All of Our Demise: The epic conclusion to All of Us Villains

Product Information

One character I initially did not expect to like because of all the s**t and manipulation he had done but he won me over is one and only Reid MacTavish. I found myself really intrigued by him. As I began to understand him I surprisingly enjoyed his role in the story. This rascal simply grew on me. As with the first book, I love how the magic fits in. Most of our remaining characters are cursed, and their various curses are extremely personal, illuminating and challenging them in specific ways. Gavin’s magic is still tied to his life magic; using it causes his extreme pain. It has made him both more powerful and weaker in unexpected ways. He has found a way to siphon life magic from others, which puts him in the morally dangerous position of causing pain to others to relieve his own. Alistair likewise has his monstrousness cursed; the curse Isobel hit him with takes his life slowly, with the curse spreading every time he does something villainous. As a person who has built his identity and reputation on being villainous, and whose current survival—and the survival of his beloved brother—depends on his being able to kill others, this obviously puts him in a precarious position. The way these curses complement each other and force Alistair and Gavin into an uneasy alliance is also really interesting. And Isobel, whose beauty is her armor and whose public face is what has given her a chance in this competition (and reunited her with her father and his side of the family), finds herself turning into a living corpse, devoid of her beauty and even her breath and forced to rediscover herself without it… and come to terms with the fact that her family legacy is a curse. It is all done so brilliantly and beautiful. I seriously can’t shut up about this series. It’s so good. they had more than a common enemy: they shared a common cause. And they were ready to fight for it . . .

All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody - Goodreads Editions of All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody - Goodreads

In the first book, “All of Us Villains,” readers were introduced to the six remaining contestants vying for the position of Archmage. However, as the competition heats up, the contestants begin to turn on each other, and deadly secrets are revealed. Fulford-Brown performs the chapters told by Briony and Isobel with a tight vocal timbre, while Corkhill handles those of Alistair and Gavin with a feverish intensity. Together, they skillfully imbue this story with plenty of heart and a few moments of tenderness." - AudioFile Magazine

I love how truly morally grey and cunning all of them are. Nobody´s safe there as everyone in this bunch is capable of swift betrayal of one another, i.e. thinking about killing the allies and even (former) friends. Anyway, while I like them all, the fact that I love Alistar, Gavin, and Reid the most now speaks volumes. These three completely won me over. They are my precious disaster trio. Each of the champions may have come from different families, but they had all learned that "life was inherently unfair". However, Briony left out a crucial detail: There was more than one way to break the tournament. She and Finley had begun to dismantle it piece by piece, which guaranteed the survival of the remaining champions after the curse fell. But the tournament could also collapse, taking down all five of them with it. And it was this possible outcome that terrified her.

All of Our Demise by C. L.. Herman, Amanda Foody - Waterstones All of Our Demise by C. L.. Herman, Amanda Foody - Waterstones

Once upon a time, I wrote about All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman that it definitely belongs to the category of books “to devour” and now I want to say that its sequel All of Our Demise belongs there too. I went into this book pretty hyped and it did not disappoint. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is another teenage death tournament, but it differs from All of Us Villains by focusing more on wider societal ills than personal trauma and is a dystopia rather than a fantasy.

All of our Demise Free PDF

I grew to love all of the characters involved in the tournament, from Briony’s unwavering determination, to Gavin who had a point to prove, Finley who is just lovely, headstrong Isobel and Alistair, a boy chased by demons. And Reid was an unexpected and interesting element, the curse maker who seemed to be more at the forefront than anyone would have expected…. My only complaint is that at times, some of the elements feel a bit repetitive. Honestly, I think that’s partly because the book is a little on the long side. Combining some of the events might have helped to cut down on some of the repetition. All of our Demise has so much going for it. Continuing from the first book, we have five compelling leads who endure all sorts of moral quandaries and character growth when some books barely manage to do the same with two, and a developing magic system which remains both simple and unique. Some might argue more could have been done with the world-building, as we never really get a sense of the wider world beyond Ilvernath even in this second book, but personally I liked the insularity of the setting - it reminded me of The Scorpio Races where the characters feel similarly trapped by their circumstances and the location reflects that.

All of Our Demise: The epic conclusion to All of Us Villains

Immediately pulled into the red veil and the amazing world building that conjured up Ilvernath, and the stunningly intricate and complex magic system, I was caught like an insect in a spider web, caught up in the ever increasing layers of story and magical system. To mix my metaphors even more, this duology is totally an onion! Nuanced, exceptionally well-drawn characters and a carefully considered mythology’ Publishers Weekly, Starred ReviewNot everyone lives to the end of All of Our Demise, but no one depends on a death to be redeemed; they earn their forgiveness through what they do while living, not in how they die. That’s how it should be; redemption-through-death is overdone and a bit lazy at this point.

All of Our Demise | Amanda Foody; C. L. Herman All of Our Demise | Amanda Foody; C. L. Herman

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy of All of Our Demise to review! I read All of Us Villains in basically one sitting last year, so I was excited to see how it ended. Especially since the first book ended with such a cliffhanger!In “All of Our Demise,” the competition reaches its final stages, and the stakes are higher than ever. The remaining contestants must navigate a treacherous landscape of politics, magic, and betrayal, all while trying to avoid the deadly traps and obstacles that stand in their way.