This book was SO good. I was hooked right from the start. The POV switches were done very well and they helped keep the pace of the story going. I thought it moved fast, which was good because there was tension building all over the place with every POV becoming more and more detailed with every switch. I found myself rooting for pretty much every main character because I'm a sucker for suffering MCs. I just felt for them all because they all had something that made them someone to root for. They're all going to do their best to stay alive through their circumstances and their relationships are so interesting and at times just plain complicated; between each other, and their familial relationships.
The magic system was new and intriguing to me as well. I liked that the magic was easily attainable and common to everyone and that it was just part of life. I really enjoyed the history to this magical world, the country, and of course the seven families.
I also think that one thing done very well was that the protagonists were very well-written in that they were well-rounded, they were all gray in some way. They truly were all villains and I personally can't wait for this book to come out.

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was one of my most anticipated books this year and while it wasn't quite what I expected it was full of grey morality and chaos and AHHH I cannot freaking wait for book 2 seriously, that ending??

The world building and magic system are so cool and well planned out. I love the idea behind the tournament and the champions and what the whole thing entails. I felt very slightly robbed as there was a relationship I was rooting for which got smashed to pieces by what felt like an insta-love connection but I'm not sure how both of those relationship possibilities will fare in the sequel considering how the book ended so i'm not giving up hope entirely..

Also I would die for Alistair Lowe. Just saying.

Magick and Mayhem!

In the city of Ilvernath, there was a well of high magick which was thought to be gone from the earth. In each generation a champion was chosen from each of the seven cursed families. The tournament and the vein of high magick were a secret until last year when someone from one of the seven families wrote a tell all book about it and now the reporters and cursemongers have descended upon the town. Those chosen champions fought in a tournament to the death and the winner bestowed his family with the right to control the high magick.

Allistair Lowe - the Lowe family wins 2 out of every 3 tournaments and Allistair is the favorite to win. The Lowes are hated by all in Ilvernath, though Allistair and his brother Hendry often sneak out of their mansion and go into Ilvernath to get away, to drink and to see what goes on in town. Allistair is a villain but wants to win so that Hendry doesn’t have to mourn him.

Isobel Macaslan - when the reporters and cursemongers came to town not long after the book, “A Tradition of Tragedy” was released, they immediately named Isobel as the champion often Macaslan family and she became an unwitting media darling. Though her family hadn’t yet named her as their champion it was pretty much a done deal.

Gavin Grieve - the Grieve family were the bad name in town. They were usually the first to die in the tournament and no spellmaker has ever allied with the Grieve family. Though Gavin had made a point to study hard, lift weights and prepare himself for the tournament as best he could, he was at a severe disadvantage because he basically had to train himself.

Briony Thorburn - she knows she is the best choice in her family to be the champion. Her family has a series of trials to find out who is worthy of being the family champion but when it comes down to the last trial, she finds a corrupt government has made a deal with her family and her sister is chosen over her.

“He tilted his head up, stared into the hazy sky. In less than two weeks, those clouds would turn the crimson color of high magick, like a red-tinged shroud draped over Ilvernath, and the tournament would begin. The Blood Veil would lighten a little bit with every champion’s death, until at last, when only one remained, true day and night would return and seemingly wash all the blood away, just like that.?”

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Hunger games with magic indeed.

A deadly curse takes place with every new generation in Ilvernath. Seven champions are selected from seven families, who must fight to the death in order to win exclusive control over high magick for their families - the most powerful resource in the world. It's told from four POV's from four champions. We learn their desires, traumas, agendas, vendetta's, clouding who I wanted to win, while getting frustrating at others for their decisions. Each character is morally grey - they have no choice but to be.

All of Us Villains was addictive, after five chapters I couldn't put it down, and finished it in one sitting. I loved the writing style so much, it beckoned me into the story and made me want to keep reading. I did expect more villainy, however, it ended so strongly, with so many intersecting points marking the descent into a villain. I do wish it was darker, but it is classified as young adult, which may have stopped deeper exploration into darker, more eerie themes.

I don't give 5 stars too often, but this book deserves it. It's that bloody good.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen and Netgalley for the ARC 🥰

I’m a simple person. I see descriptions of a book that say a The Hunger Games type competition with magic and Game of Thrones family dynamics, I read it. No questions asked.

