This book was a bit Hunger Games and a little Wizards of Waverly Place but overall entirely unique. Even with a large cast of characters, I felt like I knew each one. Each character was a little hero and villain. I liked that because it left you a off kilter, not knowing how someone might act at any given time. This book was captivating and perfectly written, with just the right amount description and plot. It’s a hauntingly dark read I couldn’t put down. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Now, I don't know if it was just the trend of Hunger Games esk books that brought this around, or if maybe I just read this at a bad time, but it was harder for me to get through. I kept having to jump backwards and remember what was happening to what character and who was speaking and who they were in general. NOW, it's not that I didn't like the book. I enjoyed the concept and the setting, it just needed a little bit more refinement.

If your favorite part of the Hunger Games trilogy was the part where a bunch of teens tried to brutally murder one another for their own gain, then All of Us Villains is the story for you. A collaboration between popular YA authors Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman, the story is a dark tale of darker families, who are willing to sacrifice their own children in the name of holding on to the last bit of powerful magic in their world.

Herman and Foody do a strong job of giving the quartet of main characters distinct voices and motivations and dig into each contestant's family histories and preexisting relationships. Though we don't get distinct POV chapters for the other three champions in the tournament, they also have strong personalities and stories of their own.

On the whole, All of Us Villains is dark, delightful fun, though there are moments where it feels like the story is still a little afraid to go as dark as one might expect from its tone and premise. Several twists at the end of the story hint that its inevitable sequel could go there - and I truly hope it does - but I feel like the fact that this is ultimately a YA story will be something of a limiting factor in that regard.

That said, there are some shocking moments throughout and each of the story's main characters go through fairly complex emotional arcs as they are confronted with the reality of actually taking part in a tournament which means that in order to survive they'll have to literally get blood on their hands.

A fast-paced page-turner, you'll find this story one that's hard to let go of until the very last page.

The first book in a duology, All of Us Villains follows the first Tournament after the world learns of the bloody tradition of Ilvernath. Each generation one children from seven ancient families compete for control over high magick by killing the other six competitors. While the Lowes have won this Tournament nearly every time, the tell-all that brought the world's attention to the city has offered new opportunities and new paths for the cycle.

The potential for corruption arcs and the contrast between villainy and survival was what drew me to this book. It felt like a strong way to kick off spooky season and delivered on that. I found each of the focal character's ambition to be well done, and each built their ambition on very different foundations: the desperation to live up a family legacy of monstrosity, the drive to prove that you are worth any time of notice, the need to live so that tragedy is not the end of the narrative. With the declaration of villainy from the start, this book offers a question of how much is the result of characters own choices and how much of is the side effect of circumstances none of them truly chose.

I really enjoyed this book. I found most of the characters to be not likable but compelling. Likability is not the concern for any of them. The violence within the book was well balance to me with the knowledge that it was a horror the events were taking place at all. More over, Foody and Herman hold both the society and each competitor responsible for their actions. The stakes of All of Us Villains are life and death and the reader nor the characters gets to forget that. But neither do the characters get to pass all blame onto the world around them. All in all an excellent fall read.

"Do you hear that?... That's the sound of bones breaking"
"He needed to become the most villainous of them all"
Can you imagine the Hunger games, this time without good people being selected for it but with sons and daughters of the most important villainous families?
If you can than this is definitely the book for you.
I was a bit scared at the very beginning but it didn't take more than one chapter to make me addicted to this story and these characters.
7 teenagers in a tournament , each and everyone of them has a reason to win: pride, revenge, power and even pure survival instinct...
Alliances are made and old and new friends find themselves in a game they cannot control.
With the help of an amazing magikal system they'll start facing others, as well as themselves, in a journey through revelations and fights that will bring some of them closer than expected, though always hunted by the shadow of death.
"Each one - in very different ways - dreamed of death"
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I loved how the action in this book evolves around not one but four different main characters forced with each other in the worst possible circumstances.
The writing style was amazing; the third person narration and the division of chapters based on the different point of views was strategical to make me see the story has a whole and make it impossible to loose track of what was happening and what each character was feeling at that time.
It's a story about villains and heroes and it gave me perspective about how thin the line between them is.
The readers are there , informed of the protagonists' background and unable to judge them but with the opportunity to form their own opinion.
And the ending?
Book two cannot come soon enough for me!
"Grins like goblins
Pale as plague
Silent as spirits
They'll tear your throat and drink your soul"
"I like scars. They make me look more threatening"
"Monsters couldn't harm you if you were a monsters, too"

If you like the hunger games then you'll love this. I couldn't put it down and read it in one night!

