During the day: If you have a flexible schedule, you may find it helpful to take breaks during the day to read a book.

ALL OF OUR DEMISE | Kirkus Reviews

Having devoured All of Us Villains by Christine Herman and Amanda Foody last year, All of Our Demise became one of my most anticipated reads of this year. I was so excited to read it and I’m sad, having finished it, that this duology is now finished. I really enjoyed both books and love the world Herman and Foody created - a dark, twisted, magical spin on The Hunger Games. 4.5 rounded up Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Alistair’s voice drifted through the woods, sounding straight out of a nightmare. 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!

It’s a curse that casts itself over and over again,” Briony explained. “The Champions Pillar is the spellstone at the septogram’s center. And the dead champions fill it with power, cycle after cycle.” With that, her sister began to climb. Wrought iron lanterns winked at Briony from the stone walls as she followed, as did the Tower’s powerful warding spellstones lodged within the mortar. According to the Thorburns’ many fairy tales, their first champion had embedded the crystals herself to defend against her enemies. Briony, the older of the two, had been raised certain that she belonged at the center of her family’s stories. She was tall and muscular from a life spent in motion, her hands adorned with an arsenal of crystal spellrings whose power few others could wield. There was no challenge she wouldn’t confront to meet her goals. No price she wouldn’t pay for victory. The pair met at the door of the Tower, a historic structure of weathered brown stone twined with ivy and bramble, with a crooked peak like the point of a witch’s hat. All their lives the Landmark had been a pile of rubble, yet now it stood proudly amid the hills overlooking the city of Ilvernath, a monument to the Thorburns’ glorious triumphs.

All of Our Demise — Amanda Foody All of Our Demise — Amanda Foody

Disclaimer: The following text includes spoilers for All of Us Villains so if you haven´t read it yet, proceed carefully. By now, Briony could recite her plan flawlessly. She’d certainly had to explain it to enough people over the past day. But out of everyone she’d tried to convince, Innes felt the most important. As the curse teeters closer and closer to collapse, the surviving champions each face a choice: dismantle the tournament piece by piece, or fight to the death as this story was always intended. Magical, clever and cutthroat, All of Us Villains sets out to make it impossible to know who to root for.... A fun, twisty ride through a world full of spells and family secrets.” —Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

Popular Posts

Dark, luscious, and brutally smart, All of Us Villains is a fresh but unforgiving look at the legacy of abusive families and community-sanctioned violence. Foody and Herman have created a thrilling story that is impossible to put down; I stayed up all night to finish this book.” —Victoria Lee, author of A Lesson in Vengeance and The Fever King Foody and Herman’s collaboration offers a fun yet brutal tale of sacrifice, betrayal, and ever-shifting loyalties. From twists that’ll make you gasp to believably flawed characters you can’t help but cheer for and curse in the same breath, this one will keep readers on the edge of their seats.” —Tara Sim, author of Scavenge the Stars The character development continues to be phenomenal in this second book. We learn so much more about each of the champions--and their home lives, before--that I found my own opinions changing over time. All of that changed one year ago, when an anonymously authored book catapulted Ilvernath into the international spotlight. A blood-soaked modern fairytale brimming with magic, spectacle, and unforgettable characters.” —Katy Rose Pool, author of There Will Come A Darkness

All of Our Demise | All Of Us Villains Wiki | Fandom All of Our Demise | All Of Us Villains Wiki | Fandom

Like, even after Briony’s squad finds out that it is possible to break the tournament, Gavin and Alistair decide to keep playing the cards as originally dealt. Obviously the right thing to do is to work to break the curse and save anyone, but it is impossible to fault the ones who don’t believe in the possible happy ending and can’t bring themselves to throw everything away in futile hope. In fact, Gavin and Alistair are my favorites (honestly, by a wide margin, although I do still like Isobel and Briony), and that’s a testament to how well these books are written: I love these characters even at their worst. The morality here is very, very gray. There are so many people that you’d say are absolutely beyond redemption that somehow manage it… by actively working for it and changing their ways. The pacing is intense. There are so many twists and turns that it is nearly impossible to put the book down. From one chapter to the next you never know what you’re going to get. Is someone going to double-cross someone else? Is someone going to get extra murderous? Is someone’s curse going to act up? Is someone going to fall in love? Swap their alliance? Reveal a secret? Double-cross a friend? Go rogue? You never know, but it’s always exciting and surprising without ever feeling cheap or out-of-character. A fantastic, unique magic system with multidimensional characters. The lines between "right and wrong" have been blurred for so long that there is no distinction in the eyes of many, merely shades of gray. Do these young adults have any chance against those odds? Carry Onby Rainbow Rowell has a lightly similar magic system, at least as far as spell-naming goes. Ilvernath has never had a tournament like this. Rules that have maintained the curse for centuries are breaking. Our family needs to know why.”We can talk about this down here.” Briony hadn’t been prepared to give her sister a grand tour. “Why—” Before bedtime: Many people find that reading before bedtime helps them unwind and relax, which can promote better sleep. If you loved the dark, foreboding nature of the first book, you’ll absolutely love this one. All your favorite characters return, each one just as morally grey as the last one. They’re all faced with choices they never thought they would have, especially that of ending the tournament forever. Even though there are a lot of points of view in this book, I didn’t feel like any of the characters were more developed than the other. They all felt like well-rounded and complex characters, which is a point for the story! It’s hard to do that with so many different narrators.

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

The writing is truly beautiful, with deeply captivating and absolutely spell-binding descriptions. I was immersed in a lush portrayal of a harsh and pretty macabre world filled with spells and curses imbued crystals, ancient magical objects, dark alleys, spell shops, and aged stoned walls of magic-filled champions´ shelters. One thing is certain, this author duo knows how to build an atmosphere and pull you in.As the curse teeters closer and closer to collapse, the surviving champions each face a choice: dismantle the tournament piece by piece, or fight to the death as this story always intended. As is the same in the first book, our group are at odds, and have been their whole life, due to the nature of the tournament. They were raised by their families knowing it was a kill or be killed situation they were preparing for and how they acted in the tournament was a matter of family reputation. How do you put that aside, if you even can, for the greater good? Early morning: Some people find that reading in the morning helps them start their day with a positive and productive mindset.