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thebowandthebook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Enjoyed this book, but was unhappy when I had to return it before finishing it. Couldn't wait to finish it. The world-building was really good, and the twist at the end caught me by surprise. I look forward to reading the next book but wish it ended with a bit less of a cliffhanger. The ties from Roman society were cool, but the descriptive violence was also there too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Suicide, Torture, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
zoeelora's review against another edition
Too long for how little fun I was having while reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
I found myself struggling to get through THE WILL OF THE MANY, and I ultimately did not finish reading it. I enjoy doorstoppers and I like long books, the length is not the issue. I can like a slow burn story when I have an idea of what the slow burn is building to, but while I mostly understand why Ulciscor is doing what he's doing, I don't understand what Vis (the protagonist) is doing or what his goals are.
The character's background is conveyed mostly through his thoughts, and at first I thought it was going to be gradually revealed in bits and pieces. Having made it a quarter of the way through the book before stopping, it doesn't really seem like more is forthcoming (at least not in time for it to feel meaningful).
The Will system is interesting, it's well-described and has some fascinating implications for the world. I appreciate how the exploitative nature of this power is combined with a colonialist empire. It's a synergy between the political and magical in a way that makes sense as to why things are as bad as they are for almost everyone in the system, with the magic and the exploitation feeding into each other in a horrible self-reinforcing loop.
Ultimately the pace was slow enough that it broke any sense of momentum that I had while reading, and I'm just not interested in finishing it.
The character's background is conveyed mostly through his thoughts, and at first I thought it was going to be gradually revealed in bits and pieces. Having made it a quarter of the way through the book before stopping, it doesn't really seem like more is forthcoming (at least not in time for it to feel meaningful).
The Will system is interesting, it's well-described and has some fascinating implications for the world. I appreciate how the exploitative nature of this power is combined with a colonialist empire. It's a synergy between the political and magical in a way that makes sense as to why things are as bad as they are for almost everyone in the system, with the magic and the exploitation feeding into each other in a horrible self-reinforcing loop.
Ultimately the pace was slow enough that it broke any sense of momentum that I had while reading, and I'm just not interested in finishing it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Slavery
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Fatphobia, Suicide, Vomit, Death of parent, and Murder