Wow wow wow a completely intoxicating read and one you won’t be able to put it down. Read this one in one sitting - now I’m expected to wait HOW long for the next book??? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly, huge thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for the e-arc of All of Us Villains by Christine Herman and Amanda Foody in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

A book that’s described as a magical Hunger Games must be read and All of Us Villains is that book! In the fictional world of Ilvernath, every generation one of the seven families has to name a champion to represent them in the Blood Veil. The champion will either return as the winner of the tournament, gaining full control of Ilvernath’s high magick for them and their family, or not return at all.

This generation, the tournament is thrown off kilter by a tell all book about the tournament having been published, supposedly written by a member of one of the families. The book has created an enormous scandal and other players have stepped in to stir the gossip pot and to gain control of the magic if they can, including the government!

What comes next is the tournament itself, as the seven champions make their choices and face their destiny…to be villainous, be killed or…

The world building and magick system in this book are immense, fabulously detailed, but there is definitely no feeling of sitting down and being educated…the world comes to life and the authors use the story’s relatively slow paced start to introduce the characters, and educate.

There are a lot of characters, but as the chapters progress, each told from the POV of a specific character, they come to life. I was actually far less confused than I anticipated and definitely credit the quality of the writing for this.

As the tournament begins the story pace picks up, and the champions are thrown into curse-battles, alliances, double crossing and more, as they desperately fight to win and stay alive!

Yes, there is violence, fighting, some seriously screwed up family stuff and death in this book, but it’s handled deftly and helps shape the emotional pull and even empathy with the characters.

Add in a multitude of twists, turns and some downright bone chilling shocks, this first book in the series delivers! I’m already desperate for the next book, which U is expect will be all the more villainous!

All of Us Villains is a dark and nuanced exploration of power-hungry people and the victims that fall prey to them. For a book heavily compared to The Hunger Games due to its similarity with families nominating their own children to die at the hands of friends and enemies, this book distinguishes itself through its unique magic system. Despite it being written by two authors, the plot was pretty much intact with twists and turns that will hook the reader. The characters were written dynamically but they fell short to my expectations of them being "villains". However, since literature is open to anyone's interpretation, it depends on how the reader perceives what the storyteller/s were trying to portray the characters as. Nevertheless, despite its shortcomings, I'm very much looking forward to a darker sequel of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really enjoying this book. It's like the Hunger Games but with magic. Once a generation a champion from 7 great houses must compete behind the blood vail. We say champions but really its just kids. I liked the magic system, and the characters arcs. Had an undertone of are we born a certain way or are we made. One of my biggest issues was how suddenly it ended. I had to go back a few times to check. I have to presume that there is going to be a follow up!

It's thirteen years since The Hunger Games published, and I think there may be a new contender for the dystopian YA crown coming in November 2021.
All of Us Villains is set in the fictional world of Ilvernath, a place ruled by high magick and dark ambition. Every generation one of the seven families has to name a champion...someone who will step into The Blood Veil and fight to the death. The eventual winner will be awarded control of the supply of high magick and this is a powerful resource. To be a winner, you have to be prepared to be a villain.
The book began quite slowly, introducing us to each of the seven contenders and their families. We were given time to see the furore in Ilvernath after the publication of the salacious book - purportedly written by one of the families - telling all about the Blood Veil and the secrets of the contest. This book has caused an unprecedented interest in the competition, but nobody is willing to try and stop what has always happened.
It was, initially, a little confusing to keep track of who was who, but seeing events from each character's viewpoint actually lent a depth to the book that was welcome. It felt as if we as readers were being given little clues as to the bigger picture throughout.
Once the tournament is about to start things picked up quite quickly. We had double-crosses, curses, alliances tested and a desperate attempt from each contestant to find a way to make themselves victorious. The increase in magic and the focus on the history of the Veil/contest stopped this from getting dull because not much happens for the first week of the trial.
People die, and there's some scenes that may well have you taking a moment to recover from reading about them. As soon as it looks as if things are going well in terms of the competition we get something of a spanner in the works. The only way to win this is to be a villain. But what if you don't want to be a villain?
Each of the characters is given time to reflect on the individual demands of this trial for them. Naturally, some characters are given more time than others. Our core cast of Briony, Isobel, Gavin and Alistair were very interesting. Each of them had their strengths, and I certainly felt like they were put through some tough situations in order to help us see the wider benefits of their choices.
We see there's potential for upset here. Nothing ends in a way that makes it easy to call for the next book. Someone within the pages is shown to be more invested in the outcome than we might have believed, and I am excited to see exactly where this goes next.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this before publication. It was a joy!

