I received an advance audiobook of All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman in exchange for an honest review provided by NetGalley & Macmillan Audio 4⭐️

Do not sleep on this book!! It is a must read!! Especially if you’re a fan of Hunger Games; that was the vibe I got but with magic. I was pleasantly surprised just how much I loved this. The magic system is unique, it’s dark and twisted in all the right ways. You can’t help but love all of the characters even the ones you want to hate. And ahh that cliffhanger ending has me begging for more!

The narrators do an excellent job conveying the story. Especially since there are multiple POV’s.

Definitely recommend you add this to your TBR immediately


Blurb:
The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world―one thought long depleted.

This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into the worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly, a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their story.

But this is a story that must be penned in blood

I very thoroughly enjoyed this book! The world building was electric and the storytelling from the multiple champion's POV's was thrilling and had me constantly second guessing myself about who to root for in the end. This will be said a lot I am sure, but it was very reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but still a unique story of its own. The magic system was interesting and the twists and turns were surprising and captivating. The reason it didn't get a 5th star is because I felt the last chapter should have been placed somewhere else in the book and the penultimate chapter should have been the book's end.

Ok so hear me out... Hunger games but add magic plus morally grey/borderline evil main characters.
Yes, this book was deliciously dark, It was thrilling and I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I LOVED it.

I am a huge fan of the competition trope and I also love character-driven stories and this book DELIVERED.
We are thrown into this unique magical world where seven elite families throw a family member known as their "champion" into a magical competition where they must murder each other. Only one of the champions will make it out alive or else all the families will lose their magic for 20 years.
Some families pick their champions based of power, others volunteer so their siblings won't have to, others have waited their whole lives to prove to everyone just how powerful they truly are.
This book is told through four different POVs and they were all so dark and morally grey. I love me a complicated, misunderstood, and conflicted character who will do whatever it takes for the ones they love- even if their actions are questionable- and all four of our MCs are very morally grey. I really enjoyed their backstories and development.
Overall, this was a fantastic story and I cannot wait for the sequel!

4.25 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Tor, and Macmillan Audio for an arc of this book!

Every 20 years, the blood moon rises and seven families put forth a champion to compete in a tournament. The prize for winning? Exclusive access to High Magic, the most powerful kind. Losing? Death.

This book was delightfully dark! I loved that there are 4 different character pov's. Sometimes multiple pov's can kind of confuse a story and lessen the character building, but I think it went really well for this one, especially as the start to a series. The characters were all unique and different levels of morally grey, which I found interesting to read about. I also liked to see the way they all interacted with each other.

I love the idea of the competition here and what they have to do. I liked the way the characters tried to thwart expectations in this.

I think some of the magic systems could have been better fleshed out, but I have hope for the future of this series to do just that! And with that ending--I am ready for the sequel!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Blood, Gore, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Thank you so much to NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this audiobook.

I want to start off by saying the readers for All of Us Villains are simply fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed each of their voices and I thought they did each character justice. There is nothing worst than listening to an audiobook with boring readers.

Unfortunately, I didn't care much for the storyline. I've been told it is similar to The Hunger Games, which I never read because I had no desire to, and I can definitely see that. Teens from various families are pit against each other. The goal is to be the last one standing, for that family will get the magic. Naturally death is going to happen.

I'm not disturbed by the topics in this book, I know some people do not enjoy children fighting against children, but I just found myself uninterested in the actual storyline.

This is nothing against the writer's writing. Foody is a lovely writer and very descripting, this book wasn't for me.

Well, I just read something interesting. It is not new to put children up to meet their death in a harrowing battle. This goes back to ancient Greece. This new take on it was interesting and intriguing. Families who control magic get found out by the rest of the world just as they are readying for the once in a generation tournament. Well, that's awkward. The tournament gives these 7 kids 3 months to kill each other. We get to know several of them. I did have a hard time differentiating a few characters for about half of the book. They melted together for me but eventually pulled apart. With the suddenness of the ending, I feel like I cannot truly know if I like this until I get a a chance to know where it goes from here. Good start, though.

