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spleenc's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
All of Us Villains was one of my favorite reads last year so I was eagerly waiting for the second tome of this duology.
I might not have lived up to my expectations but it wasn't that bad, it was still a pleasant read and I would still recommend those books for YA's lovers.
I was quite bored during the second third of this book, feeling like it was going nowhere, like the characters' actions were just to fill the pages, not helping the plot to go in any direction. The final third was good, maybe a bit fast-paced, like it was trying to catch the time it lost before.
Some characters got really nice development, some others... Well, let's say they go it easy, in the end. Some got a redemption arc that felt a bit... Rushed ?
I also wish they was a lit bit less of romance ? While I am glad some were LGBT for some diversity/representation, I feel like not every characters needed to love another. At least, I don't know, not during a "tournament" where they needed to kill each other ?? But, I must say, I'm not the biggest romance fan , at the same time : that's maybe why it felt too much for me.
Plot-wise, I kinda missed the fact that they were isolated from the other others. I wish the true "bad guys" were a bit more exploited : it felt rushed, once again. But I really like the few "aftermath" chapters that we've got, where mental health was discussed : I'm so tired of books where the characters got back to their life like nothing happened that it was very welcomed.
I might not have lived up to my expectations but it wasn't that bad, it was still a pleasant read and I would still recommend those books for YA's lovers.
I was quite bored during the second third of this book, feeling like it was going nowhere, like the characters' actions were just to fill the pages, not helping the plot to go in any direction. The final third was good, maybe a bit fast-paced, like it was trying to catch the time it lost before.
Some characters got really nice development, some others... Well, let's say they go it easy, in the end. Some got a redemption arc that felt a bit... Rushed ?
I also wish they was a lit bit less of romance ? While I am glad some were LGBT for some diversity/representation, I feel like not every characters needed to love another. At least, I don't know, not during a "tournament" where they needed to kill each other ?? But, I must say, I'm not the biggest romance fan , at the same time : that's maybe why it felt too much for me.
Plot-wise, I kinda missed the fact that they were isolated from the other others. I wish the true "bad guys" were a bit more exploited : it felt rushed, once again. But I really like the few "aftermath" chapters that we've got, where mental health was discussed : I'm so tired of books where the characters got back to their life like nothing happened that it was very welcomed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Vomit, and Mental illness
briochebun's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 out of 5 ☆’s.
But he couldn’t resist asking, “In a different story, would we still have been enemies?”
“All of Our Demise” was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was besotted with the world that Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman crafted for us in the first novel — “All of Us Villains” — and was desperate to get my hands on a copy of this sequel! :)
ੈ✩‧₊˚
While the novel was enjoyable overall — I did have a couple qualms with it (hence the rating).
I will admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the public being so involved in the tournament this time around.
I understand that that’s what ultimately ended up moving the plot forward — and helped build up some of the events that happened at the end of the novel — but sometimes I found myself wishing that we had more scenes of the characters spending time with one another in their respective groups before we wished them farewell (which admittedly sounds a bit silly considering the duress that the characters were under throughout this novel — but the heart wants what it wants).
I also wish that the events at the end of the novel would’ve been drawn out a bit more.
Everything happened so fast that I found myself getting confused as to which characters were in which areas / what exactly was happening.
ੈ✩‧₊˚ Spoilers Below ੈ✩‧₊˚
One of the things that I did love in AOOD was the blistering romance between Alistair + Gavin (Galistair? Alvin? Alivin?).
“I’m sorry you had the world’s worst first kiss,” he said. “You deserved something better.”
While reading “All of Us Villains” I was enraptured with these two and their interactions with one another…
I constantly felt myself being pulled into their orbit and — while we were made aware that both of these characters weren’t straight in AOUV — I was hesitant to get my hopes up due to past experiences, but Amanda and Christine did not disappoint with AOOD! :)
TLDR: Alistair + Gavin have my heart and I’m so glad that they ended up being endgame! Please give me a bonus scene of them in the future where they’re living together and are a bit happier…🥺
I also want to briefly mention that I found the ending of the novel to be realistic in regards to the characters’ mental health — and I was glad that Alistair and Gavin even discussed seeing therapists after everything that had happened...
With all of that being said — I will definitely be picking up Amanda and Christine’s next novel “A Fate so Cold“! ♡
ੈ✩‧₊˚
Song That I Listened to on Repeat While Reading “All of our Demise”: “Marjorie” by Taylor Swift (because it reminds me of Hendry).
But he couldn’t resist asking, “In a different story, would we still have been enemies?”
“All of Our Demise” was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was besotted with the world that Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman crafted for us in the first novel — “All of Us Villains” — and was desperate to get my hands on a copy of this sequel! :)
ੈ✩‧₊˚
While the novel was enjoyable overall — I did have a couple qualms with it (hence the rating).
I will admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the public being so involved in the tournament this time around.
I understand that that’s what ultimately ended up moving the plot forward — and helped build up some of the events that happened at the end of the novel — but sometimes I found myself wishing that we had more scenes of the characters spending time with one another in their respective groups before we wished them farewell (which admittedly sounds a bit silly considering the duress that the characters were under throughout this novel — but the heart wants what it wants).
I also wish that the events at the end of the novel would’ve been drawn out a bit more.
Everything happened so fast that I found myself getting confused as to which characters were in which areas / what exactly was happening.
ੈ✩‧₊˚ Spoilers Below ੈ✩‧₊˚
I also want to briefly mention that I found the ending of the novel to be realistic in regards to the characters’ mental health — and I was glad that Alistair and Gavin even discussed seeing therapists after everything that had happened...