This is the first instalment in the All of Us Villains series.

"You Fell In Love With The Victors of The Hunger Games.
Now Prepare To Meet The Villains of The Blood Veil."

Every twenty years the quiet town of Ilvernath becomes the setting for a tournament to the death. Seven individuals enter, representing seven families. Only one will walk out of the arena alive, leaving all others behind as corpses. The Champion's family become the guardians for high magick for the next two decades, meaning their life, their honour, and their abilities are all motivations to win.

The novel included a perspective from almost all the potential Champions competing in this year's tournament. The first entire quarter was spent introducing their various characters, as well as their personal motives and struggles. I appreciated this slow build-up as it aided in my understanding of the magick available in this contemporary setting and bonded me with the individuals vying for control of it. I had some I preferred over others, but every one was intriguing and engaging.

Once the tournament begun my early interest only sky-rocketed. Any fictional game involving the death of its competitors is going to be likened to The Hunger Games but I really felt like the brutality yet ingenuity of the former was also present here, yet presented in its own, original format. The focus on potential allies, the brewing mistrust, the ever-present fear, and the bloodshed all made this such a captivating read.

This might be a general concept I have read about before, but the actual bones of the novel were entirely unique and I couldn't stop reading until its twisted conclusion. This author duo have proved themselves as the perfect pairing and I can't wait to find out what transpires in the sequel!

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

Personal rating: 5/5✨

DISCLAIMER: Big thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group/Gollancz for providing me the eARC of this book. However, all of these are my personal and honest opinions. It has not impacted my review, at all.

There were two kinds of magick in this world: high magick and common magick. However, only seven families in Ilvernath were cursed to be able to take control of the power of the high magick. Every twenty years, each family would send in their champions to win the cursed deadly tournament on a Blood Veil moon, and they would do anything in their power to get control of the high magick. In this book, we'll get into the perspectives of four of the seven possible champions - Alistair Lowe, Isobel Macaslan, Briony Thorburn, and Gavin Grieve.

World-Building: 5/5✨

It sets in the present world but I reckon Ilvernath is somewhere in the countryside of the western world. However, I can't help but feel in awe with the descriptive writing of the whole atmosphere in the tournament area within the Blood Veil coverage, and also Ilvernath itself. You also get to understand each character's aesthetics so well that you can almost imagine how things were set up in the story.

I know I only have received the eARC but even without the map of Ilvernath, I can seem to imagine where the Landmarks of each relic were, and *chef kisses* I have to say that it was done impeccably beautiful.

Signature Magic System: 5/5✨

The magic system? THE MAGICK SYSTEM. I have no words. Perfection. Every single magic system revealed in this book was amazing and I would always be impressed by how seemingly logical they were, and the fact that everything ties together with each other: from the rings to the relics, to spells, to curses. *chef kisses* PERFECTION.

Characters: 5/5✨

Morally grey character? Nope.
Morally grey characters? Oh YES.

Let me tell you something. I know that going into this book that there will be morally grey characters and I did not expect every single one of them was a teenager. They barely even finish high school and they're so morally evil because what else can you do if you want to survive a tournament that's either going to get yourself killed or kill others. They were kids! And THAT made me fell in love with each and every one of the champions.

Even the characters' interaction with one another was *sigh* so cute. And I was squealing on my bed reading of the romance subplot because imagine two morally grey characters falling for each other while knowing that they will kill each other.

I can't even write their names here because ALL OF THEM ARE COMPLEX CHARACTERS! A lot of character arcs you will find here. Rivals to have-to-work-together to redemption to friends to almost lovers and then to betrayal.

UGH THE ANGST! THE TEENAGE ANGST!

Story Plot: 5/5✨

"Hunger games but make it magic and villainous characters."

Yes but this is way deeper than that. Because the characters' complexity and their relationships with each other were out of distrust for each other, I think that the story plot relied upon the characters. This was both character-driven and plot-driven.

Writing Style: 5/5✨

Personally, I feel that this book was fast-to-moderate pace because there is a lot of explanation of the magic system presented in this book and because of that you tend to understand why things were as they were, you get me? Lol, I hope I make sense.

