The Will of the Many | 
pickIt took me a while to get into this, but once Vis entered the academy I could not set this big ol' book aside. I was IN it. The world building and politics are a lot. Tons of political strategical moves coming at you from every direction. Ambition, greed, friendship, survival, resourcefulness. I loved it. I haven't felt quite so strongly about a book since Patrick Rothfuss bowled me over with The Kingkiller Chronicles. Highly recommend.
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Chadstone Readings had a James Islington signing today - Chadstone, being the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere, is normally a place you wouldn‘t find me BUT I hadn‘t realised that James was Australian AND I‘m aiming to get to a million steps for the walking challenge I‘m in (& the advantage of walking means avoiding the carpark).
I spelt my name for the cashier & didn‘t realise I‘d gained an E until after I‘d joined the line 😝
May 2025 Wrap Up
* The Will of the Many (REREAD) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Sunrise on the Reaping ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Matriarch: A Memoir ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Serial Killer Support Group ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
* Kills Well With Others ⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickI feel like this is the fantasy equivalent of Red Rising in a good way. Vis, the protagonist, comes from a different background than Darrow of Red Rising but there's the same underdog nature in their trials to come out on top of an elite academy. This was over 600 pages and I read it in almost two days because I was so invested in what was going on. I just wish the second book was out already.
pickThat ending raised a lot of questions. This book was really good. It reminded me of Red Rising. I love books that take place in a competitive academic environment. This takes place on a technologically backward planet, that is able to achieve amazing things through magic. I would like a better explanation of how “will” works. Apparently the more power one has, the more corrupt they become. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Starting today. Not only a 620 page book, but the font seems extra small!
pickThis is a coming-of-age story that takes in Roman Republic but with magic. The book is fast pacing, the main character - Vis is well written and his inner thoughts, decisions and development make a lot of sense. The worldbuilding is good and the premises are unusual enough to make it interesting, and Ilsington seem to be able to avoid looking like the replica of any other fantasy Bildungsroman published.
I love everything in my #jolabokaflod package! Thank you so much @Gissy I‘m so excited to read this one, it will be my first read of 2025! Thanks so much for organizing @MaleficentBookDragon 😍 Merry Christmas eve everyone!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I would give this more stars if I could! This has everything you could ever want in high fantasy!
Dark academy
Political intrigue
Excellent would building
Strong characters
Didn‘t see that coming
Twists and turns!
Disturbing magic system
Don't mind me just sitting here book hauling!
See anything good???
pickWow! This was an excellent start to a new fantasy series , which has a mix of dark academia and Greek political drama. I had seen several book-tubers raving about this and it definitely lives up to the hype. Now the long wait til book 2! 5⭐️
"Wait, I'm not done with that page."
This has been getting a lot of hype but when I checked the premise and saw that it was Chosen One goes to Murder School in Ancient Rome, I lost my initial enthusiasm. I decided to proceed and was glad I did because this is a complex and well executed book, suitable for a range of readers from older YA to Adult. I can see why it gets the hype it does and while I'm not on the 'this is the best book ever train' I did enjoy it a lot. Strong pick.
Chose my next read! #TheWillOfTheMany#HierarchyBook1#JamesIslington
pickA quite complex plot is delivered in a comprehensible way through a great mc. (I say that, but I did look up the ending on Reddit to make sure that I understood it, so ...) Think Ancient Rome but also powerful magic but also a military institute school situation but also a cool dog. The beauty of this book is alllll of the plotting, politics, various conspiracies, hazy characters that we only know as much about as Vis does (not much.) &Great audio
pickI finished this fantasy late last night. Absolutely loved it. Great characters, interesting worldbuilding, and a mystery I'm very much intrigued by. 🤞for the 2nd book sooner than later.
I have a doctors appt this afternoon an hour away in the "big city". I'm bringing this book to start in the waiting room. And since I'm there I plan on making a Barnes and Noble stop too.
November 2023 Wrap Up
- The Will of the Many ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Christmas Guest ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- All These Sunken Souls ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Black Friend: Essays ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Good Women: Stories ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Drowning Woman ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- The Forest Demands its Due ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Forged by Blood⭐️⭐️⭐️
Starting my Thanksgiving five hours of cooking with what I hope to be a wonderful accompaniment 💯, and various wines -- today should be a good day! Happy Turkey Day everyone, hope your tables are full 🍽️💕💖
pickOne of my coworkers has been relentless about my reading this book ASAP and while I didn‘t love it quite as much as he did I did really like it. An orphan hiding his past is adopted in order to be used to investigate an elite academy-interesting world building and lots of twists and suspense make up for some pacing issues. I‘m concerned about the direction the sequel will take but I will definitely be reading it.
pickThere‘s… A LOT to this book, thankful for four days of camping to get me through this chunker. Vis a 17 YO orphan finds himself suddenly in the midst of some of the Hierarchies‘ most powerful leaders. He‘s enlisted to attend the countries most prestigious school for upcoming leaders, but his adopted father has other duties for him to look into while attending. However he himself has many secrets he holds only to himself that could get him killed.
pickRed Rising it is not—it doesn‘t have the same pacing, tension, or unrelenting high stakes—& if you pick it up thinking that is what you‘re getting, you‘ll be disappointed. If, however, you like the idea of a fugitive infiltrating an elite academy run by the empire that killed his family, encouraged to do so by people with their own agendas, then you‘ll find a lot to like in this fantasy. This is a fun, entertaining read that stands on its own.
I love that my library system opened a new branch closer to my house. It‘s so much more convenient. I picked up two holds plus a book off the new release shelf (the Penner). I‘m starting the tagged book today since there have been outlandish claims that it rivals Red Rising. This #Howler is skeptical but hopeful. 🤔 #libraryhaul
At least one reviewer blurb I‘ve seen says this book…is better than Red Rising. 🤨 That‘s a bold claim and I‘m about to see if there is any validity to it. Hoping for a good read if nothing else…
