Like the first one, it kind of had that Hunger-Games-with-magic vibe going on, but the book is engaging enough that you just go with it - plus, that vibe is not necessarily a bad thing. Also, my teens will love Alistair's bad-boy vibes.

I had a similar reading experience with ALL OF OUR DEMISE as I did with ALL OF US VILLAINS -- which is to say, I struggled in the beginning of the novel to keep track of the characters and to feel connected to the story, but approximately 20% of the way through, it absolutely clicked and I was hooked. I flew through the last 80% of the novel like an absolute madwoman. The characters are so compelling, particularly with Alistair and Gavin's development in the sequel. I'll certainly read more of Herman & Foody's works!

I loved All of Us Villains, and I’m happy to say that All of Our Demise did not disappoint.

All of Our Demise picks up right where book one left off, and immediately you’re transported back to the world of Ilvernath and the Blood Veil. I will say that the first few chapters are a bit repetitive, going over what happened in the previous book, but if you haven’t read the books for a while, then this is probably helpful.

So much happens in this book that it’s a bit hard to keep track of who is on whose side. Characters are cursed, friends are torn apart and new romances are blossoming. Foody and Herman’s writing style is so unique, and even with a large cast of characters, you really get to see how different everyone is.

Each of the remaining characters have changed. They push themselves to their limits, and in turn, find themselves getting darker, and more done with the trial. There are new characters as well, who compliment the champions very well.

I finished this book in about three sittings, and the ending has left me unable to do anything but pull out my copy of book one and read it all over again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Teen and the authors for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well paced and the characters were well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

Thank you so much Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Hermann and Tor Books for an advanced copy of all of our demise. This was the amazing sequel to one of my favorite reads of last year and I was so excited to receive this book. This book delivered everything I was expecting and more. I absolutely love this book. The series is always going to be one of my favorites and I am so happy to be a part of it early. If you love fierce competition fight to the death‘s with magic this is a book for you. Everything you think could possibly go wrong with this tournament did but it ended in such a way that was a beautiful testament to the series. Obviously I wish a certain thing could have been avoided but it was still the perfect ending for the series.

“All of Us Villains” was one of those rare beasts for me last year where it was a very hyped book that I felt actually lived up to the hype. More surprising still, it was a multi-POV fantasy story that actually managed to create a cast of characters all of whom felt unique and whose stories I was interested in reading individually and collectively. All of this to say, I was very excited about this second half of this duology to release this year (especially given that my main gripe about the first book was the cliffhanger it all wrapped up on).

The stakes could not be more high. What once was a brutal, secretive battle royale has had all of its mysteries torn away with the fall of the veil that used to separate the city of Ilvernath and the harsh landscape where the contestants fought. But, while much may be different, many things are still the same, like the deathly importance of alliances and the fear that one never knows friend from foe. For some, however, the goal is no longer to win this most brutal of tournaments, but to destroy it once and for all.

Well, while there was a lot to like about this book, I feel a controversial review coming on! But first let’s get into the parts of my review that will probably line up nicely with everyone else’s reaction. For one thing, there’s no denying the general quality of this duology. The writing remains one of its strongest aspects, across both dialogue and descriptive portions. There were several pieces that I re-read and several moments where I knew that the high quality of the writing was helping assuage some of my annoyances at what I felt were missed opportunities, story-wise.

I also still like the overall concept of the story. Though, I do have to say that this was one of the places where this book began to fall short of the first. There was such a feeling of a breath of fresh air in that first book. Not only did I find all of the characters’ stories interesting, but in a world where I’ve read a million and one “magical competition” fantasy novels, this one managed to stand out from the crowd. But that being the case, this book had a higher task at hand since that initial good will based purely on a new world and concept had already been spent. And while I still enjoyed returning to this world, I did start to feel as if some of the alliances and character drama was beginning to overtake the enjoyment that could have been found in continued world-building.