Makin’ Magic

Magic is my literary crack. So, when a book has good magic going on, it gets major brownie points. The magic system in All of Us Villains is interesting. Sure, there are foggy elements, but while I do need more explanation than ‘it’s magic’, I don’t always require a complete scientific breakdown for a system to work. Here, spells & curses are crafted using recipes with specific ingredients and either common or high magic. After, they’re placed inside a vessel, e.g. a ring, until they’re cast by the holder. Spells have different power classes and this impacts their difficulty to craft and cast. Those made using high magic are far stronger, bumping up their class, which is why control of the town’s supply is so desirable. Here, magic fantastically walks the line between requiring planning/skill and still being flexible enough to use quickly in intense situations. You can tell the authors spent time thinking about how it would function within their world and this is great considering how crucial it is to the story.

I should mention though, when it comes to the world-building beyond this, things are hazy in spots. It can be difficult to understand how the broader world functions beyond the competition. This is especially the case when you consider the tell-all book revealing the competition to the world.

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble

AoUV spends a good amount of time leading up to its competition. As a result, the book has the space to properly establish each of its major characters, their families, and the tension between them. Yet, it doesn’t linger long enough to kill the anticipation. The competition kicks off around halfway, at which point I was excited for some fast, furious and brutal magical conflict. However, after a few pages, the pacing slows down a lot and focus shifts towards alliances, collecting artifacts, and the personal obstacles facing certain characters. While I didn’t mind this exactly, I wish there’d been a couple more actively aggressive competitors present to raise the stakes for the others earlier on. In other words, there aren’t any deaths for some time, so don’t expect a bloodbath right from the get-go. Although, things do eventually pick up again making for some exciting scenes, one involving a giant sea dragon and another a river of blood.

Alongside the champions fighting it out, the arena also has a few magical extras to keep things interesting – landmarks and artifacts. Landmarks act as bases of operations or strongholds for whoever claims them first. Each has its own unique benefits, so champions need to strategise wisely about which to target. Then we have artifacts. These appear in the competition at random times and bestow special abilities upon the user, such as a cloak that protects the wearer from offensive spells. I loved the idea of these (especially where one’s appearance would force champions into conflict to try and get to it first) and am keen to see more of them in the sequel.

Break the Curse

You might (not be) surprised to hear that the book also involves a ‘break the curse’ plotline. I can’t say much because of spoilers, but my feelings are mixed. I really like the direction being taken into the sequel with regards to the plot itself. However, there’s a connected subplot that arises late in the book which I found frustrating as it seems like it’s only introduced to force a conflict between two characters.

Champions with Something to Prove

For me, one of the best parts of AoUV was its characters. The book is written in limited third person from the perspective of four of the seven champions, and each has their own distinct personality, family backstory, and goals. Our cast consists of: Isobel, a talented spellcrafter pressured into representing the shady Macaslan family after being named champion by the media; Alistair, of the powerful and sinister Lowe family, raised to win from birth and taught to be a monster to survive; Briony, who has always dreamed of being the Thorburn champion and achieving hero status by winning; and lastly, Gavin, the champion of the weak and dismissed Grieves who is desperate to prove himself and regain respect for his family, whatever it takes. All four were compelling leads and I really enjoyed spending time with them. Still, I can’t help but wish they’d been slightly more “villainous” at times to increase the twists and drama.
______________________________________
All of Us Villains is a fun and engaging YA fantasy read that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. While there are things that could be improved upon, I highly recommend picking this up if it interests you. I know I’ll be looking out for the sequel next year to see how everything wraps up.

4 STARS

**Thank you to Netgalley & Tor for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review**

A land under a curse, a town now infamous for its deadly families and now it's time for the games to begin ! Seven families always vying with each other to win and control the High Magick that has long been sought after in this world were everything has a price. Our journey begins as the Champions of each family are chosen to willingly enter the battlefield under the Blood Moon and quite literally take control of the magical artefacts set loose and annihilate the opposition. Yes I do mean actually kill the other Champions to release the land from the oppressive conditions but should history really repeat itself or could there be another way ?
We get to know some characters much more than others so you would expect me to say it's easy to cheer for certain ones but actually I didn't find any of them particularly likeable but that's because they have been brought up under this twisted belief that what they do is as necessary as it's inevitable. It's very easy to dislike and revile even those who believe they act for the best because their actions change the narrative and it's a twisted journey as they flirt with both loyalty and change. Perhaps that is the crux of this first instalment because as a reader I changed my opinion on certain characters as they blundered through this travesty of tests . This is clearly aimed at those who enjoy YA fiction such as the Hunger Games but has its own unique setting and motivation. Easy to read but no less disturbing for all that these characters go through.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

In Ilvernath, seven families compete for control of the high magick. Every 20 years a champion is chosen for each family, these seven teenagers will be destined to fight each other until all but one die. The survivor's family will be the only family able to see and use high magick.