Conclusion
I honestly can't wait for this book to be published. I honestly think this was one of my best reads of 2021. Both Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman delivered and I did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group/Gollancz for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All of Us Villains is The Hunger Games Trilogy meets magic wrapped in a dark and twisted tale. It follows 7 champions from 7 families who are pitted against each other in an arena known as the Blood Veil, a veil that falls every 20 years and whoever wins will win control of high magick for their family until the next tournament comes around. Before the start of these games an exposé in the form of a book is published and the rest of society is trying to become as involved as possible, which may lead to dire consequences.

The authors created a dark and modern world mixed with a well crafted magic system (which turned out to be woven into a big surprise in the end) as well as brutal and deeply motivated characters who will do anything to win or potentially do something no one else has ever done before. Each character was very complex, from tortured people who want revenge to those who put on a facade and are truly terrified despite what they portray to their opponents.

The whole book was rooted in dark family secrets and shocking twists, as well as gruesome scenes that make you feel sick. The entire book is a roller coaster of emotions from start to finish as you fall in love with each character until their true selves are revealed slowly throughout the book.

I am deeply obsessed with this book and will be eagerly awaiting the sequel after that cliffhanger ending. Definitely pick up a copy on release day: November 11th 2021. - 5*

Thank you so much Netgalley and Orion for providing me with an arc of this!

I really enjoyed All of Us Villains. Essentially, the story is about these 7 families who have to name a "champion" to represent them to compete in a tournament to the death. The winner's family will be awarded control over the city's magick resource, which essentially is the element that makes these families powerful. The goodreads summary blurbed this as a hunger games retelling, and I agree, except for the fact that I may have enjoyed this one a little more.

I loved the writing and the plot. The pacing was perfect. I feel like this book would be perfect for anyone that wants a binge-read, and once you're familiar with the system in the story, you're going to be hooked for the rest of the ride.

Also if the story isn't enough to hook you in, the characters definitely will. Even though there's 7 champion that we are introduced in the story, we're only seeing the tournament from some of them. Still, these characters all have their own unique and distinctive personalities and stories, and each one of them was a thrill to read. The dynamics that they have with each other was also so well written. If you're looking for a found family kind of trope, though, I don't think you'll find it here, but trying to guess if they're going to betray each other or not and reading about them discovering each other's truth was awesome.

My favorite aspect? The romance. I'm not going to say between who yet because this book is still 3 months away but the romance really took me by surprise because I didn't expect to love it as much. I would say it's an insta-love but the tension that they have between them, and the enemies turned allies turned lovers turned betraying each other trope was chefs kiss. I really really love them and the last few chapters of the book really hurt me.

Speaking of the last few chapters of the book, the ending was also perfect, and even though I did kind of see it coming, I didn't expect that ending to creep me out so badly. Thank you Christine Herman and Amanda Foody for writing this, I'll definitely be getting myself a copy of this.

There's an enormous amount of setup to this book (it’s at least 40%)before the "Hunger Games" element that every blurb about this book is sure to mention. We get tons of background information about the POV characters, of which there are four, although I would say that only one, MAYBE two are necessary or interesting perspectives. Once the actual Hunger Games happen, we start moving at breakneck speed (and not in a good way). We get the barest amount of information about Relics and Landmarks and other rules of the tournament, and the contestants are in constantly shifting alliances that change every five pages. The romance is entirely unearned, and there's somehow nothing compelling about the stakes. We see some violence and bloodshed, but it's obvious from the outset who is expendable to the authors and who isn't, making any deaths as boring as the rest of the story.

I think a lot of the issues come down to pacing, but I found myself continuously putting this book down to pick up something else. It took me almost a month to read because I never really felt drawn to it. I think the circumstances of the story are interesting, and I do think it'll find its audience, but I found it a bland, convoluted version of the ever-popular "teen murderdome" story that lacked any real heart or true interest in its own characters' motivations.

3.5 stars

All of Us Villains tells the story of Ilvernath, a town with a dark secret, where once every twenty years when a blood moon rises 7 champions from the 7 founding families must compete in a tournament where one will emerge a victor and claim control of the high magic for their family, and the others will be killed. Following the recent publication of a book spilling all the towns secrets this years competition is under much scrutiny and spotlight from the rest of the world.