I listened to this book Thursday and Friday at work and y’all I was STRESSED the whole time. I’ve seen this book described as like The Hunger Games but magical and everyone is a career. One person each from 7 families compete every 20 years to the death for control of the only high magic left in the world. That’s all I got. Anything else is spoilers honestly.
Honestly I was on edge like the whole damn book. They killed WHO? WHAT just happened!?! And the book ends on a cliffhanger so I will continue to be stressed until the sequel comes out. Worth it. I really enjoyed this book. The audiobook is well done. It’s 4 POVs so I was worried but they did it well.
I asked for this on NetGalley after seeing a TikTok about it and I was not disappointed. This book was 🔥. I know I read a ton of romance but like I feel like I always love and get sucked in to fantasy books. 10/10.
This book is released this Tuesday 11/9!

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook.

What kind of book is this?
This is a dark fantasy story set in a realistic world, if magic had been an intrinsic part of our world. There are seven elite families who control a source of powerful magic, but everyday citizens can use and wield much less powerful, common magic.

Spoiler-Free Summary:
All of Us Villians will aptly be compared to The Hunger Games because the majority of the story is focused on a deathmatch-style tournament contest which is held once per generation. The purpose of the tournament is to determine which of several elite families will control a source of powerful magic for the next several years. Of course, the tournament and its participants are not entirely what they appear to be.

General Ideas (Spoiler-Free):
This is definitely a dark fantasy story with gore and cursed magic. The descriptions of specific curses are rather gruesome and the story could potentially be classified as horror, though the overall story is a magical mystery. If the predominant use of dark, corrupt magic is appealing (think an entire story about Slytherins) then this book will certainly appeal to you. The story seems to be a standalone, but that is not the case. There is a sequel and the plot threads are not fully resolved.

Overall, All of Us Villians was a 3.5 out of 5 for me. I found the world unique and the magic system compelling. I found the characters lacking in depth and their motivations questionable. The four narrator PoV may have detracted from my ability to become invested in each character’s plight. Likewise, everyone is so moody and broody that there was little contrast between the characters to inform their actions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing an Audiobook and eARC for this book for me to review.

! 2021 Anticipated Read alert !

If the description reminds you of The Hunger Games or even HP and The Goblet of Fire, go with it. Yes All of us Villains has a storyline similar to the above mentioned books, but its better. Why? It has familial responsibility, magic and its deliciously dark. There are many povs but the narration was well done, it didn’t confuse me or divert me from the plot line. I found it hard to route for a single character, they all collectively are champions. The inclusion of each of their family histories imo is a very good touch. The game, characters and story has built a very good plinth and foundation. Now we can wait undead for the next book!

Thank you Macmillan Audio via Netgalley for the alc.

An interesting idea of how social media would affect the classic "magical families hiding in plain sight" troupe. The story uses a published book instead of social media, but the idea holds true and social media play a large role.

My only complaint about this book us that there isn't more of it. I was unprepared to wait for a sequel.

All of Us Villains is a bit like The Hunger Games intersecting with Throne of Glass.

Kids are raised from birth to fight in a mandatory, fatal competition that channels power to a select few families--and they do that with magic.

I loved seeing the competitors struggle to maintain their humanity while they made tough, morally-ambiguous choices.

I am 100% invested in finding out what happens next.

Full disclosure, I have been beyond pumped for this book since it was announced! I love Amanda Foody. I don’t necessary like her. because she messes with my emotions way too much, but I will read everything she writes (kidding, she’s great! I’m just still working through past trauma lol). She creates worlds that stay with you. She creates morally gray characters that you can’t help but adore. She’a all about the slow burn. I admittedly haven’t read anything by Christine Lynn Herman (but you better believe once I finished this, I decided I am going to change that immediately). Of course I couldn’t help but preorder All of Us Villains MONTHS ago. However once I saw this ARC on NetGalley I applied IMMEDIATELY. You shoulda heard my excitement once I was approved!!!