With all of that being said — I will definitely be picking up Amanda and Christine’s next novel “A Fate so Cold“! ♡
ੈ✩‧₊˚
Song That I Listened to on Repeat While Reading “All of our Demise”: “Marjorie” by Taylor Swift (because it reminds me of Hendry).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Vomit
katebrownreads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death, Blood, Torture, and Death of parent
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Blood and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Every year when the Blood Veil rises, the seven families of Ilvernath compete in a tournament to the death. The prize? The control of the vast wellspring of high magick. Currently in the thick of the tournament, the current competitors have learned that the curse of the Blood Veil can be broken. And now the tournament itself is breaking all around them.
As the curse gets closer and closer to breaking, the champions have to make a choice. Do they work towards breaking the curse or continue the tournament as if nothing has happened? Alliances will shift. New relationships will form. All we know is--the tournament will not have a happy ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy of All of Our Demise to review! I read All of Us Villains in basically one sitting last year, so I was excited to see how it ended. Especially since the first book ended with such a cliffhanger!
If you loved the dark, foreboding nature of the first book, you'll absolutely love this one. All your favorite characters return, each one just as morally grey as the last one. They're all faced with choices they never thought they would have, especially that of ending the tournament forever. Even though there are a lot of points of view in this book, I didn't feel like any of the characters were more developed than the other. They all felt like well-rounded and complex characters, which is a point for the story! It's hard to do that with so many different narrators.
The action! This book picks up immediately where the last book left off and doesn't let up on the action. Foody and Herman also give us plenty of plot twists to keep us on our toes. Plus, the world building is expanded in this book, giving us even more of this magical society the authors have created. I would read more stories set in this world for sure!
My only complaint is that at times, some of the elements feel a bit repetitive. Honestly, I think that's partly because the book is a little on the long side. Combining some of the events might have helped to cut down on some of the repetition.
All in all, if you're looking for an action-packed ending to this duology, you'll love this finale!
------
I think this is a good ending to this duology! Full of twists and turns and dark magic. Stay tuned for a full review to come!
As the curse gets closer and closer to breaking, the champions have to make a choice. Do they work towards breaking the curse or continue the tournament as if nothing has happened? Alliances will shift. New relationships will form. All we know is--the tournament will not have a happy ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy of All of Our Demise to review! I read All of Us Villains in basically one sitting last year, so I was excited to see how it ended. Especially since the first book ended with such a cliffhanger!
If you loved the dark, foreboding nature of the first book, you'll absolutely love this one. All your favorite characters return, each one just as morally grey as the last one. They're all faced with choices they never thought they would have, especially that of ending the tournament forever. Even though there are a lot of points of view in this book, I didn't feel like any of the characters were more developed than the other. They all felt like well-rounded and complex characters, which is a point for the story! It's hard to do that with so many different narrators.
The action! This book picks up immediately where the last book left off and doesn't let up on the action. Foody and Herman also give us plenty of plot twists to keep us on our toes. Plus, the world building is expanded in this book, giving us even more of this magical society the authors have created. I would read more stories set in this world for sure!
My only complaint is that at times, some of the elements feel a bit repetitive. Honestly, I think that's partly because the book is a little on the long side. Combining some of the events might have helped to cut down on some of the repetition.
All in all, if you're looking for an action-packed ending to this duology, you'll love this finale!
------
I think this is a good ending to this duology! Full of twists and turns and dark magic. Stay tuned for a full review to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death of parent
readwithkayy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow wow wow! One of my most anticipated reads of the year did not disappoint. It's a little difficult to talk about this without spoiling anything, so I'll keep this as vague as possible. This book picks up immediately after the events of the first, but it does do a good job of reminding you what had happened previously within the first 10% of this one. We have Alistair and Isobel, both badly cursed and hurting, Briony leading the charge to end the tournament, and many new outside forces influencing the champions and their motivations. While the first book had some elements that were absolutely jaw-dropping, this one had surprising elements in a different way. It almost reminded me of Captain America: Civil War in its plot design, being that we have two different sides fighting each other because they both believe in their cause, and in a way, they both have valid reasoning to why they need to do what they are doing.
The character development in this book is extremely well done; it had me rooting for characters I didn't care much for in the first. This development is definitely show, not tell, because as you read on, you go on this journey with the characters as they discover new pieces of themselves. I also found that the magic system here was cleverly done, as the trials act as ways to dive further into the character's backstory. This was extremely tense and emotional; it had be constantly bracing for what was to come and had me crying more than once! I loved the first book, but I think this one is even better, because we get to expand on the characters we already know and love and see them try to complete their missions. It is a little slow to start, but it's understandable when it picks up after a cliffhanger and needs to get the readers caught up again. Overall, 5 stars all around🌟
*Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the eARC, in exchange for a review!
The character development in this book is extremely well done; it had me rooting for characters I didn't care much for in the first. This development is definitely show, not tell, because as you read on, you go on this journey with the characters as they discover new pieces of themselves. I also found that the magic system here was cleverly done, as the trials act as ways to dive further into the character's backstory. This was extremely tense and emotional; it had be constantly bracing for what was to come and had me crying more than once! I loved the first book, but I think this one is even better, because we get to expand on the characters we already know and love and see them try to complete their missions. It is a little slow to start, but it's understandable when it picks up after a cliffhanger and needs to get the readers caught up again. Overall, 5 stars all around🌟
*Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the eARC, in exchange for a review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death of parent
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