And really, this is where I was really held up: the characters. While I enjoyed almost all of them in the first book, here I began to feel that several of their storylines began to fall apart, especially when you looked back over the two books together. There were character decisions and betrayals that began to feel more like they were driven by the authors wanting to create shock value than in any organic change in the characters themselves. More and more, I found myself feeling frustrated by some of the characters and the lack of consistency in their reactions to other characters and other plot points.

My biggest annoyance comes with a plot point that I can’t really talk about without some major spoilers. I wasn’t against this particular point in a vacuum, but specifically in the story we see here, it began to represent my overall frustration with the character arcs overall. I felt like the authors not only set the reader up in the first book in a way that was misleading (this second-book-switch could have worked if a bit more effort had been laid down to hint at this change of path, but I don’t feel that was the case), but I also felt like one of the biggest emotional cliffhangers from the first book was kind of wasted. In other words, I feel like I was really revved up to be invested in certain things and then…those things weren’t anything, ultimately. This will be the most unpopular opinion in this review, I’m sure, as I know that the outcome seen here is going to appeal to a lot of fans. And I feel like I could have been on this train too, but I was left frustrated by the feeling that the authors intentionally wound me up into an emotionally invested situation that they were using purely as misdirection. And, as a reader, this kind of thing at best, doesn’t work for me. And at worst, annoys me. And here it really annoyed me because I thought that the abandoned storyline had been set up in a really interesting way.

I also have to say I was a bit let down by the lack of brutality in this book. Maybe I’m just sadistic, but I didn’t feel like any of the big moments in this book really landed and that most of the decisions that would have felt like true gut punches were avoided. But, like I said, the writing was still excellent, and I know this will be seen as an excellent end to the story for many readers. Just not as much for me, sadly.

Rating 7: Unpopular opinion from me in that I felt like a lot of the build up of the first book was wasted here in the second.

I will never recover from this series. Truly, I will be thinking about the plot twists and characters in this book for a very long time. Not a single character in this book is particularly likeable, and yet, I find myself emotionally attached to all of them. Its VERY fast paced, just like the first one was, but much longer! My heart never stopped racing and, in the two moments where tears would have been warranted, I found my eyes dry purely because I was too busy being shocked by the turn of events to cry.

I dont usually enjoy sequels but I loved All of Us Villains so much I needed to read this one. It wasn't as action packed as the first but I did enjoy it.

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

This duology has the utmost highest position on my favorites list and I don’t think any other could possibly come close. WHAT A FREAKING FANTASTIC SEQUEL, I AM STILL SCREAMING AOOD literally had me on the edge of my seat shaking- intense is an understatement 😩

Betrayal. Heartbreak. Death.

This duology is giving dark YA fantasy vibes and I was here for it.

Picking up right where All of Us Villains left off, in the middle of the tournament with questionable alliances and a blood veil that is breaking apart. Those who remain must decide to work together and break the curse or battle to the death.

A conclusion, All of Our Demise, almost gave me everything I wanted from the duology as a whole. Do I think they could have been one book, eh, yeah probably. There were some slow parts in both books that could have been cut to make a more intense and suspenseful read. However, I feel like it was written the way it was because it was very character driven. I was fist pumping the growth these characters went through!

The absolute heartbreak is so many ways, I had to pause a few times to let what happen sink in. A battle to end this curse together, so many relationships are tested. I found it easy to connect to them and feel for their situation and couldn't wait to see how it would unfold.

The narrators did such an amazing job with this one! Thank you so much Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio for the advanced gifted copies!

This sequel to All of Us Villains absolutely blew away the first book. The questions, the relationships, the "tradition" this book follows is steeped in a new take on the "murder competition" genre.

After reading book one All of Us Villians, I found I HAD to read this. Book one felt like it just kinda stopped....didn't end. Just stopped. This book picked right up where that left off and honestly could be read on it's own.

Great plotline. Imperfect characters. Lots of action. And this one came to an end... and not a happily-ever-after end.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I absolutely loved the first book but this one just seemed slow and a little confusing.

