This was a fast and fun read, and a very promising start to a new series. The book focuses on the seven founding families in Ilvernath, a town that unbeknownst to outsiders is still the home to significant magic. Every 20 years or so, a young representative of each of the families, known as a "champion," compete to control the high magic, the most powerful form of magic, until the next competition by vanquishing the six other champions. This year's competition is attracting more attention than ever before thanks to a recently released tell-all book that purported to reveal all of the secrets of the competition, past champions, and the seven families. It also is giving the champions more insights into the competition, prompting them to question how best to win -- or whether winning can take another form altogether. This book tells the story of the start of the competition and sets up what seems to be an exciting new series.

I was fully engaged, and look forward to the next book. Recommended!

OMG wow, I loved this so much! This was one of my most anticipated books for 2021 and I am so happy to say that it completely lived up to expectations. Foody and Herman are both authors that I love, and this book has only helped solidify that.

All of Us Villains is a YA fantasy in which every generation, a competitor descended from the great 7 families of Ilvernath must compete in a competition in which there can only be one survivor in order to continue to have access to high magick, and the only family that can control it is the family of the winner. This is due to a centuries old curse in which sacrifice is required. The story starts several weeks before the start of the next competition, as the final champions from each family are selected, and we are then thrown into this high stakes game where we are rooting for everyone (or almost everyone) to win.

One of my favorite things about this book is how this is a YA book that actually felt like it was geared towards teens. I don't know specific stats, but I do know that more and more adults, myself included, are reading YA, and I think in some ways, because of that, more YA books seemed to be geared towards adults instead of the actual audience it's intended for. But these characters truly felt like teens, and their actions and emotions felt accurate to age (at least based on my own personal experience when I was a teen).

On top of this, I absolutely loved the characters. There are four main POVs, and each was unique and so well developed, with wants and fears, and it truly had me rooting for all of them. Even when they made decisions I didn't necessarily agree with, everything felt so true to their characters, and their ages, and it was just so well done. I especially have a soft spot of Alistair Lowe, and he rapidly became one of my new all time favorite characters.

Moreover, Foody and Herman did an amazing job with the world building in this novel. We really only see Ilvernath, but there are references to locations outside of this town, places where other characters want to visit or where they have family residing. We learn a little about the history of Ilvernath and the curse that surrounds it (although there is still more to learn, which I am sure will come up in the sequel (sequels?)), and we really get to understand how the curse functions, and what it means for the town. Additionally, I think the magick system in this novel is so unique, and I really enjoyed seeing a different type of magic. Basically, there are two types, spells and curses, and both require raw magick and different ingredients in order to craft the spell or curse, which is then stored in a gemstone, which most characters then wear as rings, although other jewelry can also be used, and I just really felt that was such a cool way for magick to be used. There are also different levels of spells/curses, and higher levels are harder to craft and cast, and it was just so interesting to read about!

On top of all of this, I absolutely loved the plot. I don't want to go too much into it to avoid spoilers, but it really kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know more. The only reason I didn't finish this sooner is because I ended up being busy and not having the time to read that I thought I would have, but I could have easily finished this in a day if I had the time.

I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who loves fantasy, and I cannot wait for the sequel!

I never read The Hunger Games but once I saw THG but darker and with magic, I couldn’t get my hands on it quick enough.

Seven families must pick one champion, one child the think will be brutal enough to survive until the end so then they can control all of the high magic the land has to offer because in this town, everyone has access to regular magic but only ONE family has access to a higher magic. A magic that is stronger and worth killing or dying to have control over.

All of us Villains is a character driven story for sure. If you like being inside of the minds of characters that have to make tough choices and are pretty much all morally grey, READ THIS. It was so intriguing to watch these kids make choices to defend themselves or to come out on top or to completely change the way they think or how their families would like them to think.

Quite a few characters do the unexpected in this book and i had to pick my chin up off the floor several times. Like I said this is character driven more then plot, and I found myself several times not knowing who to root for. I literally kept changing my mind but ultimately I think I’m #TeamAlistair.