The book follows the point of view of four characters who will have to do with the Tournament in some way. This thing greatly influences the narrative, which is mainly focused on the growth and changes that the various characters face. Each character is iconic, well defined and unforgettable, I loved them all!

The one thing I wanted to know more about is general worldbuilding. What we know about it is discovered by going forward with the story, not immediately, and we only learn what is strictly necessary for the story (it's still a worldbuilding that I liked). However, I think this is a consequence of the choice to stick to the point of view of the various characters, who, in fact, do not need explanations about their own world.

In conclusion, I really liked this book very much, especially for the turn it takes at the end, for sure I will continue to think about these characters for a long time.

P.S. the first volume is not out yet and I already absolutely need the second one :,)

All of Us Villains is the first in a new dark fantasy series, that has elements inspired by The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. It’s not hard to see why this might appeal to fantasy lovers, me being one of them. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the second half of the book more than the first half since the first half was a lot more on the slower side and the second half was more about the actual tournament. Since there were multiple pov’s, it was a little difficult for me to be able to establish some kind of emotional connection to the characters, but i’m hoping that i’ll be able to do that when I read the sequel. I have to say though, Alistair Lowe is definitely the one i’m the most intrigued by.

Overall, it was super exciting to read and i’m absolutely dying to read the sequel. I cant wait to see what the authors have in store for us next !!

I was first attracted to this book by its premise…salacious tell-all book, magick, and tournament to the death? Count me in! But it was the characters that really drew me in. The players of this game, willing or not, were definitely the highlight of the story. As I was getting to know each personality, I loved them, then hated them, then loved them again…Now, for most I'm not sure where I stand. Let's just say it's complicated.

The world building was interesting, and the way it was presented, not all at once but slowly over the course of the book, kept me wanting more. I was quite pleasantly surprised (you just never know with a new-to-you author) how much I liked this book.

This was a roller coaster ride! It took me so long to get into it. Why? Maybe the beginning was slow or the characters seemed too melodramatic. I was also under the impression that this book would be about clever and devilishly handsome villains with tragic backstories, but what I got was vulnerable and self-conscious teenagers ..Did I finish the book with the same opinion? No! Once things start rolling, I couldn't put the book down.

This book is great if you're someone who likes battle royale style action. It's also a great read for those who like books about rebelling against the system! That's right, this book is punk! ☠️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

***** SPOILERS *****

"You Fell in Love with the Victors of the Hunger Games . Now Prepare to meet The Villains of The Blood Veil ."

I came across this title on GoodReads, and instantly added to want to read. But was lucky enough to get an ARC of this excellent book. I didn't pick it up for a while, and kicked myself after finishing for not picking it up earlier.
The town of Ilvernath has dark and deep secrets . Some victors come to kill , full of evil that has divided for years now. Some come for destiny, knowing there is no other way . But one comes to change the rules of the game forever.
Just like one victor , I may be fully intrigued by a certain Alistair Lowe , and I was drawn to his character and his complex demeanor . I love how I enjoyed some characters and hated others, for me that always makes for a great book . There was so much I liked about this book, but I loved the idea of using magic, in modern day , in a tournament , meant to kill . I don't know what that says about me, but my love for this book trumps all.

The ending killed me, like literally made me say WTH outloud. I almost threw the book across the room, but reread the last chapter 3 times to make sure I read it correctly. I can not wait until we can get the second book, to find out how our remaining victors are handling their current situations.

I do have to say, Alistair Lowe better be ok !!!

This freaking book was AMAZING! Like, I kind of want to go start it over. I think there are so many amazing details that I will enjoy reading it a second time. Also...when is the second book coming out? I need it right now!!

Okay, this is a mix of Hunger Games and maybe The Craft? It's got all the magical aspects that I love! The magic is so well created. I understand the spells, how they are made, and how they work. I felt the author did an amazing job of creating the world here. Then there's this secret fight to the death every 20 years that makes this story addictive. All of these characters bring an element of something special to the story. I loved that it was narrated by multiple people. It helped create the full view of the story. And I felt connected to multiple people.

There are so many surprises in this magical story that my jaw just kept on dropping. I loved the creative things that happen, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the second story!

I would highly recommend this for readers that enjoy characters that are morally gray in a magical environment!