I (mostly) really enjoyed this book, its a very addictive story and complusively readable - with a great backstroy to the town, dark family secrets and strong writing. However I don't think it quite fits its premise, I wouldn't really describe the characters as super morally grey or villains, more like people stuck in a very bad situation trying their best to achieve the best outcome. I did enjoy the characters (I will talk about them a bit more individually) and really liked the setting - it sort of gave me new england witchy vibes. The magic system was also pretty strong and well thought out.

We mainly follow 4 POVs:

Alistair Lowe
Alistair is from the infamous Lowe family, widely known across the town for being the big bad villains of the competition, having the most victors from prior competitions. When Alastair learns the dark lengths his family goes to to secure their victory he is torn between his legacy and his heart. I really liked him as a character, you know deep dwon he is a cinnamon roll and I loved seieng the bond between him and his brother. The only thing that bugged me slightly about his POVs was we spend a lot of time hearing about how evil and bad he is but then never any actions to prove it (tbh he is the sweetest character in the book for most of it).

Isabel Macaslan
Isabel was probably my least favourite out of our mains. She wasn’t a bad character by any means I just didn’t feel like I really connected with her. I did feel for her though and how she has been forced into a role that she never wanted. I thought she was quite a clever character and I liked seeing her change her loyalties based on whoever she thought would best serve her purposes. There is a section of the book where she loses her ability to see/cast magic for a while and this added a very interesting element to her story and was probably my favourite part of her POV.

Briony Thorburn
I really liked Briony, especially since initially she is not chosen as one of the 7. She has spent her whole life believing she will become the champion and preparing for it however when her little sister is chosen instead of her Briony must reckon with the fact her destiny might not be what she originally thought. I really liked how she did not just accept her fate and was willing to challenge the way things are done. She ultimately decides to try and break the curse of the tournament to prevent future killings and is therefore the driving character of events in the book. I also liked exploring how she kept trying to do things to protect or help others but ultimately ended up backfiring and the lessons she learnt from that.

Gavin Grieve
Gavin was probably my favourite character. He is the underdog of the competition and goes to great lengths to secure himself as a serious competitor. I loved his chemistry with everyone and his ambition and drive to succeed. I especially liked his interactions with Reid, a cursemaker who has a vested interest in the competition and is generally very mysterious. I'm also super excited to see where his character goes in book two given how events left off.

I think I have been partially ruined for murder competition books by Battle Royale, nothing hits the same after that haha!!! I felt like I wasn't completely invested/believed in the stakes, there isn't actually that much murder that happens and it becomes more of a story of them trying to dismantle the game from the inside - which I did really like this direction but just don't expect a lot of bloodthirstiness haha. I did enjoy the alliances and backstabbings that went on though, I thought it was interesting seeing the characters loyalities changing based on new infomation and revelations about the dark nature of the magic.

One thing I wanted to talk about was the queer rep, I'm not sure if this book is advertised as queer or not but I wouldn't go into it expecting it to be super gay. A couple of the charcaters express interest in both genders however all the relationships were m/f (I just want to emphasize that I firmly believe if you are bi/pan and in a m/f relationship you are still 100% queer and you are so valid) but I think what bugged me in the book about it was the fact that some of the same sex pairings clearly had so much better chemistry however they were pushed aside for instalove and some relationships that just felt like they were there to serve the plot.

Another slight negative I had was that I felt just as things were starting to get really good the book ended and it didn't stand alone very well as its own book - I think if you were to read this once book 2 was out you wouldn't have this issue as you could just hop straight into the next book but it left me a little unsatisfied as it felt like we left off in the middle of a story.

In conclusion, an enjoyable fast paced YA fantasy read that tells a good story but isn't quite what you expect from the synopsis/general marketing. You can tell the authors are both talented ladies and I honestly couldn't tell this was dual authored - the writing styles blended seamlessly and it felt like a mashup of the devouring gray and ace of shades - so if you enjoyed those books I think you will enjoy this!!

all of us villains is about seven families who each send a champion to compete in a tournament that determines who controls high magic of ilvernath. i was very much intrigued by the premise and thought it would be action packed and super dark but it was mostly a let down.

to start with the good, i liked the tournament aspect and all its rules. the worldbuilding related to it was interesting too, so were the different curses and spells used! also the action is pretty good, it gets violent and bloody at times in the tournament. and *maybe* i liked the bond alistair and hendry shared. some twists were surprising, that took the story forward. i liked reading alistair's thoughts and gavin's pov was intriguing, as he strived to win the tournament.