The magic system was extremely unique, the characters morally grey (literally all of them), and the best part?! There is going to be a book two and I REALLY can’t wait to see what this group of characters get into. AOUV is bloody and brutal at times but in my opinion, it’s not too much, but still take this as a warning

“I think, deep down, some people don’t want their stories to have happy endings.”

NGL, I. Freaking. LOVED. This! Did I catch THG vibe from it? Hell yeah, but it is so much more! All of Us Villains offers some of the most unique world-building I’ve read in a long time with a magic system that is intricate and complex. When any group of teens is forced to fight to the death just so the adults get gains, I am going to be rooting for even the most hideous of the kids.

I loved the different POVs, that’s really saying something because I usually do not enjoy this. At all. But because each of the characters was so well developed and unique, I didn’t have trouble keeping up with them or the POV change. My one gripe is the ending. WTH? That was the Queen of cliff hangers and I’m torn between extreme aggravation and mad respect. Now how long do I have to wait until the next book?

My thanks to @TorTeen and @NetGalley for this gifted DRC.

All of Us Villains showcases a group of teenagers, wrapped up in a nightmare that was created by their ancestors hundreds of years ago. As they each fight to survive, they must unravel who they are, what they stand for, and what they want from this deadly game. The flipping perspectives in this novel worked well to showcase the curse and the tournament from different angles, while also helping to build more relationships and insight into the characters. It was interesting to see how the different teens reacted to the horrific stressors they were under, whether surprising or exactly as expected. The book definitely picks up the pace in the second half. The slower build in the beginning is worth it, as much of what happens then will be important later. I will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the second book.

All of Us Villains is the first installment of a competition-centered duology that takes place in the city of Ilvernath. Every twenty years over the last eight centuries, seven magic-filled families choose their own champion to compete in a competition to the death to select who will control high magick until the next tournament. The families must compete with only one champion remaining or risk death if the clock runs out. This year the tournament is held under a microscope, as there was a tell-all book released revealing all of its dark secrets. While there are seven champions, there are four that are featured with the other three mentioned throughout the story. There are four narrators for the story: Allistair Lowe, Gavin Grieve, Briony Thornburn, and Isobel Macaslan.

The story opens with Allistair, who is the favorite to win the tournament. The people of Ilvernath hate him and his brother, Hendry, along with the rest of the Lowes. Gavin is the underdog of the tournament as they have been typically the first to die in the past. Isobel was forced to compete and unwillingly becomes the media face of the tournament. Briony knows that she is the best choice to represent her family and is determined to compete. I go back and forth between which of the four I like the best, but I think I would have to go with Allistair. There was something to love and dislike about each of them, but there is something that I cannot pinpoint that appeals to Allistair to me a little more.

It is difficult to write too much about any of the characters without spoiling their stories. Each has their own motivations and backstories that are explored and there are interesting interactions between them and the other three champions. While the word “villains” is in the title, the characters are not outright ruthless or heartless and there is a lot more to them than meets the eye. For me, I was expecting a little more darkness from them. As the events move forward, it is difficult to stick with a character to root for and who will come out on top or if changes are coming. One great element about the writing is that there is a character that will appeal more to different readers as each will favor their own choice. I greatly enjoy these types of stories as it provides variety for an audience and everyone ends up rooting for their own character instead of an extreme focus on only one.

Overall, this story was very unexpected compared to my original expectations. While the characters are not quite as villainous as I anticipated, there were still darker and complex. As there are four perspectives, the big picture does seem to be difficult to put together; however, I think the sequel can help. There is a cliffhanger ending after multiple twists and turns, so it will be interesting how the authors bring it all together. I cannot wait to read the final installment and see what happens to all of the characters next!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor Forge for allowing me to read a digital ARC of All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Herman. I enjoyed this Young Adult book. All of Us Villains is similar to The Hunger Games, but the champions fight with magic and conjure spells and monsters. All of Us Villains sees teens from several aristocratic families fight to the death under the Blood Moon, which occurs every 20 years, in a contest that determines which family gets to control High magick. The authors did a great job providing the reader with a history of each character, their aristocratic family, and how they ended up fighting to the death during the Blood Moon tournament. The authors did a great job of developing characters who were complex and intriguing. Each champion entered the tournament with a devastating secret and a strategy for winning. Trust is a central theme in this novel. I had mixed feelings about Alistair, Briony, Gavin, and Isobel, but I liked Alistair the most. Even though Briony committed a cold-blooded and repulsive to enter the tournament, she grew on me as the novel progressed. These not-so-typical teens were under tremendous pressure to win to uphold the honor of families willing to destroy and sacrifice them. Weakness is death. Children are lambs to be slaughtered. There were so many twists and turns in the novel. My heart went out to Alistair, who was not the monster his family aspired him to be.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series

I recieved a copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There's going to be a lot of people who compare this to The Hunger Games and they'll be right in that it involves a contest that pits teens against each other in a fight to the death, but that's where the similarities end. Told from the perspectives of each champion in the tournament, All of Us Villains is the perfect book for a pre- (or post-) Halloween read. It was just the right blend of creepy, romantic, and treacherous to keep me glued to my Kindle, even while getting my nails done. I appreciated that each champion is a fully fleshed out character with a unique perspective and clear motivation. It's a treatise on external perspective vs. reality and kept me guessing until the end. I'm very excited for the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Man was this book long, but it still managed to captivate my interest through all 400 pages of it. 7 different magical families sacrifice a teenager to compete in a magical competition ala Hunger Games style for the use of High Magick which will provide their family with a superior advantage.

One thing that becomes readily apparent is how nuanced and balanced all the characters are- there are 4 points of view : Alistair, Gavin, Isobel and Briony, and all 4 main characters have different shades of grey to their characters. My favourite in particular was Alistaire Lowe, brought up to believe he's the monster in every story, but kind, loving and less cruel than he himself believes.

The pacing and world-building was excellent, though mildly confusing with the constant point-of-view changes, and even though I did find myself confused at times, I still found myself hanging off the edge of my seat even to the last page, only to realize with some devastation that this was a duology, and I would have to wait many months for the next book to arrive.

4/5 stars and I'll definitely pick up a dead tree copy when it's released!

The Hunger Games but make it magical?! I was freaking sold.

All of Us Villains is the perfect first installment in this series, and gives us well written and interesting characters, tons of great world building, and a pretty nifty magic system. I normally find too many POVs distracting and overwhelming, but this is so greatly done that I actually didn’t mind.

Looking forward to the next book!

Unfortunately had to DNF this one. It was no fault of the book and what I read of it I loved, but it's a little heavy for me right now and I don't think I'm in the mental place to read it. Once I feel better, I'll definitely be finishing though. It reminds me of The Hunger Games and Divergent and all of my favorite childhood dystopian series. Definitely worth a read, and I'm excited to get back to it! I'll edit my review once I finish this.

YES. All of Us Villains was absolutely compelling and consuming. These two authors have such an engaging writing style/storytelling voice, and I was ready to binge.

The world-building for Ilvernath was excellent. I found the magic system to be unique and interesting. I personally loved the names of the spells; they were right to the point: Pick Up the Pace, Here to There, etc. How can you not appreciate the heck out of those?

I enjoyed all the characters' POVs, especially Alistair's and Gavin's. All the characters were most definitely flawed, maybe not outright villains but definitely morally gray. They each have differing internal motivations, and it will be interesting to see how they work together (or not?) to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

I really, really wish the sequel was out now, because the ending took such an unexpected turn, that I do not want to wait to find out what happens.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc!

I loved this story! And there's going to be more!!

There are 7 main characters that the reader will get to know throughout this book. All battling for a chance to win high Magick for their family. (And, there is a character named Alistair who I can't help but love immediately!).

The story has a good flow and kept me interested and turning pages. The author cleverly and intricately weaves this tale and the ending simply left me craving more. The characters themselves were unique and I loved getting everyone's pov.

I would say the story itself definitely fits this intriguing cover. Sometimes I can't help but pick a book up because the cover just seems to scream, "Read me!". And, this one was a great choice for me!

This book was fantastic and I absolutely loved it! All of the characters are dark and villainous, even when they don’t want to be. It is an urban fantasy, but there is also an ancient curse and the characters have to deal with the fallout of social media and journalists that want to feed on their deaths. This book will take you on a journey like no other.

We are told the story through four characters points of view. And while I liked all of them I also couldn’t believe how awful each of them could be. They each had their own reasons for being the way they were, mostly it was their upbringings, but they also were able to see that their behaviors were just wrong and they could make the decisions to change, but in the end would choose not to.

The world building was amazing and I loved the magical system. Everyone can use magic, but there are some who are more magical than others. They use stones mostly set in rings that help them to focus and use the magic stored in them. There are of course defensive spells as well as curses. There are also common everyday spells but we don’t hear to much about them. The town where the story takes place doesn’t know about the curse until a tell all book is published. Their minds are erased of the whole tournament every time it occurs. This time around there are also journalists and other social media people who have descended upon the town that are making it harder to hide what is really going on. This ends up playing a role in the whole story as well.

The book starts off a little slow as we are introduced to the four main characters, but once it gets going it is really hard to put down. As I said, each character is likable, but you almost don’t want to like them. The things their families expect of them and the sacrifices they make to achieve the goal of winning the tournament are bleak and scary at times. This is a dark book and there is of course some bloody and gruesome deaths, but it is a fascinating look at how fragile the human psyche can be.

A really fantastically dark and twisty story with some characters that you will love but also loath at the same time. I can’t wait to see where this will go next!

10/10 chef's kiss.

May I present: Alistair Lowe. Ladies and gentlemen... Be still my heart, behold thy beloved wicked cupcake.

"The nightmares had not taught him to fear the dark. The nightmares had taught him to become it."

This book is told from four perspectives: Gavin, Isobel, Alistair and Briony. Every one of them is awful in their own way. (And I say that with much love to each of them) You'll fall in love with each characters' brand of treachery, and hopefully enjoy every POV like I did.

It follows seven families as they each ritually sacrifice a child to an ancient curse to (hopefully) gain the use of high magick for a 20 year period.

The "champion" from each family gets locked in a 3 month long death match with the six other champs, and the last surviving champion wins the magick for their family (and the lifelong trauma of being a serial killer. Eek.).

Obviously in this case: things don't go according to plan. Team ups, treachery, blood, grudge matches, show downs and all around horror ensue.

The ending had me gasping. I cannot WAIT for book two!

The pacing is absolutely perfect, and the switches between POV kept me interested the entire book. I flew through it!

All of Us Villians by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
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Every twenty years, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath name a champion to battle to the death. What is the prize? Exclusive control over the use of high magick.
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What I liked:
-Hunger games, except with magick? YES, PLEASE!
-I loved that we read from not one, but four of the champions for this year. It gave such a well rounded view of the tournament, the history and what each person has to lose.
-The alliances; temporary, new, old, broken, it was a revolving door of alliances and betrayals.
-I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, they also lended to the sense of forboding that is the tournament.
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What I didn’t like:
-That I have to wait till book two comes out to see what happens next. 😫😭😭😭😭
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5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was amazingly done and I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley for my digital copy. Pub Date 11/9/21.

I was really excited about this one (did you read that description, it sounds amazing!) and it just didn't hit the mark for me. The beginning was slow, then the middle hooked me and I was pretty into it, but then the end went in a direction that I really didn't like. I enjoyed my time overall but I don't plan to read the next one, so I gave it 3 stars.

The writing and the atmosphere are really the strength of this book. It definitely had that dark, creepy feeling and was a good fit for the week leading up to Halloween. The writing was also incredibly thoughtful. I was confused at the beginning with some characters being referred to by first names and other by their last and then I realized that it's actually that under one of the points of view, all of the champions are referred to by their last name because he was raised to know his competition by the traits of their family, not as people. This intricacy of the writing and so many other little gems were just so thoughtful, it was a pleasure to read.

