I wanted to lobe this book, but just could not get into it. It took me forever to get through and while I'm glad I pushed myself to finish, it wasn't worth it for me.

If you identify with the hero riding in on a white horse to save the day, don't bother with this book. The characters are broken. They have been lied to, sacrificed for their families' honor, made to feel 'less than' and 'more than they could ever be.. There are curses and magically spell rings., There are betrayals and forbidden love. There is EVERYTHING and more actually and I could not put it down until the last curse fell.

I was intrigued by the comparison to previous works - Hunger Games, but with magic. This first installation seems to fall short, however. The multiple perspectives, when done well, build an intricate and rich ensemble of characters - this story seems to dumb down the mechanic, leaving us with flat, one-dimensional personalities. The gruesome nature of the society was too much for me personally, feeling gratuitous. Also, WHY WOULD YOU END IT THERE? The cliffhanger felt too abrupt, with no resolution to carry a hope for satisfaction into a second installment.

This will be the perfect book for readers looking for the next Hunger Games/Testing series. The families that essentially rule Ilvernath and their magic are very clearly defined, the mythology surrounding the tournament less so (the Relics and the Monuments, how things started, etc..). There are pacing issues that were a little surprising since this is a series and they could have been smoothed over. The Alister/Briony/Isobel team has a lot of promise and I'll be interested to see what happens next.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

There were many things that I liked about <i>All of Us Villains</i>. The magic system is fascinating and not quite like one I’ve read or seen before so that was refreshing. As well as the curse itself upon these seven families and all of their histories, I mostly enjoyed getting to know where everyone stood in the scheme of things. So, I can see people really enjoying it but overall I was underwhelmed. As always with anything that has multiple points of view there were some characters I preferred reading from far more than others, mostly Alistair and Isobel, as they themselves were not only layered but their families were the most interesting in the dark ways.

But what really let me down was how long it took to actually get into the action, we’re talking like 30-40% of the way in before we’re even in the curse/tournament/arena/whatever. There was far too much set up - I got the gist of the families within each of the characters first POVs and the magic system didn’t take too long to grasp.

It’s interesting that this is a duology, I think it would have actually benefitted from being a standalone and I would have felt more satisfied. At least going into the second book everything will already be set up so it shouldn’t take too long to get into but I don’t know if I care enough about everyone to read it at this point.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley and all opionins are my own.
This book is definitely not suitable for younger readers and perfect for those who are fans of dark fantasy, with its cast of morally grey characters and bloody scenes. The writing is incredibly atmospheric with the odd quip thrown in here and there to prevent the writing from becoming overly melodramatic. The characters are well developed and complex, each with intricately detailed and explained back stories. The story has plenty of twists and turns, some of which are truly shocking. With its breathtaking cliffhanger, I can't wait to read more about this story.

What an absolute amazing book. I could not put this book down once I got into it. It has everything I look for in a young adult series. I would say this series is much better then several well known series as the twists are not predictable as other book series. I am so excited to find out what happens next. Leaving me at a cliffhanger has me needing the next book ASAP.

This book, these characters!!! I am in love!

This story is told from multiple POVs. Includes magic, interesting/likable characters and a competition to the death.

Once I started reading this book I couldn't stop. The twists and turns, the world building, the characters, everything about this book is amazing and I felt genuine excitement, just wanting to know what would happen next.

In a world where common magick is weak but plentiful, most believe that high magick has disappeared from the world entirely due to humanity’s greed and lust for power. But in the town of Ilvernath, hundreds of years ago, seven families fought over who would control Ilvernath’s high magick. A compromise was reached- a curse that they cast upon themselves. Every generation when the Blood Moon rose, each family would pick a champion to enter a tournament. Only one champion would survive, and that family would control the high magick until the next tournament began. This was kept a secret for hundreds of years…until now.

With the Blood Moon rising and a bestselling tell-all book published by a mysterious writer detailing the families’ secrets, paparazzi descend on Ilvernath to witness the tournament. Told from the perspective of four of the champions, All of Us Villains begins a tale of survival, magic, love, and mystery. Who will survive, and is there any way to break the curse and end the tournament for good?

This book was a page turner! Between the mystery of who penned the tell-all, to the conundrum of how to break a centuries old curse while you were right in the middle of it; I didn’t know which one I wanted answered more. Some of the characters seemed like stereotypes at the beginning of the book, but as the story unfolded and you got inside (some) of their heads, they became so much more than that. Each character was complex, with varying motivations and feelings about the tournament.

I also liked the way the tournament was set up. 7 relics, 7 landmarks, one for each champion. The last champion standing is the winner. If after 3 months more than one champion is still alive, they all die and the high magick goes unused until the next tournament. The whole premise of this book really worked for me.

This book was bloodthirsty and badass and a little romantic. A winning combination. I’m ready for the sequel already.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an egalley for review. This was such an excellent start that lost me at the end. There were spells and curses, relics and lairs and the end fell so unbelievably flat. The cover fits well, in a year that covers do not fit that stories being told. The champions are multi-dimensional, the monster is empathic, the pathetic one is monstrous. It's a great story, until the rushed, incomplete ending.

It's an interesting premise, but falls flat in places. The rotating perspectives become a bit tiresome, and the pacing feels a bit uneven.

Review copy provided by netgalley.

I was looking forward to reading this but sadly the book falls short of expectations.

There is a lot of set up before the actual tournament part of the book starts about halfway through, I really enjoyed learning about each contestants family and their role or struggles related to the tournament. However once the tournament starts there is the barest amount of development of how it actually works. There is a rotating perspective between four characters and honestly only a couple of the characters where interesting. Briony was my least favorite character.

There is violence and bloodshed but because of the rotating perspective it takes away the suspense. There is also romance, and I did like who the romance was between, but it lacked development.