...that was it. i found the pacing really off. its not until the tournament starts that the action begins (before that we get the characters' backstories leading up to the tournament) which is at the 40-50% mark. and when we reach the action, it moves too quick. i felt like this book went really hard to make the characters villainous/monstrous, a character even always talked in terms of being a monster but there was no substance in it. they weren't as "bloodthirsty" or even morally grey. in fact i didn't even care about 3/4 of the pov characters?? some scenes in their povs definitely intrigued me but otherwise only the vibes were gritty and not the characters. also if they're deemed villains why do they keep thinking about saving everyone every other chapter?? in my opinion, the ending was rushed, the authors didn't wrap up the events and instead added new revelations.

i vaguely remember seeing this marketed as 'queer hunger games' when this book was first announced and the authors did say two of the mcs are queer (bi to be exact) but, i don't know if it was because the book barely held my attention, i didn't find any queer elements. would've loved if it was made more clear and highlighted. a character was only hinted at it and i thought there would be some attraction between gavin and alistair. otherwise the main romance focus is m/f. so. yeah.

i'm fairly interested to read the sequel to see how things go and how the relationships develop. aouv disappointed me but if you like bloody tournaments, go for it!

This book feels like the hunger games mixed with the Triwizard Tournament from Harry Potter.

One family will control the high magic and that will be decided by the winner of the competition. All the families want it, some kids train for it all of their life. But do they really understand what they have to do and the sacrifices that must be made. Winning is everything.

There was some great scheming and plotting along with action scenes in this story. In the moment its easy like and dislike some characters but I didn't feel disappointed for those that don't make it to the end credits!

That was an entertaining read! I enjoyed it, even though it ended up not being at all what I expected.

Looking at the title and the Hunger-Games-like premise, I expected all seven champions to be villainous and cruel, so it was a bit disappointing to realise they really weren't. Once I got used to that, I did like the characters, with their different fears and wants. Alistair in particular, with his twisted family and monster stories.

I wasn't sold on the worldbuilding, sadly. The scope is very small - one town where all seven families live, as well as all the important spellmakers. It's never really explained what the winning family does with high magic, which I found really odd. The whole point of this tournament to the death is to win control over high magic, but we never see it being used and are just told it makes spells/curses stronger, but nothing more.

It was also hard for me to accept that seven families in the same town were so power-hungry that they cursed themselves and were willing to let a family member (always a teen) die for a chance to control some magic. This is slightly spoilery, but in 800 years since the start of the curse, no one thought of the very logical way to break it? And no one varied their behaviour enough either? Sorry, I didn't find it believable.

So overall I enjoyed it, but I wasn't wowed by it.

First of all what the HECK and also HOW is that ending allowed because I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown right now and cannot believe the audacity of this book.

There are SO many things I absolutely adored about this;
• it’s a book about villains!!
• the almost haunting, spine tingling storytelling
• the dark, gothic vibe present from start to finish
• the spectrum of characters - they’re gloriously dangerous, selfish, cunning and evil
• the richly descriptive writing conjuring this red tinted dystopian world
• the gore and blood and betrayals and murder
• the plot twists
• the intricate and unique magic system
• the hate surrounding each family and their dark origins
• the gruesome history of Ilvernath and it’s curse
• that HINT of enemies-to-lovers
• Alistair Lowe - I am obsessed with his poor tortured soul and he is one of my new favourite characters.

I often struggle with multi-POV chapters as I find myself getting lost and confused, but this was written so well and provides in-depth background info on each character, allowing more of an insight into their actions and motives. We follow each of their murky path’s from hero to villain, villain to hero, if hero could even be considered in this world.

The magic system was one of my favourite things to read; it’s rich in spells and curses, common magick and high magick, spellrings and cursemakers, and I loved the amount of thought that went into the names of each curse and spell.

Everything in this book just flows flawlessly and paints this gloriously dark, gothic image, from the description of Ilvernath, to the inner monologue of each individual character, to the fight scenes and blood weaved in between.

My only problem is that the ending seemed very abrupt - I literally had to verify the number of pages in the book because I thought I was missing the final chapter.

Also, while there are definitely instances of the authors not holding back in the terms of death - with an all villain book, I definitely expected a little more ruthlessness and shock murders.

Overall, a completely intoxicating read and one you won’t be able to put it down - now I’m expected to wait HOW long for the next book???