I was disappointed by this book. The plot was so interesting and very reminiscent of The Hunger Games, one of my very favorite series. It was dark and broody and should have been right up my alley.

But it fell very flat for me. I found myself slogging through, unable to continue several times as the plot jumped from character to character. There were too many unnecessary POV's. This book could have been told entirely from Alistair's POV and would have made for a much better read. But it was just jarring, jumping from person to person, not knowing who to root for, not being particularly invested in any specific character. It jumped into the tournament too fast, and the tragedies were brushed over instead of really pushing the emotion of that moment.

And the ending was one of my pet peeves. This book did not end, it just stopped. Each book should have it's own individual conclusion. I love a book that ends in a cliffhanger, but this didn't END on anything, it just outright stopped mid-chapter, as if the rest of the book was just missing. I will not be reading the sequel.

I’m speechless. What a ride!! I’m in shock. I’m in awe. I’m in love. The talent of these wonderful authors! For anyone that’s a fan of dark, gritty fiction or even just dystopian YA (I’m thinking Vicious, The Hunger Games, The Darkest Minds kinda vibes) then this is it. The morally grey characters, the magic, the tournament - all of it was so good! I would've liked for the system of magic to be explained a little better (specifically the High Magic and why the Tournament started in the first place) but I'm fully expecting to see this explored in a sequel. 'All of Us Villains' is honestly a masterpiece and will from now on always be a novel I recommend. If this isn’t a bestseller, multi-award-winning, modern classic then I will EAT MY EAR. Whoo 😮‍💨 Anyway I loved it and am anxiously awaiting MORE. 😭 BIGGEST thank u to NetGalley for gracing me with an arc 🙏🏻

This novel is hovering between 3.5 and 4 (so I have rounded up).

I won't lie, it took me a really (REALLY) long time to get into this. The blurb is stellar and the whole premise of the story hooked me but I found the first 25% of this book dull. It was well written and I could see what the intrigue should be but it felt flat - to me, and I am very aware that lots of other people will disagree!

The novel is split across four perspectives (who I have listed below in order of how much I liked them...):

- Isobel: my favourite for most of the story. I thought she was written really well until about the 80% mark when her actions seemed a bit more forced to support the plot. But, she was interesting and strong and my favourite part of the entire story was watching her try to survive after she's put in a very tricky position just before the tournament starts.

- Alistair: yep, good, bad-boy (but secret soft boi really), got to love it. He was the most consistent throughout the novel and, personally, I found his motives the easiest to follow and most believable. His relationship with Isobel was brilliant and his relationship with Hendry - the only secondary character I actually cared about - was one of the best parts of the story.

- Briony: okay, I've got a bit to say about Briony. I actually really liked her. I found it a bit jarring when she went from being the ultimate champion (literally, basically drooling over going into the tournament and killing her friend/ex/other children in the town) to deciding the tournament was awful and everyone needed to work together to end it. I wasn't against this change in character because I found her MUCH more interesting in the second half but it just seemed abrupt.

- Gavin: Nope. Not for me. Sorry... I found him whingy at the start then he just straight up turns evil. I don't know, I just couldn't get behind him.

Really, other than Gavin, I thought the characters we're really well done and Foody and Herman did a grand job at making them the perfect levels of morally grey. Which is so important because it's a very character-led story.

The story picks up a lot in the second half, I actually wish they could have halved the time spent setting up the characters before the tournament. After a couple of chapters with each character, it was clear who they were and their motives.

Once we were into the tournament, I loved this story. It took me months to read the first 30% then I raced through the last 70% in a day so... take from that what you will! I will definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out, I'm excited to see where this is going.

Oh god, you guys. What a *travesty* this doesn’t come out in time for Halloween. All of Us Villains is exactly the scheming, twisted fantasy book that I didn’t even know I needed. Think evil magic Hunger Games—smaller in scale but twice as vicious.

Every generation there is a tournament. Marked by the Blood Moon over the secluded town of Ilvernath, seven families come together and offer a champion from their bloodlines to compete for a chance at immense power. High magick has long since left the world, used up recklessly thousands of years ago….or so it was thought. The only remaining source of this long-lost resource resides in Ilvernath, tied to the seven families and their generational curse. Only one family line may claim the magick, and only after defeating the other six competitors by winning the tournament in a fight to the death. And in order to protect this bloody legacy, all involved have kept the event a secret.

Up until now. Word has gotten out about this brutal practice and the world has descended on Ilvernath, ready to observe and judge the participants. With unprecedented scrutiny, will centuries of tradition finally snap under the pressure? Will champions from underestimated houses have better odds with this new wrench thrown into the chaos?

