Really enjoyed the stories and the main characters. The narrator was good as well. I would like to know more about the world (city?) where the story takes place.

When I first read the description of this one - as a sort of darker, fairy tale-esque twist on THE HUNGER GAMES, I knew that I just had to read it! So I was thrilled to get my hands on the audio ARC! I also ended up getting a physical copy of it - while the performance of the female reader is great, the overly dramatic rendition of the male performer quickly became grating. I always listen to books at 2x speed, and because he didn't regulate his own speed or volume, it gave everything an odd emphasis and was really distracting. The sections that he narrated really made me feel like consistently like I was missing something. I really loved the female performer, though - if only she had narrated the whole book! I think I would only get the sequel on audio if there was a different male narrator (or none at all).

As for the story itself, I loved it! It follows a curse laid on the town of Ilvernath - where the seven great families are cursed to provide a young champion for a fight to control the town's high magic every 20 years. There can only be one winner and each family maintains their own secrets and traditions for choosing their champions. The book opens just before the next cycle of the curse begins. Four members of different families narrate throughout- Alistair Lowe, the chosen champion of the family who most commonly wins, Gavin Grieve, a young man desperate for his family name to be great once again, Isobel Macasalan, thrust into the spotlight first as this is the first year that the curse fight has publicity rather than secrecy and Briony Thorburn, a confident young woman who feels ready to win at all cost.

Like many YA Fantasies, there's some romance here - but also violence, bloodshed, and an ending that leaves the reader quite desperate for the next installment. The world-building gets this off to a bit of a slow start and some of the melodrama of it all does fit with the nature of the over-the-top performance of the male narrator... But as the characters develop and grow, this becomes a much more riveting read. There may be a few predictable turns, but there are definitely some surprises, too!

I really enjoyed this! I think this author duo works quite well together and I am really excited for the next book. The characters are well-drawn - and I am not even sure which one I am rooting for in the end to be the last one standing! And I think the magic of the spell-rings and curses feels fresh and fun! I can't wait for more!

What a fun and different read, this was like nothing I have read before. I loved the magical families and the tournament aspect throughout the book.

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs as you could
See the story unfold from all the different stand points.

Lots of twists and turns and it the ending leaves it on not a cliff hanger but an open into by to develop the series.

Great read.

What am amazing start to the series! I am blown away! There was not a single POV I didn’t enjoy! The narrators did an excellent job as well! I cannot wait until book 2!!!!! Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this read in exchange for a honest review!!!

Seven old families choose one victor each to fight for glory. The prize? High Magick for their family and their family alone. The price of failure? Death.

I really enjoyed the plot of this one, but I found the character motivations to be a bit confusing. I know it's called ALL of Us Villains, but I was struggling to understand why all of them weren't just like "Yeah, let's end this horrible tournament if we can!" The reasons for those against it were really shotty aside from Gavin's.

Either way: A really cool plot that is done a disservice when described as similar to The Hunger Games. I didn't find it like that at all, aside from the tournament/battle royale (ish) aspect, which is not new or unique to THG.

WHAT A RIDE

First of all, the audiobook is a fantastic way to enjoy this book. Narrators Billie Fulford-Brown and Raphael Corkhill were next-level good, and handled the variety of characters so adeptly. They had me hooked from the first page.

Secondly, with a Hunger Games-style death tournament within a magic system, this story was destined to grip me. It's dark, gritty, and intense, and the characters live up to their villainous titles. It left me salivating for the sequel!

A big thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the e-audiobook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me access.

From the synopsis, All of Us Villains sounds like the perfect mash up of stories and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. Was there magic? Yes. Did someone 'volunteer as tribute'? Yes. Was it Hunger Games-esque? Yes. But the bringing it all together just fell flat for me. So much so that it didn't leave much of an impression and I can vaguely remember what happened.

Now, does that mean that this is awful? No. It just means that is wasn't for me, but it may be for you. So before you judge this book by any reviews, just give it a go and you might enjoy it more than I did.

In the first in a new series, Amanda Foody shows the length that families will go to in order to retain the power of High Magic:

When the Blood Moon rises, it signals the fall of the veil and a tournament to the death begins. Seven families enter the tournament but only one can be the victor. The winner of the tournament grants their family access to the High Magic the most secret and powerful resource in the world. But this year is different, the tournament used to be done in secret but a new tell all book has been published and people have come to gawk, criticized and speculate who will wind. The whole world is watching and more than one of the contenders want to rewrite their typical family story.

This is the first book that I have read by Foody and I was not sure what to expect as I had never heard of her as an author, and was fully picked up this book for the cover and the book description. And I will say that I really enjoyed this book, it was much darker than I expected it to be and there were some twists early on that I did not see coming. It has been said that it is like the Hunger Games but with Magic and yes on a surface level this is true for the overall concept, but other than the competition to the death, I did not find them that similar than that. I think that Foody did a great job of separating herself from the Hunger Games comparison with the world building she has done at the beginning of the book, and having it take place in our modern time.

I was lucky enough to get and ARC audio version of the book and wow was this book ever enhanced because of it. I felt like narrator were able to capture the feelings, that you became more invested, or disliked them even more. This is a book that I would 100% recommend that you read the audiobook version of it, you will not be disappointed with it.

There are 4 main character that Foody attempts to develop in this book and for the most part she succeed on a very surface level for most of them. We know each of the 4 characters wants, needs and why winning the tournament means so much to them. I think the character that is developed the best is Alistair Lowe (or also known as The Lowe) as everything does seem to revolve a lot around him, as his family currently has the High Magic. Also there was just something about Alistair that drew me to him as a character, than the other ones.

I think the one thing that bothered me about the book is that all the villains are not really villainous throughout the book. Many of the characters just put up a front of how they believe they are supposed to act. Do not get me wrong there are some villainous acts that occur, I just thought there would be more, given the title and the nature of the plot of this book

Foody is off to an amazing start in this series. I was really impressed with the darkness of the book and developing four main characters fairly well. I look forward to reading the second book in this series, and I know I'll be looking for the audiobook version as it was simply awesome was to read this book.

Enjoy!!!

I don't know what I expected when this was pitched as The Hunger Games but with magic but I can confirm it is exactly that! Dark and gritty characters but the darkness do not excuse them from being morally grey as well as they all have some good in them.

This was a fun adventure with twists and turns that left me wondering what would happen next and who to trust!

Dark and twisty to the max! I loved this cast of morally gray characters. The world building was to die for and I can't wait for the sequel!

Wow wow wow! What a fun and also terrible romp this was. Truly one of those books where everyone's motives are well-defined and make sense with their character but still leads to conflict between other characters. In other words, it made for an interesting plot and character development where the division between good/evil wasn't reduced simplistically. Honestly I enjoyed this book much more than Hunger Games which it is somewhat similar to. I can't wait for the sequel!

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this new series by Amanda Foody. This is one of the few novels of the year that lived up to all the hype leading up to it! I heard people saying this book was like Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games. While I agree that's true, it also felt like an entirely unique take on both the magic and battle to the death motifs. Foody did an incredible job with her characters, leading me to understand their motivations and root for each one in turn.

I was nervous that a book like this would make me feel anxious or depressed at the situations its characters were put in, but the author did a masterful job of keeping me curious and invested in the story. There were certainly moments of extreme violence and sadness, but nothing that tempted me to put down the book. While the ending was a cliff hanger, I also thought it was brilliant! I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.

I enjoyed the narrator and thought he fit many of the characters well and did a good job of changing his voice as the book changed perspectives. That being said, his voice had a definite nasal quality when he was depicting women that may bother some listeners.

I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy dark fantasy, dystopia, and magical realism. I would recommend it to mature teens with the warning that there are depictions of extreme (and gore-y) violence. 5/5

Although I thought this one sounded quite intriguing, I was definitely very hesitant as I don’t enjoy or read much fantasy. After seeing a friend say she totally loved this one, I knew I had to give it a try! I also absolutely loved the Hunger Games seriesand figured adding a little magic could only add more fun!

I found it to be incredibly entertaining, spellbinding and truly twisted! It was fast paced and the multiple POVs worked very well!

I was also so enchanted by the characters! I love a good antihero and I find villainous leads to be so intriguing!

This one was exceptionally magical and truly wicked! I highly recommend checking it out! I know I’m looking forward to the next one in the series!!

I really liked the concept of this book. The execution was a little different than my expectations. I thought it would be a little more “villainy” however, I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and their personalities.

The world building is freaking awesome. Kind of like the perfect mash ups of your fantasy YA Books. I would definitely pick up book 2.

