This was so fun! I really loved the main conflict in the book. Much like other reviewers have said, it felt very "Hunger Games"-y, but I have always loved that trope. This time around however, it had an interesting take. There are four POVs and all of them are very interesting and have different reasons for being in the tournament (some of them were raised for the slaughter while others have no interest in being there). I really enjoyed the history the main characters share together because I feel as though it added an interesting depth to their backgrounds, separating it from other books in the genre where most of them are strangers to each other. I thought the writing was done very well - you would never know it was two different authors writing between the POVs. Everything read smoothly and cohesively, I never felt misplaced in the story or feel as though one perspective was off from the others. My personal favourite characters were obviously the resident tortured angry bad boys Alistair and Gavin, but each perspective did bring something interesting to the table. Additionally, they are all pretty morally grey but not as much as I would've liked (they are mostly still "good" inside, and I would have liked to see them generally have to make difficult and evil decisions), especially considering the name of the novel. But by the way this one ended, I am really hoping there is more villainy to come! I really enjoyed this and I really hope the next book expands on both the villainy and the world because I think it can be really cool!

I was anticipating this release and I am disappointed by it. Yes, the synopsis does not compare it to The Hunger Games but someone, somewhere, pitched it as such or I’ve just been given this impression by other readers so I was expecting a lot.

The pacing was slow and with all the povs I only connected with/strongly cared about one character, Alistair. I really tried to connect with and care about what was happening to all the characters but I just didn’t for some reason. Also, you’ll see a lot of other reviews say it’s not “villainous” enough and I agree.

Trigger Warnings
Grief, Death, Blood, Gore, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Every 20 years, the 7 ruling magic houses have 3 months to kill the other 6 champions in order to receive prestige and power for their family. But this year, the challenge- or curse as it may be- is different since the world just found out about the competition and murder, making a huge spectacle of this death match. It seems everything is changing, but not necessarily for the better.

The story is narrated by 4 different characters, 4 possible champions for their families. Alistair the isolated boy from the most intimidating family, groomed to be the winner his whole life. Briony the conceited girl who expected to win her family's spot- until she doesn't. Isobel who wanted nothing to do with her magical family until a newspaper story forced her into the spotlight. And Gavin, the underdog expected to die first who has something up his sleeve that nobody can predict. All four characters have very unique personalities and backstories, making their motivations for the competition that much more interesting. I did find it very interesting that Alistair starts the book as the ultimate evil baddie yet he ends up being the most sympathetic and compassionate of all the characters and easily with the most depth.

I know a lot of people will really enjoy this story, I just had a hard time with the pacing. Some parts went too quickly and others were drawn out, time was very fluid (a week could be a page and then one night could be chapters). The story jumped around a lot and I overall had a hard time following at times, and I found that I could not get super invested- I did not care who won or died. I will say that the ending was pretty surprising and brutal and leaves a lot of loose ends to set up a sequel. This is the perfect series for anyone who likes to root for villains who have no regrets and for anyone who enjoyed the brutality, deaths and competition of The Hunger Games.

If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games then you don’t want to miss this one! Familiar, but not so much that you feel like you’ve already read the same story. A page-turner that will keep you up reading past your bedtime and leave you conflicted on who to root for!

Thank you for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of The Hunger Games, All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman is the start of an exciting new fantasy series that you are going to want to check out. It follows seven magical families, each of whom is vying for control over their city’s High Magick. Every generation, there is a tournament to determine control, with each family selecting a teen champion to represent them in this fight-to-the-death magical competition.

I was a little worried at first that seven families would be too hard to keep track of, but the story ends up being presented from four of the champion’s perspectives, each of which is so distinctive that it makes it very easy to follow along. There’s Alistair, who is representing the Lowe family. The Lowes have traditionally dominated the competition and appear to have no qualms whatsoever about annihilating the competition. Alistair himself has quite the reputation for being a monster and goes into the tournament with every intention of living up to his reputation. As the tournament wears on, however, it becomes clear there’s more to Alistair than meets the eye.

