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.

The plot is very interesting and intriguing, but it wasn’t a book for me. I enjoyed the premise and worldbuilding, but it book a lot for things to happen in this one. It was quite slow in the beginning and the wrapped up was very fast. This book is a mix of Hunger Games and Harry Potter, and if you like this, you’ll probably get something out of it! I’ll be reading again the authors in the future for sure.

Thank you Netgalley and and the publisher for this e-arc!

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!

I LOVED this book!! It had similar vibes to Hunger Games, except it was the seven most powerful families sacrificing their children for a tournament to control high magic. The characters were all morally gray, and yet I couldn’t stop rooting for them. This book ends on such a good cliffhanger; I am so excited to read the second one when it comes out.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reading copy!

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.

Publication Date: November 9, 2021

Every generation, seven families choose a victor to compete in a tournament to the death. The champion supplies their family with exclusive control over high magik until the next tournament. The Lowes family wins almost every tournament and has had almost exclusive control over high magik. After the publishing of a tell-all book alerting those outside of the seven families of the tournament and the prize, the rest of the participants see their chances greatly improve and for the Lowes family the stakes have never been higher.

I’ll admit, I’ve never read anything by Christine but I am such a fan of Amanda’s Shadow Game series. It was a little jarring to open the first page and not see Levi, Emmy or the gang. Once I accepted the Shadow Game was over I started to realize the things I love about Amanda’s writing were still present.

The book consists of a cast of morally grey characters, where if the story had not been told from their perspective you would believe them to be downright despicable people but given the circumstances and the people around them you kind of forgive them for it. The book alternates between four tournament participant’s perspectives fairly equally.

The inclusion of four POVs kind of made it obvious during the actual tournament who was definitely going to be a victim of the tournament. I think the plot towards the end kind of suffered because of this. It was unlikely the authors would kill off a character this early in a series whose perspective we were being offered regularly.

I preferred the first half of the story, when the characters were preparing to enter the tournament. The book gets a lot of comparisons to the Hunger Games so it was almost as if you were reading the ‘Career Tributes’ perspectives prior to the beginning of the games. It was during this part of the book you really explored each character’s motivations, values and their preparations for the games themselves. It was really interesting because you couldn’t really predict them.

This book does end on a rather unsatisfying cliffhanger so I will be picking up book two to satisfy my curiosity.

Thank you #NetGalley and #TorTeen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

R rated Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games, but it's able to stand on it's own.

Other than the ending, which leaves a bunch to be desired, I really enjoyed the book. It's bloody, action-packed, and features such a fun and vibrant word.

My eighth graders would eat this up if I put a copy in my classroom library. This novel moves along at a good pace, yet we learn a lot of the characters' motivations and back stories. The title is appropriate in that every person has a dark side especially when circumstances push you to the edge. I think the Hunger Games comparison doesn't do this story justice. Yes, the characters are competing in a life or death, winner take all contest, but the magical history of this contest makes it more interesting. I was not expecting the story to end with a cliffhanger but it seems impossible to get away from trilogies these days. I will definitely finish this series, however. I am invested in these characters' stories.

Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman have done it again! I have always loved books by these authors and when I received the ARC via Netgalley, I was both shocked and super excited! I could not wait to get my hands on this title and for good reason. This book was the perfect segway back into fantasy/dystopian and I loved the dynamic of it all! I sincerely hope this author duo puts out another book soon!

Reading this book is like sinking in quicksand; it pulled me in slowly and engrossed me so thoroughly I didn’t realize I was close to the end until it arrived! The story is a masterfully woven tale of champions and monsters, both of which discover that perhaps that’s not all they are, and that who they were raised to be is not who they have to become. It’s about questioning everything: people, long-held histories, family legacies, and how many ways there are to be “good”. Reading this book reminded me of what the Hunger Games must have felt like from the District 1 and 2 tributes’ perspectives. You’ll keep turning and turning and every time you feel like you know what’s about to happen, you’re wrong! In the best way. The characters are incredibly human, making mistakes and dealing with the consequences of their actions, overcoming bad history with others for a greater good, and digging deep for the courage to flip the script their ancestors followed for centuries. For a captivating world that sucks you in until you can’t think of anything else, read All of Us Villains!

I really enjoyed this dark but fun tale. I was not expecting it to end where it did, and now I am desperate to know what happens next!

I found the characters interesting with their own reasons for wanting or not wanting to be the champion for their family fascinating. Some are proud to represent their family in murder to control the magic of their town, whilst others just want to live a normal life and let the job fall to someone else. Not everyone is black or white, good or evil. They're complex and switch sides and loyalties throughout, which makes for interesting reading.

It's a very character driven book. There is some world building, but it's very much secondary to the characters, I feel.

A very solid book and I'm really looking forward to the next one.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc version of this book!

Ooh, I loved the premise of this book (7 competitors, fighting to the death) and the drama communicated by both the cover (and coloring -- violent shades of red and black), and the first few lines. I will say, there were ALMOST too many points of view for my taste, but each has such a distinct voice and perspective, and it makes the somewhat stilted start worth it. The idea of being able to wear spells like jewelry, and use them at will, was also an interesting concept (some are simple, “the Helping Hand spell”, while others more complex, “the Silvertongue”). There is still skill involved, but the spread of power is wider, and at times, darker.

“All he could feel was the beat of his heart, and all he could see was the dark, swirling form of the hourglass, of those grains of sand tumbling, one by one, warning him that he had done something that could not be reversed. ”

As a teacher, I would recommend this book to readers who love a good adventure, and don’t mind feeling conflicted towards their favorite characters (this is not like Divergent or The Hunger Games wherein our protagonists are portrayed as being on the “good side”). This is also the start of a series, so students need to know this going in, but I definitely think it is an engaging read.

I absolutely loved this book and I will probably be purchasing my own copy once it is released. I really cannot wait for a second one.

I fell in love with all of the characters and I cheered for them and my heart broke with them as they worked their way through the plot. It's hard to say much more without giving too much away, but suffice to say, this book was fantastic! I hate where it ended, but only because I need more!

Yes! Hell yeah! Million times yes for GOT style bloodier version of Hunger Games meets Maze Runner with merciless violence and darkness with Tarantino meets V. E. Schwab vibes and let’s put a little Inheritance Games resemblances into the equation...voila! This book is too delicious and too terrifying to absorb in one bite or consume in one sit!

World building centered on power of MagicK is amazing! Seven families send one of their selected member to a suicide mission: a vicious blood sucking competition for fighting to the death every twenty years. The victor would award their family exclusive claim over Ilvernarth’s high magick, a claim that expired upon the beginning of next cycle, when the tournament began anew. Historically Lowe family dominated: for every three tournaments, they won two.

Alistair is the one who will represent the Lowe family, who is one of the narrators of the story, a true cold blooded, calculated villain who already got fooled by his rival Isobel at the bar before the entire madness had a start!

Isobel,Gavin and Briony are other voices telling their own complex, bleak, blood thirsty adventures. Their different family histories, quiet opposite approaches to the competition, their motives, the pressure they carry to learn the best hunter for not being a miserable victim were attention worthy, picking your entire interest!

The character driven story telling and so many jaw dropping twists, too many OMG, WTH moments and screams later you find yourself nailed to your couch! No freaking way! You cannot put it down!

Overall: exciting, wild, gory, head spinning, entertaining and highly disturbing but also recommended novel for the genre fans!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan- Tor/ Forge for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.