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A review by palinss
The Will of the Many by James Islington
5.0
HEY YOU- YEAH, YOU! GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW AND THEN COME RIGHT BACK SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT.
I bought this book the month it came out because this cover is to DIE for. Then it sat on my shelf, as books often do, and over the last month, some of my favorite reviewers came out of the woodwork to shout at the rooftops about this book! I can't imagine I'm anyone's favorite reviewer, but I'm going to go ahead and join them!!
The first person, single POV, was the breath of fresh air I had no idea I needed. I realized it's been a while since I've read an adult, high fantasy with these choices, and I was so easily drawn in because of it!! Vis is your stereotypical fantasy hero. He's been wronged by the tyrannical government and is on the hunt to get revenge. He's easy to root for, and I loved reading this story beginning to end through his perspective.
Let's talk about the plot. Usually, when a book tries to do it all, it's spreads itself too thin and ends up accomplishing nothing. Somehow, this book does it all and hits the mark EVERY TIME. We've got a murder mystery, an ancient mystery, a school setting that involves many studying and training montages, a little bit of romance, court politics, AND a brewing rebellion. Each element was done well and with care. I just know each plot line will eventually weave into one major point, but I was really impressed with the way each piece did not detract from another! I will say that the ancient mystery portions of this story drew me in exceptionally well. So well, I often didn't hear my husband walk into the room because I was so engrossed with the book!
A Roman inspired fantasy is not something I think I've ever read. It felt like a more creative setting than just "generic medieval england." If I was to give any critiques to this book, it's that the magic wasn't fleshed out enough. Though receiving and ceding Will is a day to day experience for everyone in the Hierarchy, it's never explained what this process looks like. The societal structure is incredibly rigid, but it never goes into detail about how this is established. It seems like it's driven mostly by family lines, but that wasn't true in many cases throughout the story. Finally, the top ranking in the Hierarchy are the Princeps, and they're never mentioned. I would imagine these people would be celebrities or royalty, but there's no mention of who the Princeps are in this empire.
I'm pushing almost all of those critiques to the side with trust that there's more of the world to explore in later books. I adored every second of this book and so highly recommend it! I will now be impatiently waiting for book two, hopefully in 2024
I bought this book the month it came out because this cover is to DIE for. Then it sat on my shelf, as books often do, and over the last month, some of my favorite reviewers came out of the woodwork to shout at the rooftops about this book! I can't imagine I'm anyone's favorite reviewer, but I'm going to go ahead and join them!!
The first person, single POV, was the breath of fresh air I had no idea I needed. I realized it's been a while since I've read an adult, high fantasy with these choices, and I was so easily drawn in because of it!! Vis is your stereotypical fantasy hero. He's been wronged by the tyrannical government and is on the hunt to get revenge. He's easy to root for, and I loved reading this story beginning to end through his perspective.
Let's talk about the plot. Usually, when a book tries to do it all, it's spreads itself too thin and ends up accomplishing nothing. Somehow, this book does it all and hits the mark EVERY TIME. We've got a murder mystery, an ancient mystery, a school setting that involves many studying and training montages, a little bit of romance, court politics, AND a brewing rebellion. Each element was done well and with care. I just know each plot line will eventually weave into one major point, but I was really impressed with the way each piece did not detract from another! I will say that the ancient mystery portions of this story drew me in exceptionally well. So well, I often didn't hear my husband walk into the room because I was so engrossed with the book!
A Roman inspired fantasy is not something I think I've ever read. It felt like a more creative setting than just "generic medieval england." If I was to give any critiques to this book, it's that the magic wasn't fleshed out enough. Though receiving and ceding Will is a day to day experience for everyone in the Hierarchy, it's never explained what this process looks like. The societal structure is incredibly rigid, but it never goes into detail about how this is established. It seems like it's driven mostly by family lines, but that wasn't true in many cases throughout the story. Finally, the top ranking in the Hierarchy are the Princeps, and they're never mentioned. I would imagine these people would be celebrities or royalty, but there's no mention of who the Princeps are in this empire.
I'm pushing almost all of those critiques to the side with trust that there's more of the world to explore in later books. I adored every second of this book and so highly recommend it! I will now be impatiently waiting for book two, hopefully in 2024