I received as an ARC through Netgalley. The description of All of Us Villains compared it to the Hunger Games, and it did not disappoint! A curse is on the land that every 20 years the seven families that control the high magic must put up a champion that competes to the death until only one is left standing. While there are a lot of different narrators, the story flows nicely. Not clear cut who is a hero or a villain, a lot of gray area like real life. Can the curse, like other curses be broken? Will the champions of each family try to work together, or will they keep repeating the same patterns as in centuries past? Cannot wait for the next book in this series by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman.

a delightfully dark read with an ending that is truly another beginning.

while the pacing falters here and there, i was completely drawn and hooked into this world of sacrifice and bloodshed. i enjoyed the relationships between the characters (especially gavin’s relationships with Everyone), but mainly how they stuck to themselves rather than each other, all with their own motives and goals. i only docked a star because i found the romance unnecessary, as well as poorly executed. however, this is a world i plan on revisiting whenever the next bit drops.

The Hunger Games meets the darker side of Harry Potter makes for a most addicting read.

All Of Us Villains drew me in right from the beginning. I couldn’t put this book down. Normally I don’t like books with a similar premise to other popular books, but this one was just different enough for me to be able to thoroughly enjoy it without feeling like I was reading The Hunger Games over again.

The cast of characters was well developed and dynamic. Each one had their own quirks that made them likable in their own ways. The magic system in this book was also well thought out and very interesting. It wasn’t the boring wave of a wand or spell words magic, but something more intricate and sinister.

I loved all the plot twists the book had. It definitely held me in suspense the whole time. Overall, I thought this book was excellent and I can’t wait for the sequel. Thank you to NetGalley for this ebook ARC!

This was such a unique book and I completely fell in love!

In the city of Ilvernath there is a generational tournament for high magick. Ceremoniously, one person from each of the seven families is chosen and the tournament is to the death. Only one will remain. But this time is a little different because the remote town is swarmed with people who all have something to say about it. Protestors and reporters alike have come in droves creating a whole new element to this ordeal.

The dynamic between the chosen in this generation of the tournament is intense. With backstabbing betrayal and new alliances, these seven all enter into this round each believing they will be the one to come out victorious. With this story being told from only four narratives of the seven, I felt like we got just the right amount of insight into the proper minds to tell the story to its perfection. I cannot get over how much fun this was to read. Some of the chosen were the actual worst (one in particular even if she thought she was doing the right thing… just no! I despised her) and some were perfect - I am talking about Alistair. He was a hands down favorite. Coming from the more villainous of the families, he was a shoo-in to win, considering his family usually wins, giving them the terrible villainous reputation. Loved him!

I cannot wait for more in this creative and dark magical series.

All of Us Villians is a young adult urban fantasy about seven teens forced to fight each other in a to-the-death style magical duel.
After five centuries of hiding the truth the city of Ilvernath has finally had their biggest secret leaked in a tell-all book. Now the world knows that they control the high magic by having an epic three month showdown once every generation between seven of their top families. We follow possible contestants Alistair, Isobel, Briony and Gavin as they deal with their relatives, their magical abilities and the world as it watches. But once the sky turns red marking the beginning of the duel we start to see the cracks under the contestants exteriors. Alistair has presented himself as the ultimate monster but the love he has for his brother and a possible romance with a fellow contestant shows his human side. Isobel has a spell go wrong before the tournament and enters it weak and scared and Gavin makes a deal that makes his magic unreliable. And Briony risks everything to compete in order to dismantle the curse that runs the tournament from the inside but she’ll need help from the other six contenders and no one is inclined to believe her.
All of Us Villains is a new twist on tournament type young adult books. By incorporating curses and spells and a cast of morally grey characters Foody and Herman created a brand new story for YA audiences. All of Us Villains kept me riveted all the way to the end and thanks to the cliffhanger ending I look forward to reading more books in this series.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you loved The Hunger Games and Maze Runner back in the day, then listen up - this one’s for you!

Every generation of the elite families sends one champion to compete in a death tournament when the blood moon rises. If their champion wins, the family gets access to high magick until the next generation competes. Except this year, the champions don’t want to straight up slaughter each other. Something’s going on, and maybe they will get to the bottom of what’s really driving this tournament… or maybe they won’t.

This books gets pretty brutal without warning in parts. There were a few audible oh sh*ts that came out of my mouth. I absolutely loved the premise, and there was such an array of personalities to round out the cast. The only thing I’m mad about? That epic cliffhanger at the end!