It is my honour to present a short review of one of the best YA books I've ever read - All of us Villains by the brilliant Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman. I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity to read this masterpiece as an eARC, since the official publication date is at the beginning of November. ♥️ Thank you, NetGalley!

As the name of the book suggests, you won't get any heroes in this book. Not actual heroes standing on the side of good, fighting evil who never make mistakes. What you get here is a bunch of morally grey characters, who have their own, hidden agenda, which has been the centre of their existence since the day they were born.

The story takes place in the city of Ilvernath, which had been as remote as it could have been until the day the truth about it was made public - it is a home to seven ancient families dealing with an ancient curse. Every 20 years a bloodveil covers the battlefield, where representatives of each family have to fight for their lives. Representatives, who haven't even reached full adulthood yet. Who were raised and trained to fight, but also to be prepared to die for their family. The winner takes all - whichever family's champion wins, it gains control over the city's high magick supply.

As you can see, the world of All of us Villains is everything but ordinary. It is cruel and competitive. Everyone has access to magick, but magick is nothing compared to high magick. The families are prepared to do anything to win, even if it means to sacrifice more than is bearable. I do not want to spoil anything, but it is kinda obvious, that some of the families have better chances to win. They are richer, which means they can provide their champion with more magick than the others. Some of the families also have the history of winners, which isn't something the others can say. I'm not giving you any names, but all I can say is - expect the unexpected!

The plot is brilliantly elaborated and there are multiple moments where you'll be asking yourself "What the hell just happened?"
We get multiple points of view during the story, so you get to know what's going on inside the heads of the champions. You really get to know their character and personality. You may be confused about who is who during the first few chapters, but afterwards, you're going to be sure as hell, since every villain is completely different. The funny thing is that even if you choose your favourite one, he or she is surely going to do something you won't approve of. Which is the main reason to keep in mind the fact that you know they're villains from the very beginning.


I couldn't put this book down. It was incredible. I've always wanted to read a book where it is not clearly stated who you should support, who is the good and who the bad guy. Which is one of the reasons it was so satisfying to read. To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure on who is my favourite. The fact is that almost every character has a trait I'm really fond of.

The ending of this book was mind blowing. So now, I'm just sitting here, waiting for the sequel to be published. And yes, the first book hasn't even been officially published yet. Poor me.

Thank you so much Amanda and Christine for such an unforgettable experience!

Magic, power, and a competition to dictate who holds it all. Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each put forth a champion who compete in a tournament to the death. The winner’s family is in control of the high magick (the most powerful magic) until the next winner claims it. For the past few years the continuous winners were the Lowe family, known to be the most cruel, most murderous, and dangerous. This year Alistair Lowe is named, he is essentially known as the devil, yet maybe there is more to this boy than just the rumors. Other champions include Isobel Macaslan, Elionor Payne, Carbry Darrow, Finley Blair, Innes Thorburn, Gavin Grieves. The story is told from the alternative POVS of Alistair, Isobel, Gavin, and Brioney. When a book is released exposing this city’s competition, suddenly the government has gotten involved and now this competition is open to much more scrutiny than before. Each of the characters are different from each other and all their motivations vary. Alistair may see himself in the role of the monster, and despite his vicious nature, he is a boy steeped in grief and trauma and a deep love for his brother. Isobel is handpicked by her family, practically forced into this tournament when all she wanted was to live a normal life, to just live. Gavin is desperate to gain power, to put his family name back on the map, and to not be low man on the totem pole anymore. Briony is determined to save them all, she wants to break the curse of the tournament and find a way to protect her sister. With complicated family histories, feelings, this tournament will create alliances and bring forth betrayals as well, and in the end there can only be one winner. If you loved the hunger games then you will definitely love this. I absolutely fell in love with Alistair and can’t wait to read more about him in the next book. This was such a fun book to read and though I was expecting more villainy with a title like All of Us Villains, this was still a wonderful read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

4.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I found the magic system to be fairly easy to digest but also very interesting. I would definitely say this is sort of like a magical Hunger Games except with less death.

