All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman

Title: All of Our Demise (All of Us Villains #2)

Authors: Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publish Date: August 30, 2022

I received a copy of All of Our Demise from Tor Teen for reading/reviewing purposes only. The following review is my opinion and hasn’t been influenced by any other party. Thank you so much Tor Teen for sending this finished copy!

After reading All of Us Villains last month, I could not wait to get my hands on All of Our Demise. So much so that I preordered a copy of the book, and now I have two copies. (Stay tuned for a potential giveaway in the near future!) All of Us Villains ending on somewhat of a cliffhanger and I could not wait to see what our Champions would get up to next.

Fair warning, my review for this book contains spoilers for All of Us Villains.

All of Our Demise starts off without a hitch in the story and continues right where we left off. It felt like I never left the city of Ilvernath, and with the boundaries falling between the city and the arena, I could not wait to see the repercussions. I was also scared to see how the world would respond to Hendry being back though not fully alive.

From the beginning, All of Our Demise did not disappoint. The story moved rather quickly between our two main groups: the ones who wanted to destroy the tournament (hopefully in the “good” way that left them all alive) and Alistair, who wanted to continue the same rules of the Tournament to save his brother. Foody and Herman did a great job at allowing the reader to see both points of view, and it makes you question what would you do in this situation - save one of your only “living” relatives or save the future of each family. It’s a hard choice, and I don’t think Alistair is really the villain he wants to be. These are just kids having to deal with a death tournament and the entire world watching - what would you do?

There was no easy path forward for anyone, especially now that the town could be involved. Isobel’s capture by Reid probably had the most impact on all of our champions. It also truly showed how futile all of their efforts could be. Our champions who wanted to destroy the Tournament could be fail rather easily, leading them all to their deaths. This made me be on the edge of my seat throughout the entirety of the book. And I could not put it down; I had to know what happened next.

The Characters

My thoughts on the characters from my All of Us Villains review still stands. Alistair and Gavin continued to be my favorite narrators, and I loved their chapters. But I also really liked the chapters with Isobel and Briony. They’ve both developed as characters, and this book sets them up for some redemption. I think Briony started to think about how her actions affect others, which is a positive change. I also really like that Reid played a bigger impact on this story. He did a complete 180 but I mean, I guess that’s what happens when you get on the inside instead of an outsider looking in POV.

I think I hate everyone else - the government, the families - they’re all just shitty people all the way around. And it’s hard for our main characters to loose their roots and turn their backs on everything they’ve ever known. All of Our Demise was everything I wanted from Lightlark, actual death games and high stakes. There was actual conflict and growth, and I just loved every minute of it.

The plot was a little long. I felt like it didn’t need to take as long to collect all of the Relics but I did enjoy the world-building and drama between it all. I really liked how each group got to tell their stories to the press. That created a nice twist, especially for Alistair. It was funny seeing all of his fan mail.

I absolutely hated the fact that the government was working in the background with the families. It was great storytelling, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted our Champions to succeed and not suffer more. But reading the All of Us Villains duology just means everyone is going to suffer. It’s a fact, and it’s why I read.

The Ending

I think this ending was the best possible we could have hoped for. I’m personally happy with it but my heart hurts. It was devastating and had me on the edge of my seat (even more so than the rest of the book). I truly had no idea what was going to happen.

I will say, this is the second best book I’ve read all year. Second only to All of Us Villains. And that’s really just because more of the death and destruction happened in book one. (Book two is not without by any means.) You will not regret reading these books. I cannot express just how good they are. Everything about it is to die for - the plot, the characters, the ending, the world building *chef’s kiss*. I highly recommend reading both of these books and picking up All of Our Demise once it releases Tuesday, August 30. Once you do, reach out so I have someone to talk to about them.

I wish I had more, but All of Our Demise wraps up the brutal premise perfectly. They just all need a hug… and some therapy.