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novelty_reads's review
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
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
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
kenzaett's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
My first read of 2024, yay!
I picked this up in a bookshop on vacation for half price as a beach read, no clue what it entailed, just knew it was on my tbr, and
what a surprisingly good riiiidddee.
We're taking into an urban fantasy setting within a town that has teenagers fighting to death over the world's biggest magic source for their families (and nobody seems to have ever questioned it? Capitalism I guess), on the eve of the next tournament starting. This round is different though, as a traitorous voice from the village has spilled news about the tournament and now viewers from other villages have gathered to see the gorey spectacle. We follow the children of the 7 families from their nomination to the final fight... And end with a cliffhanger 😭
This book has a wonderful gloomy gothic dark academia witchy creepy village in the woods in the 50ies vibe but with modern and an interesting magic(k) system I haven't seen before.
I disliked the many POVs, 2-3 would have definitely been enough already. We can antagonize the protagonists even when we don't see them from other perspectives!! But that might just have been due to this novel being co-authored by two writers.
I feel like some of the characters could have been more fleshed out, had we had more time with them and their thoughts, and they tend to fall into a few archetypes, but the incredible writing, the scenery, and the way the authors are able to pull you into the world, make you see and hear and smell everything around you.. That makes up for it.
It's also like 1/5 on a spice level, which is amazing for YA. Instead we get brotherly love, manipulation, betrayal, family feuds, academic rivalry, emancipation from who you thought you were or would turn out to be, and a lot of BLOOD.
And I want MORE.
I would have loved a proper ending and to see this as a standalone, but I'll have to soon pick up book two for the conclusion 🥴👍🏻
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Murder, Toxic relationship, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Cursing, Misogyny, and Murder
sammisshelves's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book went super fast, and I think that’s because the events flew by without a ton of in-depth moments. I wish I liked the characters more, but they just didn’t feel super developed. I honestly was constantly waiting to get back to Alistair and Isabel’s perspectives, mostly Alistair because he felt the most developed. That being said, I did get hooked on this story. I understand why it’s been compared to a magical hunger games, but it’s a hunger games without a meaning commentary on our real world. I’m kind of shocked this isn’t all one book, as I feel like there’s not much left to wrap up in the finale. But, maybe it will surprise me, I was certainly surprised many times throughout this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Child death, and Gore
Minor: Vomit
kalevala's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
natnatl's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A little younger in targeted age group I think. Writing was well done but simple language. I think a lot of details were told instead of shown and many themes and plot points were obvious. Overall great plot idea and will probably read book two but not sure I’ll recommend to my direct peer group.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Blood
Minor: Violence, Murder, and Vomit
alex_emilia_smith's review against another edition
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Murder, Body horror, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Child death, Gore, Grief, Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, and Genocide
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Vomit
trin_16's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
I think this book was perfect, like a perfect mix of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter... and might I say this book is even better than BOTH? I just might! While I personally felt it was a little slow getting into it, I understand upon finishing it that that was to build up each characters background so we care about each of them during the tournament. The last 50 pages were real page turners and I'm just happy that the second book is out so I can immediately continue immersing myself in this gripping, bloody, murderous love story. With twists and turns in literally every other page, I'm hopeful I'll love the second book just as much!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Vomit and Abandonment
evanreads's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Child abuse, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Body horror, Cursing, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Vomit, Alcohol, and Eating disorder