Scan barcode
A review by maggiestraveledbookshelf
The Will of the Many by James Islington
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
๐ The Will of the Many
โ๐ป James Islington
โ๏ธ Fantasy
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ๐ซ | 4.5
โ๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐, ๐๐๐จ. ๐ฟ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐จ. ๐๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐๐ฉ. ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฉ? ๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ก๐๐๐?โ
WOW. What an incredible book!!! I have so many thoughts.
Overview:
โขClassic Fantasy Feel
โขDark Academia
โขHidden Identity
โขComplex Magic System
โขGood Doggo
๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐, ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐๐ด๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ-๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐.
Oftentimes, I write a review immediately after finishing a book.
For this one, I needed to marinate my thoughts - partially because I have so many and partially because that ending had my brain exploding. Buckle up; we have a lot to cover.
๐๐ฒ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฒ:
I want my books (even fantasy) to have a primary plot line devoted to romance. There is a very minor love story (like very very minor), but that didnโt detract from my reading experience - even as a romance lover.
๐ก๐ผ๐, ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐:
I saw MANY parallels between Vis and Celaena Sardothien (from Throne of Glass). As someone who absolutely LOVES that character, it was such a treat.
๐ข๐ธ๐ฎ๐, ๐น๐ฒ๐โ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐-๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐:
The world-building and the character dynamics are some of the strongest parts of this book. There were continual plot twists and turns, and with all the characters having strong convictions and layers, it was hard to predict what would happen next.
โ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐๐ฎ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ, ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ. ๐๐ค ๐ก๐๐ฉโ๐จ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ. ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐จ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐.โ
โ๐ผ๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ,โ ๐ ๐ก๐๐.
The gradual reveal of Visโs past made his character such a powerful force. He is not a completed human - heโs right in the middle of becoming, of working through his grief, of finding his place.
๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐งโ๐จ ๐ซ๐ค๐๐๐, ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ค ๐ค๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ค๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐ง๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ... ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ, ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐๐ฎ.
The politics of this world deftly paralleled our own, and it is a sharp commentary of the impact of strong leadership and a willingness to do the work.
โ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ, ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ค. ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐จ ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐. ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ.โ
Revenge (or the promise of revenge) made its appearance throughout the entirety of the narrative, from his orphanage to the final chapters. And it made my skin feel electric.
๐ฝ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฃ. ๐ ๐ข๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐. โ๐โ๐ข ๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ.โ
I could honestly write pages and pages about this book because there are so many plot lines and incredibly complex characters and potential theories and โwhat the f*ckโ moments. Itโs hard to believe this book primarily revolves around teenagers because it felt so mature.
So Iโll just summarize and say this book portrays themes of justice, greed, trust, and family in a way the feels both classic and unique - and yes, I cannot wait for the second book.
๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐น, ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ!
โจ Read via Libby โจ