The premise for this sounded fantastic...a magical version of the hunger games, only they all know how evil they are. and don't try to hide it.

A curse was placed over the 7 most powerful families in Ilvernath, Every generation the blood veil will fall across the town and each family needs to put forward a champion who will fight to the death to become the winner and the controller of all the high magic. It's been kept a dark secret for centuries, but now the wider world and the media know about the tournament.

The novel is told through the POV's of 4 of the 7 champions. Each one has a unique and fantastic voice, my favourites being Lowe and Grieve. The characters all have depth and their backstories help us understand how they became the villains they are.

Although it was a bit slow to start, this was a brilliant novel, full of twists and turns. My heart was racing whilst reading this and seeing what dark secret would be revealed next. I thought this book was a brilliant mix of the hunger games and the tri wizard tournament. I can't wait for the next instalment!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC in return for an honest review.

I received All Of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman for free by Orion Publishing Group & Gollancz on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for my advanced copy!

I have been looking forward to this book! A story full of villains who have to engage in a hunger games style battle to the death - sign me up! Plus have you seen that gorgeous cover?!

I thought the writing was excellent and I was really engaged in the story. The worldbuilding was really interesting and has some good potential - I’d love to see it expanded on even more! Plus, I really liked the magical element and the idea of having spell rings was so cool! The curses and spells were so unique and the authors described them and their effects amazingly, it felt like the spells could have been jumping off the page!

I really enjoyed the characters and how my perception of how they were going to be was completely flipped on its head! The one who shouldn’t have been a threat suddenly being dangerous, the one once desperate to win wanting to save everyone and the one who should have been the most cruel not being as villainous as he once seemed. It was so clever and added a lot of layers to the characters. Also, everyone knows how much I LOVE a morally grey character, the ones who you can’t quite tell whether they are going to be an ally or betrayer, and this was full of them!

For me, it kind of felt like the book suddenly stopped - I wasn’t sure if my NetGalley file was missing a couple of pages haha - so I would have loved a bit more to round it off. However, I am very excited to see where the story goes next!

For a book called All of Us Villains, I expected, well, villains. What I got was a book of insecure teenagers refusing to even entertain the idea of murder thrust into murder competition.

I’ll start with the few things I did enjoy. I thought the worldbuilding was well done. All of Us Villains is set in the modern-day, in a small town where once a generation, seven families each chose a champion to participate in a fight to the death to gain control of the town’s cherished magic supply. With this coming tournament, an expose has been published nationwide that’s exposed the secrets of this town to the world, and now the paparazzi and media have gotten involved. The tournament itself has a whole host of magical laws governing the inner workings that we slowly learn about and the magic itself I found really creative and well-written.

I’ve seen this book often compared to The Hunger Games series. In my opinion, that’s a poor comparison. At least the Hunger Games kids had enough of a spine to try and kill their competition. Granted, some of these characters were blindsided by the choice to participate in the Murder Death Kill Games (not the actual name) but a handful of them have known they’d be their family’s champion for years! And yet, the only times any murder actually occurs, it occurs out of self-defense and the defender still got criticized by the group. Where’s the bloodthirsty murder? Where’s the cut-throat betrayal and backstabbing?? Where are the villains???? With multiple characters basically assigned the ‘villain’ role at the beginning of the book, labeled ‘dark’ and ‘evil’, man does that not translate to their actions.

I have a love-hate relationship with the characters (see complaints above). On one hand, for a cast of 7, the four main characters the book focuses on are quite well written. There’s Alistar, the one labeled a ‘monster’, Gavin, who was never meant the last more than the night, Isobel, reluctantly thrust into the spotlight by her family, and Briony, the golden hero. All four characters have very complex relationships with their families and with their goals for the tournament. However, again, the lack of commitment from these characters to actually do anything in this tournament was just extremely frustrating to read. There’s also this bizarre instalove romance arc between two characters that just felt so so forced, like the authors came up with the characters knowing they’d be together but never set up the foundations.

