Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Gollancz (2021), 400 pages
Description
Fantasy. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: The blockbuster co-writing debut of Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman, All of Us Villains begins a dark tale of ambition and magick... You Fell in Love with the Victors of the Hunger Games. Now Prepare to Meet the Villains of the Blood Veil. The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins. Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death. The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world�??one thought long depleted. But this year a scandalous tell-all book has exposed the tournament and thrust the seven new champions into the worldwide spotlight. The book also granted them valuable information previous champions never had�??insight into the other families' strategies, secrets, and weaknesses. And most important, it gave them a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their legacy. Either way, this is a story that must be penned in blood. A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Teen The All of Us Villains Duology: #1) All of Us Villains #2) All of Our Demise… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member amanda4242
All of Us Villains is everywhere being compared to The Hunger Games, but I was strongly reminded of Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb series while reading. Granted, the plot is much closer to The Hunger Games, but the depth of the characters and world-building made me think far more of Muir's work.
There's quite a bit of set up in the early chapters, but events pick up quickly and soon I was racing through the pages to see what happened next. I'm greatly looking forward to the next instalment.
Received via NetGalley.
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There's quite a bit of set up in the early chapters, but events pick up quickly and soon I was racing through the pages to see what happened next. I'm greatly looking forward to the next instalment.
Received via NetGalley.
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LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
All of Us Villains (SAMPLER)
by Amanda Foody; Christine Lynn Herman
Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book. I have only read a sampler once before and forgot how frustrating it is when it's so good!
This is a place, a town, where seven
This sample I received gives the overall feeling of the town, major players in the town, then each family and the chosen one in each house. The back stories are very interesting and intriguing! There are a couple you want to cheer on but at the same time you know whoever is the winner is also a murderer. They will be killing the others you just got to know. Can they live with that? Some of these certainly could but some are not so cruel.
It's a very intriguing story and plot and it stops just short of the tournament itself! I can't wait to get the book and see what happens next! Ugh! This is such a tease!
by Amanda Foody; Christine Lynn Herman
Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book. I have only read a sampler once before and forgot how frustrating it is when it's so good!
This is a place, a town, where seven
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magical families compete to the death to be top magical family for the next 20 years. It happens on a special blood moon. The seven chosen, one from each family group, compete and only one will come out alive. There are curse makers in town that back ones they like. Reporters swoop in and get as much gossip as possible. Someone, no one knows who, wrote a book about the many working of the tournament. Big hit and everyone is reading it.This sample I received gives the overall feeling of the town, major players in the town, then each family and the chosen one in each house. The back stories are very interesting and intriguing! There are a couple you want to cheer on but at the same time you know whoever is the winner is also a murderer. They will be killing the others you just got to know. Can they live with that? Some of these certainly could but some are not so cruel.
It's a very intriguing story and plot and it stops just short of the tournament itself! I can't wait to get the book and see what happens next! Ugh! This is such a tease!
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LibraryThing member rivkat
A lot of worldbuilding, maybe a bit too much: high magic has disappeared from most of the world, but in one town, seven families fight to control it every twenty years in a duel to the death among their teen champions. But someone revealed the secret of the contest, and now the government has sent
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overseers, though the curse itself can’t be interfered with. This year’s teens include an assortment of types, including at least one who’d like to destroy the whole thing if possible. It was brisk enough once you got all the data dumping out of the way; the contest starts in this book but does not finish. Show Less
LibraryThing member BethYacoub
I listened to this audiobook and I can't imagine enjoying it any other way. The voices were rich and varied and the acting was spot on. The background was dark and sinister, the characters were unabashedly, yummily, gray. We find out, more certainly, who the true monster(s) is/are until the very
Overall:
I highly recommend this book, especially the audiobook. There are two different actors for the multiple MC POVs with truly solid acting. BUT maybe wait until you have book #2 firmly in hand... unless you're a gluten for punishment or in the market for a frustratingly timed cliffy. AND even though I might be a bit sore over being declined nearly instantly when I requested the book from NetGalley, I must give credit where it is due... this book had me hooked from the very start and I truly had a good time in that world with these unforgettable characters.
~ Enjoy
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end. That, along with a pretty cliffy ending, was a great way to get the reader hooked for book #2. I wish it went on and on and on... the mark of a great book. But did I mention that ending?? It was painful to behold... it sort of just ended. There was finally some telling dialogue (a few different MCs POVs) and then nothing... unless you count the lady who thanks you for listening. GrrrrrrrOverall:
I highly recommend this book, especially the audiobook. There are two different actors for the multiple MC POVs with truly solid acting. BUT maybe wait until you have book #2 firmly in hand... unless you're a gluten for punishment or in the market for a frustratingly timed cliffy. AND even though I might be a bit sore over being declined nearly instantly when I requested the book from NetGalley, I must give credit where it is due... this book had me hooked from the very start and I truly had a good time in that world with these unforgettable characters.
~ Enjoy
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LibraryThing member reader1009
teen fantasy fiction (young wizards trying to break a curse that pits them against each other in a Hunger Games-style tournament)
the characters aren't that well developed (personalities are more or less interchangeable) but this was a fun escape. I am now awaiting the second installment so I can
the characters aren't that well developed (personalities are more or less interchangeable) but this was a fun escape. I am now awaiting the second installment so I can
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find out what happens--let's hope I don't forget everything by the time it comes out. Show Less
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
I was so excited to read this book (a really great title helped), and then I just wasn't that excited by the actual story. Perhaps my expectations were too high or the character development was lacking, but I couldn't really get into this book.
LibraryThing member The_Literary_Jedi
This is a magical Hunger Games.
There are 8 magical families in this town and every 20 years a Blood Moon rises which creates a blood veil over the town and contestants from each family fight to the death to see who will control the high magic for the next 20 years. A tell-all book (a la Rita
The characters don't really change throughout this story, but they are ridiculously wonderful to follow. It reminds me of the worst kind of teen drama. The magic system is simple - people create spells using ingredients and words which then get put into rings or stones for use.
Eventually, I hope the cliff-hanger will pan out. Loved to hate the 'bad guys'
**All opinions on my own.**
There are 8 magical families in this town and every 20 years a Blood Moon rises which creates a blood veil over the town and contestants from each family fight to the death to see who will control the high magic for the next 20 years. A tell-all book (a la Rita
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Skeeter) has brought unwanted attention to this contest and created celebrities out of the contestants, all young teenagers.The characters don't really change throughout this story, but they are ridiculously wonderful to follow. It reminds me of the worst kind of teen drama. The magic system is simple - people create spells using ingredients and words which then get put into rings or stones for use.
Eventually, I hope the cliff-hanger will pan out. Loved to hate the 'bad guys'
**All opinions on my own.**
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LibraryThing member fionaanne
I requested this book from the library solely because there was a lot of "buzz" about it but I'm barely able to sustain enough interest to finish chapter one. Next!
LibraryThing member Andy5185
Hunger Games-style story with magic! This book was a blast. The cover art is delicious. I cannot wait for the next installment - which hopefully won’t be too far from now.
LibraryThing member wb4ever1
I’m a long way past the demographic for ALL US VILLAINS, a piece of YA fiction from authors Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman. But I do like a good story, and often find that teen fiction satisfies my desire for horror and suspense much better than the regular “horror” section at the
I picked up ALL US VILLAINS because it was well reviewed and had a premise I found intriguing: a tournament where teens fight to the death until there is one champion who can claim the prize of controlling a well spring of high magic. Some have likened it to THE HUNGER GAMES with a magic system. The main protagonists represent their families in this death match, and all live in a fictional city called Ilvernath in a world where magic is real. The wider world is never discussed much, and it is never made clear if this city exists on an alternate earth, or some kind of parallel timeline to our own as the technology would put it in the late 20th or early 21st Centuries. Maybe the two co-authors simply didn’t want to waste space on exposition and world-building, and just left it to the reader to fill in the blank spaces. There are four POV characters: Briony Thorburn, the popular girl; Alistair Lowe, the arrogant “bad boy;” Isobel Macaslin, the wallflower in the shadow of her former BFF; and Gavin Grieve, the outcast from a bad family. The title of the book would lead the reader to believe that this cast of characters and the other teens who take part in the tournament are out right bad guys or anti-heroes, but all are presented with some likable qualities, and if they act out of malice, it is because it is expected of them by their ruthless families. The authors work hard to get the reader invested in them, and at any one time in the book, one might wonder who they are supposed to root for to come out on top. There is a hint of romance between two combatants, a couple of shocking betrayals, and more than a few plot twists.
Overall, ALL US VILLAINS felt more like “SURVIVOR with magic” than the second coming of THE HUNGER GAMES, which was satisfying enough for me. I thought the authors could have explained their magic system better, and I don’t wonder if they might have had a better story if they had leaned into their premise a little more and made some of their characters true villains. There’s violence, and some brutal deaths, but the authors keep it very much within the bounds of YA fiction standards—nobody would mistake this book for anything by Clive Barker in his prime. ALL OF US VILLAINS is the first book in a two part series, and the first part ends not so much with a cliffhanger as it just stops. I found this to be unsatisfying, but hardly a deal breaker, and if I get my hands on a copy of the next book, ALL OF OUR DEMISE, I will definitely read it to find out how things turn out for these “villains” though I am still not sure who I am rooting for, and that might be a good thing.
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brick and mortar bookstores in which ¾ of the shelf space is devoted to the published works of Stephen King (most of which I have read), with a chunk of the leftover space given to King’s son, Joe Hill. This leaves scant room for other authors. I don’t blame King and Son for this development as the fault goes to big publishing for not investing in and promoting up and coming new writers. I say this as an independent author who has gone the self-publishing route. I picked up ALL US VILLAINS because it was well reviewed and had a premise I found intriguing: a tournament where teens fight to the death until there is one champion who can claim the prize of controlling a well spring of high magic. Some have likened it to THE HUNGER GAMES with a magic system. The main protagonists represent their families in this death match, and all live in a fictional city called Ilvernath in a world where magic is real. The wider world is never discussed much, and it is never made clear if this city exists on an alternate earth, or some kind of parallel timeline to our own as the technology would put it in the late 20th or early 21st Centuries. Maybe the two co-authors simply didn’t want to waste space on exposition and world-building, and just left it to the reader to fill in the blank spaces. There are four POV characters: Briony Thorburn, the popular girl; Alistair Lowe, the arrogant “bad boy;” Isobel Macaslin, the wallflower in the shadow of her former BFF; and Gavin Grieve, the outcast from a bad family. The title of the book would lead the reader to believe that this cast of characters and the other teens who take part in the tournament are out right bad guys or anti-heroes, but all are presented with some likable qualities, and if they act out of malice, it is because it is expected of them by their ruthless families. The authors work hard to get the reader invested in them, and at any one time in the book, one might wonder who they are supposed to root for to come out on top. There is a hint of romance between two combatants, a couple of shocking betrayals, and more than a few plot twists.
Overall, ALL US VILLAINS felt more like “SURVIVOR with magic” than the second coming of THE HUNGER GAMES, which was satisfying enough for me. I thought the authors could have explained their magic system better, and I don’t wonder if they might have had a better story if they had leaned into their premise a little more and made some of their characters true villains. There’s violence, and some brutal deaths, but the authors keep it very much within the bounds of YA fiction standards—nobody would mistake this book for anything by Clive Barker in his prime. ALL OF US VILLAINS is the first book in a two part series, and the first part ends not so much with a cliffhanger as it just stops. I found this to be unsatisfying, but hardly a deal breaker, and if I get my hands on a copy of the next book, ALL OF OUR DEMISE, I will definitely read it to find out how things turn out for these “villains” though I am still not sure who I am rooting for, and that might be a good thing.
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LibraryThing member Danielle.Desrochers
This was so interesting! I loved the ride.
Awards
Thumbs Up! Award (Honor — 2022)
The Flume: NH Teen Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2024)
Kids' Book Choice Awards (Finalist — 2022)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2023)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (High School — 2023)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2021-11-09
Physical description
400 p.
ISBN
1473233852 / 9781473233850
Local notes
After the publication of a salacious tell-all book, the remote city of Ilvernath is thrust into the spotlight. Tourists, protesters, and reporters alike flock to its spellshops and historic ruins to witness an ancient curse unfold: every generation, seven families name a champion among them to compete in a tournament to the death. The winner awards their family exclusive control over the city's high magick supply, the most powerful resource in the world.
GSFF Book Club, November 2021. Signed by the authors with red sprayed page edges stencilled with a leafy design.
GSFF Book Club, November 2021. Signed by the authors with red sprayed page edges stencilled with a leafy design.