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novelty_reads's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I have recently been finding myself gravitating towards dark fantasy this year and honestly? I love it. Dark fantasy brings forward everything I love in books: enemies to lovers, forbidden romance and magic schemes that make you wish the world was a little more magical than it actually is. All of Us Villains had the perfect recipe to become a newfound favourite.
I was lucky enough to read a few pages of the book before it was out. I enjoyed the sampler so much that I bought the book (and its sequel) already knowing I would be transfixed and pun intended, spellbound.
The book has been pitched to me as The Hunger Games but make it magical and villainous. The book is told in four perspectives: Briony, Alistair, Isobel and Gavin, four of the seven champions forced to fight to the death to win high magic, a rare magical commodity. The book spends a lot of time showing us how the champions have prepared and strategised for the tournament, building up the characters and showing how they all cope with the knowledge that they'll one day fight to the death.
To me, Alistair was an instant stand out. I loved reading his perspective. He reminded me of Lira from To Kill A Kingdom in that he was raised to be villainous but really, his villainous behaviour was a result of what his family expected from him. He may be morally grey but I could tell he had a softer side and the way he cared for his brother, Hendry was really sweet and wholesome.
Isobel started off as a character I really enjoyed reading but towards the end, I started losing interest with her character. Her parts were better in terms of plot and moving things along but as a character, she lost me towards the end.
Gavin was a character I was very interested in. I am a sucker for the classic underdog story where the odds are stacked against them and they manage to be victorious. Gavin's entire family haven't won the tournament in all the centuries it's been happening. Gavin is seen as a dead boy walking and he wants nothing more than to prove people wrong. Out of everyone in the tournament, he and Elionor seemed the most ruthless in their pursuit to win and eliminate competitors.
Briony was the last of the perspectives however, she never really grabbed me as a character and so, I wasn't as excited reading about her as much as I was for Alistair or Gavin. I won't lie, she sort of annoyed me. The other side characters I enjoyed were Hendry and Reid. Hendry was such a sweetie he's easily one of my favourite characters. Reid was a character I predicted would have a huge influence on the plot. He kind of reminded me of Harry Hook from The Descendants mixed with Yungblud and a bit of Palaye Royale. I hope I get to see him more in book two.
The characters were a big win for this book. As in, all the characters felt unique with their own personality that I could easily tell apart. The only real negative I had was the book at times felt a little slow. I also wanted more suspense and tension from the competition. I knew the stakes were high but I didn't feel the danger or risk from the tournament even when things started going pear-shaped. By the end of the book, I started getting that anticipation I was looking for with the book ending on a tantalising cliffhanger. Naturally, I have started the sequel instantly.
ACTUAL RATING: 4.2 STARS
I have recently been finding myself gravitating towards dark fantasy this year and honestly? I love it. Dark fantasy brings forward everything I love in books: enemies to lovers, forbidden romance and magic schemes that make you wish the world was a little more magical than it actually is. All of Us Villains had the perfect recipe to become a newfound favourite.
I was lucky enough to read a few pages of the book before it was out. I enjoyed the sampler so much that I bought the book (and its sequel) already knowing I would be transfixed and pun intended, spellbound.
The book has been pitched to me as The Hunger Games but make it magical and villainous. The book is told in four perspectives: Briony, Alistair, Isobel and Gavin, four of the seven champions forced to fight to the death to win high magic, a rare magical commodity. The book spends a lot of time showing us how the champions have prepared and strategised for the tournament, building up the characters and showing how they all cope with the knowledge that they'll one day fight to the death.
To me, Alistair was an instant stand out. I loved reading his perspective. He reminded me of Lira from To Kill A Kingdom in that he was raised to be villainous but really, his villainous behaviour was a result of what his family expected from him. He may be morally grey but I could tell he had a softer side and the way he cared for his brother, Hendry was really sweet and wholesome.
Isobel started off as a character I really enjoyed reading but towards the end, I started losing interest with her character. Her parts were better in terms of plot and moving things along but as a character, she lost me towards the end.
Gavin was a character I was very interested in. I am a sucker for the classic underdog story where the odds are stacked against them and they manage to be victorious. Gavin's entire family haven't won the tournament in all the centuries it's been happening. Gavin is seen as a dead boy walking and he wants nothing more than to prove people wrong. Out of everyone in the tournament, he and Elionor seemed the most ruthless in their pursuit to win and eliminate competitors.
Briony was the last of the perspectives however, she never really grabbed me as a character and so, I wasn't as excited reading about her as much as I was for Alistair or Gavin. I won't lie, she sort of annoyed me. The other side characters I enjoyed were Hendry and Reid. Hendry was such a sweetie he's easily one of my favourite characters. Reid was a character I predicted would have a huge influence on the plot. He kind of reminded me of Harry Hook from The Descendants mixed with Yungblud and a bit of Palaye Royale. I hope I get to see him more in book two.
The characters were a big win for this book. As in, all the characters felt unique with their own personality that I could easily tell apart. The only real negative I had was the book at times felt a little slow. I also wanted more suspense and tension from the competition. I knew the stakes were high but I didn't feel the danger or risk from the tournament even when things started going pear-shaped. By the end of the book, I started getting that anticipation I was looking for with the book ending on a tantalising cliffhanger. Naturally, I have started the sequel instantly.
ACTUAL RATING: 4.2 STARS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
misszoe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed the book and how messed up the characters were. At first you think they aren't as bad but as the book goes on.. They do become villains, each in their own right. What I loved was the characterization of each character and how they each had very clear goals and motivations. I will say though that Alistair's widow peak did not need to be mentioned quite as often - that being said, Alistair is my fave <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Bullying
ergaich's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a great and well developed book. Told from the perspective of 4 different characters, each person had their own unique personality and arc. Every single character in this book was expertly thought out. The magic system was simple to understand and the plot didn’t rely on it to further the story, which is a sign of a great writer. There were multiple twists in the story and I never got bored.
I listened to this book which made the experience phenomenal. The multiple audio narrators and accents definitely helped differentiate the 4 different perspectives.
I listened to this book which made the experience phenomenal. The multiple audio narrators and accents definitely helped differentiate the 4 different perspectives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Gore, Murder, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Suicide
halem13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Violence, Body horror, Death, Murder, Grief, Blood, and Gore
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Child death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Abandonment, and Vomit
styxx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Blood, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death, and Violence
imcourtneymarie's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies meets Harry Potter magic.
The magic system is neat, the world building pretty good, and the characters engaging enough that you care about their story under the Blood Veil.
Very villainous characters!
I didn’t know this was a duology so beware that it ends abruptly on a cliffhanger. Another 100-200p and it could have been wrapped up in a single book. 🙄
The magic system is neat, the world building pretty good, and the characters engaging enough that you care about their story under the Blood Veil.
Very villainous characters!
I didn’t know this was a duology so beware that it ends abruptly on a cliffhanger. Another 100-200p and it could have been wrapped up in a single book. 🙄
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Murder, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Grief
ailiscr32's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol and Grief
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a bit slow to build up and one of the big reveals was quite anticlimactic but I really enjoyed the premise and I like all the characters and their little interactions in a dark tournament setting
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Murder, and Violence
gohan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
It started off slow but gradually gained momentum as it neared the tournament. Very interesting premise that sometimes raises more questions than answers. All of Us Villains will keep you guessing, trying to unfurl the mysteries.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading about magic and competitions. It’s the kind of book you’d stay up late to finish.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading about magic and competitions. It’s the kind of book you’d stay up late to finish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Blood