What a unique premise! I really enjoyed the set up of lore and world building in this first installment of All of Us Villains. Unfortunately for me, Herman and Foody lost me with the missing character development. Things happened, but I found myself only mildly invested. I will be tuning in to the sequel to see how things end!

Man, this was a really excellent read! I've enjoyed Amanda Foody's books, but this was the first from Christine Lynn Herman, and boy did they write a really fantastic book! I really loved reading this book, and the way things ended has me dying for book 2!

This book is really dark. The title and synopsis give it away, between villains, and a group of teens fighting to the death. And there are some really hard choices to be made in this book-this magic and tradition has been passed down for generations.

I really enjoyed this world of magic, and how the rules worked. And I really enjoyed these characters, and the choices that they were making as everything was going on. They were flawed, and they were under a lot of pressure-and it was interesting to see how they dealt with it!

That ending, though? That was pretty brutal! And those final reveals just adding the icing on the cake, and now I'm wondering what's going to happen in the next book, for whom it will end up all right with, our champions, the one who wants to take it down, or neither! I need to know!

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I can't wait for the sequel!

This book had such an interesting premise. I went into it so excited and don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but I did have some trouble finishing it. It has action and a lot of fun elements to the story, but I felt like sometimes it dragged just a little bit and got confusing and tedious. I would still recommend this book as it was very entertaining but I don't know if I will pick it up and reread it.

It's hard to not compare this one to The Hunger Games, right? Children fighting to the death for the benefit of adults. But All of Us Villains is its own story.

There's a curse in Ilvernath that demands each of the 7 prominent magical families to offer one of their children as a champion to fight for sole control of the town's high magick. Every 20 years on the night of the Blood Moon, the Blood Veil falls, and each of the champions begin the battle.

This time, one of those champions doesn't want to fight to win; she wants to fight to break the curse. It just may be possible to use the tournament's landmarks and relics to stop all this death.


I've had this eARC available to read for a little over a year. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?!
Ok, actually, I did read the first few pages a while back but wasn't interested in reading something so dark and violent at that time so I put down. Thank goodness I went back to it when I was ready because this story is sooo good!

Here's my one critique. I don't like the cover design.

This was so fun! The world was fun and the characters were a good mix. I’m excited to read the sequel!

I received this for free through netgalley for an honest review. I’m so in love with this book. Immediately getting the second one from the library. Think “hunger games with magic”. I love the aspect of the tell all book that makes the long unknown tradition of pitting young children against each other into light for the whole world. It puts the family beliefs and ideas up for a challenge and makes the younger family members think about whether this fight is all worth it or fair. I can’t wait to share this with my friends!

I think this book had potential to be more nitty-gritty. It could have had more violence and be realistic. While reading the book, it felt like it felt short of expectations by a hair.

The premise of this book is SO good, but it doesn't live up to it. I think this being a YA book limits it massively and this could've been incredible as an adult novel with violence and gore and proper villains. I was expecting unforgiving and relentless characters, and I didn't get that.

Foody's newest series introduces us to several magical families, all of whom are competing to control the town's magic. Generally, I love a good story that pits young people against one another in a grand competition with the fate all they love on the line. I really wanted to love this story. I loved the writing. I thought the story was laid out well. The only thing I didn't like was the characters. I didn't like any of them and that ruined the story for me.

OH MY GOODNESS!!! What the hell did I just read?

This book was incredible, I didn't want to read it at first because I know it stops at a cliffhanger, but I almost wish I would have started this sooner.

This book follows 7 main characters as they enter the blood moon tournament. Yeah the same tournament that has recently been blasted all over the news, because someone wrote a tell-all book about it.

This story was interesting, but it wasn't what I thought it was. When a book is called "All of us villain's" I expect it to be about villain's. This wasn't very villainous. And the one guy who was soooo villainous and fit the mold perfectly ended up not being so bad. So it wasn't what I wanted, but it was an incredible read. I can't wait to get my hands on the second book.

Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman weave a compelling tale of magic and competition. The characters shine in this one because of the fact they aren't expected to be "the good guy" in any way. This is one wickedly fun read.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody, Christine Lynn Herman is the first book in a cutthroat fantasy about a cursed town and the magical tournament. If The Hunger Games and Harry Potter had a baby, this book would be it. Every twenty years, the blood veil falls and seven families name a champion to compete to the death in a tournament for high magic. This generation however features reluctant champions, champions who want to survive at any cost, and champions who were never meant to be champions. With conspiracies that the curse can be broken, unlikely alliances form and turn the tournament on its head. Told from the POV of four of these champions, All of Us Villains will leave the reader wondering which side they’d fall on: the one where all the champions can live or the one where only the strongest survives.

