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snootle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I finished this duology because I was curious how it would end, but overall I struggled to enjoy this book and the first one.
I liked the trials and challenges they faced recreating the relics, but the constant changing of each character's feelings and objectives made it difficult to connect with them. Moments that should've been tense and time-sensitive were filled with drawn out, emotional dialogue which made it seem like they were rarely in actual danger.
My biggest problem with this duology is how it relies on telling rather than showing. It tells you that every character is a villain/monster/bad person, but overall there is little to show this outside of a handful of events. We have to rely on reading their every thought. Everything is spelled out, even to the point where obvious, simple story beats are explained at length, leaving no opportunity for thought or speculation from the reader.
I enjoyed the world building, setup/involvement of the champions' families and some of the magic, but unfortunately this series fell really flat for me.
My biggest problem with this duology is how it relies on telling rather than showing. It tells you that every character is a villain/monster/bad person, but overall there is little to show this outside of a handful of events. We have to rely on reading their every thought. Everything is spelled out, even to the point where obvious, simple story beats are explained at length, leaving no opportunity for thought or speculation from the reader.
I enjoyed the world building, setup/involvement of the champions' families and some of the magic, but unfortunately this series fell really flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
“The Grieves had raised Gavin to die. The Lowes had raised Alistair to kill. Both of them deserved a better story.”
➽ I think I liked this sequel even better than the first book! All of Our Demise is the conclusion to the duology and though I wasn't sure about the direction the series was taking, I ended up liking it! It took me a bit to get back into the story, but then I got really invested. The story follows our champions now that the Veil has been dropping and the Tournament is slowly falling apart. That means outside forces - such as the families, the spellmakers and the press - are getting involved and have a much bigger influence than before.
➽ Isobel, Briony and Finley are working together to break the Tournament's spell in a controlled way, as otherwise they are all going to die. Unfortunately, not everyone cares about that and lots of people see only the high magic they could gain, no matter how it happens. I liked Isobel much more in this book, as she continues struggling with the media attention and the fallout of her casting a deathly hex on Alistair. Her own family's curse is making her feel like she's fading away. I still don't love Briony as she was very self-righteous in the beginning, but I liked that her past actions were addressed and she had to confront the cost of the plan! Her relationship with Finley was sadly bland and uninteresting to me, I didn't really care about their dynamic. To me, Isobel's love-hate relationship with Reid was much more intriguing. Reid wrote the book about the Tournament and was a famous spellmaker who tried to play them. Now he's forced to work with them to undo the curse, but there's obviously a lot of bad blood between them. I wasn't sure about him at first, but Isobel had much better chemistry with him - compared to Alistair in the first book - and their animosity felt more intense and intriguing to me!
➽ Gavin and Alistair end up teaming up against the others and I loved it!! Alistair's not interested in breaking the Tournament, as his brother Hendry - who died - is part of it now and could be lost again. After killing their whole family, Alistair is only out to finish what he started and gain the high magic by winning the Tournament. Since everyone else is now involved and the others are trying to find another way, he needs a new ally. Gavin's the only one who isn't taken with Briony's plan, especially since he's still dealing with the aftermath of using his life magic to cast spells. I've been saying from the very beginning that Gavin and Alistair would have made a better couple than Alistair and Isobel ... and I was right!! I couldn't believe it at first, but there is a romantic dynamic between Gavin and Alistair!! I loved it so much: the pairing of the underdog and the vicious favorite; the forced team up and great tension!! Alistair and Gavin both have reason to distrust each other, but can't help but get to know each other beyond what their families intended for them. Their complicated feelings for each other were so well-written! They both deal with the expectations and legacy of their respective families and mirrored each other so well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Gore, and Grief
isitcertain's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Torture, Blood, Death, Violence, Mental illness, Gore, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
spleenc's review against another edition
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
bookishfeyre's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
5.0
This review may contain some spoilers - I need to feel my feelings for this one.
*******************************************************************************
The ending of All of us Villains left me screaming, I needed to know what was going to happen asap and it was one of those books that has kept being on my mind since I finished it. When I got accepted for the e-arc of All of our Demise, let's just say my neighbours probably heard my squeal.
So we start up exactly where we left off, Alistair and Hendry need Alistair to win to try to keep Hendry alive, Bryony, Finley, and Isabelle need to find more icons to break the tournament, and Gavin is being Gavin and trying to fight for his life once again. We are thrown straight back into the action and that was immense. There was enough back information in the first few chapters to give you a gentle reminder about what happened previously, but not enough to make me bored and get frustrated about everything being repeated. Obviously, if you have not read book one, then please read that first, there is so much information you need for book 2 to make sense.
The magic system is still an interesting concept and I love how intricate it gets throughout this second book. We are deeply thrown into the world again and I feel like we get more knowledge because Reid is dragged in with them. The champions use the tear in the inner blood veil to use the resources around them, and the spell makers get to play the biggest role they have ever had in the history of the tournament.
This book made me even more attached to our main 4 champions and I felt we really got to understand and grow with them. By the end of the book, everyone is changed and only just learning how to truly be themselves. This is due to their families not having access to them of course.
That ending, do not get me wrong, I loved the ending and it was the perfect way to end. I knew there would have to be something, a twist, to make it more realistic. But obviously, I wish there was another way it could have happened. (This is nothing about the book, it is literally me being an emotional wreck and just wanting my way). The ending was magnificent and I cannot see how it could have ended in any other way. It was superb and had me crying and then feeling that sense of calm.
Basically, if you loved All of us Villains you will devour All of our Demise. The book was well worth that wait and I am so thankful I got to read an e-arc as I needed this book asap. Not many duologies make me this happy and content, I always want more, but this felt right.
*******************************************************************************
The ending of All of us Villains left me screaming, I needed to know what was going to happen asap and it was one of those books that has kept being on my mind since I finished it. When I got accepted for the e-arc of All of our Demise, let's just say my neighbours probably heard my squeal.
So we start up exactly where we left off, Alistair and Hendry need Alistair to win to try to keep Hendry alive, Bryony, Finley, and Isabelle need to find more icons to break the tournament, and Gavin is being Gavin and trying to fight for his life once again. We are thrown straight back into the action and that was immense. There was enough back information in the first few chapters to give you a gentle reminder about what happened previously, but not enough to make me bored and get frustrated about everything being repeated. Obviously, if you have not read book one, then please read that first, there is so much information you need for book 2 to make sense.
The magic system is still an interesting concept and I love how intricate it gets throughout this second book. We are deeply thrown into the world again and I feel like we get more knowledge because Reid is dragged in with them. The champions use the tear in the inner blood veil to use the resources around them, and the spell makers get to play the biggest role they have ever had in the history of the tournament.
This book made me even more attached to our main 4 champions and I felt we really got to understand and grow with them. By the end of the book, everyone is changed and only just learning how to truly be themselves. This is due to their families not having access to them of course.
That ending, do not get me wrong, I loved the ending and it was the perfect way to end. I knew there would have to be something, a twist, to make it more realistic. But obviously, I wish there was another way it could have happened. (This is nothing about the book, it is literally me being an emotional wreck and just wanting my way). The ending was magnificent and I cannot see how it could have ended in any other way. It was superb and had me crying and then feeling that sense of calm.
Basically, if you loved All of us Villains you will devour All of our Demise. The book was well worth that wait and I am so thankful I got to read an e-arc as I needed this book asap. Not many duologies make me this happy and content, I always want more, but this felt right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
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