A lot of the issues I have with this book are related to pacing and the ending. There are a lot of plot points that are not well put together and are unresolved. The ending is super rushed and leaves on a cliffhanger. It poorly set up for another book, and honestly it would have been better as a standalone.

If you really want a gritty magical tournament between families, read an Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard.

Many thanks Netgalley for the ARC

'The Hunger Games' with magic, you say? I'm sold.

This is the kind of story that has something for everyone - a really unique magic system, interesting characters who have depth and amazing development, a high-stakes plot with a gruesome history, and really easy to binge-read writing/storytelling.

For me, I found the characters to be the highlight of the novel. Especially Alistair and Gavin. I personally have a thing for tortured souls, so I couldn't help but love them.

This does end when things are starting to get really good in terms of deception and mistrust, so I have a feeling that the next installment is going to be even more villainous. Can't wait!

Move over hunger games because the villains have arrived!

I loved the magic in this book so much. The rings being important drew me in. I loved how magic had so many rules and secrets surrounding it so not everyone had the same access to it.

The characters...I loved all of them. They were all so morally Grey and damaged and looking for something to believe in and my heart just melted for all of them. I couldn't even choose a favorite if you asked.

The 4 different povs did make the story confusing at times and there were unanswered questions which I'm sure will be answered in the sequel so that is my only criticism.

I just wanna live in this world forever with these bad ass characters who will do whatever they have to for their loved ones.

This was SO much fun.

I love a Magical Fight to the Death Tournament book, but there are a lot of them out there and the good ones are hard to find.

All of Us Villains is undoubtedly one of those good ones, and easily the best I’ve read in a long time.

The premise has a handful of similarities to Hunger Games, though I prefer the magic-focused setting used here to a dystopia. The premise of this is closer to Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns Series, though this is a touch less dark and has its own unique plot and magic system.

And speaking of magical systems...

While I love books that include magic, I’m almost always disappointed in the magical system and how the magic is described. But here we have a rare exception to that. The magical system isn’t anything terribly complex in this book, but it’s so, so good and very well rendered.

The characters are far better developed and more complex than the ones we typically get in books like this, giving the story some heft despite its light, action-driven tone. The setting—like the magic itself—is unique and well-crafted, and the pacing is pretty much perfect.

It’s a little frustrating the way that the book just ends abruptly mid-tournament, but it’s not as though we don’t want the series to continue (in fact, I’m already desperate for the next book) so we don’t really want all this resolved. And the last paragraph is a jaw dropper.

This book was definitely dark, but also very thrilling and addictive. The world building in this book was great. The authors did a good job creating this magical word in a way that was easy to follow and understand.

I also liked the way that there was never a chapter or character whose chapters I didn’t care about or not want to read. Obviously some characters were more likable than others, but I think that is what made them all so interesting since at times you wanted to root for them and other times you were so angry and disgusted by them.

I’m definitely excited for the next book and will definitely be picking it up so I can see what happens next.

Every twenty years, the seven powerful families of Ilvernath send a champion into a tournament from which only one will emerge victorious. As the Blood Moon rises, the young champions know it is finally their turn to compete in a battle to the death to control the town's source of high magick. But this time someone has published all their secrets for the world to see. What will happen when the Blood Veil falls and they face friends, lovers, and enemies?

Authors Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman combined forces to write this dark, vicious, engrossing fantasy centered around seven teens who will do anything to bring their families glory. The story is told from four of the main characters' viewpoints and it quickly becomes clear that while they and the other three teens have all accepted their fate as champions (meaning death for at least six of them), they all have different motives and strategies to achieve victory. Alliances are forged and broken, curses rebound on their maker, and the rules of the competition are bent until they start to break. No one is assured victory in this sometimes-gory, often deadly world.

The marketing copy for All of Us Villains compares the book to the Hunger Games trilogy, but I'd also draw a line to V. E. Schwab's Villans duology and some of the other darker fantasy I've seen in recent years. I didn't realize it was the first book in a duology until I got to the last page, so please, Foody and Herman, hurry up and write the other half!!

This book was exactly like the jacket describes, Hunger Games meets Harry Potter in my opinion. You won’t see the ending coming!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me an ARC of this novel!

Wow. It's hard to put into words everything I felt after finishing this novel. While a take on The Hunger Games , All Of Us Villains didn't feel derivative in any way, instead putting its own unique spin on the trope. While there was a lot I liked about the novel, there were also some things I took issue with:

The Good
- The set up. The exposition was fantastic and provided a solid foundation for the rest of the novel. Despite a complex history and magic system, the ease with which the authors guide us into the world they've crafted is impressive. I definitely appreciated getting such a thorough introduction into Ilvernath, and the framing provided by A Tradition of Tragedy was very creative as well.
- The characters and their families. The shifting perspectives really helped me get into the mindset of each character and understand their motivations and the stakes of the tournament for both themselves and their families. This was especially helpful once allegiances and motivations began changing.

The Bad
- The pacing, and especially the ending. Over a third of the book is exposition on the tournament. Once it begins, the story speeds up and slows down, with intense events occurring in rapid succession or with hours/days passing by without event. The ending I was especially disappointed with--I genuinely had to check to make sure I hadn't accidentally skipped a chapter or epilogue.
- The magic system in the context of the tournament. While the authors make evident that the nature of the magic that foregrounds the tournament is being disturbed by the events of the novel, it's still hard to figure out just how distorted it's become. There's not really something to compare it to besides asides mentioning that a certain event hadn't happened in previous tournaments.

While some aspects of the novel bothered me, however, it was an incredibly compelling read. I was so invested in the events and characters, I read half the book over a plane ride because I simply couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

A dark and twisty tale. As a villain lover this book fed me so well. The characters were strong and easy to root for.