My favourite characters were probably Isobel and Alistair, and I look forward to seeing where their storylines take them in the next book. I definitely think that Alistair is probably the most complex of the characters, and the surprise twist at the end has me excited for what will be in store for him as well as the others.

I guess my only complaint was that a lot of the time the characters didn't really feel villainous? There are definitely some surprises in the book, but most of the time they seemed like scared yet determined teenagers rather than actual villains. That being said, I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story goes and will definitely be reading the next book!

If the tributes in The Hunger Games were starving for magic, you'd have All Of Us Villains.

Every 20 or so years, the most powerful families send a representative to fight to the death for control of the highest form of magic. Are they teens? Yes. Is it an honor to eliminate the competition? Yes. Does this make them monsters? Possibly, but what the masses don't know won't hurt them.

It's a curse, but it's also a blessing...or is it? What happens when someone tells all and the participants start to question the rules?

I was hooked from the second page. This story is full of characters in my favorite shade, MORALLY GREY! Knowing that your family is training you as a sacrifice of sorts makes for some wild dysfunction. Add to that a world full of people who now see you as a celebrity monster, and you have all of the ingredients for a disaster. It's brutal and horribly sad, and I loved it.

Thank you Tor Teen and Netgalley for an eARC of 'All of Us Villains' in exchange for an honest review:

And honestly? My mind is still spinning--for whatever reason, my brain thought it was dealing with a standalone novel...and it is most definitely not! And that ending?!? What was that?!? If you are not a fan of cliffhangers and dangling uncertainly (and in shock) until the next installment...maybe wait on reading this one.

That all said, I absolutely loved this read! That pacing is quick. The storyline compelling. The characters fascinating. I am a huge 'Hunger Games' fan--and this is definitely a magic-infested Hunger Games for fantasy lovers. It is also even more complex, as you alternately follow 4 of 7 'Champions', rather than a single competitor; and each one is so incredibly layered and nuanced and not a single one is perfect or an obvious hero. These characters are all so so flawed and yet so so real! And as a result I am so so invested in continuing this story.

Definitely recommend--though I would also warn that the authors place us in a death match and do not then shy away from when that means: violence and gore and even death. Be Prepared. 4.5 STARS.

Oooookay, that was a bore. I got as far as 36% with a lot of skimming, but omg this was bad. Nothing interesting had happened yet. I was promised a bloody villainous hunger games and they take half the book to introduce the players? Yeaaaah, nope. This is not the book for me.

DNF at 36%

Holy Crap!!!

First off thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was...dark, twisted, fantastical and enthralling. I wasn't sure what to fully expect going into this novel. I have read an Amanda Foody novel before but not a Christins Lynn Herman novel....and now I kind of regret that.

This is a story filled with morally gray characters, betrayal, truths, regret, lies, magick, family, friends, and loyalty. It is a book that will work your mind, you will think you have everything figured out only to find out it isn't that easy.

The characters are unique yet relatable. It's a weird feeling to me when you can relate to multiple characters all at once. Though it definitely made the reading experience more enjoyable.

I was hooked right from the beginning and am excited and patiently waiting for book two. If you love morally gray characters who are trying to do what they believe is right regardless, magick and old magick at that, The Hunger Games, and loads of unexpected truths and betrayals. Definitely give this boom a chance, you won't be disappointed!

I love a good villain! Make them awful but with a few redeeming qualities, so I’m not sure if I should love them or hate them! And wait, what’s this? All the MC’s are a bit villainous in this book? Delicious!

Written in 3rd person, multi POV, this novel was a joy to read with its polished prose. The characters were well developed and dynamic, and at times frustrating. I yelled at my kindle more than once. My understanding of the character’s motivations became a bit murky towards the end with the shifting alliances and emotional attachments. I started the book rooting for one character and by the end, I was rooting for someone else. But never Eleanor, she was deplorable.

Can’t wait to read the sequel! Villains 4 eva ❤️

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I heard that this was the next Hunger Games, this book immediately became one of my most anticipated reads. As someone who enjoyed the Hunger Games, I was always craving for another book that could deliver the same rush I felt upon reading about characters competing against each other to the death. Luckily, this book gave me some of that. From the moment I saw the gorgeous cover I was excited to delve deep into it.

This book covers many POVs, something that I enjoy when reading. Personally I like knowing what every character in a book is feeling as it gives me the whole perspective of the events that are happening. I liked the suspense I was experiencing as I read this book.