Then there’s Isobel who doesn’t really want to fight in the tournament in the first place, but who would love to finally bring some glory to her family, who are considered trash by most others in the city.

Gavin Grieve is the third voice, and he’s the underdog with something to prove. His family has never won, their spell casting abilities are believed to be mediocre at best, and he would love to just shut people up once and for all for always underestimating the Grieves.

Lastly there’s Briony. Briony believes that the tournament itself is a curse and that there must be a way to break it so that no one ever has to die again. She’s so determined to stop the curse that when her sister is chosen to be their family’s champion instead of her, she chops her sister’s finger off to get the champion ring and take her place.

While I found each of these characters fascinating to follow and especially to get inside their thoughts while they’re engaging in this tournament, the most exciting part of All of Us Villains was the tournament itself and the worldbuilding. The magical system is so intricate and well thought out, and I thought the whole idea of a high stakes tournament where the participants cast spells and curses at one another was fascinating. Everything about the story kept me engaged, from the curses themselves, to the tentative alliances formed by various champions, the creative strategies employed by all participants, and especially Briony’s movements as she sets out to dismantle the curse and free them all, all while fighting for her own survival since no one else believes her theory.

All of Us Villains reads like a mash-up of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter and yet still feels like a unique and original fantasy. If you enjoy dark reads that feature high stakes competition and magic, I definitely recommend All of Us Villains.

Another case of “the first 50% of the book took me 3 weeks to read and the last half, 3 days!” — this book was much more enjoyable and fun to read than I’d expected.

The comp titles of The Hunger Games with a magic twist is on point, but I’m happy to say that it was also distanced enough to be exciting and new in it’s own right.

The writing was fine (for me it just picked up after halfway through!) The pacing for the first half was just a little off for me and I felt with so many initial POV jumps.. I was having to take notes on who was who and was getting mixed up with some of the characters backgrounds early on.

I quite enjoyed the world building, and found that the magic system was unlike anything I’ve really experienced before.

After the halfway point, I also really began to bond with some of the characters. It’s also at this point where the book becomes more enthralling and exciting to see how it plays out. I also really enjoyed the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter, which tells us a bit more about a well-known famous book within the story itself.

Honestly, I did not know that this wasn’t a standalone (I’ve been tricked!) as I had never seen it mentioned by anyone or anywhere… and now I must patiently wait for the sequel.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR for the opportunity to read this!

Wow, what a wild ride this story is! While I haven’t read anything by Christine Lynn Herman before, I have read and loved a series from Amanda Foody, so I had high expectations going into this book!⁣
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In the city of Ilvernath, every generation seven families name champion to compete in a battle to the death. The family of the last champion standing gets to claim control over all the high magick until a new champion is crowned. But this year, everything is different. A book has come out detailing every dark secret of the tournament and now the champions have a choice - continue with tradition, or rewrite the story. ⁣
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While the descriptions of all the characters and their families felt a little drawn out in the beginning, once the tournamemt began it was a non-stop thrill ride until the end! I’ve seen this book compared to The Hunger Games, and I completely see why there is that comparison, but something I specifically liked about this book is the split POV between all the champions. This really helped me to understand and empathize with all the characters to the point where I didn’t realize how attached I had gotten to all of the characters until I couldn’t bear to see any of them die. This is the dark Fall season fantasy I didn’t know I needed, and now I already can’t wait for the next book to see what happens! Note that there are some gory scenes detailed in this story.⁣
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Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a review copy of this book. This book is out NOW!

This is not my first book I'm reading by Amanda Foody, though it is my first by Christina Lynn Herman, so I can't speak to how it compares to their previous works, but! It reads very much as Foody's previous works do, slowly, building up each character more and more with a slow start to the plot and when the action hits, you hadn't realized how much you love certain characters until they are in danger. This is a dark and twisty story, atmospheric and dangerous, playing on the knife's edge.

The tension is thick within this novel, tension between characters, tension of the cursed tournament, tension of sacrifices. However, the bits of action feel sparce and like there is so long between. I understand the use of this to build characters, but it felt a bit slow for me personally.

