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A review by foiblesandfiction
All of Our Demise by C.L. Herman, Amanda Foody
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
okay, this book is my biggest disappointment of the year so far.
was it good? yes. it was so good.
but also, as annoying as it is to hear (and say, tbh), this series probably needed to be a trilogy.
the first book, all of us villains, had such gorgeous prose and eerie atmosphere and world building. it was one of my top reads last year, and for good reason. i can still pull up mental images from many of alistair lowe's chapters because they read so strongly.
yet, all of our demise had so much plot to get through that it really lacked in all of those things that i loved most from the first book. i absolutely respect both authors and their decisions, and the ending wrapped up well. but this book did not need all of the storylines that it followed - the government involvement, the murders, the "resistance". i don't know if i've ever said this about a book, but i needed more paragraphs that were just mood and vibes.
i also found it incredibly irritating that the characters made so many massive logic jumps with no explanation. like, can someone please get in touch and we can vent about it together? because i am still annoyed.
"i'm not sure what to do, there is no obvious solution to the problem."
"wait, i know what to do"
*does random action*
"it worked!"
okay that's great for gavin and them, but i still have no idea why certain THINGS WERE DONE and IT MAKES NO SENSE.like gavin throwing the shoes in the fire? why would he think to do that? why would that work? why did it have nothing to do with the pillar?
and hendry's final life magick spell not working? and no follow up? he deserved so much better than that. i'm still mad.
okay, the frustrations are out. let's talk about what was gorgeous about this book because it really was good:
the best ship of all time IYKYK
the discussion of family and legacy
the multi-POV was masterfully done and brought so much empathy to each character
the next generation always fixing their parents' mistakes
alistair, always alistair
the complex ending without everything being perfectly tied up with a bow
overall, this duology is absolutely worth the read. foody and herman are incredible authors who write such real and flawed and wonderful characters, you're going to fall in love with them too. just be ready because this second book is a freakin' whirlwind.
was it good? yes. it was so good.
but also, as annoying as it is to hear (and say, tbh), this series probably needed to be a trilogy.
the first book, all of us villains, had such gorgeous prose and eerie atmosphere and world building. it was one of my top reads last year, and for good reason. i can still pull up mental images from many of alistair lowe's chapters because they read so strongly.
yet, all of our demise had so much plot to get through that it really lacked in all of those things that i loved most from the first book. i absolutely respect both authors and their decisions, and the ending wrapped up well. but this book did not need all of the storylines that it followed - the government involvement, the murders, the "resistance". i don't know if i've ever said this about a book, but i needed more paragraphs that were just mood and vibes.
i also found it incredibly irritating that the characters made so many massive logic jumps with no explanation. like, can someone please get in touch and we can vent about it together? because i am still annoyed.
"i'm not sure what to do, there is no obvious solution to the problem."
"wait, i know what to do"
*does random action*
"it worked!"
okay that's great for gavin and them, but i still have no idea why certain THINGS WERE DONE and IT MAKES NO SENSE.
okay, the frustrations are out. let's talk about what was gorgeous about this book because it really was good:
the best ship of all time IYKYK
the discussion of family and legacy
the multi-POV was masterfully done and brought so much empathy to each character
the next generation always fixing their parents' mistakes
alistair, always alistair
the complex ending without everything being perfectly tied up with a bow
overall, this duology is absolutely worth the read. foody and herman are incredible authors who write such real and flawed and wonderful characters, you're going to fall in love with them too. just be ready because this second book is a freakin' whirlwind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Self harm, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm, Suicide, and Kidnapping