A big thank you to Netgalley (@netgalley )and the publisher (@torteen ) for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. This review expresses my own personal opinions.

All of Us Villains describes a modern fantasy world where there's not much magick left and the most powerful remnant is locked, only accessible to the family that wins a murderous tournment in which the 7 families have competed for centuries. This tournament has now been exposed to the press by a tell-all, leaving the selected teen champions chosen to compete exposed to the public in a way they never have before. The book follows some of the champion as they manage the physical, emotional, and social aspects of finally getting into a much anticipated fight to the death with people you know and with whom you have centuries of history. In addition to the individual dynamics between the contestants, the familial and town politics add some flavor to this competition, making it feel less self-contained and giving the contestants a backstory to differentiate them, as none had a traditional path on their way to champion. The synopsis is pretty vague because going into this book knowning absolutely nothing created tension for the first quarter that usually gets exposed in the summary given by the publisher (not this time!).
I really liked that this world felt somewhat modern, a good mesh of modern society with some old trimmings. At the same time, the way the book was written was dark enough that it felt Gothic at times, a perfect vibe for a fall/Halloween read. It gave more gruesome details and deeper emotions about killing than you feel from most fantasy books. The tournament, once they got into the arena that is, felt very much like the Hunger Games with magick, though everyone felt like one of the Careers here. I loved the romance arc, having one of my favorite enemies-to-love trope with little insta-love. I will say some of the twists were staring you in the face the whole time, but on the whole, the shifting dynamics between the champions kept me reading right up until the end. I can't wait for the sequel because the book fully ends in the middle of action, not on a cliffhanger, but just after one.

OHHHHHH MY GOD!!!!

I am in a state of shock after reading this I’m literally screaming this was NOT what I was expecting and I’m obsessed with it

vibes are: hunger games x witches - like please say less I’m totally in (and if you want the best experience like I did, that’s literally all you need to know about this book)

every generation when the blood moon falls, it’s time for a new slaughter seven to take their place. one champion under the age of 21 from each of the seven powerful witch families must partake in the tournament to the death - the last surviving champion will have alllllllll of the expensive high magic until the next tournament. oh yes, I said surviving, as in they all have to kill each other.

*cue rue’s theme*

the story itself is told from 4 different champions POVs: alistair (the brooding projected heir whose family mysteriously always seems to win), isobel (the popular favorite due to her looks and charm), briony (the scorned sister who is determined to find more loopholes in the tournament than not), and gavin (another brooding male whose family has almost never won and they’re seen as basically losers).

I loved hearing from them all separately and see how they all felt about each other and the tournament without narrator bias. and the description of the spell-rings and magic was just *chef kiss* AND THAT ENDING? I NEED ANSWERS!!!

everyone needs to read this one when it comes out this month holy crap!! thank you to netgalley and macmillan forge publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

wine pairing: mouvèdre blend
rating: 4.5 stars

I’m waiting for book 2 even though book 1 hasn’t been released yet.

Magic + Hunger Games

This book had a really unique magic system, characters with a tragic backstory, a story bathed in blood, and a tournament where 7 people go in, but only 1 comes out.

What really had me hooked were the characters, especially the two male protagonists, Alistair Lowe and Gavin Grieve. Both characters hated each other; Gavin especially hated Alistair for certain reasons, but there were small moments that added some tension between them. And little interactions that were quite normal but made me feel like… am I shipping them? Sadly, one of the boys already has a love interest (which I don’t ship) but things might change in the second book. *fingers crossed*

The other two protagonists were Isobel Macaslan and Briony Thorburn. I didn’t like Isobel; she was alright at first but as the book progressed I liked her less and less. Briony on the other hand was very interesting to me (just not as interesting as Gavin and Alistair) and I loved reading everything she sacrificed for her theory.

I enjoyed reading how this tournament affected the champions' lives even before they started the tournament. Unlike the Hunger Games where people are chosen at random, the champion is chosen by their family. Whoever is the most ruthless, most skilled in magic, and most mentally and physically capable of winning the tournament. Some of these characters wanted to be their family’s champion- to either make them proud or to show the world what they're capable of. Other characters were forced to take this role, as they have been preparing for this tournament since birth.

Since this book is a tournament with only one winner, I was waiting for a lot of betrayal and backstabbing but a lot of that didn’t happen. The end did take a turn (for the better) and it describes the title a lot more. When the ending came I was actually really happy because I wanted that plot twist to happen, and it actually happened. So now I’m even more excited for the second book.

