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libraryofclaire's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
For fans of morally grey protagonists and books where everyone is a villain, you've come to the right place. All of Us Villains is heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, and horrifically tragic in all the best ways possible. A Hunger Games-esque tournament for control of magic pits friends, enemies, exes, and lovers against each other, and there is no right choice. With interesting magic systems and protagonists you love to hate, this book has given me plenty of panic-induced heart spikes and a book hangover that will last for days.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Blood
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you to Netgalley, Tor, and Macmillan Audio for an arc of this book!
Every 20 years, the blood moon rises and seven families put forth a champion to compete in a tournament. The prize for winning? Exclusive access to High Magic, the most powerful kind. Losing? Death.
This book was delightfully dark! I loved that there are 4 different character pov's. Sometimes multiple pov's can kind of confuse a story and lessen the character building, but I think it went really well for this one, especially as the start to a series. The characters were all unique and different levels of morally grey, which I found interesting to read about. I also liked to see the way they all interacted with each other.
I love the idea of the competition here and what they have to do. I liked the way the characters tried to thwart expectations in this.
I think some of the magic systems could have been better fleshed out, but I have hope for the future of this series to do just that! And with that ending--I am ready for the sequel!
Every 20 years, the blood moon rises and seven families put forth a champion to compete in a tournament. The prize for winning? Exclusive access to High Magic, the most powerful kind. Losing? Death.
This book was delightfully dark! I loved that there are 4 different character pov's. Sometimes multiple pov's can kind of confuse a story and lessen the character building, but I think it went really well for this one, especially as the start to a series. The characters were all unique and different levels of morally grey, which I found interesting to read about. I also liked to see the way they all interacted with each other.
I love the idea of the competition here and what they have to do. I liked the way the characters tried to thwart expectations in this.
I think some of the magic systems could have been better fleshed out, but I have hope for the future of this series to do just that! And with that ending--I am ready for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Blood, Gore, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Murder, and Cursing
Minor: Suicide, Body horror, and Confinement
bookstorebinge's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Self harm, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Death
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley and Tor Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I was a little bit worried about All of Us Villains at first because the book started out slowly and with a lot of POVs. It took me a while to get into the book because for the longest time, it felt like it was going nowhere. Once the plot started picking up, I found myself pulled deeper and deeper. I‘m glad I pushed through the beginning to get to the end.
Herman and Foody spend a lot of time setting the scene and introducing their characters’ backstories. These backstories helped to a point, but most the character development happened once the Veil fell. Some readers love a steady start like this – for me, it threw the pacing. Books with multiple POVs can be troublesome like this. Even cut down, introductions take a while. To this point, I feel as though All of Us Villains would have fared well enough without quite as many POVs. There were four I was primarily interested in – Briony, Alistair, Isobel, and Gavin. Even Gavin isn’t particularly interesting but he does go places where the others do not. All four of these characters offered unique views based on their individual subplots. After that, I think it would be good to drop the rest of the POVs, particularly in the introductory section.
I will say that All of Us Villains is an arc, so it’s entirely possible this will change before release! 🙂
Each of the four characters mentioned above has a solid history, strong motivation, and an interesting personal quest. They are the strongest built characters in the book (other than our villain) and it’s challenging to pick just one to root for. I really enjoyed the growth– often forced growth – each of the characters went through.
All of Us Villains has a last man standing plot. If you enjoy intrigue and action and trickery, these sorts of plots are the best. We begin with an exposé books about Ilvernath where every couple of generations, the children of the leading families are forced to fight to the death. The winner takes control of high magic, a powerful tool. The crop of chosen this Blood Moon each have their own stakes. The plot deliveries on the blood and betrayals it promises – it’s terrific.
The ending… well, of course, the ending is an absolute cliffhanger which means I am anxiously waiting for book two. I would recommend this book to fans of each of the authors, but also for anyone who enjoys a good villain or duels to the death. Fans of The Hunger Games, I’m looking at you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse
isnotacrayon's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit and Cursing
torimc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
Minor: Suicide
monicavillasb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Grief
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