How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING is the first half of Django Wexler's Dark Lord Davi duology. That's probably the most important thing to know from the outset, this is the first half of the story and there will be major questions left unanswered after turning the final page. In the acknowledgments Wexler describes the “isekai trend in anime—the ‘ordinary person transported to / reincarnated in a fantasy world'” as a major source of inspiration for this book. For readers such as myself who are not well acquainted with anime, manga, or light novels exploring this theme, I might compare it to Sanderson's The Frugal Wizard's Guide, Scott Meyer's Off to be the Wizard, or even Drew Magary's The Hike - only funnier...and hornier. Basically Davi finds herself transported into a fantasy world and tasked with the quest of saving the Kingdom from the Dark Lord's horde, but in a Groundhog's Day style twist each time she dies she finds herself right back at the beginning of her adventure. After hundreds of lifetimes the unwilling “Happy Death Day”-esque heroine says screw it and resolves to try to become the Dark Lord herself. Will she succeed? Why is this happening? Can she break the cycle? Read the book and maybe you'll find out. Or maybe you won't, as I said, it's a duology. Where Wexler really shines is in character development and the frequent use of comedic footnotes throughout the book (think John Green's An Abundance of Katherines). I'd give the book a B in world building but an A+ in characters. The prose is very easy to read and this was a fantastic book to enjoy over the summer by the pool.