One thing that did confuse me was the magic system, but that’s expected. A new magic system is always a struggle. But also the setting and era. When I started reading the book I imagined something inspired by the mid 19th century, but as I kept reading there were mentions of technology and photography, and other modern things. Another problem was how slow-paced it was in the beginning. The last 75% of the book was the most captivating and fast-paced to me.

Overall this was a great Y.A fantasy novel, with incredible tropes and characters. I really hope the second book can be even better.


*Thank you Netgalley for the digital ARC*

I admit I had a hard time delving into this book with the first few chapters. The pacing at the beginning was quite slow and you had to familiarize multiple POVs with their background. But when the story started to pick-up, you're totally in for the read.

If you're a reader like me who does not like slow paced books, just bear with this since it'll be really awesome once the competition starts.

Oh. My. Goodness. This was a RIDE and I enjoyed it more with every page. It's appropriately referenced as "The Hunger Games + magic," and I appreciate that it's not just a retelling OF The Hunger Games. This is an imaginative and interesting competition story, which is a weakness of mine.

For a book marketed as a bloodier The Hunger Games, it was really lacking in the maiming and killing.

The premise of All of Us Villains is good. I was captivated by the synopsis and the magical tournament aspect and all that it entails was really intriguing. I kept seeing reviews calling this dark and bloody, but I think we read different books? None of the characters acted ruthless or unapologetically maniacal enough to be considered villains like the title suggests. I also struggled with the multiple POVs, most likely because I wasn't invested in any of the characters other than Alistair.

The pacing felt off as well. It started out pretty slow and the action doesn't really pick up until the tournament actually begins...which is almost halfway through the book. Then once the action started, it felt like the pacing and plot were moving too fast.

All in all, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this. I love both these authors so I was really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this.

Foody and Lynn Herman's All of Us Villains takes the (now) classic "teens fight to the death" trope, pushes it onto its side, warps and darkens it just enough, and lets the reader see what happens next. The worldbuilding is wonderful; I love magic-systems that feel both organic and well thought out enough that the reader can quickly follow along. The characters are developed well also; the protagonists all reflect their upbringings and choices surrounding the Tournament with skill and authenticity. It's hard not to end up rooting for (some) of them as the story progresses, but as Foody and Lynn Herman pointed out in the title, it's not "Some of Us Villains."

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.

Once upon a time, there was a small town called Ilvernath. Seven powerful families resided in it and every twenty years they'd send one of their own to compete in a tournament to the death in order to keep control of the town's magic supply.

This year, the seven contestants all start the bloodbath as planned, but then something changes. Could it be, that they're not villains after all?

All of Us Villains was one of my most anticipated reads this year. The cover, title and blurb all drew my attention, even more so than the comps. Still, I really did want to see how the Riverdale comp played into it, and at least that part was satisfying to a degree.

Ilvernath is a cute, spooky town and the atmosphere was on point. The world building wasn't grand, but for this story it didn't need to be. Perhaps it'll get expanded on in the next book.

But my issue is with the characters. I only liked Gavin from start to finish, the rest not so much. Despite almost half a book of backstories, I couldn't get myself to care about them.

Maybe it's because I was expecting actual villains who'd do anything to win that I'm disappointed, I don't know. But it's clear before they even get into the tournament that some of them really don't want to be there.

And the characters who was meant to be the biggest villain of all - ended up being the biggest softie (with a random evil scene here and there, it barely counts).

There are seven contestants, and we only got PoVs from four of them. I can't say if this is a good thing or a bad thing, since it's possible I wouldn't care about the remaining three either way, but it would be nice to see what was going on in their heads during all the shifting alliances.

So, because I wasn't attached to the characters the book didn't have its desired impact. That's disappointing. But, it was still easy to read and decently entertaining.

I didn't mind the pacing too much. Even though it feels like the authors spent too much time trying to develop the characters at the start and then suddenly remembered that the main event was supposed to begin, so they scrambled to do it and as a result certain parts of the tournament felt rushed.

Then there's the abrupt cliffhanger ending...that's definitely one of the worst parts of this book. Not because it's painful or makes you want to rip your hair out in frustration from not getting to see what happens next for another year, but because it feels incomplete.

This is a book that doesn't stand on its own, which is fine, but then it's supposed to make you want to read the next one and it doesn't do a very good job.

If I do read the next one it'll be for Gavin, and Gavin only. If anyone wins it better be him. And it's because of him that I'm choosing to round my rating up to three stars. You go Gavin, you got this.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I've seen this book being hyped up everywhere--TikTok, Twitter, Goodreads, NetGalley. I think at this point I'm being personally targeted--look at that cover! Look at that description! A dynamic author team-up! I'm so happy to say that it lives up to the hype, and I'm so glad to have had a chance to read it. It's worth the aggressive promotion.

"There are no friends here. Only people you kill now, and people you kill later." In All of us Villains, high magick is a finite resource, once thought diminished. But due to a tell-all book, it's revealed that in the small town of Ilvernath, some still have access to it. Each generation, seven families must choose a champion who will compete in a fatal competition to determine who may wield the magick for the next 20 years. These families always managed to keep the secret of their town, but now, on top of the tournament, they have to handle the endless barrage of protestors, reporters, and a mysterious government official who has too much interest in the outcome.

The magick system is well-thought-out and nuanced while still leaving some details unknown, so there's room for questions and surprises. There are different types and subtypes of common magick, all with possible consequences. Wielders may excel in one specialty and struggle with another, leaving each competitor with strengths and weaknesses against their adversaries.

However, the best element of All of us Villains is how everything exists in a gray area. There are no heroes, only real people weighing what evils they are willing to commit to survive. Each champion of the tournament has their own reasons for competing, each equally compelling. The novel is told from several points of view, allowing the readers to watch the events unfold through the eyes of each competitor. It also gives us glimpses into the mental state of each of them.

And I can't forget to mention the plot twists, of which there are several. All of us Villains does an incredible job of lulling the reader into thinking they are safe, then throwing everything into chaos.

I can't think of anything negative to say about it. Except... how dare you? You're going to end it right there? Right there?

Five out of five stars. It has an incredible plot, character arcs, magick system, secondary characters, and it's reminiscent of the dystopian novels we all love. It's an absolutely jaw-dropping, thrilling read. There's some brutal violence and cursing, but it's still YA appropriate. All of us Villains is a perfect read for anyone who likes a little dark magic and a lot of morally gray characters.

A curse that has spanned generations plagues seven families in Ilvernath. Forced to send a champion to battle to the death, each family has their reasons for how and why they choose. The winning family controls the high magic until the next generation battles for it. And on and on it goes, until...

When this generation has several champions with personal ties to each other things aren't as black and white as they are supposed to be. Characters with grey morals can make for a very interesting story. Being raised and trained to be cruel and cut throat and killers they must decide if they want to honor their families or strike out on their own and find a new way. Things are never as they seem and with magic involved it makes things even trickier.

These characters were so easy to connect to. Each one with a strength and weakness and vulnerabilities and insecurities that are being tested at every turn. I was truly beside myself as they battled each other and how alliances were forged and broken in the span of pages. My emotions were on a roller coaster all alone.

The first installment to what is sure to be a great series!

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the copy for review

If you liked the Hunger Games and enjoy magic this is a book to add to your list! Multiple perspectives have you questioning who will survive and who will die in a battle to control high magic but the next book needs to come out ASAP because you get left wjth a cliffhanger.

ALL OF US VILLAINS is an enjoyable ride through a blood-soaked town, now exposed to the world and the start of its no-longer-secret violent tournament. The snippets of the book were dry sarcastic in a self-deprecating way, which is a form of humour I really like, so those additions at the start of each chapter really worked for me, when a lot of book snippets like that don't.

I liked the character dynamics, with their secrets and priorities and hurts that meant it was impossible for them to team up and do the things that needed doing to end it. It means that it is a tricky task, and they're going to be betraying each other - particularly as they don't all want to end it.

The world was a lot of fun. It's a secondary world, I think, but it had a very modern vibe. It might be a made up town in an alternate world that has magic, but it's never confirmed either way. There aren't phones or internet, I think, but there are glossy magazines and the way they talk and think is very modern.

It's a mash up of the author's solo series, and then with a sort of Hunger Games like set up throne in. The technology level of the world is more like Amanda Foody's Shadow Game series, but a rural American town rather than a big city. That small town vibe with old houses controlling magic (who all have their rivalries and we see POVs from a range of them) is more like Christine Lynn Herman's Devouring Gray series.

Some of the names made me laugh a bit, particularly Alistair Lowe, who's the broken edges and hiding hurt under an aura of menace character. Except his name screams middle aged Tory MP to me! Funny how somethings like names don't translate across the pond so well.

I'm interested to see how this end next year.