A smashing sequel, delivering on the promises of the first book in the duology. Relationships go through unexpected twists, alliances are made and broken, stakes get bigger and bigger. Bravo to this author duo!

A satisfactory conclusion to this Hunger Games-inspired duology.

I enjoyed the magical system and setting of this book almost as much as I did in the first novel in the duology, but this installment was really overlong and almost tedious at times. Either there really wasn’t enough material and the editing needed to be tighter or it should have been split into three books instead of two.

A lot of the issue here is the pacing. This was a hugely successful element of the first book, but here it was really uneven. There were parts of the novel where I was riveted and other parts where I’m sure I could have skipped 50 or so pages and missed nothing important. All the endless “I trust you…no I don’t…yes I do…no I don’t” was obnoxious and thematically useless after it happened 20 or 30 times between the same sets of characters.

The magic gets a touch convoluted toward the end of this one as well, though overall the setup was still good in this respect. In all, it’s certainly worth a read to see how the story ends, but this is a significant step down in quality and entertainment value from the first book in the series.

WOW!!!!!! What a fantastic ending to the All of Us Villains duology! I have to admit, the ending of the first book, All of Us Villains caught me completely off guard and was like a punch to the gut. So, I have been eagerly waiting for the final boom and it did not disappoint! If you are a fan of morally gray characters, magic, betrayals and fights to the death, this book is for you!

A good ending to the first book with action that builds up to the final drama of the Ilvernath curse. I enjoyed this duology and I like the spin it put on champions being raised to fight, but who come together to break the curse they’ve grown up honoring.

Fantasy lovers and dark magic lovers— this duology is for you! Amanda and Christine have done it again. 🪄

It picks up right where All of Us Villains left off so you do need to have read that first. I loved book one so much and had very high expectations for book two. This duology is everything I wanted and more! Even when I thought I knew what to expect, it kept taking me by surprise. I was shocked more than once. It's angsty, action packed, and full of twists. It's a very dark atmosphere and everything is fast paced.

I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple POVs just like from book one. Getting to see everyone's continued character development is always a plus. Even with the few predictable spots, this was a fantastic sequel.

A strong sequel to All of Us Villains. I did feel like it was a little on the long side, but I also didn't really feel like it lagged. I like the four different POVs and I think it keeps the storyline going. I liked the added plot that the mysterious murders happening in Ilvernath and the spell makers contributed to the overall story.

“If you’re ashamed of what you were willing to kill for, then maybe it’s time to ask yourself what you’re willing to die for.”

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Ah, the conclusion to a great duology. I read book 1 as and ARC and fell in love with the story. It’s somewhat of a Hunger Games with dark magic thrown in. We have teenagers born and raised to compete in this tournament and have contemplated killing the other players all their lives, even if they’ve been friends. After all, there is only one winner and that family receives High Magick until the next tournament, years later.

“The Grieves had raised Gavin to die. The Lowes had raised Alistair to kill. Both of them deserved a better story.”

What I love is that some are trying to break the tournament. They’re going against what they’ve heard their entire lives and what has gone on for generations. Break it and they can all live. But not everyone wants to break it. Another group is trying to save the tournament. So trying kill to each other or at least sabotage their plans is still happening.

“Heroes are just villains with worse survival instincts and moral superiority complexes.”

I felt like I got to know the characters a bit better in this book and it was never short on adventure. On the flip side, I feel like this story was so much longer than it needed to be. It’s labeled as less than 400 pages but Kindle timed me as reading it 2-3 times longer than a 400 page book should. That is a very high word count and very deceiving! I am probably the only person who will complain about the length but I have multiple ARCs to read and when one takes 3x longer to read, it really throws me off. That being said, because of the length, I put it down more times than I would’ve liked. While I still love the story, I think the length was a downfall. I had to start and stop so many times that it was easy to lose interest.