All Of Us Villains - Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman

Fantasy/Horror

Rating: 8/10

A dark story full of sinister families, all of whom are willing to sacrifice their own children in order to hold on to the last bit of powerful magic in their world. Come on, horrible people behaving horribly? What more could you ask for?

For generations seven families have been cursed to submit a child every twenty years to compete in a deadly tournament to the death.  Whoever is left breathing secures control of the last reserve of high magick in the world for their family’s exclusive use until the next victor is declared.

The competitors are an captivating group; a dashing young man from a family reputed to be the most evil, and who have also claimed the most victories; a young woman believed to be the most talented spell maker who comes from a family reviled for its distasteful methods of acquiring magic; a young man from a family who haven’t won in generations and are often the first to be killed off and a young woman who tells herself she only wants to be a hero and alas, has a strange way of showing it.

With these intriguing characters providing shifting points of view, the story keeps a brisk pace at the same time as building up backstory for this first installment in a series.

A macabre delight you won’t be able to put down, one that brilliantly amalgamates Hunger Games, Harry Potter with a smidge of Stephen King peppered in for good measure!

Book Pairing(s): Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan, The Institute by Stephen King, Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong