The Will of the Many

"I liked this a lot better than the Licanus Trilogy. It had three elements I like in fantasy books, dystopian, academic settings and conspiracies and shifting alliances. "

"One of the most unique fantasies I’ve read in a long time! An ancient Greek-inspired hierarchical world where the more powerful take magic (aka “will”) from the lower citizens to maintain their power and position. The main character finds himself thrown into an academy with society’s upper echelon, blackmailed to discover dangerous secrets while keeping his identity hidden. Definitely recommend."

"Review to come….if I remember."

"There are many reviews comparing this to Red Rising and I can see the resemblance. Even so The Will of the Many is unique in its own right. Unfortunately it relied heavily on the plot so much was lost. Character archs were stagnate, action and adventure were skimped on. Even the main character himself had no clear direction. He could have just as easily disappeared and still have had a decent life. The magic system was remarkable though explained in a difficult manner. Not sure I've ever read anything like it. Weirdly I don't feel like I know much about the main character. He is clever and in hiding but he doesn't care about bettering his circumstances or revenging his people. He is just existing. The plot is 90% of the story. But it doesn't come to much. The author keeps you ignorant instead of steadily feeding you information. Dont get me wrong there is plenty of mystery and intrigue but no pay out. So much happens yet little is revealed. I wasn't on the edge of my seat because after the fifth or sixth time of thinking I might get some answers I was over it. Would have definitely enjoyed more comraderie. There were some great side characters but they were just shells of what they should have been. I could literally go on and on about about how little the reader was given from this story. Me here just left with the tip of the iceberg but nothing big enough to crash on. It was a bit disappointing."

"World building is amazing, the ending had me sobbing, really excited for the next book. "

"Shares tropes with the Red Rising series. Decent intrigue, well designed magic system, characters with depth, and enough suspense to make me sad that the sequel isn't out yet."

"This book is boring and there is no harmony or chemistry between characters. DNF. Don’t understand the hype about this one - and not at all like Red Rising like I’ve heard. (Still boring regardless) "

"Hands down a top three book I’ve ever read"

"Well darn. I haven’t read Islington’s trilogy yet, but this one jumped off the shelves at my library and I had to scarf it down. Think Deadly Education meets Song of Achilles, if you need a cross reference, with a heavy dose of Islington’s inspiration (Sanderson, Rothfuss). <br/><br/>Thank goodness he has another trilogy I can turn to while waiting for the next installment! This is the kind of book that builds worlds for the first 1/3rd, and then sucks you so far in you find yourself saying “I can do laundry tomorrow… just ten more pages”."

"Seriously one of the best books I have ever read — definitely reminiscent of Red Rising with the plot and of the Name of the Wind with the main character, but I thought it was better than both. To me the pacing was perfect, plot was so complex while still somehow staying connected, and it took me a bit to warm up to the characters but by the end I was hooked. I just finished it and I’m still reeling — It’s the type of book I’ll be thinking about for a long time, which is the best type of book. Plus bonus points for making me cry (emotionally prepare yourself), and looking fantastic on my shelf. "