Finally, the pacing of this book felt weirdly off. It takes 40% for the characters to actually enter the tournament. Then the next 40% I could not tell you what occurred, but it was nothing to really advance the plot. Briony comes in the tournament thinking she’s got a plan to End It All^TM, but then doesn’t do anything about it til 80% in. Which is when the action actually starts to occur and suddenly there are reveals left and right and now everything has changed. I definitely think the first 40% could have been cut and the last 20% expanded to let the story breath more.

Overall, I rate this book a 2.5/5. The title told me we’d get villains and I got depressed teenagers instead.

Every twenty years a blood moon rises over Ilvernath.

A beacon which means a deadly tournament is about to take place. Seven representatives. Six sacrifices. The reward is sole access to all of the high magick left in the world.

A centuries old secret kept by seven families, until a damning tell-tall brings scrutiny to Ilvernath. The tournament is now infamous and the pressure to win is higher than ever.

With chapters dedicated to each champion, you learn the gruesome history of the tournament that taints this town. Their strengths and weaknesses and the connections they build to obtain the most dangerous spells.

Packed with complex characters, lots of blood and violence and a super fun and unique magic system, this book ends on cliffhanger that will have you counting down the months until book two comes out.

For readers who want the brutality and gore of Battle Royale, the world building of The Hunger Games and a creative magic system like Mistborn.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for an ARC of this title.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and to Orion Publishing for granting me an ARC of All of Us Villains.

This book was a wild ride. It was like Hunger Games and Battle Royale rolled into one. Every 20 years, seven children are named as Champions and forced (though most often the Champions are eager to prove their worth) to participate in a tournament, with only one victor. There are rules however - if no one is dead by the end of the tournament then everyone dies, leaving the prize - raw high-magick - to be left untouched until the next tournament.

We are granted with the POV's of four of the seven kids - Isobel Macaslan, Alistair Lowe, Briony Thorburn and Gavin Grieve. Each enter the tournament with plans and strategies in mind but none of them are truly prepared for the horrors of the tournament and what it will do to them both physically and mentally.

I can't wait for the next book to see how all of this plans out.

Thank you to the publisher for letting me read via Netgalley.

Every twenty years, the 7 families of Ilvernath each send a champion to face each other beneath the Blood Veil in a battle royale, the victor's family taking control of the city's powerful high magick.

This story is full of magic, a gruesome history, shifting loyalties.

Loved the characters, 4 points of view each as intriguing as the other and more so as the plot thickens with the tournament in full swing. Definitely some dark moments, and it looks like wel be seeing their more villainous side in the next installment.

I didn't realise the ebook had ended and kept trying to turn the page... can't wait to find out how the tournament will turn out!

I'd like to see more detail on how the city relates to the rest of the world, is it small/big? Is Kendalle the country? I'd love a map!

I am not even kidding when I tell you guys this book is THE BOMB. OH MY GOD ITS AMAZING. I was hooked from the very beginning and finished the book in one sitting. I just could not put it down. It's defo one to read. The characters, the setting, the plot, I just fell in love with EVERYTHING about it!

TL;DR

Hunger Games meets Maze Runner. A mind-fuck of a book filled with mayhem with a side chaos and magic.

I dislike saying this is like magical Hunger Games because it deserves to be its own thing, but fuck it. It’s magical Hunger Games with a splash of Maze Runner and I am here for it. This is what you can expect:

✨ Shitty families
✨ A curse the shitty families refuse to do anything about
✨ Magical rings
✨ BllooooooOOOod moons 🌚

Every 20 years, the blood moon falls and seven shitlordy and powerful families send one teenager on what can only be described as a suicide mission to make sure they secure Ilvernarth’s supply of high magick.

Except for this year, one nice human decides that perhaps they should try to break the curse instead of constantly flinging six kids off to their death. A novel concept in this city.

So who’ve you got? We’ll you’ve got the Lowe (and low do they go) family who are like Regina George from Mean Girls. Not a fan of sharing, love power and very rarely lose meaning they’ve had their fingers in the high magick pie for some time.

Isobel Macaslan. Loves running around a lot and was basically outed as the champion before her family got to tell her about her demise face to face.

Briony Thorburn. Really wants to go into the death pit. Gets mad when the government comes in and wiggles everything around. Typical government behaviour IMO.

And then there’s Gavin Grieve. Wee Gav. Gavvy boy. Doesn’t stand a chance as he’s from the bad-egg family. Usually first to pop their clogs so everyone avoids him like the plague. Ready to stick it to the blood moon man.