I have one complaint. Just one single complaint. I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL WHEN FOR THE NEXT BOOK?!?!?!?

Magic meets Hunger Games. And this is DARK. I mean I had to pause the audiobook more than once to process what I just heard. I loudly verbally exclaimed “damnnnnnn” at least twice. I fell in love with morally gray characters that made my heart hurt. One especially in particular. I will love him forever. I don’t care what he does.

I also have to say, I don’t always love when authors collab. Sometimes it just doesn’t flow, and I feels like they are fighting for control of the narrative? However, it’s clear that Christine and Amanda really are in sync. It had a different feel than Ace of Shades (which if you haven’t read, GET ON IT), and I really, REALLY loved what Christine seemed to bring. I can’t wait to read her individual work.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫. But if they kill off my favorite character I will never forgive them.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan audio!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC in advance for an honest review.

It's Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire meets The Hunger Games in this fantasy-dystopian hybrid novel. All of Us Villians is truly an unforgettable novel that ties into themes of found family, what it means to be successful, and family expectations versus doing what is right. This book was a joy to listen to, and perfect for the fall/winter season. Each character has strong development and it is easy to love them all as they work together (and sometimes against one another) to break the ties of the way things are in order to forge a better future. This book was dark, funny, relatable, and entertaining and I never saw any of the twists coming.

On audio, the narrators are absolutely fantastic and really helped to bring the story to life! I so loved this on audio! 5/5 stars for me.

I was so excited for this book... and the wait was well worth it! I had so much fun reading this. A cross between the Hunger Games and Harry Potter wasn't something I ever knew I needed until I first read the chapter sampler.
I felt attached to all the characters (those with a point of view) and couldn't decide who I wanted to win... but I've got to say that Isobel was my favourite closely followed by Alistair. No, wait, Alistair closely followed by Isobel, Or both of them the same? All I know is that I can't wait to see where their stories go.
I wasn't as big of a fan of Gavin's and Briony's parts but they definitely still held my attention and contributed greatly to the story.
All in all, I can't wait to see where this goes!

🤞 Please let there be a sequel!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
The Hunger Games mixed with The Night Circus, and a sprinkle of Gossip Girl on top. So good- one of those where you root for the bad guy (but they’re all bad guys in one way or another). Not recommended for those who like tidy endings.

It's not the journey that mattered but the villains we met along the way.

Full review at A Book Shrew

First off, I had extremely high expectations for this book. Like, sky high. I vowed I would give a limb to read this early and I'm fairly certain half my soul was taken in return for the physical ARC I now hold (shoutout to Raincoast Books and Amanda Foody for that). And somehow, despite all that, this book still shattered every one of my expectations. AoUV is incredible. As far as dual-author books go, this was such a compelling and cohesive story. The writing style is impeccable, the story beautifully crafted with multi POVs, and full of so much emotion poured directly into the characters at its heart.

This book did not come to play. It is dark and ruthless thanks to the cursed tournament that has taken place every 20 years for the last eight centuries. When the Blood Moon appears, the seven major families of Ilvernath have one month to prepare their champion before the Blood Veil falls, and the games begin. The Tournament can only end one of two ways. Either one champion kills the other six with the magic at their disposal or through brute force, or all seven die at the end of three months. The prize for the winning family: control of high magick, the most powerful and rare type of magic known to man. This year, the Tournament has been thrust into the international spotlight after a book was published spilling all the gory details of the town, the families, and the curse. The government is trying to intervene where they can, reporters tail each champion, and people are desperate to know these reluctant celebrities.

Like I said, the characters at the center of this story are what made it sing. Each champion is so thoughtfully created, and not a single one of them enters the Blood Veil without something wrong or unexpected happening beforehand. The stakes were truly unparalleled. Seven are trapped inside the Blood Veil, but only four matter to us.