This is one of those books that will stick with me for a while. It’s dark and violent, gruesome in nature, and character-driven as much as plot-driven. This story opens just a few weeks before the next tournament. Most of the champions have been chosen, and now they wait for the blood veil to fall. What is different this year is the presence of reporters and paparazzi and even protesters to the tournament. A tell-all novel written anonymously about the history of the tournament, the town of Ilvernath, and the seven families has caused the entire country to take notice. Should one family control all the high magic? Is there a way to stop the tournament and needless killing?

What makes this book standout from others similar to it is the narration. Told from the perspective of four champions, we get a glimpse of their life, fears, and, in some cases, determination to win. Alistair comes from the family who has won the tournament the most; he is expected to win this year as well. His family is cruel and callous, and yet Alistair full of monster stories is reluctant to be the killer the tournament requires him to be. Isobel is the girl who didn’t want to be champion. She hates the spotlight, but her family thrives on fame. Beautiful Isobel brings fame and attention to her family, but what lengths will she go to to survive? Briony, Isobel’s former best friend, has trained her whole life to be champion, however her younger sister is chosen instead. Her family is known for doing what is right even when right isn’t popular. Briony knows she is supposed to be champion, she can stop the tournaments for good, but how does she swap with her sister? Gavin is the least likely to be a champion and the most likely to die first. He hates his family, hates they’ve sentenced him to die, and hates that he will fight anyway. There’s a lot of anger with the Grieve.

Overall, I enjoyed All of Us Villains. The authors really make you think about your own morals as these teens, not quite adults, enter a death tournament for magic. I found the magic system unique, and despite the sheer number of characters to keep up with, I was intrigued by each and every one. The urgency to end the tournament or win drives the plot, and while it isn’t as fast-paced as I’m used to reading, the slow build to climax adds to the tension and mystery surrounding the town and champions. If you are a fan of dark fantasy and magical realism, I highly recommend it.

"Do not judge the champions too harshly. Survival could make villains of any of us."

ALL OF US VILLAINS is pretty much a magical hunger games, where families compete for control over the higher magic. It's atmospheric with a fairly decent amount of world-building, and a distinct set of characters. My only complaint is that it felt rather tame, and although the stakes felt high at first, I soon realised nobody was perhaps as bloodthirsty as I originally thought. I enjoyed it though and I would recommend for fans of magical quests in an urban settings.

I'm glad that I finally finished this book.  I really enjoyed listening to it on audiobook.  I liked how different all of the point of view characters were, and how they each seemed to have such a unique perspective on the tournament they were forced to participate in.  I thought that the world building was really interesting, and unique.  I also liked the premise of the tournament and competing for the control of high magic.  I thought that it ended in a really good way as well because it makes you want to have the next one immediately.

I absolutely loved this book! It was perfectly paced and all the characters kept me interested until the end. I pre-ordered a finished copy as I loved it so much, and look forward to reading the sequel.

Amanda Foody wrote one of my teenage favourite books Daughter of the Burning City but also wrote Ace of Spades which I actually ended up DNFing, so i was quite hesitant about diving into this one. I find her writing style unique with immersive worlds that keep me on my toes, but something about Ace of Spades did not peek my interest. After the advertising for this book marketed it as a New Hunger Games, or for “Game of Thrones Fans”, or “Better Than the Maze Runner!” (Not exact quotes but this was along the lines as I was hearing), I was convinced to read it. Now I believe that if I read it without those thoughts, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. While comparing novels to those famous series might get people talking/interested, it’s always hard to live up to. I really did like this book, it relit my love for Amanda Foody, but I still am left wanting more due to those comparisons.

AMAZING! Can't wait to read book 2 in the series. I'm calling this Hunger Games meets Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Teens competing in a brutal tournament to claim magic for their families. So well-written, so interesting, with characters you can't help but root for, despite them doing truly terrible things.

Read this book!!!

YA Fantasy isn't really for me anymore and I'm so sad. This was just ok. Felt kinda like a darker version of the hunger games.

A huge thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Truly I was sold as soon as this book was described in the realm of hunger games, but with magic. I mean, what else could you want for a generation obsessed with the hunger games and magic thank to worlds like Harry Potter. This is a combo we all desperately craved and needed. I loved as the story unfolded, our character had to do things they didn't want to do and you got to see that angst and really be in that moment with them. I thought all the characters were fleshed out really well and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.