The mathematical genuine among you may have noticed that wasn’t 7 families and you’d be right. I just can’t remember anything about those other three and they are the definition of cannon fodder.


SoooOoo I liked this book but didn’t have me screaming from the rooftops. The magical world is amazing BUT it just didn’t suck me in and I found myself skimming over bits that were probably pretty important.

That being said, the concept is pretty solid and unique. Just wish there was a bit more villainy and corruption but that probably says more about me than anything else.

I’m off to grab some rings and pretend I’m magical.

p.s Blood ain’t all that. Find your own family – it’s way better.

All of Us Villains is out on 11th November and it needs a home on your shelf.

'All of Us Villains' by Christine Herman and Amanda Foody is set in a world where raw magic is common place, but high magic is controlled by the elite. In the novel, how the seven families do this, has been revealed to the world in 'A Tradition of Tragedy: The True Story of the Town that Sends Its Children to Die', and so what was a private blood bath has become a public one. Each generation, at the beginning of the blood moon, seven champions are sent into battle with only one having a possibility of surviving. Despite the champions being their children, the elite families will stop at nothing to win the prize. However, there are also those that want the tournament, and the curse that keeps it going, to be blown apart.

This novel is billed as appealing to fans of the Hunger Games and I can certainly see why. I found it just as much of a pacey fantasy as that trilogy and became invested in a number of the characters. However, this isn't a rip off, with the context for the tournament and the ways the champions fight being very different. The novelists are full of imagination and whilst there are elements of YA in here, the use of language and manner of people's deaths are certainly adult themed.

My only criticism is that rather than this novel having the capacity to stand alone and have its own resolution, it ends very abruptly with a clear expectation that the story continues in a second or third novel. Whilst my sadness at the ending shows how invested I was in the story, I also felt this was a bit over commercialised and more could have been done with the plotting to end it on a more satisfying note, whilst still leaving lots of scope for further novels.

THIS WAS BLOODY AMAZING
-
okay so this book is pitched as something similar to The Hunger Games, which it is, but to me it also gave Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire vibes. already sounds perfect doesn't it? BUT IT GETS BETTER

this book is very well written. the pacing is pretty good and the mystery is built up very well. and i LOVED the magic system, it's very different to anything i've read before.

AND THE CHARACTERS YOU MAY ASK??? GOD TIER.
i haven't been this in love with the characters of a book in a long while.
some of my favs:
alistair lowe, my beloved <3 his character has such complexity and honestly, he just wants to be loved. adore him with all my heart
isobel macaslan, another one of my favourites <3
gavin grieve, he was an interesting character. he felt the most realistic character out of them all, in the way that he is a type of person you're very likely to come across in your daily life and i admire that. he's also a very complex character and i loved the way the authors wrote him

AND THE ROMANCE??? it wasn't a large aspect but when i tell you that one couple had me feeling all emotions, I MEAN IT.

AND I NEED THE SECOND BOOK RIGHT NOW CAUSE THAT ENDING IS FUCKING WITH MY HEAD

i loved this sm so READ IT AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT

thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group/Gollancz for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book. It’s like The Hunger Games meets Carry On meets A Deadly Education

The pacing is pretty quick because of the 4-person split narrative and I liked the uniqueness of each character voice which helped to separate them.

I really liked how dark and sort of gruesome this book is. It’s quite graphic, which contrasted well with some of the humour found in the dialogue and in the magic itself, although it is pretty villainous throughout, as the name suggests.

It kept me hooked from the start, and I was itching the find out what was going to happen to the characters.

My only criticism is the ending which was really jarring and instead of leaving me desperate for the next book, just left me feeling disappointed as I honestly felt that there was something missing.

I don’t mind cliffhangers, especially if they’re gripping but this one fell a bit flat for me.

Overall, I did enjoy almost everything about this book but would have preferred a slightly more wrapped up ending. Although that could be my fault for assuming this was a standalone 🤦‍♀️ I really need to get better at checking these things!

Huge thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

Sadly I had to DNF this book, but this is purely a personal choice. The writing was excellent but the subject and the behaviour of the characters was not something I could read about at the moment. I hope to try and pick this up again at a later date as I find the premise very interesting.

I will not review this on Goodreads as I did not finish it.

Thank you Netgalley and Orion for this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it. This was awesome. When can I expect the second? Seriously!

We find ourselves in the town of Ilvernath following the publication of a tell-all book detailing the ins and outs of a bloody tournament seven of the town's families participate. Each family names a champion to compete to the death, with the lone survivor winning control over the town's supply of High Magick.
The Lowes, infamous for being villainous and brutal, have been in control of the supply of Magick for years and are the usual victors. But this time, with the world now watching, each of the champions has a way and means to win the tournament.

What I liked.
-I loved that Ilvernath as a place/word sounded quite sleepy and innocuous and not this hotbed of infighting over magick supplies; reminded me of the way Sunnydale doesn't sound like it's the location of the Hellmouth in Buffy...
-The magick system was so well presented and explained.
-The pacing was just so on point; there was never a dull moment, nothing lagged, nothing felt rushed.
-That ENDING got me. Give me the second book please

I need a whole section to talk about characters.
-There are 4 POV characters and a few side characters and no one is two dimensional. These people felt real and flawed and beautiful to read about. They all have their own motivations, problems, heartaches. I think what I liked most is that whilst we can draw comparisons to The Hunger Games in terms of similar-ish concept, THG didn't have me rooting for anyone other than Katniss. AOUV however has us questioning who DOESNT deserve to win?! How do I pick a favourite?!

I disliked
-NOTHING.

Read if you like:
-Enemies-to-bigger enemies-to lovers- to enemies-to... it's so complex and GLORIOUS just READ IT
-Hunger Games, Chilling tales of Sabrina, Supernatural, The 100.
-Dark haired brooding fellas who don't know how to love themselves.
-Complex villains and Anti-heroes

(review originally posted on Goodreads)

<b>**received via NetGalley, my thanks to Orion Publishing Group! my review is entirely my honest, unbiased thoughts**</b>

WOW. alright. wow. first, i was 97% of the way in and the action was still going - and it has been nonstop heart-pounding bone-chilling spine-shivering gut-wrenching action, along with <i>wonderful</i> character building (i LOVED the the navigation of relations within this book so much, and i'll get into more later on in my review) - and there didn't seem to be a resolution in sight and i was <i>frantic</i> until i realized, with a <i>huge</i> sigh of relief, that there was going to be a sequel.

BECAUSE PLEASE, YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THIS.

<b><u>okay first, overall thoughts</u></b>:
• really, really <i>bloody</i> (and i mean bloody!) brilliant

• pacing was very good, where the first third of the book was spent a lot on building up the lore of the tournament, of magick, of the world, and building the characters really well, and creating suspense, and already introducing a fraught web of relationships, between the integral characters, between families, and others, that will come into play later

• i love how it doesn't shy away from being bloody and gory and gruesome - <i>thank you</i>

• and i really love all the lengths to which the characters will go to get what they want


<b><u>now, about the characters</u></b>:

they are.... stunningly brilliant. i fell in love with every single one of them, and i like the multiple perspectives, and it was so well-written, with amazing dialogue, and voices for each of them that really stood out, and i really loved getting a peek into each of their heads.

there's stakes for everyone, and they keep increasing as the story goes along, and we see the delicate navigation of relationships, where obviously no one trusts anyone because they have to kill one another, but... maybe they do. and what then?

i like how morally gray and complex everyone is, and also i like knowing everyone's personal, private thoughts about one another that may not mesh well with what we think we know about them from their own povs, so there's that little element of disillusionment there.

<b><u>and about the magic,</u></b>

i found the magic system so intriguing. i like how rule-based it is, and i like seeing the ways in which those rules can be bent.

<b><u>and finally, the ending...</u></b>
oh my <i>god</i> the ending. what. a. REVELATION. what a damn twist. wow wow wow okay. on hindsight, i should've seen it coming, and i was a little sus of that one character of course, wondering exactly how they fit into the story, since they seemed to be dangled tantalizingly like a block of cheese in front of a mouse, and it just seemed like there would be more to them - and wow. okay. wow. NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW 😭😭😭

p.s. isobel and alistair................. JSIDJWJDKAJDKKDQ well that sums up my thoughts 😭💘💔

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
WOW. I do not know how to describe this book other than it was deliciously twisted and dark in all the ways i enjoyed. The setting and magic system were all interestingly written and the plot was well paced with many unexpected twists and turns and intriguing stakes.

