Author: Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
Publication Date: 9 November 2021
Publisher: Tor Teen
Page Count: 400
Reading Method: Physical Arc [ thank you to the publisher!]
Dates Read: November 7 – 9
Review:
Continuing the streak of excellent reads in November, I present All of Us Villains. It’s pitched as a villainous Hunger Games and it delivered! Though there are certain similarities, I loved the Slaughter Seven far more than the Victors of The Hunger Games.
The story is told in multiple POV – we get to be inside the minds of four of the seven champions: Alistair, Briony, Isobel, and Gavin. Often, when a story is told in multiple POV, you find yourself preferring one narrator over another. The others might not be bad, but you long to get back to your favorite character’s point of view. I didn’t feel that way at all when reading All of Us Villains. Each of the character’s perspectives brought something interesting and unique to the plot of the story. Each character propels the plot forward and I didn’t rush through to get to my favorite character (Alistair, tee hee).
These champions were raised with the knowledge that, if chosen, they would need to kill six of their peers to secure control of the high magic until the next Blood Veil. Some seem more ready for the competition than others, but when the chance for breaking the curse that has locked the families in competition for years presents itself, alliances are formed.
All of Us Villains is overflowing with fascinating magic and ever-shifting alliances. The characters were surprising in their complexity. Because of their histories, the nature of the competition, and motivations for competing, you never quite know who to trust. Everything in constantly in flux and there were several instances where the characters completely caught me off guard. The story is action packed and the competition is fierce. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the spells and curses. It was easy to get swept up into the magic of it all.
I don’t know why I was expecting this to be a standalone, but let me tell you, as I drew close to the end I was panicking because I didn’t see how they could possibly wrap it all up. Turns out, there is more coming and the cliffhanger is intense. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book! I haven’t been this engaged with a story in a long time.
About the Book
The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.
Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.
The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world―one thought long depleted.
This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into the worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly, a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their story.
But this is a story that must be penned in blood.
