she’s living an entirely different story. After she was transported to this whole new world, she tried to change the story for her favorite character, but managed to make everything so much worse.
She betrayed the Emperor, and now she must face the consequences. Her only solution to prevent utter catastrophe is to find him his true love. She proposes the Queen’s Trials, where women compete to marry the Emperor. The only problem is, despite the fact that Rae cannot possibly be his true love, she’s a villain after all, the Emperor is still entirely fixated on her.
Will she fix her mistakes or lead herself and her friends to certain doom?
The Emperor ripped out the hearts of those who betrayed him. With his hands. When Alice reminded her sister of this, Rae cackled, “Extremely sexy behaviour.”
All Hail Chaos features an absolutely massive cast of characters, with multiple perspectives and a weaving web of interlocking plots. This is truly an epic tale, unique and dynamic, with excellent and compelling dialogue.
The story is sexy in a subtle way; definitely romantic but focused on the politics and world outside of those slow-burning relationships.
Your whimsical nature and infinite homicide charges have captivated me, body and soul.
This book is both intelligent and hilarious from the first page, with an excellent framing device that helps the reader get caught up to the events in the first book without feeling heavy-handed.
I love the trend happening in literature right now, one this book wholeheartedly embraces: books that are fundamentally about the essential joy of reading.
She wanted to read that something hurt and monstrous and furious and strange and lonely could be loved.
Scheming abounds, but this is not a super-fast read. All Hail Chaos is meaty, detailed, with layered plots and significant thought required. The story is tense, infused with a sense of anticipation.
Characters are balancing on a knife’s edge, but this book is largely building up to what is sure to be a phenomenal finale. All Hail Chaos is slow at times, but impeccably well-written, with a magnificent end. After that wild cliffhanger, I will be waiting on bated breath for the third book, Kill Your Darlings.
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