I especially loved how all our main characters were different shades of morally grey, some more than the others, due to the way they were raised, with the weight of their family names and the town they grew up in making them feel as if they never had a choice in their own lives because their destinies were already laid out before them from the moment of their births.

They were all forced to make hard and twisted choices because of their individual circumstances, often times against their own consciences and sacrificing their deepest inner desires and feelings. They were all just trying to survive in a ruthless and deadly competition in the only ways they knew how, in the only ways they were taught, and while some are determined to fight against their destinies, others are only looking to make it out alive, and despite how noble they think of themselves, they each hold their own selfish agendas hidden deep within that influence their decisions and actions.

In the end, they are just teenagers thrown into an inescapable situation and forced to face the severity of life and death for family glory and struggling to cope with the trauma of such morbidly dark burdens, and I feel for every one of them and am excited to see how their journeys develop especially after THAT ending.

p.s. Alistair my clumsy depressed self-destructive best boy i just wanna protect you with all my heart and never let anyone hurt you again. <3

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

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

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

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

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

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

2.5 stars

I just wished the characters were actually morally grey – of the four mains only one truly lives up to the promise of ‘villainous’ behaviour. The set up for Alistair was interesting but he ended up being a fairly flat character.

The comparison of this book as a bloodier Hunger Games is just kind of a lie, that’s more a marketing issue than one with the actual content of the book to be fair, but with that expectation the plot feels like its pulling its punches from the jump.

Much in the same way I was meant to buy into characters’ supposed ruthlessness because the narrative was explicitly stating it as opposed to depicting it, I never felt bonds between the characters (romance, friendship etc). The magic system was consistent & well done but not one that personally intrigued me. Overall, this just wasn’t for me.

My expectations were high for this and unfortunately they were maybe too high as I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. With a title like that and a hunger games like premise I thought the characters were going to be villainous and they weren’t. I should have expected it but I was still a little let down. But I did enjoy the characters and their interactions and found that as I read, I enjoyed it more.
Unfortunately the world building wasn’t what I expected either, I thought the world was okay, a little small for my tastes. There were also a few things that weren’t explained and I wish there was more information on certain areas. This book frustrates me the more I think about it.
Overall it wasn’t for me.

Well this book took me on a ride; did I love it or hate it? I'm still not sure.
All of Us Villains caught my eye because it promised to be a hunger games inspired tale...but with magic and all the contestants are bad guys. What more could you want out of an October read?

The story follows the POVs of the seven families who have to compete in the Blood Veil tournament; a contest that determines which family controls the source of high magic for the next 20 years. They must put forward one of their children as a champion to fight to the death, with the winners family having access to the power and influence the magic source affords.

So what I liked about it - the world building was interesting! I love reading about new magic systems and the one used in this story was unique and easy to follow. You take magic and place it into objects in its raw form or as curses or spells to use later. In a story about children fighting to the death, naturally the sheer number of destructive curses detailed throughout this book was impressive.
I also really enjoyed reading Alastair and Isobel's POVs. They were both by far the most developed and engaging characters (special mention to Briony and Gavin who had their own unique plots) and I'll be honest, I'm a sucker enemies to lovers and their tension DELIVERED.

Things I was not so much a fan of - the chaos of the plot for one. I felt like there were a lot of ideas left undeveloped in this story, and by the end many of the key storylines didn't have a meaningful resolutions in favour of being left open for the inevitable sequel. The story itself felt ambitious and in trying to achieve all of these crazy twists and turns left the flow of the story a little all over the place.
If that's the way you roll then by all means, but I think especially with there being so many POVs that with the fast paced and short chapters I wasn't able to connect with every character the way I'd want for a plot where you need to root for them all to survive.

I will say they most definitely all felt like villains. Nobody was the secret lovely person of the group in the end.
I'd definitely recommend this to teenagers looking for a little murderous drama to read.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC!