All of Us Villains (All of Us Villains, 1)

A land under a curse, a town now infamous for its deadly families and now it's time for the games to begin ! Seven families always vying with each other to win and control the High Magick that has long been sought after in this world were everything has a price. Our journey begins as the Champions of each family are chosen to willingly enter the battlefield under the Blood Moon and quite literally take control of the magical artefacts set loose and annihilate the opposition. Yes I do mean actually kill the other Champions to release the land from the oppressive conditions but should history really repeat itself or could there be another way ? We get to know some characters much more than others so you would expect me to say it's easy to cheer for certain ones but actually I didn't find any of them particularly likeable but that's because they have been brought up under this twisted belief that what they do is as necessary as it's inevitable. It's very easy to dislike and revile even those who believe they act for the best because their actions change the narrative and it's a twisted journey as they flirt with both loyalty and change. Perhaps that is the crux of this first instalment because as a reader I changed my opinion on certain characters as they blundered through this travesty of tests . This is clearly aimed at those who enjoy YA fiction such as the Hunger Games but has its own unique setting and motivation. Easy to read but no less disturbing for all that these characters go through.

It’s a slow start and I thought it was going to be a pretty simplistic plot but as I got further through the book but I was actually very surprised at how much I enjoyed it, only thing I disliked was that it was young adult and I didn’t really understand why teenagers needed to compete,surely adults would be more powerful and have like a teenage prodigy. I think the only way it could’ve been better is to be a little darker and for more of an adult reader but I guess that is my own personal preference, give it a try it’s a unique take on the magic genre that gets better as the story progresses

What am I supposed to do with myself now? This is the best book I’ve read in a while. The character development is fantastic. I feel both horrified and worried and wishing that these characters WON’T be villains, and that’s maybe one of the most intriguing things. Sometimes we think of ourselves as one thing when others see us as something else entirely. We may be the heroes in our own story, but that makes us somebody else’s villain. I cannot WAIT to see where this goes, hence the despair at there being no title and no exact release date for the next one yet. With Reid, who is not a champion, I could definitely see something brewing. All of the POVs are so different, and allegiances are constantly changing. If you liked The Hunger Games, it’s true you’ll probably love this, and even though the tournament is similar the magic system is so intriguing, and we’re seeing the tournament from multiple perspectives. How far will they go for power, or for revenge, or for what they believe is right and necessary??

When I first read the description of this one - as a sort of darker, fairy tale-esque twist on THE HUNGER GAMES, I knew that I just had to read it! So I was thrilled to get my hands on the audio ARC! I also ended up getting a physical copy of it - while the performance of the female reader is great, the overly dramatic rendition of the male performer quickly became grating. I always listen to books at 2x speed, and because he didn't regulate his own speed or volume, it gave everything an odd emphasis and was really distracting. The sections that he narrated really made me feel like consistently like I was missing something. I really loved the female performer, though - if only she had narrated the whole book! I think I would only get the sequel on audio if there was a different male narrator (or none at all). As for the story itself, I loved it! It follows a curse laid on the town of Ilvernath - where the seven great families are cursed to provide a young champion for a fight to control the town's high magic every 20 years. There can only be one winner and each family maintains their own secrets and traditions for choosing their champions. The book opens just before the next cycle of the curse begins. Four members of different families narrate throughout- Alistair Lowe, the chosen champion of the family who most commonly wins, Gavin Grieve, a young man desperate for his family name to be great once again, Isobel Macasalan, thrust into the spotlight first as this is the first year that the curse fight has publicity rather than secrecy and Briony Thorburn, a confident young woman who feels ready to win at all cost. Like many YA Fantasies, there's some romance here - but also violence, bloodshed, and an ending that leaves the reader quite desperate for the next installment. The world-building gets this off to a bit of a slow start and some of the melodrama of it all does fit with the nature of the over-the-top performance of the male narrator... But as the characters develop and grow, this becomes a much more riveting read. There may be a few predictable turns, but there are definitely some surprises, too! I really enjoyed this! I think this author duo works quite well together and I am really excited for the next book. The characters are well-drawn - and I am not even sure which one I am rooting for in the end to be the last one standing! And I think the magic of the spell-rings and curses feels fresh and fun! I can't wait for more!