Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman’s All of Us Villains manages to be dark and bloody, but also tender and hopeful. It feels a bit like Hunger Games, but instead of fighting against mechanisms of a corrupt government, these kids are fighting against twisted family ties and traditions (and each other). Here, you also get magic, spells, and relics, which is always a little more fun than a gritty dystopia.
The synopsis:
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.
Though All of Us Villains is told through several different POVs, the writers skillfully made each voice distinctive and unique. I never felt disoriented by the change in perspective and was invested in each of them. I also love that each character’s choices and actions were consistent with who they were, even if those choices and actions were problematic. It adds a layer of weight and believability I always appreciate in a book.
I also thought the pacing of reveals for each story’s layers and the characters’ secrets was handled just right. And I didn’t always know where the plot would lead, which was refreshing. The book ends at a great spot, and I’ve already grabbed a Kindle copy of the sequel to see how the duology ends.
BOOK:30 