I was sorely disappointed by this book. All the taglines I saw said this was a queer Hunger Games with morally-gray to just bad and evil characters killing each other. It was... not really any of these things.

The Hunger Games part I can get, that is if we say everything is like the Hunger Games when teenagers are forced to fight and kill each other in order to survive. Sure, it had that, but it also lacked the motivation and reasons that the Hunger Games had to really drive home that point.

And queer? If we call any book queer that has even the slightest queer rep in it, then yes this was queer. But I would not call it a queer book. It had queer characters who's identities were so subtle and underplayed that I wouldn't have even noticed if I didn't go in reading it knowing it was supposed to be queer. There is NO queer romance in this, just minor pining from one character and subtle references to another character being bisexual. It was lackluster and felt very baiting.

This book did start out good. The pacing felt fine as we were slipped into this dark world of magic and old families vying for the same terrifying power. Then it just dragged on and on and on and we don't get to the Hunger Games part until the 50% point. And after waiting so long to get to the action I was upset to find that the action was planned and it mostly involved even MORE talking and boring scenes.

The magic system felt bland and under developed. I think the magic in Carry On felt more realistic and interesting than what was happening in this books.

And tension I was supposed to feel was so watered down because we had FOUR narrators and it could have been done with two. Honestly we just needed one, but I'm trying to give the authors a break. Because of these many jumps in narration I felt like we never got to see the characters really develop into anything other than their framework. And considering these four narrators are always near each other it wasn't really necessary to have all their perspective. Might as well just have added the other three participants in the battle and maybe I would have cared a little when some of the died.

On top of all of this the authors had the audacity to not make this a stand alone, which I just don't understand. There are so many loose ends that did not even need to exists in this book. I'm honestly shocked this managed to get past the editing stages.

Anyways, save yourself the time and don't read this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an early review copy of this book!

I was so excited for this book. Dark, grim, characters that all have interior motives set in a Hunger-Game-like arena and only one comes out alive? I am totally into it. The cover is beautiful, the synopsis pulls you in and you know the authors have delivered before.

Well, for the most part this story was entertaining. But I had a few points I would like to make that, sadly, left me feeling underwhelmed and not attached. It took about 40% of the book to even get to the game which made it feel a little draggy. And once we got to the game, it wasn't what I expected. It was a lot of characters making alliances, falling in love and not a lot of action.

I never really got attached to any of the characters. I felt like they each had like "a thing" and that was it for their character. Alistair’s point of view was probably my favorite. With his "I am a monster" but him actually having a cinnamon roll core. He probably had the worst thing done to him in this book and things never got better for him. So I did get a little attached to him.

But Gavin? No, he needed to go to a counselor to get that chip off his shoulder. Isobel? Gosh she was betrayed in this book, but nothing she couldn't handle. Briony? Deserved everything she got. She set herself up for failure and I do not feel sorry for her.

At the end of the game, if you like broody, dark-ya fantasies this book is going to rock your socks off. I just.. it was a little slow for me and I felt like it was missing some depth and dimension for me. I am eager for the second one because cliffhanger alert, I need answers lol.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the ARC of this book.

Oh man...at 80% through this book I was thinking it was a standalone and I was enjoying it immensely and bummed it wasn't going to be a series so I checked and found it was a series, hooray! And then I was immediately thought "oh no, I'm 80% through and there is no way everything gets wrapped up in this book....it's going to end with nothing resolved isn't it?!" Ugh....but I can't wait for the next books! There is so much character development and twists - it really kept me entertained and wanting more (which is saying something given my current life circumstances).

The beginning of a series that combines a unique magic system with the Hunger Games? Yes please and thank you.

This is a story that is quite broad in its scope. It has a lot to keep many readers happy. There’s magic, blood shed, a unique tournament, fascinating characters with complex histories and lots of unexpected twists! This one will keep you on your toes! It also finished off on a cliffhanger, leaving me desperately waiting for the next installment!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor for the opportunity to read this book in advance!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TWs: death, blood, gore, abusive family, violence, curses

I absolutely adored 'All of Us Villains' and the world it introduced the reader to. Ilvernath, the setting for the book and for the entire Hunger Games style tournament among seven warring families, was richly described with an incredibly strong history behind it. It left the reader knowing that everyone in the town had become desensitised to the incredible violence that occurred every twenty years when a curse called the Blood Veil fell. The families all have different motivations for trying to win but it all comes down to the same idea: they want the strong magic that is withheld except for by the winner of the tournament. The multiple perspectives from the different champions was so entertaining, I especially enjoyed the parts with Alistair Lowe and Isobel Mascalan as they learned that the tales told by paparazzi about each other weren't necessarily true. Briony Thornburn and her need to be the champion was a huge motivator for her and I loved her gradual realisation that her selfishness (while effective in surviving) was actually ruining other people's lives. The highlight of this book for me was the character of Gavin Greave, who went from unknown and destined to die to accessing a form of magic that is incredibly dangerous. I loved how the authors showed his reasons for becoming the way he did, the mental blocks he jumped over to justify his behaviour, and I can't wait to see where he might go next. The ending was fast paced and full of twists, ending at a pivotal point for all of the characters remaining. This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year, the sequel can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned!

This cover draws you in . It prepares you to be ready for the upcoming tournament. Look at all the spelled and cursed rings on my fingers .. beware , or lose your head and most likely your life.

This book is so compelling. I was immersed immediately after starting . A magical tournament starts between 7 families when the blood moon rises. The winner must defeat all others to control magic until the next blood moon. This is a fight to the death , play dirty at any cost . Ah , I have your attention .! The characters were complex , gritty and knew how to play hard. I can’t wait to get a physical copy . Dark , attention getting!
Loved it

Every 20 years, the Blood Veil falls. And each of the seven magical families sends one champion to compete for control of high magick.

Alistair has been raised to be a villain.
Isobel was thrust into the spotlight.
Gavin wants to be different than his family.
Briony has always known she’d be a champion.

I absolutely loved this book. I was hesitant because I don’t love villains and antiheroes...except in the right circumstance. And this was absolutely the right circumstance. The characters were just villainous enough to make the story work, but I also learned to love them.

This was ABSOLUTE perfection. I am still internally screaming after finishing it. I can't get over the emotional rollercoaster that I went through with this book. I loved characters. I hated characters. It was the absolute perfect mix of everything I need in my books.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman is the first book in the new young adult fantasy series by the same name, All of Us Villains. As with most fantasy series the books are best read in order starting with this first book and continuing on as the series will pick up the story from book to book. The story in this series is one that is told by changing the point of view between the various characters.

For centuries there has been a tournament in the city of Ilvernath once every two decades to determine which of seven families will gain control of high magick. Each of the seven cursed families choose a representative to send into the tournament to fight to the death with only one remaining the victor. This has all always taken place in secret until this year when reporters have swarmed the town after details were leaked of the upcoming tournament.

Much like the Hunger Games the participants in All of Us Villains are tossed into a battle to the death but these characters aren’t the innocent children that readers sympathized with in the Hunger Games. That being said though the ‘villains’ were all chosen from their families and each had their own unique reasons and personalities they brought to the battle and it was fun getting to know them in the story. As much as it seems like this one is a remake of the Hunger Games the story is different and took on it’s own identity fairly quickly. Once the games began the pages flew by waiting to see how it would all unfold in this first book of the series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Every twenty years a blood moon rises over Ilvernath.

A beacon which means a deadly tournament is about to take place. Seven representatives. Six sacrifices. The reward is sole access to all of the high magick left in the world.

A centuries old secret kept by seven families, until a damning tell-tall brings scrutiny to Ilvernath. The tournament is now infamous and the pressure to win is higher than ever.

With chapters dedicated to each champion, you learn the gruesome history of the tournament that taints this town. Their strengths and weaknesses and the connections they build to obtain the most dangerous spells.

Packed with complex characters, lots of blood and violence and a super fun and unique magic system, this book ends on cliffhanger that will have you counting down the months until book two comes out.

For readers who want the brutality and gore of Battle Royale, the world building of The Hunger Games and a creative magic system like Mistborn.

All of Us Villians comes out November 9th. Thank you to NetGalley and TorTeen for an ARC of this title.

I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Readers Copy of “All of Us Villains” by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman. This book has been generating quite a lot of buzz in YA circles, so I eagerly jumped into the fray to see if it lived up to the hype. The answer was, yes (for the most part). The novel had a fascinating concept and very cool worldbuilding. I love fantasy books that take place in modern settings, so this novel hit the spot in that regard. The magic system was incredibly fascinating and I would have loved to know more about that. I was promised villainy and morally gray characters, and I found that in droves. All of the characters were very interesting and I liked that they were all villains despite their different personalities, backgrounds, and definition of what exactly a villain is. Due to the perspective chapters being limited to 4 of the 7 champions, we do miss out on some perspectives that could accentuate the novel. Some of the characters felt a little too similar in their descriptions relating to appearance, and as far as I gleaned from reading it they all appear to be white characters. In the sequel, I would like to see more diversity in regards to characters' race. Speaking of the sequel, with the cliffhanger ending there is certainly a lot of material for one! I felt like the second half of the book unraveled so fast that it was hard to grasp what was going on. A more gradual unraveling of the world we were just getting accustomed to would have allowed readers to have a keener grasp on the second halves' events. This was to the point that the plot twists seemed unsatisfying and the cliffhanger did not stun as much as it should have. I eagerly look forward to the sequel to see how it is resolved. In conclusion, this is a fascinating story with interesting characters and mind-bending magic. It just lost control of itself in the end. I cannot wait to see where it leads next.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman is a high-stakes fantasy that puts a unique twist on the concept of the tournament to the death. Depicting a competition where players fight through curses, this one contains morally grey characters and a well developed magic system. This is a great read for those looking for a dark, character-driven fantasy.

