The Hunger Games with magic?! Yes please!

I was looking forward to this book so much so I was thrilled to receive an ARC from NetGalley. It grabbed me from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. Every 20 years the 7 great families of Ilvernath put forth a champion to compete in the great tournament. The last champion standing secures control of the worlds high magick for their family. In the past the tournament has been secret but this time the secrets out and the world is watching.

I highly recommend this book for fans of the hunger games and fantasy novels, I’m already looking forward to the next one!

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All my regards to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for the digital advanced copy in exchange of my honest thoughts. All opinions posted in this review are my own

I swear to God I literally screamed out loud in a Norwegian restaurant when I saw that my NetGalley request had been approved. This is one of my most anticipated release of 2021 and having the ARC in my hands felt like a dream.

So what is this book about?

Described as The Hunger Games but with magic, All of Us Villains tells the story of seven descendants of the cursed families in Ilvernath to fight in the Blood Veil tournament, in order to gain the exclusive control of the high magick. This book is told in the perspectives of four different villains combatants: Alistair Lowe, Isobel Macaslan, Gavin Grieve, and Briony Thorburn.

General thoughts

This book slaps. It slaps so hard that my brain is left in shambles. The writing is incredibly captivating and the worldbuilding in quite complex and intriguing. This book is heavily characters-driven and honestly, the way Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Hermann developed their characters is quite extraordinary, given the fact that this book is only 400 pages-long and all four characters are pretty much very complex.
And that ending, THAT ENDING blew my soul away. Amanda Foody has no rights to leave the readers on the cliffhanger like that. The fact that I am left with this ending and the book is not even out yet is criminal.

Things I like

The worldbuilding:
I have seen reviews saying that the magic system of this book is not strong and explained well enough. I don't disagree. However, the world of AOUV captivated me. Of course, there are unexplained gaps in the magic system, but I am optimistic that we will know more about it in the next book of the duology. Otherwise, some lack of clearance doesn't annoy me that much

The concept:
I had read many Hunger Games knock-off, but none can compare to this. The concept of a one-survivor-tournament with the addition of curses and spells, relics, wicked families and amazing characters, this book is way more than just a simple knock-off

And finally, la crème de la crème - Alistair Lowe:
I love villains, I really do. Morally gray or just plainly bad/cruel, I love them all. The best way I can describe Alistair is that he is a mix of Victor Vale (Vicious) and Aaron Warner (Shatter Me) but at the same time it doesn't feel right to fit Alistair in a box like that. Alistair is the champion of the Lowe family - the one whose 3/4 of the tournament victors came from. Alistair is described as a violent and wicked monster, following the cruel reputation of the Lowe family. I can't say much more about him without spoiling, but later on in the story we see more of Alistair's and the Lowe's secrets, mostly after (view spoiler). In conclusion, I would kill without hesitation for my black hair gray eyes dumbass Alistair Lowe, who is more boy than monster.

Things I don't like

The romance and Alistair's softness:
(view spoiler)

Other characters:
As said before, this book is characters-driven. The plot is heavily driven by the characters. Maybe one of the reasons why this book is not a 5/5 for me is because of the other 3 main characters. I don't like either Briony nor Gavin. Isobel is a little bit better but I still don't like her that much (maybe that's the reason why I don't like the romance) Don't get me wrong, all their arcs are just amazing, but they are highly unlovable for me.

Plot twists:
I predicted all the plot twists without effort. I don't even try to guess them, they are incredibly easy to guess because they are just right in front of you. Incredibly cheap, (view spoiler)

Overall thoughts
I rated this book 3.5/5. I really likes it although it's nowhere near perfect. I highly anticipated the sequel of the duology (it would probably kill me but okay) and this book might by a sign for me to read Ace of Shades

i received a sampler of this book and I dont think the sampler sold it to me I didnt feel like it was strong enough to be a teaser to make me want to buy the book. I believe you have to get further into this book to really be sucked in. I will put this aside to reread.

