If you put the Hunger Games, reality TV, and magic in a blender, the result would be “All of Us Villains.” Authors Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman’s book is littered with shoddy world-building, characters grown straight from cliches, and dry pacing—yet I couldn’t put it down. It’s laced with a wily charm that had me turning the page despite myself, even if I had no idea what world existed beyond the twenty-mile radius the story takes place in. And though I could survive the pick-me girls or sad emo boys, the in-your-face romance between the helpless, pretty girl whose only hope is a dark and brooding boy who has fallen head over heels for her, nearly made me quit. Maybe it was the clever twists, the unpredictable ending or the fact that I wanted to see which character would have the least tragic end, but there was something magical about this enchanted death tournament that kept me rapt.

The book follows four teen competitors from historic families, all vying to be the last survivor in the aptly named “Blood Tournament.” Armed with magic and mommy issues, seven teens enter the three-month-long matchup right as centuries of tradition, along with the rules of the games, start to shatter. Alliances, betrayals and troublesome feelings abound as the history and mystery of the tournament unravels.

Despite, or because, of its flaws “All of Us Villains” was a fun read. If you’re looking for an entertaining romp through a world of teenage drama set against a murderous competition to keep you turning pages late into the night, this is the book for you.