Each generation, seven families nominate one champion to compete in a fight to the death. Only, instead of fighting with weapons, they fight with curses. Should a family’s champion win the competition, they earn the privilege of controlling high magick, which everyone else in Ilvernath believes is obsolete, until the next games. This year, however, the secrets of the tournament have surfaced, bringing reporters and spectators to the games for the first time ever. Now, with all eyes on the tournament, the competitors have a choice to make—continue on, or put an end to the games forever.

❀ WELL-DEVELOPED NARRATORS

This book contains four different narrators, and each is well developed. As the tournament progresses, we follow Alistair, the champion with the highest chance of winning, Isobel, who never wanted to compete in the first place, Gavin, the underdog, and Briony, who stole the opportunity to compete from her sister. While there are many characters to keep track of, each is distinct, and the authors do an excellent job outlining their differing motivations. These characters are also complex and morally grey, as the title suggests, although I wouldn’t necessarily call them villains.

❀ UNIQUE USE OF MAGIC

One of the elements that impressed me the most was the role of magic in the book. The concept of a fight to the death through magic is unique, and the world building details such as the characters purchasing spells from a store brings dimension to the story. I especially enjoyed the consequences of using magic, as it may backfire if the characters make curses themselves. While I found that the world building could have been stronger, the unique use of magic made up for this.

❀ AN ORIGINAL FANTASY

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman is an original fantasy with magic and plenty of twists. The tournament is brutal yet engaging, and each of the competitors is well developed. The use of magic is particularly well executed, bringing a unique angle to the story. Fans of The Hunger Games will not want to miss this one.

I received as an ARC through Netgalley. The description of All of Us Villains compared it to the Hunger Games, and it did not disappoint! A curse is on the land that every 20 years the seven families that control the high magic must put up a champion that competes to the death until only one is left standing. While there are a lot of different narrators, the story flows nicely. Not clear cut who is a hero or a villain, a lot of gray area like real life. Can the curse, like other curses be broken? Will the champions of each family try to work together, or will they keep repeating the same patterns as in centuries past? Cannot wait for the next book in this series by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman.

a delightfully dark read with an ending that is truly another beginning.

while the pacing falters here and there, i was completely drawn and hooked into this world of sacrifice and bloodshed. i enjoyed the relationships between the characters (especially gavin’s relationships with Everyone), but mainly how they stuck to themselves rather than each other, all with their own motives and goals. i only docked a star because i found the romance unnecessary, as well as poorly executed. however, this is a world i plan on revisiting whenever the next bit drops.

The Hunger Games meets the darker side of Harry Potter makes for a most addicting read.

All Of Us Villains drew me in right from the beginning. I couldn’t put this book down. Normally I don’t like books with a similar premise to other popular books, but this one was just different enough for me to be able to thoroughly enjoy it without feeling like I was reading The Hunger Games over again.

The cast of characters was well developed and dynamic. Each one had their own quirks that made them likable in their own ways. The magic system in this book was also well thought out and very interesting. It wasn’t the boring wave of a wand or spell words magic, but something more intricate and sinister.

I loved all the plot twists the book had. It definitely held me in suspense the whole time. Overall, I thought this book was excellent and I can’t wait for the sequel. Thank you to NetGalley for this ebook ARC!

This was such a unique book and I completely fell in love!

In the city of Ilvernath there is a generational tournament for high magick. Ceremoniously, one person from each of the seven families is chosen and the tournament is to the death. Only one will remain. But this time is a little different because the remote town is swarmed with people who all have something to say about it. Protestors and reporters alike have come in droves creating a whole new element to this ordeal.

The dynamic between the chosen in this generation of the tournament is intense. With backstabbing betrayal and new alliances, these seven all enter into this round each believing they will be the one to come out victorious. With this story being told from only four narratives of the seven, I felt like we got just the right amount of insight into the proper minds to tell the story to its perfection. I cannot get over how much fun this was to read. Some of the chosen were the actual worst (one in particular even if she thought she was doing the right thing… just no! I despised her) and some were perfect - I am talking about Alistair. He was a hands down favorite. Coming from the more villainous of the families, he was a shoo-in to win, considering his family usually wins, giving them the terrible villainous reputation. Loved him!