The book was very boring and sometimes it's hard to remember who's pov it was in. I didn't like how the chapters doesn't label who's pov it is in the audiobook version either.

This was a great start to a magic-filled duology. I found myself rooting for all of the characters even as they did some questionable things and made moves against each other. I can't wait to see how the story of the Slaughter Seven ends!

Truly enjoyed this story. Definitely left me wanting for the second book. Lots of points of views that I struggled with at times though

I loved this Hunger Games with Magic story! I enjoyed the depth of the anti-hero characters and how the story was told from multiple perspectives. The unique type of magic being used throughout the story was refreshing and very creative. As an audiobook, this cast told the story very well! Their reading of the story helped to set the mood and kept my attention throughout.

Excellent audiobook. The narrators were fantastic. I enjoyed having their different perspectives and I loved the accents and tones they brought to the table. Very engaging! I would definitely recommend the audio format for those who have access.

Full Review:

Once every generation, in the city of Ilvernath, seven families must choose a champion who will represent them in a tournament where the contestants fight to the death.

The prize is an inexhaustible supply of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world. The family whose champion wins, gains control over that magick for their family until the next tournament. Obviously, this is extremely important and puts a whole load of pressure on the contestants.

With this tournament in particular, thanks to a recently released tell-all book, the contestants are thrust into the spotlight like never before. Will the contestants be able to use this difference to their advantage, or will it distract them to the point of death? Can anything ever change the cycle of the Tournament? Does their world have to be this way?

All of Us Villains is basically The Hunger Games if it were fought exclusively by members of Slytherin House. Well, Slytherin and maybe one Gryffindor. If you read this statement and you're thinking, why would I want to read that? I've read those stories. I want something new. I will just stress, this is something new!

Even though it channels those vibes. Particularly, the vibe of Knockturn Alley at night in the midst of a thunderstorm, this is its own thing.

I loved how the authors formatted this, with the Reader finding out who the champion of each house would be along with the rest of the citizens of Ilvernath. Following some of the contestants perspectives, we get to know each one of them and the challenges they face in pursuit of their goals. There's plotting, scheming, strategizing and like a good season of <i>Survivor</I>, a lot of alliances.

The writing in this story is just beautiful. It's exceptionally detailed, lush and dramatic. I could definitely feel both Foody and Herman within these pages; the darkness, monsters, violence, despair, but also highly developed and likable characters, even in all their antihero-ness.

Honestly, these two authors working together is everything I have ever wanted. I feel like they have created something truly memorable here. You may be wondering after all of my gushing, why I only gave this 4-stars, as opposed to 5.

For me, I don't think I ever truly understood the magic system. I am not sure if it is because I was so distracted by the characters themselves, that perhaps I missed out on some details, but I feel like there was something missing. With this being said, I still really enjoyed this story and would love to read it again actually. Most likely, before the next book is released, I will do so.

Basically, this book is the love child of Draco Malfoy and Katniss Everdeen. It's amazing and feels like a dark fantasy reader's dreams come true. Yep, that's right.

Thank you so much to the publishers, Tor Teen and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. I cannot wait for more collaborative efforts from these authors!!!

My favorite November book!!

People have described this as The Hunger Games but with Villains, which I think is as close to a synopsis as you need.

I read The Hunger Games trilogy and enjoyed them. But All Of Us Villains elevates that survival game with dark magic and tragic family histories - Blood Before All. For a novice fantasy reader (🙋🏻‍♀️), @amandafoody and @christineexists excel at world-building and explaining complex magic. My biggest surprise is the character depth. I assume most fantasy novels are plot-driven with action and adventure, which AOUV has. However, with the multiple contestants’ POVs, the reader fully understands these morally gray characters- wants, fears, resistance, desires - making the story more complex than The Hunger Games.

So why not 5 stars? The ending is more of a commercial break…stay tuned for Book 2. Ugh! What?!? I want more! I need more! How fast can Book 2 be published? Maybe this is a sign that the book should be rated 5 stars?

Since I listened to the audio, I must highlight the narrators - Billie Fulford-Brown narrating the female POVs and Raphel Corkhill narrating the male POVs. Fantastic!! While both excel at conveying the betrayal of the shifting alliances and the angst in the kill or be killed action, I especially enjoy Corkhill’s voice as Gavin and Alister. His atmospheric delivery caused more oohs and WTFs than I care to admit. I beg that these two narrators read Book 2!!