The magical contestants are bona fide celebs.Īdditionally, a dead boy has returned, now influencing the tournament and out of nowhere a new champion has entered the ranks, looking to dismantle the tradition entirely. It's basically the Capital during the Hunger Games.

The public is now more involved with the process than ever before, with Reporters flocking to the historic battlegrounds, turning the pain and misery of the Champions into entertaining fodder for everyone else. There may be some things mentioned in this review that some would consider spoilers.Īfter the conclusion of Book 1, the limits of the tournament are beginning to erode. If you haven't read the first book, please proceed with caution.

This Dark YA Fantasy, featuring a magical competition to the death, is penned by the dream duo of Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman. My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.Īll of Our Demise is the finale to the All of Us Villains duology. Instead, it feels like a rather mundane, long-winded wrap up of a foregone conclusion. But somehow all the elements don't quite come together into the riveting tale it should've been. On the surface, everything that worked for the first book is here. But it seems to suffer from sequel syndrome. Perhaps if I were younger, this would appeal to me, but it doesn't work for a grizzly old curmudgeon like myself.ĭon't get me wrong, this is a decent story. There are lots of moments when we stop right in the middle of the action to pontificate the meaning of various champions' lives, or take multi-page detours into their romances with each other. It's just too much and takes the momentum away from the main plot. Instead of just sticking to the tournament (the most exciting part), we also have side stories involving random spellmakers, follow the detailed fallout as townspeople freak out about the curse, and putter around as each champion deals with their families. It doesn't help that this book is so long. It feels like it came out of nowhere and was thrown in for emotional punch rather than to add something meaningful to the story. The only exception is a development near the end, and I'm not sure I totally buy it.

Where is the fun? Where is the excitement? Almost everything that happens in here, you could foresee from book 1. I wanted to keep turning the pages and couldn't wait to find out what happened next.īut this book somehow lacked that vital energy. It was fresh and exciting, filled with memorable characters and interesting story arcs. I remember how much I enjoyed the previous book. All of Our Demise is a solid conclusion to the duology, and yet.

All of us are villains book