Title: All Hail ChaosAuthor: Sarah Rees Brennan
Series: Time of Iron #2
Pages: 480
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Publisher: Orbit
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
THE EMPEROR IS HERE. AND SHE MADE HIM WORSE.
Rae is a fantasy reader who's been transported to her favourite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far much more deadly than the one she knew.
Her friends are on the run: the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the irresistible emperor - Rae's favourite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land - wants her to be his evil queen.
What's a villainess to do? It's time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone.
All Hail Chaos is Sarah Rees Brennan's wicked, unmissable sequel to the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling Long Live Evil ('delicious, subversive' Leigh Bardugo).
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After loving Long Live Evil, I couldn’t wait to dive into All Hail Chaos, and it was as entertaining as the first book. It picks up right where the first book left off and raises the stakes even higher while sending the story in directions I never expected. It’s darker and messier, but it still has the humor, banter, and self-awareness that make this series so much fun to read.
Rae continues to be a compelling (and comical) protagonist. She’s so funny and astute, with a quick wit and sharp tongue, and her inner monologue is one of my favorite parts of the story. The villainess of the story, she’s constantly trying to balance what she knows as a reader and listener of the books with the reality of the world around her. Rae’s awareness that she’s living inside a story creates so many entertaining moments, especially when she tries to predict what she thinks is supposed to happen next. Every decision and move she makes changes the trajectory of not only her own but also the other characters’ stories. And the more that things spiral out of control, the more she has to confront the fact that these aren’t just fictional characters and situations for her anymore.
I also like how much the world expanded in this book, as it explores more of the kingdom and reveals new layers to the conflicts brewing. The world feels even more dangerous than it was in the first book, and the stakes keep getting higher and higher. Between political maneuvering, shifting alliances, and growing threats, there’s a lot going on, and Rae is in the middle of most of it. The plot is chaotic (in the best possible way), and every time I thought I had figured out where the story was headed, something happened that took it in a totally different direction. It definitely made for an entertaining read.
Of course, my favorite part of the story was the romance. Rae and Key have such a complicated relationship, especially considering everything that happened in the first book. There’s so much uncertainty between them that I was never quite sure what either of them would do next. Did they love each other or hate each other? Were they going to kiss, or were they plotting against each other? I never knew. lol Their relationship kept me guessing from beginning to end, and the mix of chemistry, attraction, mistrust, and conflicting loyalties made it even more intriguing. Plus, the banter is fantastic!
Overall, All Hail Chaos was an excellent follow-up to Long Live Evil. I love the way the story embraces its meta premise as well as the tongue-in-cheek approach it takes to fantasy tropes. The book pokes fun at familiar genre conventions while also embracing everything readers love about them, which felt clever and unique. It was an entertaining, suspenseful, and fun read, even with the darker elements. And after that ending, I’m going to need the next book immediately.
“It’s nice in a way, how books change. If the magic and illumination isn’t in the story any more, the magic and illumination was always in you. The story caught a reflection of you at the right time.”
“Treating everybody in the world as if they mattered would be disastrous for the economy.”
Sarah Rees Brennan is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. She’s been writing YA books for more than ten years, which is terrifying to contemplate! She hopes you (yes you!) find at least one of them to be the kind of book you remember.