Alistair Lowe is arguably my favourite. The Lowes have won the Tournament the most, and Alistair is the most dangerous, the most powerful, the most villainous of the champions. He knows it too, even though he wishes he weren't sometimes.

Isobel Macaslan is my second favourite. She never wanted to be her family's champion, but somehow became the international face of the Tournament. She is not locally liked, though, thanks to her magic-scavenging family, which could prevent her from getting cursemaker sponsorship.

Gavin Grieve is from the weakest and least liked family in Ilvernath, a problem not helped by the fact that an anonymous Grieve has been credited with publishing the damning tell-all. He has zero hope in winning the Tournament, and he is determined to prove everyone wrong.

Briony Thorburn is the most ambitious of the champions. Her entire life she has trained to be her family's champion, but when her sister is named as champion instead at the government's request, she spirals hard.

The villain angle is so fascinating because of these characters and their motives. Alistair is fashioned as THE villain but I think the true villain is actually [REDACTED] Each character has their own questionable reasons for their behaviour, but they also have seriously solid ones that stem from their individual families, their childhoods, and the expectations that have been set both by themselves and their families, all in the name of glory. It's hard to stay good in the face of all that and death.

I don't know how I'll be able to wait until the next book. I was very curious how this would carry on as a duology, but know that Foody and Herman have laid out some fabulous stepping stones for what promises to be an explosive conclusion.

I was so looking forward to this book which makes it all the more disappointing that I didn't like it. I wanted it to be so much more than it was. Everything just fell flat for me. I felt like i was dragging myself through this. I'm sure this book will be very popular and plenty of people will love it just sadly wasn't for me.

What a disappointment. I tried I really did. I was so excited for this one because I've enjoyed both of these authors in the past but....this book just didn't work for me. The book's premise starts off interesting. Basically it's a magical Hunger Games where scions of 7 magical families face off in a tournament. I will also say that there are moments in this one that feel atmospheric and spooky which was neat. But that's where the positives ended for me. Pacing is absolutely horrendous. The plot doesn't even pick up for the first 50 pages and even then nothing seems to be happening. At all. And I was promised villainy, but all I see is irritability which would be fine if the authors gave me a single reason to give a crap about any of the characters. But no, all of them were boring and annoying to me and I couldn't make myself care about any of them. The further I got into this one, the more I was bored, and by 76% I couldn't take it anymore.

Sigh.

One... if you are someone who finds yourself writing reviews that say I hated every single one of these characters? This book is not for you.

For the rest of us?? All of Us Villains has a to deliciously devilish fiends and families that are out for each others blood and I LOVE IT. And THAT THAT ENDING? BAH! Also. Unexpected humor.. like characters taking off at lightning speed to run smack dab into a tree....

So. Why 4 stars?

There was one thing about this book that completely irked me. And no spoilers... this is a general overall observation. Don't try to specifically apply it lol.

This is a fight to the death, right? With some amazingly disgusting characters, right? Yet they can't manage to cast a spell that actually kills anyone.

It isn't that the authors kills anyone and brings them back to life (because that is a huge pet peeve of mine).

It is that either the spell isn't strong enough, or it isn't meant to outright kill or the person the spell is aimed at has some healing spell (or someone they are allies with) has and runs with it before death sets in. And not there wasn't death, either.

That was just aggravating as hell for an insanely dark ass, brilliant book.

Macmillan Audio,
Thank you for this eARC audio version!

All of Us Villains was a brilliant story!
I loved the characters and world building that is brought up in the book.
It does remind me of The Hunger Games and these two amazing authors done it extremely well.
The writing..... Mind Blowing. Simply put Mind Blowing!
I wish it was a bit more darker. I personally don't think it was that dark.
But still wonderfully done.
The characters were my favorite loved them all honestly.
Overall, I didn't enjoy the audio version quite as much as I thought I would!
And to be honest if I would have read it instead of listening to it
I would have loved it!
So for that reason I am going to give the book a try! 😊
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks to the Publisher, NetGalley and Authors for this audio book!