Published: 2022
Series: The All of Us Villains Duology
Author: Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Horror, Supernatural, Magic, Queer
Audience (Grade Levels): High School; Grades 9–12
Number of Stars: 4-Stars
Goodreads Link: All of Our Demise
Triggers: Violence, magic, suicide
Review By: Nicole Nicosia
Publisher’s Summary:
All of Our Demise is the epic conclusion to Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman’s New York Times bestselling All of Us Villains duology.
“I feel like I should warn this is going to be absolutely brutal.” For the first time in this ancient, bloodstained story, the tournament is breaking. The boundaries between the city of Ilvernath and the arena have fallen. Reporters swarm the historic battlegrounds. A dead boy now lives again. And a new champion has entered the fray, one who seeks to break the curse for good… no matter how many lives are sacrificed in the process. 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. Long-held alliances will be severed. Hearts will break. Lives will end. Because a tale as wicked as this one was never destined for happily ever after.
Review:
All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman is the high-stakes, gripping conclusion to the All of Us Villains duology, aimed firmly at a high school audience. After establishing the dark, spellbinding world of Ilvernath in the first book, this sequel plunges readers straight back into the bloodstained tournament of champions where families send their children to fight to the death for exclusive control over high magic. However, the tournament framework is rapidly breaking down. Briony, Isobel, and Finley, alongside the skilled spellmaker Reid, desperately attempt to match hidden relics to specific landmarks in an effort to dismantle the curse for good. Meanwhile, Alistair, Gavin, and Hendry work directly against them, seeing no hope in these peaceful efforts and striving instead to let the tournament run its brutal, intended course.
This sequel is considerably more action-packed, tense, and faster-paced than its predecessor. Because the authors completed the heavy lifting of world-building and character histories in the first installment, this volume safely dives right into a plot-driven narrative fueled by immediate danger. The writing style feels refined and matured; the authors masterfully balance shifting perspectives to highlight a fragile web of severed alliances, broken hearts, and deep-seated mistrust. The characters remain incredibly memorable because they actively battle the villainous expectations thrust upon them by their families while trying to cling to their own humanity.
I highly recommend this duology to fellow high school librarians and educators looking for a gritty, thought-provoking urban fantasy series for teens. The narrative offers powerful social-emotional learning (SEL) connections, specifically exploring themes of breaking toxic generational cycles, agency, and the moral weight of survival. Furthermore, the inclusion of organic LGBTQ+ representation and diverse perspectives gives the book excellent collection value for promoting equity and inclusion. The dark, striking cover art effectively captures the moody atmosphere, ensuring it will easily attract teen readers scanning the shelves. It serves as a stellar addition to library collections, independent reading lists, and high school book clubs.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- ELA / Literature: Analyzing multi-POV structures, dual-authorship cohesion, and how pacing changes from a world-building first volume to a plot-driven sequel.
- SEL (Social-Emotional Learning): Examining the ethics of survival, navigating intense peer pressure, and exploring how characters dismantle systemic, historical expectations to forge their own paths.
Diversity & Representation:
The text supports diversity and inclusion by incorporating meaningful LGBTQ+ identities and multi-dimensional perspectives, allowing teen readers to see complex queer representation within high-stakes speculative fiction.
Readalikes:
- The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
- In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
- Fable Series by Adrienne Young
- Crier’s War by Nina Varela