I cannot wait for more in this creative and dark magical series.

All of Us Villians is a young adult urban fantasy about seven teens forced to fight each other in a to-the-death style magical duel.
After five centuries of hiding the truth the city of Ilvernath has finally had their biggest secret leaked in a tell-all book. Now the world knows that they control the high magic by having an epic three month showdown once every generation between seven of their top families. We follow possible contestants Alistair, Isobel, Briony and Gavin as they deal with their relatives, their magical abilities and the world as it watches. But once the sky turns red marking the beginning of the duel we start to see the cracks under the contestants exteriors. Alistair has presented himself as the ultimate monster but the love he has for his brother and a possible romance with a fellow contestant shows his human side. Isobel has a spell go wrong before the tournament and enters it weak and scared and Gavin makes a deal that makes his magic unreliable. And Briony risks everything to compete in order to dismantle the curse that runs the tournament from the inside but she’ll need help from the other six contenders and no one is inclined to believe her.
All of Us Villains is a new twist on tournament type young adult books. By incorporating curses and spells and a cast of morally grey characters Foody and Herman created a brand new story for YA audiences. All of Us Villains kept me riveted all the way to the end and thanks to the cliffhanger ending I look forward to reading more books in this series.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you loved The Hunger Games and Maze Runner back in the day, then listen up - this one’s for you!

Every generation of the elite families sends one champion to compete in a death tournament when the blood moon rises. If their champion wins, the family gets access to high magick until the next generation competes. Except this year, the champions don’t want to straight up slaughter each other. Something’s going on, and maybe they will get to the bottom of what’s really driving this tournament… or maybe they won’t.

This books gets pretty brutal without warning in parts. There were a few audible oh sh*ts that came out of my mouth. I absolutely loved the premise, and there was such an array of personalities to round out the cast. The only thing I’m mad about? That epic cliffhanger at the end!

A big thank you to Netgalley (@netgalley )and the publisher (@torteen ) for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. This review expresses my own personal opinions.

All of Us Villains describes a modern fantasy world where there's not much magick left and the most powerful remnant is locked, only accessible to the family that wins a murderous tournment in which the 7 families have competed for centuries. This tournament has now been exposed to the press by a tell-all, leaving the selected teen champions chosen to compete exposed to the public in a way they never have before. The book follows some of the champion as they manage the physical, emotional, and social aspects of finally getting into a much anticipated fight to the death with people you know and with whom you have centuries of history. In addition to the individual dynamics between the contestants, the familial and town politics add some flavor to this competition, making it feel less self-contained and giving the contestants a backstory to differentiate them, as none had a traditional path on their way to champion. The synopsis is pretty vague because going into this book knowning absolutely nothing created tension for the first quarter that usually gets exposed in the summary given by the publisher (not this time!).
I really liked that this world felt somewhat modern, a good mesh of modern society with some old trimmings. At the same time, the way the book was written was dark enough that it felt Gothic at times, a perfect vibe for a fall/Halloween read. It gave more gruesome details and deeper emotions about killing than you feel from most fantasy books. The tournament, once they got into the arena that is, felt very much like the Hunger Games with magick, though everyone felt like one of the Careers here. I loved the romance arc, having one of my favorite enemies-to-love trope with little insta-love. I will say some of the twists were staring you in the face the whole time, but on the whole, the shifting dynamics between the champions kept me reading right up until the end. I can't wait for the sequel because the book fully ends in the middle of action, not on a cliffhanger, but just after one.

OHHHHHH MY GOD!!!!

I am in a state of shock after reading this I’m literally screaming this was NOT what I was expecting and I’m obsessed with it

vibes are: hunger games x witches - like please say less I’m totally in (and if you want the best experience like I did, that’s literally all you need to know about this book)

every generation when the blood moon falls, it’s time for a new slaughter seven to take their place. one champion under the age of 21 from each of the seven powerful witch families must partake in the tournament to the death - the last surviving champion will have alllllllll of the expensive high magic until the next tournament. oh yes, I said surviving, as in they all have to kill each other.

*cue rue’s theme*

the story itself is told from 4 different champions POVs: alistair (the brooding projected heir whose family mysteriously always seems to win), isobel (the popular favorite due to her looks and charm), briony (the scorned sister who is determined to find more loopholes in the tournament than not), and gavin (another brooding male whose family has almost never won and they’re seen as basically losers).

I loved hearing from them all separately and see how they all felt about each other and the tournament without narrator bias. and the description of the spell-rings and magic was just *chef kiss* AND THAT ENDING? I NEED ANSWERS!!!

everyone needs to read this one when it comes out this month holy crap!! thank you to netgalley and macmillan forge publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

wine pairing: mouvèdre blend
rating: 4.5 stars