The magic system played into the spooky atmosphere and was certainly unique. I did get a little frustrated with the magic system as it never felt fully explained and I have so many questions about it. Even something basic like whether everyone in the world can do magic or is it some subset never seemed clear and I went back and forth.

I really hope the final physical copies of this book have some maps and charts and stuff. I really would have liked a map of the playing field, list of landmarks, etc. I didn't decrease my rating based on this but if I had a final physical copy and this was included, it may have increased my score as some of this wasn't super well explained and I found myself a little confused.

My biggest issue with this book is the number of points of view, 4 was just too many for the first book in a series that's 400 pages long. From what I could tell, each of the four got equal time so that's only 100 pages per character. This left all of the characters feeling not quite developed and with such big gaps between being back in a character's head, it felt choppy. Characters had big changes in motivation or feelings and it was only seen through the eyes of another character and by the time you got back to them, you missed the whole thing. The POVs was also part of the reason the beginning of the book was so slow, we had to separately meet each character and find out how they became a champion.

Alistair was definitely my favorite character and I think I would have had a much better reading experience if the entire story was told from his point of view or maybe him and one other. Four was just too many and unnecessary to tell this story. Although each character did feel a little underdeveloped, I did think they were solid characters and I liked the differences in them and that they didn't really remind me of any other characters.

All of this aside, I was really into this book at about 300 pages in. I was expecting a climactic ending and that I'd want the next one right away. I didn't get this. Instead, I got a really bizarre twist where suddenly multiple characters did things out of character or totally undid the growth from the rest of the story and went back to square one. It left me confused and disappointed. I was so invested in Alistair and just hate what the authors did to his character at the end, it totally undid the middle of the book.

So I won't be picking up the next one and ended up at 3 stars. I'd definitely consider picking up another book by either of these authors though as the writing and overall idea were really good.

*I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Teen, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Every twenty years, we send seven teenagers into a massacre and reward the one who comes out with the most blood on their hands”

In the remote city of Ilvernath, the seven leading families each name a champion to take part in a tournament to the death every twenty years when the Blood Moon Rises. Only one will survive and gain the prize for their family – exclusive access to a cache of high magick, powerful and extremely rare until the next tournament. The cursed cycle has continued, generation after generation for centuries, but this year, with a tell-all book leaking the secret tradition to the world being published right before the tournament is due to start, the champions are under a media spotlight as reporters and spellmakers have descended on Ilvernath en masse. This offers them new information and avenues to victory, but the stakes are also higher than ever. This tournament will be unlike any other before it.

I received a sample of this book earlier this year and I knew within the first couple of chapters that this needed to be on my TBR. Simply put, I would describe this as Hunger Games with magic, and a bit of Game of Thrones tossed in for good measure. The world building was really good and none of it felt like info dumps despite how much information was there. The magic system was a fascinating one, and along with a unique plot and some epic magical duels, this book was an engrossing read right from the beginning.

Curses and tournaments and magical battles aside, the cast of characters are undoubtedly what make this book. There are no heroes to be found among the champions of this tournament. Each has their own reasons and motivations to win, and it was strange to find that I didn’t have someone to root for until well beyond the halfway mark – because each is as bad as the next. Once I got past that very odd revelation however, it was so very easy to become invested in each of their storylines despite not really liking any of them.

Alastair Lowe has a reputation of being cold blooded, calculating and ruthless, traits that have assured the Lowes frequent victories in the past. Isobel never expected to be chosen as the Champion of the Macaslan family, but as she is the strongest, her family sees an opportunity to gain power through her victory – though Isobel herself is torn between family loyalty and the desire to flee and seek out a different life. Briony Thorburn, on the other hand, fully expects to be chosen to represent her family, until she’s not and must watch her younger sister take the honor she has trained for all her life. Gavin Grieve is widely considered to be the weakest champion, and his family is more or less a laughing stock in the city, having never won a tournament before, but this is his chance to change everything and prove his worth. Each of these four champions have their own POVs which gives us a very good idea of not only their mindset but glimpses into their past and what led them to this stage. While some of the champions have been raised with this sole aim in mind and are more than willing to do what it takes to win, others are reluctant participants with no other choice. It was also interesting that many of them knew each other from school and some were even friends before being forced to cut ties – and this also plays a significant role in the arena as the tournament proceeds. Alastair was definitely my favorite, with Gavin a close second, but I really couldn’t stand the others, especially Briony, who was nothing more than a glory hog despite all her claims of being selfless.

The pacing was initially quite steady, and the build up to the tournament actually starting was excellent, but once the tournament actually started, the pace began to feel a bit choppy. The passage of time was also a bit hard to grasp for me since one chapter is full of action, and in the next, weeks seem to pass with barely a mention of what happened it between. However, what really prevented this from being a 5 star read for me was the characters, who, while wonderful, were not nearly as villainous as I expected. I was hoping for ruthless antiheroes, but one way or another, they instead turned out to be just doing what their families told them to, essentially martyring themselves in hopes of winning the tournament. By the end of the book, I feel like only Alastair and Gavin even somewhat fit the description, thought I was certainly ready to scream with how long it took them to get there. As for the dynamic between the characters, well, suffice to say, I was expecting more Hunger Games and less ‘let’s team up to stop this and save everyone’, which ultimately didn’t work and devolved into what felt like an endlessly repetitive cycle of forming alliances and backstabbing each other.

Amanda Foody set a very high standard to match with the finale to The Shadow Game trilogy last year, but this book has definitely lived up to it and more, despite a few highly frustrating points. I can’t wait for the sequel, especially after that shocking twist at the end that I had only barely begun to suspect, no to mention the place at which each of the characters find themselves in at this pivotal point in the tournament. This was a brilliant start to a new series and it is one I would highly recommend!

Firstly just this cover, WOW, love it so much. All of us Villains is an awesome twisted fantasy book! Could not get enough of this. Its a mashup of Hunger Games and Addams family and evil magic!

Does anyone need any more convincing to pick this up after reading "Hunger Game BUT WITH MAGIC"? because I really didn't. What really did piss me off though is that we had FOUR POV characters and it made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to put this book down because I kept needing to get back to so-and-so's POV to know what happened. And don't even get me started on the last 25% of this book that really made it impossible for me to stop. This was definitely a fast read for me.

So every 20 years, seven major families must send someone (a young adult? pretty sure there is an age range but I can't recall what) to compete to the death to earn the family access to HIGH MAGIC! Rare magic that, outside of these families, is thought to not exist and awards the winning family with unimaginable power. There is an arena and magical landmarks for "bases" and magical items that fall from the sky. Competitors use boring ole "normal magic" through rings or jewelry to gain the upper hand. But this year is different - what was once a secret has been published in a TELL-ALL book about these families and their competition. So this year looks a little different with media and governmental influences.

The premise was so intriguing and I loved learning about this magic system (although I admit I'm still not 100% certain I understand it and do wish we got a little more explanation there) and how this story really does drop us into the DRAMA of the competition and the media frenzy. I loved all our POV characters in their own ways and their motivation and desires for being in the competition and their journey to accepting what it may mean to either die or live when the price is the death of their peers.

The first character we meet is Alistair and his brother Hendry Lowe. Their family currently holds high magic and generally dominates the competition. Alistair is "the one to beat" but also shoulders the high pressure from his family to meet their murderous expectations. He is introduced as this character who "has death on his mind" and accepts his role as "a monster" but also is just a total softy with his brother so consider me sold immediately. All the characters have this very dichotomous mindset or personality that just adds a layer of empathy for the role they must fulfill for their family that it is really hard to root for any one person throughout. Although at times this dichotomy lends itself to characters motivations shifting throughout the book which was, at times, frustrating to read.

Overall, I highly recommend this if you're looking for a darker YA read, enjoy unique magic systems, complex or grey characters, competitions, and... sorry to say this.... cliffhangers