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

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

The Will of the Many by James Islington follows our main character Vis as he navigates a world of politics, mystery, and suspense. Seventeen-year-old Vis is the heir to the country of Suus that was conquered by the Catenan Republic or the Hierarchy. For the past four years, the Hierarchy has assumed him dead along with the rest of his family. Meanwhile, Vis has survived merely by his wits until one day he gets the attention of a member of the Hierarchy and is adopted as their son to pose as a student at the illustrious Academy to spy. The Academy is where the children of the elite Senators go for training to ultimately land them very prominent positions in this society. Not knowing who to trust, Vis uses his survival instincts to navigate more and more dangerous situations that get revealed as the story progresses. If you love a fast-paced, political fantasy, with a school setting and lots of mystery - this is a great read that I’d recommend! I’m a character driven reader and so while the plot of this is 5 stars, I found myself really caring for Vis and other side characters that get introduced. There are twists, turns, and some heart wrenching moments that lead up to a finale that leaves you READY for book 2! A five-star read! Also, the power of Will is such a unique concept that I’ve not seen before and really enjoyed the themes around it. Basically, in the Hierarchy, people cede their “will” and that Will powers and sustains the upper echelons of the Hierarchy. Questions arise around the moral implications not only of the users of Will and whether they’re using it for destruction but also around those Indvidual's who ultimately give up their will to be allowed to be used and whether they too are to blame since they’re allowing it. That was a long sentence - lol - but just really good questions and I’m excited to see how that may be explored more in the next two books.