The ending. It didn't even feel like a cliffhanger ending to me, just like a story completely unfinished. I wish they had taken it just a bit further, because none of the storylines had any semblance of resolution prior to the dramatic ending. I will likely pick up the sequel, because I did really enjoy this, but the ending realllly frustrated me.

Thank you so much Macmillan-Tor/Forge for supplying me with an ARC to review.

I just finished the book and I have to say it was amazing - I cannot wait for the second book.

For those of you who love character driven plots - this book is for you. I will say as someone who typically doesn't read these types of books I was a bit put-off by how many characters were thrown at me so quickly. Alistair was a quick favorite for me and that lasted throughout the entire book. If you're into the broody "I've always been told I was a monster" type, he's definitely someone you'll enjoy reading about in this series.

I loved the hunger games, and this book is similar that it's a slow start and a very action packed last 50%. Once you make it there you honestly don't know what will happen.


Honestly - amazing book. I loved reading every bit of it.

Wow. Just wow. I loved everything about this book. It is like the Hunger Games and Tri-Wizard tournament in one book but a whole lot more.

Let’s just say the people of Ilvernath lives got a whole lot more complicated when a tell all book is published and a tournament to the death is revealed to the world. Each of the seven cursed families puts forth a champion and the final living champion’s family takes control of the high magick of Ilvernath for twenty years until a new tournament starts anew.

I’m not even sure where to start but this plot is so good. You don’t really know what will happen. Lots of great twists and turns, alliances and betrayals. Blood is shed. Villains and heroes are made. Like I said, it’s complicated.

World-building was awesome. It isn’t just waving a wand and magic just happens. Spells are crafted and curses are made. All the different spells and curses are so interesting. I love how the rules of magick are not like a pinch of this and one teaspoon of that. There is real thought and skills needed to craft a spell or it can literally kill you.

I’m a huge fan of morally gray characters and every single character is one for sure. I love that all for the champions have their motivations, strength and weaknesses. Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is impossible. I’m blown away by all of the craziness. It was just all so good. The characters have incredibly complicated and complex relationships with their families. I love the sibling relationships even if, you guessed it, can be complicated. Some of the champions were once friends or dating. You love one character one moment and are rooting for them and then feel betrayed yourself the next chapter. I feel like I had to stay on my toes but the unexpected should be expected.

That ending. It made total sense but I didn’t see it coming. I was so sad when the last paragraph came up because it was like watching a movie and the power goes out before you could finish it. There is so much to figure out and reveal and I cannot wait for the next book. Highly recommend!

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

HOLY SH*T!!!!!!!!!!
Do you ever read a book and you're like - this is interesting but I'm also kind of bored? Okay, full stop that was me, but once the ball got moving it moved, and I am in love!
I think in the beginning there was just so much build-up - all these characters were being introduced but I really didn't understand what the actual story was. I'm so glad that I stuck around because this story definitely stabbed me in the heart while I said thank you.
No matter how you think this story will end - you are wrong.
Whenever a book has so many characters it's easy to either fall in love with one character specifically or none at all - unlike The Hunger Games, Divergent, or any other popular YA novel that has The Main Character™ and then everyone else, All of Us Villains had every character be the center of their own story without taking away from anyone else. These characters were the main characters and so in turn you wanted all of them to win even when you know they can't.
I cannot wait for everyone to read this book and I'm already dying to know more information than what was provided!

The plot in this book was like nothing I had ever seen before and did not disappoint. Extremely well done with gripping writing that leaves the reader needing more. Foody and Herman came up with a masterpiece that sticks with the reader long after finishing the book.

This ya fantasy has an intriguing premise where common magic is woven into everyday existence, and high magic, thought exhausted, is hoarded by seven families. A tell-all from within their midst outed that magical repository to the world a year ago, in addition to details of how under a blood moon, teenagers battle to the death on behalf of their families to capture the use of that magic for the next generation. The book boasts four well-crafted POVs from among the families, giving a more complete view of the brutal proceedings than you would get with one protagonist. They all have conflicted feelings towards the tournament, some more enthusiastic and others embittered. But none have a choice about whether they will compete.