One thing I do have to take note of is that although there is the word “villains” in the title, I’m not too sure if it’s the most accurate word here. I think most of the characters seem to be misunderstood people, but I wouldn’t say they’re villains to that extent. Maybe for some I can see there is the anti-hero potential. However, though this swayed me at the beginning, I still enjoyed this overall.

Would recommend others to read!

"All of Us Villains" is a great twist on the "Hunger Games" free-for-all competition. It was easy to grow attached to several of the characters, even knowing that they were all the villains. I will definitely be purchasing it for my school library, and I personally can't wait until the next book comes out - I was a bit surprised by the cliffhanger, but it definitely made me hunger for more!

Have you ever wanted a very dark story about an intensely complicated family relationships and a magical death match between a bunch of antihero teenagers with very questionable motives? Well friends, you are in luck! Foody and Herman have totally delivered on all accounts! The plot in this story is so incredibly dark and twisted, delivering some very interesting revelations from start to finish. I thought the pacing was perfectly done. I loved the build up to the curse, learning about each of the seven families and their chosen participant. Truthfully, I was surprised to find myself super invested in the personal family histories and relationships. As exciting as the violent and super action-packed competition was, I could have read an entire book on the Ilvernath elite.

What also helped really move the story along, was that we were given a POV from a few of the seven competitors. Alistair Lowe - the broody boy who plays the villain to keep others at a distance. Isobel Macaslan - the veryyy reluctant champion of a family who uses her as a media darling to drum up support. Briony Thorburn - the strongest member of her family, but suffers from a serious savior-complex. Gavin Grieves -  Gavin's family is at the very bottom in terms of prestige but he has very different plans for this tournament. Each of these main characters were different with a unique voice and personality. I never struggled to remember who was who. I also loved seeing how their interactions changed and developed over the course of the story, as the characters themselves went through personal growth. If I had to choose a favorite POV though, I think it would be a toss-up between Alistair and Gavin. They scream villain/antihero and I never knew what they were going to do next.

ike I mentioned before, this book is VERY dark. For me, that is always a bonus when it comes to YA stories, as they usually try to steer more towards cutesy and sweet. I think this more recent push to elevating YA towards heavier themes and darker settings is much more in my wheelhouse. But with that being said, if you are a little squeamish or just prefer your books to have an overall upbeat tone, then you may want to skip this one. Villains is dark, it's violent, and the majority of the characters aren't good people. Basically what I'm saying is, it's the perfect book to pick up in time for Halloween. 

This is one of the rare times where I can't really think of any issues I had with a book. The general plot of the book may seem very similar to other novels (namely The Hunger Games), but it was done in such a unique way that I didn't even notice it while I was reading. The setting was fantastic, the characters were interesting, and I am very VERY much here to find out how it all ends. I would like to send a quick prayer to the book gods for a speedy release date for the sequel. I've been very good this year (HA!) and deserve for my dream to come true.... Wait, none of y'all believe me?! Drat.

That was an intense read. Initially I was reading the book looking for a heroine but guess what - there are none. They are all villains. I didn't realize it was going to be part of a series so that was disappointing but overall a very quick and exciting read.

Amazing. The world building was absolutely perfect and you really understood the background to the tournament and the families. I really wish we could get the book that gave away all the families skeletons. The amazing writing really made the characters come to life and made it incredibly hard to choose who to root for and who to wish would lose. I enjoyed the amount of POVs we got and how different each character struggled throughout the story. I was hoping for more magical combat with the comparison to GOT/hunger games but I appreciate everything we did get in this book. I can't wait to continue this series and very excited to see where it heads.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy.

Do you like:
✨Morally grey characters?
✨magical competitions?
✨enemies to lovers?
✨slooow burn romance?
✨betrayal?
Then I think you should read All of us Villains because it has all of that and more!

Personally I loved this book! It has all my favorite things and characters that are doing their best. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding of this story and the magical competition where they all try to kill each other was really fun. Disturbing yes but also fun. I think my favorite character might be Allistar because he’s trying soo hard to be a monster but he’s really super soft and really broken. I did like and dislike every single character though because they would be doing great and then suddenly make a terrible decision, which actually makes sense since they’re teenagers so I couldn’t get to mat at it.
Overall this book was a crazy ride and I loved every moment of it! I obviously gave it fiive stars and I highly recommend it!!