Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Will of the Many by James Islington

8 reviews

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

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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

kirstenpod_'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Suicide and Vomit

emii_k's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

This, this was something. And I mean that in a good way. It was a bit confusing at times just because so much was going on (especially in the beginning), but I got it after maybe 30-40 pages in. I really enjoyed this. I did have to put this book down at time just because of the anxiety it was giving me (anxiety in a good way; the stakes were high). This was very ancient Rome inspired which I loved, and it was done in a way that I  haven't seen before at all, which was very refreshing. It fed my need to read ancient mythology inspired works without repeating the same stuff over and over.

ALSO MINOR CHARACTER DEATH ?? HELLO ?? WHAT WAS THAT ??? GIVE ME CALLADIS BACK RN !!!

This book also really explored power dynamics, especially in government systems but it was done in a way which I felt was understandable, and well. A lot of politics and things motivated on a political basis were happening. But I do need the next one to come out like now please and thank you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Gore, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Medical content

badbadwolf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jennanaps's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism

zoeelora's review against another edition

Too long for how little fun I was having while reading it.

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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

aileron'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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Suicide, Medical content, Grief, and War

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.

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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