Seven families vie for control of high magick in a high-stakes tournament to the death. The novel, All of Us Villains shows the extent that each family takes to secure its place in the history of Ilvernath. An intriguing concept compared to The Hunger Games, yet these victors are actually villains. This novel contains elements of class, romance, reputation, strength, and sacrifice.

The novel starts each chapter with a blurb from the Tradition of Tragedy, a guidebook for the tournament. Each family chooses a champion, sponsored by spell makers and politicians. Alliances are forged, traditions challenged, friendships destroyed, and the future questioned. These characters struggle to discover the truth. But someone is trying to undermine all the champions’ efforts.

I loved the description of spells, curses, and the world created by Foody and Herman. The characters are flawed, both grotesque and good-hearted, which makes the reader pursue the complicated ending through multiple twists and turns. However, the conclusion is unresolved and begs for a sequel. I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review it. #All of Us Villains # NetGalley #sci-fi books

All of Us Villains is the dark, twisted fairy tale we've all been waiting for. This gem of a novel contains elements of The Hunger Games mixed with Hairy Potter and a dash of Olympian Challenger. If you like unique magic systems, intricate world building, and layered characters, then you'll love All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman.

This story is told from the viewpoint of four different characters. Initially, I was a little concerned that I would get them mixed up, but each of the four champions had very distinct personalities that made it easy to tell them apart. The characters were also incredibly layered and underwent a lot of development as the story progressed. I loved the contrast between the characters who embraced being villains and those who fought it and tried to retain their hope and goodness. Their struggles felt a lot more real than a lot of the fluff prevalent in YA novels these days.

The magic system behind the curses and the Blood Veil was also very complex. It was somewhat reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in that there were a bunch of teenagers running around throwing curses and spells at one other, only these were meant to kill. I definitely had my two favorites among the champions, and I'm excited to see where the next book takes them.

All of Us Villains ends on a monster of a cliffhanger, which seems somewhat fitting for this twisted tale. This is a book that will keep you up at night, eagerly turning the pages to see what happens next while simultaneously dreading the approaching end of the novel. You won't want to miss this exciting thriller.

I received an ARC of this novel curtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge; all opinions are my own.

7 families. 7 champions. 1 victor of the Tournament every 20 years.

Written from the point of view of 4 of Seven Slaughters, this story revolves around the time when another Tournament shall begin. Every 20 years, a champion from each of the 7 most prominent families in Ilvernath shall rise and compete for the whole lot of High Magick the competition's victor shall bring home. Using curses and spells, they have about 12 weeks to fight each other until only one stands still.

While some champions are just outright bloodthirsty; some are neutrals and just wanted the game to end; there are also ones who wanted to end the tournament and stop the curse on their generation.

Everything about this book was good, the characters were distinguishable and not plain at all. I really liked how the story rolled however, the end was the only thing that keeps me from giving the book whole 5 stars. It doesn't feel right and complete. I really wished that it was a complete stand-alone book because its story however good is not a series-worthy.

4 stars to this book! I am still looking forward to the 2nd one. :)

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan/Tor-Forge for the advanced reading copy.

I think that this book has a really fun magic system! Everything about it gave me Tim Burton vibes where everything is just a little bit twisted. I found the premise really interesting and captivating and I honestly feel like it was a treat to read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Teen for an early ARC of All of Us Villains. This will be available on November 9th, and if you enjoy darker YA fantasy, this is the book for you! All of Us Villains centers around seven teens representing their families in a magical deathmatch to see who will get control of the high magic supply for the next twenty years.

The best part of this book was the magic system; curses and spells are in rings. There's also a ton of morally grey characters here, which you know I love. I will say, though, I found it to be a little slow, and I was expecting it to be bloodier. Considering this is a death tournament full of "villains," there's only a handful of magic battles. The majority of this book was character and tournament backstory and some romance. I'm hoping in the second book there will be more action. But, overall, I would absolutely recommend it.

Spooky, twisted, magical and of course, lots and lots of blood. This is very much a Hunger Games readalike, complete with the media attention and vying for sponsors, I loved how our four main characters had very different motivations and how you were just immediately thrown into the world.

Wow… just wow. The moment I finished this book, I texted my best friend just craving book two.
All of Us Villains follows four of the “tributes” from the seven families that compete in a blood tournament every 20 years for the right to hold all the high magic. I was prepped to have one or two champions that I’d be rooting for but I found myself rooting for them all. There are so many highs and lows but it’s the end and all the little things that Foody and Herman throw at us in prep for book 2 that really hit the hardest. 10/5 stars

3.5-3.75 stars, but I will round up because I did enjoy it!

So this book follows 7 families as they choose their champion in the generational magic games, a game where there may only be one survivor, and the winner's family control the power until the next game. Unlike previous games, this one is now known to the country after a tell-all book is released, and the families are shown to be monsters. With outside forces trying to twist the games in their favour, the champions will have to discover if they can change their fates or if all of them really are villains.

When I think of scenes in my head and daydream, I always like to think of the "monsters" and how stories like theirs could be chanced, and this book took this idea and made it more twisted. That I have to really commend because I loved it. I really love the backstories and the insight into the different families and how they interact within their bloodlines and with each other. I also walk away with two to three couple pairings that I love.

However, the drawback of this book is the fact that the first half of the book is more like a prequel.
Honestly, it would have been more fitting for the first half to be a prequel and have the book focus on the game and the reaction after. Also, while I praise the backstories and different povs, there was so much of it. It might have been good with 1 or 2 fewer povs as well.

I am looking forward to the sequel to see how this story and its characters move forward!

I wanted to love this book. I love the idea of magic being in our normal world. The description of "Hunger Games with magic" is completely accurate; however, this book fell flat for me. I thought it straddled the line of middle grade and YA almost awkwardly. The content and graphicness of the spells and their destruction was YA but then the names of the spells were middle grade. I also thought a lot of time was wasted only to end on a weird cliff hanger. The cliff hanger aspect is fine, but this one felt oddly placed. That being said, I'll read the next one and I think it's a solid addition to the YA fantasy realm.

I'm honestly not sure why I didn't enjoy this one. It has such an interesting concept but I think the characters fell a bit short for me. I know they're supposed to be "morally grey" but I really didn't feel as though they were. I feel like a reason for this was mainly due to telling instead of showing. I think I was just being told that all of these characters are villainous but all of their actions really are sporadic and random with little justification.

The magic system is definitely interesting but I've seen similar concepts in other high fantasy books which is totally fine! I was just a bit confused about how it works. As far as I'm aware, characters can make spells based on how much "magick" their families have? Curses have different "levels" but I am not sure what makes the levels higher. Is it more magick? Family power? I'm not sure.

I also felt as though the pacing was a bit off. It takes about the first 40% of the book to get to the actual tournament. I appreciate the backstories and the world-building but I don't think the world was really built in these pages, but rather it just acts like a good amount of filler for what each of the characters is fighting for in this tournament. On the topic of characters, I found a good amount of them (except Alistair) to be a bit flat and I found myself either forgetting their story or confusing them with other characters in the book.

On the topic of characters and the magic system, I cannot for the life of myself figure out what happened in the last 50 pages of this book. I suppose the sequel will be explaining some of what was left unmentioned, but I was still looking for a more satisfying conclusion for the first book. I really don't know what happened since there is little explanation in relation to the world and its politics.

The writing was about what I expect for YA but some dialogue felt awkward at times. I'm not sure if that was because there are two different authors writing, but some of the character's actions and words felt off from their personalities. (Does that make any sense? I hope so.)

I think the main reason why I felt so disappointed by this book is due to the comparison to The Hunger Games. I understand the Tournament comparison, but honestly, I don't see the similarities. I was expecting a little more due to the comparison, which I think is why the book overall fell flat for me.

I can definitely see people enjoying this book once it comes out, but unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me!

**Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy for review!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was pitched as The Hunger Games plus morally gray characters plus magic. Admittedly, the beginning had me very excited to read some villainous champions, as each character is very flawed and they do some awful things to get ahead - but the last third of the book fell flat for me.

