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bookish_bonnie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Dark academia vibes featuring cultural influence from the Roman Empire. It contains strong elements of political intrigue, including an anti-colonialism, anti-totalitarianism message. The magic system is complex, thoroughly developed, and admittedly a bit confusing on one read alone. The novel is long but every twist and turn keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. You won’t be able to think of anything else while this masterpiece lays unfinished.
The Will of the Many is the kind of book you have to read more than once in order to understand the full scope of the plot. With the excruciating wait between this one and its sequel, I don’t imagine fitting in a reread to be a problem (even with the book’s size taken into consideration). Even the second time around, you’ll be flipping through its pages like a madman. Not only is the plot layered and the full mystery of its world still waiting to be unraveled, but the characters are multifaceted, believably written, and overall interesting to read about. Even the worst character in the story has depth. I think that’s an element that’s missing from some other books.
I discovered this novel a bit late but I’m grateful for that because I don’t have to wait as long as some other people here for the sequel… and it’s not too late for me to recommend it to all of my friends.
Overall, The Will of the Many is probably the best book I’ve read in 2024 and I doubt that it’ll change even with a few months left to go before the year’s conclusion.
The Will of the Many is the kind of book you have to read more than once in order to understand the full scope of the plot. With the excruciating wait between this one and its sequel, I don’t imagine fitting in a reread to be a problem (even with the book’s size taken into consideration). Even the second time around, you’ll be flipping through its pages like a madman. Not only is the plot layered and the full mystery of its world still waiting to be unraveled, but the characters are multifaceted, believably written, and overall interesting to read about. Even the worst character in the story has depth. I think that’s an element that’s missing from some other books.
I discovered this novel a bit late but I’m grateful for that because I don’t have to wait as long as some other people here for the sequel… and it’s not too late for me to recommend it to all of my friends.
Overall, The Will of the Many is probably the best book I’ve read in 2024 and I doubt that it’ll change even with a few months left to go before the year’s conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Suicide
nataliepapand's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
laios's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
ltruelo's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
Minor: Vomit
mice_are_nice's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Cultural appropriation
youmns's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this book. It had a solid story, interesting premise, and a compelling protagonist. I didn't like that the protagonist seemed to be near-perfect, with just the right set of skills and knowledge to set him above nearly all his contemporaries: it felt contrived to read for the fifth time that Vis' tutors had prepared him for yet another specific task or knowledge that applied perfectly to his situation.
Definitely a fun read. I'm looking forward to book 2. And also really hoping to get some answers and a satisfying ending. (Please don't let it be a trilogy...)
Definitely a fun read. I'm looking forward to book 2. And also really hoping to get some answers and a satisfying ending. (Please don't let it be a trilogy...)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Suicide
purnuhja's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An interesting read that tries to ask important questions on what it means to exist within and resist an imperialist system. I wasn't too wowed by the premise, it felt like a new take on a standard fantasy setup, but I became more interested as the story progressed. The story is tight and the action keeps you on the edge of your seat. Sometimes I struggled with the writing; it was easy for me to get confused by the details of the mystery or worldbuilding and other times it just felt like more telling than showing. Because of this the story lost me sometimes and I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about the ending (and understanding what happened lol). During the entire reading process, I teetered between "this is cool" and "this is silly." Outside of that, Vis is an easy character to listen to and root for. The unique characters and their relationship dynamics were definitely a plus.
Overall though, I thought this was a gripping story and I'm excited to see what's to come in the second book! I think Islington approaches some fascinating themes more seriously than other fantasy novels, and I'm interested to see how he explores them further in the rest of the trilogy.
Overall though, I thought this was a gripping story and I'm excited to see what's to come in the second book! I think Islington approaches some fascinating themes more seriously than other fantasy novels, and I'm interested to see how he explores them further in the rest of the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Colonisation
aducharme4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Self harm, and Colonisation
cheye13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
As someone who took Latin in high school because I thought it would help me write a fantasy novel in the future... I feel a kinship in this book somewhere.
I don't think this is as propulsive or inventive or riveting as most reviews I've seen claim. I struggled significantly with the visual/physical descriptions of settings and actions. The plot is trope-heavy/trope-forward, which isn't a bad thing, but telegraphed the "twists" rather clearly. I don't think the magic system played a very significant part in the main story (especially given that the students cannot use it).
Even so, I moderately enjoyed it. There's enough emotion and action to push through 600+ pages, and unlike most books of its size, I don't think it needed sharper editing. I was a little miffed at the final twist/series cliffhanger, as it seemed to be building toward it all novel, and it was exceptionally brief and confusing. But I do appreciate that it's more a set-up and thought-provoking twist than a time sensitive, conditional cliffhanger.
I don't think this is as propulsive or inventive or riveting as most reviews I've seen claim. I struggled significantly with the visual/physical descriptions of settings and actions. The plot is trope-heavy/trope-forward, which isn't a bad thing, but telegraphed the "twists" rather clearly. I don't think the magic system played a very significant part in the main story (especially given that the students cannot use it).
Even so, I moderately enjoyed it. There's enough emotion and action to push through 600+ pages, and unlike most books of its size, I don't think it needed sharper editing. I was a little miffed at the final twist/series cliffhanger, as it seemed to be building toward it all novel, and it was exceptionally brief and confusing. But I do appreciate that it's more a set-up and thought-provoking twist than a time sensitive, conditional cliffhanger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
artemisd6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book had me so enthralled. It took a bit to get into, but when I got hooked, I was all in. This has mystery, magic, and a lot of truly deep thoughts and exploration of power. I loved the reimagining of technology as a function of people and their will. The use of Will as the key driver to talk about how we interact with power, policy, and economy, really had me enraptured. Loved this book and I’m so excited to get to read the next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Suicide