"Heroes are just villains with worse survival instincts and moral superiority complexes."

Umm.. Did I expect that kind of ending at all?! NO.

I did a major marathon of the Shadow Game trilogy right before finishing this duology, and while I knew Amanda's capabilities when it comes to the fate of her characters... I guess I never fully thought what those implications may be for All of Our Demise.

"...maybe people need stories to survive, but they can also use them to hurt each other. Or themselves... If you've found a way for your family's stories to feed you without feeding on you... that seems worth holding on to."

Basically, this finale shocked me. I expected a few of the plot points, but there were quite a lot that I didn't see coming, which is always a win in my book. I think my biggest critique of this book is that the plot moves much slower than the first. The speed of All of Us Villains reminded me of my dystopian days and gave me incredible nostalgia, but to have this sudden switch in the sequel to a different pacing threw me off. It took me much longer to finish this eARC than the first, and I was always aware of that in the back of my mind.

Furthermore, a lot of character changes happen in the sequel, and I think it works to their benefit.

"Cured or not, there was no end to the monster story if, all along, the monster had been him."

Alistair is honestly being put through the ringer, and I loved the exploration of his feelings for his brother, Gavin, Isobel, and even those outside of the arena. He's always been the character that I was drawn to the most because of his specific history, so it was wonderful to see him dive deep into his own psyche and perspectives on the tournament and even his family. He's honestly the most loyal of the bunch, but nobody ever sees that because they either curse him or don't even give him the time of day to learn his actual personality beyond what is said in the media.

Then, we have underdog Gavin who shined the most in this sequel. He was my least favorite in the first because he was constantly complaining and whining about his impending death, unfairness of life, and his hatred for Alistair, but there was a significant shift in his ambitions and outlook on life and the other contestants almost immediately from the beginning of this sequel. He really grew up in this finale, and I loved him with my entire heart. It goes to show that your initial perceptions of characters can indeed change.

Moving along, Isobel also had a drastic change in characterization compared to the others. She's dealing with the effects of Alistair's curse and her curse-work on Alistair. She dives deeply into her constant victimization of herself when she's pretty much just as much of a villain as the others in the tournament. It was decent self-reflection and made her a better character to read from, particularly whenever Reid was around. He made her better because they go so well together.

Finally, we have Briony. I was neutral of her all throughout the first book, but I think her storyline was perfect for this finale. It's one of those pay your dues sort of thing in my head, especially because she cheated her way into the tournament in the first place. Ironically, of all the characters I still think about her the most and that says a lot about the consequences she is forced to face.

"Truth can be buried, but it is never destroyed."

Overall, I think this is a very solid finale and sequel. I was a bit disappointed in the pacing issue, but otherwise, Amanda and Christine bring the curses to the table and lay them bare for us to see. This duology will be perfect for any new modern fantasy fans that want a kick of The Hunger Games meets witches/wizards.

Thank you to NetGalley/ Tor Teen for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.