To hide my spoiler-y feedback further down, I'll start with some other thoughts first. I thought the world was fine; it did feel like some details got left on the cutting room floor, but it's essentially a fictional modern town, so there wasn't too much to explain. The magic system wasn't very fleshed out -- it's definitely a soft system, so there's no need for tons of details, but it does get a little confusing when characters are referring to "class ten spells" or "spellrings" or "curserings" without any information being given to the reader about what makes something a class ten, how a spell ring works, or what the differences are between curses and spells. Still, it was a fine system to work with for the plot of the book.

As for character, the book follows 4 champions in the tournament. Alistair is by far my favorite - like many YA readers, I'm a sucker for a bad boy with dark hair and a sad backstory - but Isobel was a close second. I generally enjoyed the characters, with the exception of Elionor, who honestly just annoyed the hell out of me - but at least she wasn't a POV character. Briony was also annoying, but I loved the aspect of her character that wants so badly to believe she's a hero, when in reality, she's incredibly selfish.

Before I get to the spoilery part of this review, know that you will like this book if you like:
-Contemporary/urban fantasy
-Enemies-to-lovers (plus the one bed trope!)
-Second chance romances
-Morally grey characters

Back to my previous complaint about the last third of the book. I will keep the spoilers as light and vague as possible, but here's your warning if you want to go in blind!
-- SPOILER WARNING --
I was very disappointed with how low-stakes everything started to feel at the end. Considering the supposed brutality of the tournament, and the Hunger Games pitch, I expected more people to die or at least experience some serious consequences. A couple did, but I really could not have cared less about their deaths and was looking forward to one that actually impacted me. It felt, overall, like punches were pulled. The focus starts to become the relationships between all the characters rather than the tournament itself, which I get from a YA book, but it made things feel too soap-opera-y. The only thing I loved about the ending was how dark Alistair went - more of that, please! That's what I was expecting in the first place. I did also like Isobel's decision to curse him, and am really hoping they end up actually at each other's throats in the next one.

This was everything I wanted it be! The characters ,the plot, all of it was wonderful! I cannot wait for more!

All of Us Villains is a dark and nuanced exploration of power-hungry people and the victims that fall prey to them. For a book heavily compared to The Hunger Games due to its similarity with families nominating their own children to die at the hands of friends and enemies, this book distinguishes itself through its unique magic system. Despite it being written by two authors, the plot was pretty much intact with twists and turns that will hook the reader. The characters were written dynamically, but they fell short to my expectations of them being "villains". However, since literature is open to anyone's interpretation, it depends on how the reader perceives what the storyteller/s were trying to portray the characters as. Nevertheless, despite its shortcomings, I'm very much looking forward to a darker sequel of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

All of Us Villains felt like a really unique/refreshing plot involving magic and a thrilling storyline. I’m sure the Hunger Games comparison will be tossed around a lot as it really does feel like a similar concept but this was a much more interesting take in my opinion.

But can I say holy cliffhanger? I wasn’t sure how things were going to be wrapped up as I saw I was approaching the end and a lot of things were still up in the air and so the ending felt really abrupt but also made me super eager to find out what happens next.

Obsessed! This is the next YA fantasy series that will grab readers hearts and make them sit on the edge of their seats. Deft worldbuilding and characterization combined with a fast paced, twisty plot makes this one of my top reads of 2021.

Incredible! Like many I was intrigued by this book when it was first described to me as Hunger games with magic but I quickly discovered that it was so much more!.
All of us Villains follows seven champions chosen from the seven ruling families of the town of Ilvernath who are tasked with fighting & killing each other for the control of the towns high Magik supplies. The variety of curses, charms & relics was astounding and I loved seeing what each could do.
I loved the rituals & ceremonies of each house which made them each feel unique and their different approaches to magik varied wildly. Each champion had their own voice within the story which worked well to heighten tension and I always enjoy seeing scenes from alternating perspectives.
This will be a definite recommendation to everyone. I devoured it in a few days and at times felt I couldn’t stop reading for wanting to know what was happening. Cant wait to read more

I have been waiting for this book for over a year and was so excited to receive this ARC- and I was not disappointed! The atmosphere was spooky and perfect for the upcoming fall season. I loved the action and mystery. aspect as well. So so good!