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A review by in2horses247
The Will of the Many by James Islington
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
I really, really liked this book. I read a few spoiler-free reviews both before and during the book and I understand where some of the criticism comes from. There is so much plot armor, and it's just a little tropey. While I liked that we had to work a little bit to understand the exposition of the hierarchy and magic systems because it was sprinkled throughout and not info-dumped, it was a little too difficult at times (although I was reading the kindle version and didn't realize there was a glossary in the back - that would have made things far easier for me). It does feel slow at certain points, and I couldn't always picture the structures and locations being described.
However!
At no point did I know what was coming next. I was hooked within the first few pages, which is hard for a book to do for me. Always wanting to know more about the world, and know what was coming next. The gradual introduction of concepts and the lack of info-dumping about the world made me work a little bit without too much confusion. My jaw dropped multiple times at the twists and turns. Some of the reviews say they're predictable, but I only predicted half of one twist near the end, so I was always kept guessing. I was happy to be carried along on a sea of complicated politics that sometimes feels as juicy as gossiping with your best friend. And yeah, Vis definitely is a "Gary Stu." But after reading (and hating) Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, I feel like this is a far better version than the physically disabled Mary Sue that is inexplicably able to sail through extreme hardship with practically no realistic side effects of their disability. I was more than content to allow Vis to have about 40 years' worth of education and experience, acquired in his first 14 years before the Hierarchy took over, so that he could nearly effortlessly stop every challenge in his path. The obstacles were interesting and his ability to get over them without that much effort allowed the plot to be continually dramatically thrust forward, and discusses enough about training sessions to know that Vis does have to put effort into his learning, both in lessons and socially, without focusing the entire story on training montages. The side characters are interesting and lovely, each with their own motivations and personalities and development, rather than just being sidekicks or cheerleaders. I'll admit I was prepared for a novel that was a lot more serious and for Vis to be much more of a loner, but ended up loving the relationships between the characters.
I gave it 4.5* because while it was one of the best books I've read this year, I only give 5* to books that I plan to buy, and I want to see if the rest of the series is as good as this before I invest in the first one. Definitely recommend the read, and I plan to read the author's previous trilogy as a result of reading this book!
However!
At no point did I know what was coming next. I was hooked within the first few pages, which is hard for a book to do for me. Always wanting to know more about the world, and know what was coming next. The gradual introduction of concepts and the lack of info-dumping about the world made me work a little bit without too much confusion. My jaw dropped multiple times at the twists and turns. Some of the reviews say they're predictable, but I only predicted half of one twist near the end, so I was always kept guessing. I was happy to be carried along on a sea of complicated politics that sometimes feels as juicy as gossiping with your best friend. And yeah, Vis definitely is a "Gary Stu." But after reading (and hating) Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, I feel like this is a far better version than the physically disabled Mary Sue that is inexplicably able to sail through extreme hardship with practically no realistic side effects of their disability. I was more than content to allow Vis to have about 40 years' worth of education and experience, acquired in his first 14 years before the Hierarchy took over, so that he could nearly effortlessly stop every challenge in his path. The obstacles were interesting and his ability to get over them without that much effort allowed the plot to be continually dramatically thrust forward, and discusses enough about training sessions to know that Vis does have to put effort into his learning, both in lessons and socially, without focusing the entire story on training montages. The side characters are interesting and lovely, each with their own motivations and personalities and development, rather than just being sidekicks or cheerleaders. I'll admit I was prepared for a novel that was a lot more serious and for Vis to be much more of a loner, but ended up loving the relationships between the characters.
I gave it 4.5* because while it was one of the best books I've read this year, I only give 5* to books that I plan to buy, and I want to see if the rest of the series is as good as this before I invest in the first one. Definitely recommend the read, and I plan to read the author's previous trilogy as a result of reading this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism