A review by josiah17
The Will of the Many by James Islington

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Well, I think this book lived up to the hype. I really don't have any major criticisms. I think it's quite well-rounded and well-written.

"Nervousness means there's a fear to be faced ahead, Diago. The man who is never nervous, never does anything hard. The man who is never nervous, never grows."

For starters, the worldbuilding hooked me immediately. The Roman-inspired setting and cultures, and the soft magic system were very captivating and everything took off from there. 

I also think Vis is a great protagonist and he's easy to root for. He's been wronged by the Hierarchy and for most of the book, he's juggling both his hidden identity and the new role he receives. This creates for some very dynamic dialogue and high stakes quite early on in the book which is maintained for the entirety of the story. And Vis isn't overly dramatic with his narration which is relieving to read for a first person present tense POV. But he does have his other flaws. Also, there are some other great characters too. I loved Eidhin and Callidus
(I'm empty)
of course. Ulciscor and Lanistia were interesting. Some of the other academy students were fun to be around too. The side characters don't necessarily have the same depth as Vis, but I do think they're serviceable and I trust they will become even better as the series progresses. There's already signs of that in a few characters.

"The power to protect is the highest of responsibilities...When a man is given it, his duty is not only to the people he thinks are worthy."

The plot was truly exceptional too. It's probably my favorite part about this book. There's a magic school, plenty of scheming and misleading, lots of betrayal, and layers of different rivalries and factions opposed against one another. It's very entertaining and keeps you engaged. There's signs of something even larger at stake too, especially with the ending of this book. And speaking of the ending.....that was crazy. 

Really enjoyed this. I'm glad it lived up to the hype. Might even bump to 5 stars later. And I was also pleasantly surprised with Islington's writing. As I mentioned before, the dialogue was fantastic and really shines, but the prose overall is very nice and readable. I'll probably try to read Islington's Licanius Trilogy sooner rather than later. But I really need the sequel to this book ASAP. 
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