ellie's Reviews > All of Our Demise

”In a different story, would we still have been enemies?”

before we get into it, full transparency... did i give this four stars because my ship happened!??

yes, yes i did💅🏻

it was probably closer to three stars if they hadn’t been a thing, but overall (in terms of plot and character development) this was leagues ahead of book one. surpassed it by a mile, honestly. i can’t believe i enjoyed it this much.

”Killing is easy,” Alistair murmured. “It’s the afterward that’s harder.”
“But it’s the afterward we’re fighting for.”

i went into this book pretty resigned and already prepared to label it a flop since the first book and i didn’t exactly get along— i acknowledge its kinda mean of me to have done that, but when you haven’t enjoyed the previous book, it’s hard to get excited about the second. i wasn’t really invested in book one, but i was curious to see how the duet ended, more so to find out the fate of the characters than to see where the plot was going.

both were a heart-achingly wonderful surprise that i can’t believe i enjoyed quite this much.

i thought the authors would go down the very obvious and predictable route that had been laid out in book one, so i wasn’t looking forward having to read said predictability. i assumed it was just going to be something that’s been done before time and time again, with nothing new or special incorporated. especially regarding one of the relationships in this story...

but the direction Foody and Herman took this second instalment in actually shocked me. im still astounded they chose this route and no one is happier than me. when i was roughly around 30%, i kept saying to myself “is this happening? am i reading too much into this? am i just projecting because i want these two to be together so bad???”



you bet your arses i was highlighting EVERY quote— every glance, every pining moment, every flash of tension. my entire kindle has barely any highlighted notes that aren’t my ship😭 normally i will break up my reviews by interjecting some of my favourite quotes throughout but i literally have none because they’re all spoilery— the ones i do have were me really scraping the barrel💀 these two will be my new personality trait in the coming weeks, so sorry to everyone in advance.

He loved monster stories, after all, and he was undoubtedly the monster of this tale.

this will also be spoilery for book one (not this one though, dw!), so if you haven’t read that one and intend to, don’t say i didn’t warn you :)

All Of Our Demise is split into two converging storylines— those who want to break the curse and end the tournament for good, and the ones who don’t. this actually gave the plot very clear and concise direction with higher stakes, which i found the first book severely lacked. it wasn’t overly complicated but still intricate and well-thought out so it was easy to follow. while the world-building was solid and not too presumptuous like i found it to be in book one. this one just felt more refined and sharper. i didn’t have high hopes for the plot, i was relying solely on the characters for enjoyment but the plot managed to ensnare me, too. this was something i could sink my teeth into. finally.

but ultimately it was the characters and their development that were the shining stars of the book.

character motivations were clear here (and it was probably my biggest issue with book one) and their personal growth was staggeringly poignant and wonderful. watching each of them come full circle was achingly satisfying as it was melancholy. by the end, i really felt like i had gone on an enlightening, gruelling and rewarding journey with these four main characters.

looking back on these characters at the beginning then to the people they are by the end of the duet was almost jarring for me— their individual growth was executed effortlessly throughout this book that i barely noticed just how much they’d all changed until I got to the very final chapters. i noticed it the most with Gavin initially and then i began to notice it with everyone else too. i have to admit i started this series liking two characters, and no one else, and ended up falling in love with all of them.

the book drew a lot more emotion from me too— i cried more than i care to admit.

Gavin had once agonized over whether the real Alistair Lowe was more boy or monster, but now he understood that Alistair was both. And even though neither canceled the other out, he didn’t think that made Alistair beyond redemption.

now onto the characters— we have four main characters who POVs we jump between, then roughly three major side characters who we don’t get a POV of (but i kinda wish we did).