“Our families kept this secret for centuries. Seems to me that means, on some level, we all know what we’ve been doing is wrong.”

Thorburn. Payne. Grieve. Blair. Macaslan. Darrow. Lowe.

Let the games begin.


This book was all-consuming. I could not pick up another thing while I was still reading it. There’s something completely mesmerizing and addictive about the characters in All of Us Villains. They all commit some truly heinous acts, and for a wide range of reasons, but still you’re rooting for them to succeed.

Part of that is probably based in their struggle for survival. Like The Hunger Games, each competitor’s own success is dependent on the misfortune of those around them. But the comparison would probably be more apt if instead of Katniss and Peeta the champions exclusively had the personalities of tributes from Districts 1 & 2. Some are proud to be there, others are resigned to it, but they all are more than willing and capable of killing one another.

While there are seven champions, there’s only four perspectives in the book. You’ll probably be more invested in them than the other three, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be involved in everyone’s stories. Or that you’ll end up liking those four any better. In fact, getting inside their heads might be more of a turn off than observing them from a distance. I was so impressed with the way Amanda Foody and Christine Herman wrote these characters. They can be despicable one moment and endearing underdogs the next—you’re never quite sure which version you’re going to get. Expect your own loyalties to shift just as often as the characters’ do.

At this point I do have to issue a warning to potential readers: this book ends on a massive cliffhanger. Honestly it’s such a big cliffhanger that it almost feels like they just chopped the last 25% of it off and sent it out that way. I guess I won’t be able to judge whether or not the sequel is a natural continuation of the story or not until it’s out (it’s not close to coming out), but I was totally caught off guard with how this ended. Okay, even more than that, I was ~M A D~. Like, big mad. Honestly I’m still a little mad I can’t read the rest right this second.

I know that’s probably a testament to the writing and how compelling this story was, but I’m sorry Tor Teen—you’ve created a monster. I am going to be lurking around, tapping on walls and rattling chains until you release the follow-up. As of now the page for it just says ”2022”, but I will be haunting you all until I have the resolution in hand. You have been warned!!

Ok surprisingly enough, I ended up really enjoying this book! I was not expecting myself to like it as much as I did, but i ended up reading it in a day. I enjoyed most of the main characters and I thought the premise was just a really fun concept. I will for sure be purchasing this book when it’s officially released!

Thank you, NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The world-building and characters in this book were amazing. It was a little confusing at the beginning trying to remember the various characters but overall they were all skillfully written. The betrayals and mystery made it impossible to put down. Highly recommend.The world-building and characters in this book were amazing. It was a little confusing at the beginning trying to remember the various characters but overall they were all skillfully written. The betrayals and mystery made it impossible to put down. Highly recommend.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman is a fantastic novel! It was so thrilling and I couldn't put it down!

A deadly tournament with seven champions, and generations-old family stories and secrets, feed the magic that binds their fates together in All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman.

In the city of Ilvenrath there are seven families who vie for an opportunity to have control over high magick, a valuable resource, for the period of time between each Blood Veil. This opportunity comes in the form of a tournament every generation with each family supplying a champion to compete to the death as part of this ancient curse. Each family has their reputation and stories that have been passed down, but one family, the reigning champions with a long-standing history of success, have a rather sinister, and highly secretive, one; however, in the wake of a mysterious publication of an anonymously penned tell-all book long-kept secret details about the tournament are made public knowledge, giving each of this year’s champions a greater possibility of winning, or at the very least changing their story, though it comes at a high, and bloody, cost.

With an interesting magic(k) system presented, the story moved swiftly as it began to build the outline of the world, revealed the historical context for the events taking place, and introduced key characters; the magic system itself was generally well-described and unique but the world in which it resides is a little sparse and difficult to fully envision. Written from the perspectives of four of the seven champions (which makes me ask why only four), the story is driven forward by the characters as they and their motivations are developed as well as the actions they take. There’s quite a bit of twisted darkness and cruel family dynamics that are fascinating to explore as revealed through the characters’ motivations and behaviors and helps to take this story beyond a mere rehashing in a magical setting of The Hunger Games, but their general aim, once revealed, may not strictly be heroic but doesn’t feel exceptionally villainous either. The pacing was a bit off, with it picking up about half way through and then end felt quite sudden as the intrigue and action were finally coming together well and at a boiling point only to abruptly halt the built momentum in anticipation of a subsequent book, in which there’s still quite a lot to be addressed.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.