The story is atmospheric and tense, moving along at a fast pace with emphasis on action and survival, while big questions about the curse powering the game swirl around. Even the most dedicated champion will question the murderous tournament once the blood veil actually falls. Expect twisted bargains, desperate alliances, and high-cost strategies to dominate as both characters and readers wait for the first of seven to fall. Curses will fly, and not all will survive.

My only quibble is that the more human components of the book, especially relationships, are rushed, too tangled up in the power plays and festering emotions of the tournament to be truly viable. The story relies on shorthand among characters who knew each other before the tournament began, and one moment of empathy is meant to convince us of a deeper connection among new relationships. In the romantic plot, there's too much revenge and betrayal floating around for even the lovely "only one bed" trope to vanquish single-handedly.

I admit I couldn't look away. The drama is intense, the outcome still up in the air. And I very much want to know where it will all end up. The writing is immersive, and I have high hopes that the relationships will deepen and take on more meaning in the second half of the duology. Pick this up if you're looking for a ya fantasy steeped in darkness and moving along at breakneck speed.

This reminded me of the Hunger Games meets Maze Runner but somehow more interesting than both? I loved the plot, the intricacies, it all felt so intense and I couldn’t put it down. I didn’t know there was supposed to be a book two until I went to write my review but now I am doing a happy dance. I cannot wait! These two authors really killed it

I tried my best to read this book, but the formatting just did not work on my Kindle and so I was unable to complete it.

one of the best YA fantasies i’ve read in a while!! perfect for fans pf the hunger games, atlas six and all the best tropes

4.5 stars!

This book was like the Hunger Games, except everyone has magic and everyone has accepted that they are the Villain of their story. Seven "champions", young adults from the seven families of Ilvernath, get sucked into the curse that comes to their town at the Blood Moon. Only one of them can survive.

There's a lot of lore, and it's easily woven into the story from the viewpoints of four or five very interesting, well-characterised, morally grey main characters. There's the one from the family who always wins the Tournament. There's the one from the family who always loses the Tournament. There's the one from the family who tries to be the heroes, and one from the family who accepts they will only ever scavenge for a living.

If you win, your family gets very powerful magic for the next generation. If you lose, you die. It's inhernetly high stakes. But also, a book like this could have easily taken a great concept and not executed it well - which is strikingly common in the YA world. Instead, Foody and Herman (in a seamless combination of their writerly powers) give all the characters interesting backstories and motives, and throw in a few plot twists that honestly made me stop in my tracks.

Most of all, I just cared about the characters a LOT by the end of the book - which for me is a sign that the book is a good one. I spent the whole book tense, knowing I was falling in love with characters who were all doomed. The authors did effective gore well (not unnecessary gore) and scared me with the reality of things, more than once. They didn't set up any straw-man scenarios, and all their villains - both the characters we love, and the characters we hate - were well-justified and complex. Also, their plot made sense. It would be very easy for a plot like this to simply stop making sense, and for the characters to use a deus ex machina to make everything okay in the end. But that wasn't the case. These are authors who have thought this through, planned and executed it very well.

In fact, they executed it so well that I finished this book immediately longing for the next one. Nothing was quite resolved, and there was quite a big cliffhanger. I probably would have enjoyed just reading a very big book with the entire story, but I can see why it's been done this way. It was a fast read, but I would recommend probably waiting until just before the next one comes out to read them both together - otherwise you'll be longing for the next one like me!!

I was initially interested in this book, but after starting it I realized it wasn't really for me! I couldn't connect with the characters or the narrative. DNF.

“*Hunger Games*, but with magic” is the way this book is being described, and that fits. And while that’s a perfectly fine concept for a book, the execution here falls flat. “Flat” is a good general descriptor of this book. It had its moments, but overall it just felt uninspired.

To go into a bit more detail, this book is set in a remote British city that contains the last remaining source of powerful High Magic. As far as most of the world knows, all the High Magic is centuries gone, but centuries gone seven families of this city got together and cast a spell over themselves and this High Magic source, ensuring it would remain hidden and in their collective control. Every twenty years, each family selects one of their sons or daughters as champion and sets them fighting each other; the family of the last surviving champion controls the High Magic for the next twenty years. Except this year, thanks to a tell-all published by an anonymous member of one of the families, their secret is out and the world knows what’s going on.

The story focuses on four of the seven champions. Alistair Lowe’s family has won the tournament more than any other, and they have a dark reputation and have raised Alistair to do what it takes to win. Isobel Macaslan didn’t want to be champion (in fact, she barely knows the Macaslan family; her parents divorced, and she lives with her mom), but she’s a powerful magician and is thrust into the role of champion. Gavin Grieve is from a family that has never won, and everyone (including his own family) just assumes he’s going to die in the first few hours. Gavin is determined to prove them wrong. And Briony Thorburn, who sees herself as a hero who will triumph on behalf of her family.

There are a number of things I didn’t particularly like about all this. For one, there was obviously an effort on the part of the authors to make parallels to the Hunger Games: the press attention, the competition for sponsors, tools to help win the tournament falling from the sky for the champions to seize on.

But this just doesn’t have the *heart* of the Hunger Games. Katniss is in the Hunger Games for one reason: to keep her sister from being there. Once there, she’s fighting because she has no choice. The Hunger Games are, ultimately, a tragedy; never once is Katniss tempted by all the talk of “glory” from the Capitol. Take away that, give everyone a motivation to win that’s more … ambiguous, maybe? … and the whole thing just feels cheap and tawdry.

And oh my God, the teenage angst. So, *so* much angst. If you were to take *Dawson’s Creek*, *Party of Five*, *Twilight*, and a few MCR albums, (yes, I know I'm dating myself) mash them up, and distill them to 195 proof angst, you STILL wouldn’t be quite as angsty as this book.

Despite my complaints, this isn’t bad. It’s solidly mediocre. If you’re looking for a decent popcorn read fit for a cloudy and cold November day, this isn’t a bad bet. Be forewarned, this is the first in a series, and doesn’t end at a particularly satisfying point. I’d be annoyed if I was interested in reading the sequel.

3 stars

You can read all of my books at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is an ok YA Fantasy book that pits seven teenagers from powerful magical families in a three-month long champion tournament to win control over a wellspring of high magick. The type of magick the world thought was long gone. Until now, the tournament has been a centuries old secret, but the publishing of a tell-all book about it has garnered world-wide attention. The town is flooded with curious spectators and the champions are provided with new information that may help them win.

But not all of the champions want to win the tournament. One is determined to break the curse that forces the families to fight in the tournament every twenty years, but can she get the others to agree to her plan?

I really looked forward to reading this book, which was touted as The Hunger Games with magic. Sadly, I had a hard time getting through the book. Normally I devour these kind of books in one or two days, but it took me almost two weeks to finish this one. The book was very slow paced until about 3/4 of the way through. After that the pace picked up until the rushed cliffhanger. Instead of providing a detailed account of worldbuilding, the author gave us a repetitive litany of champion characteristics. This resulted in two-dimensional, stereotypical characters.

Even after the pace picked up a bit during the tournament, the storyline faltered. Instead of flowing smoothly from one set of characters to another and building tension about what was going to happen next, the story focused on one set of characters, then jolted to another, with very little connection. The only thing that saved the book from being even worse was the fact that each chapter was told from a different character's perspective. This well-worn writing tactic saved the book from being even more choppy - barely. Other books handle this technique much better.

I liked the idea of the story better than I did the book. It wasn't awful - I'm probably being a bit too hard on the book because I wanted to like it so much more. If you want to read the book because all the "cool kids" are reading it - go for it. Don't say I didn't warn you, tho. :-) All joking aside, I recommend you give it a try. Perhaps it will be to your liking.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Tor Teen. All opinions are my own.