🦋Alistair Lowe🦋

his first chapter actually revived me from the boredom of the previous two. he just brings a severity and ruthlessness to the story the other characters don’t. my dog was sleeping next to me, and because she’s a drama queen who doesn’t like her slumber to be disturbed, i had to snigger to myself to cover the loud belly laughs at Alistair’s dialogue.

i just adore him so much. his character development!????




he was one of two characters where i finished the book and could clearly see the journey of his character arc. you first meet this dark, brooding “monster” everyone fears but in reality he’s a soft broken boy begging the world to see him. he’s incredibly multi-faceted, to me, almost an enigma at times— you expect one thing from him and he ends up doing the complete opposite. he’s fiercely protective and loyal, snarky and deadpan to a fault.

i must have a thing for Alistairs in fantasies.

The Grieves had raised Gavin to die. The Lowes had raised Alistair to kill.

✨Gavin Grieve✨

my favourite underdog. my unhinged boy. my bby. ilysm. he was my favourite from the previous book and he’s still my no. 1 now💅🏻



Gavin was the other character who’s growth was staggering— the way i envisioned him in my head when i first met him vs his final appearance was so satisfying. out of everyone, i feel like he deserved that growth the most. being raised so he can be slaughtered and never feeling loved, his journey of acceptance and self-love had me weepy af.

Gavin Grieve you will always be famous!!

The Thorburn family had always played the heroes in their town’s ancient, bloodstained story, and no one resented that more than the Thorburn sisters.

🥀Briony Thorburn🥀

i really enjoyed watching Briony grow. she wasn’t exactly my favourite in the previous book. she felt like a knock-off Hermione Granger without the bite. here though? i loved seeing her come into her own, carving out her own destiny rather than be tied down by the shackles of the Thorburn legacy. she comes full circle and just felt softer, i suppose.

and she made me cry, too, so there’s that😭

Because the Macaslans were disgusting, conniving, greedy. They spun whatever tales suited them; they took advantage of every contemptible opportunity that fell at their feet. And the only way to finish their true story was to stoop to the vilest low possible to survive.

🔮Isobel Macaslan🔮

for the first half of this book, i wanted to tussle with Isobel so bad.



i feel like in every fantasy book when it alternates between multiple POVs, there’s always that one person who’s chapter you get to and think “eurghhh, really? again? already?” and Isobel is that one for me. for me, Isobel is the only character without clear direction and motivations.

i struggled to connect and sympathise with her, to root for her and genuinely like her. i think her constant pity-party was just stifling— it wasn’t until she fully owned who she was that i started to thaw towards her. because, the previous three characters? their irrecoverably flawed and they know it. with Isobel it took her a while to own up to her shit and accept the flawed parts of herself, rather than blaming everyone else around her.

so in the second half she really grew on me too. will she ever be my favourite? no. but was a rooting for her? 100000x. and was i shipping her with a certain somebody?👀 absolutely. she really switched up and me and im so glad because i was sick of being a hater lmao.

There was no denying it—no matter how much perfume she spritzed on to cover her stench, Isobel was a true Macaslan champion.

🍃Hendry Lowe🍃

all you need to know is that i would die for this man.

🖤Reid MacTavish🖤

i really enjoyed his role in the story! again, i assumed his character would go down a very predictable route from the way he was set up in book one, but i found myself really intrigued by him and loved the trajectory F&H took his character.

but my favourite character is Marianne with her lil gargoyle tea-party and her rat skeletons🥰 i needed more of the comedy queen who stole the show.

it wasn’t all perfect though— i found the climax of the plot to be... messy, honestly. and a little underdeveloped. i kinda skimmed it, mostly to focus on the characters because i found it all a bit confusing. and there were aspects of the plot i found to be weak and rushed.

They weren’t friends; they were allies.

and i have to reiterate... MY SHIP SET SAIL🥳🎊🍾🎉 they stole the show for me, i wouldn’t have loved this so much without them— i won’t spoil anything but i’ll just say that the pacing was perfect, the development was authentic, and the tension had me in a chokehold. im so happy F&H did it. Herman owes it to me after my she sunk my The Devouring Gray ship. doing the Lord’s work.

so, after my long-winded fangirling, i think even if the first book wasn’t your favourite and you’re unsure whether to dive into the second one, i think you should still give it a go. book one lays the foundation of the story while book two effortlessly elevates it.

thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.