Perfect for fans of Marie Lu & anyone who secretly favours villains. I really enjoyed the sharp dialogue and the plot was packed with twists and tension.

Ilvernath becomes the focus for the world, when the Slaughter Seven will fight to the death; in a battle to claim high magick for their family for the next twenty years.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

For centuries, seven great families have ruled over Ilvernath, and controlled the rare high magick.
For some, it is tradition; others are spurred on by duty and honour to their family. But it is always the same, seven teenagers go into the curse, and only one 'victor' comes out.

This dark story is narrated by four characters central to the plot.
Alistair Lowe's family has been in power for the last twenty years; and they will go to any lengths to make sure they stay in power. Including training Alistair up to accept that he is the monster in the story.

Isobel Macaslan is the perfect champion. She is powerful, and beautiful, and after the release of a tell-all book (from an anonymous writer), she is a media darling.

Gavin Grieves' family is always the underdog and has never won. Desperate to prove his worth and not die; he will do anything to win this competition.

Briony Thorburn used to be a lot of things - she used to be Isobel's best friend; she used to go out with the Finlay champion; and she used to be the clear choice for Thorburn champion. But her little sister gets selected instead. Driven mainly by her wounded pride, Briony's actions raises questions about the curse.

I think this is set in an alternate version of Scotland (or uses a lot of Scottish influences); where magick is real. Common magick can be used by everyone, woven into spell rings, and can do everything from remove pimples, to read minds etc.
High magick is very rare, and the great families of Ilvernath have kept theirs secreted away, so officials don't steal it.
I really liked the modern world with a magical spin.

This book is dark. Not super-dark, but still pretty dark, with lots of blood and violence.
I liked how the narrative followed our main characters, and as you get to know them more, you get to see how the villains aren't always villainous; and the ones you peg as heroes, aren't shining bright. Everyone is a murky shade of grey, and the have to work out what they are willing to do.
Despite many families seeing this as a great adventure, and a way to prove their valour; the curse is really just a fight to the death.
In fact, I thought the families were the darkest part of this story. Talk about troubled relationships.

The not-so-good.
This book is written by two authors, and I'm guessing they took two characters each. And you can kinda tell. There were little stumbles between chapters where the narrative lost its flow, and bearing to the overall arc, with some little areas of repetition (mainly once the curse starts, and all 7 champions are stuck together).

I also felt that towards the end, some of the characters flip-flopped on their decisions, and made some choices that didn't make any friggin' sense. It felt like it was being added for the sake of the shock-factor, and leave unfinished business for the rest of the series; rather than staying true to the characters they have created.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to what happens next.

I thought this was marvellous. Completely un-put-down-able. The YA audience is going to love it. I demolished it in a day. Very strong hunger games vibes - but with magic. Absolutely fuming I’ll have to wait so long to find out what happens next. Ending a bit abrupt. (Felt more like half a book than part one of a duology). Liked the characters, loads of depth to each one (although it was a shame that so many of them were so consistently unpleasant to each other, would be nice to see some decent people / some trust). Great. Really fab.

I do not think I have the bandwidth remaining to explain how much I loved this story having just finished it. I am blown away- with a story pitched as The Hunger Games but just more of everything, it definitely lived up to my expectations and in some ways, exceeded them.

All of us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Herman was an intoxicating read. A book that draws you in and ensures you'll never feel safe again. They, as authors, are not afraid to upset the reader and whilst I admire them for this, I also hate them a little too. The ending to the story made me want the second immediately and without saying too much, you'll torment yourself until the release date of book 2.

The characters are clever, strong, dangerous, evil and extremely likeable. I don't think there's one I can't at least empathise with. The curse that plagues their city and allows one family each generation access to higher magic demands sacrifice in the form of a Battle Royale and Hunger Games -esque child fight. This is the story at its very core and boy do they know how to add more and more until the tournament is almost not as interesting as every plot twist or alliance that is forged or broken. The pace of the novel is fast and unforgiving, don't fall behind or you'll regret it!

I am entranced by this world building and the politics of it all, surrounded by magic and curses and an extremely unique magic system that is explained so perfectly that I'm convinced I could conjure some now. In short, this book is racing towards a finish line the Hunger Games could never cross. I love this book and I reckon most other YA/NA readers will too.

I really enjoyed this book was very well written and drawn you in. Deacrptive writing was spot on as well. An excellent read when you enjoy mystery and villans. These are not your typical villans