It is so neat how in a non-spoiler review you can describe so much yet I am so clueless about what the book is really like lol! Love your reviews Ell!

I'm thrilled to say that this book was one of my favorite reads of 2023, and I totally agree with your insights. What sets this book apart, in my opinion, is its unique and captivating magic system, along with the intriguing concept of Will. I, too, found myself longing for a more profound exploration of the Will. I'm hoping the next installment provides a deeper dive into this fascinating aspect! :) Thank you for your review!

Ditto. I thought it was just me who did not enjoy it as much as everyone did

Your timing couldn't be more impeccable, as I've been contemplating starting "The Will of the Many" immediately after wrapping up my exams next week. Your insights have only fueled my curiosity further not gonna lie. Thanks a ton for sharing your thoughts!

I always appreciate your in depth reviews for popular or hyped books. They always are concise and help me decide if I can wait to read something or if I should move it higher on my tbr. Thanks!

This was my favourite book of last year and left me thinking about it for weeks to come. Maybe I am easier to please, but I found Viz as a character great and enjoyed him a lot, and I was shocked when you said he lacks depth or personality. Also I was quite inversted in the girl, so what happened did leave me shocked and I want her explanation so bad. I agree that the themes could have been explored a bit more, but when it comes to the magic and the mystery, I feel like there was the right amount to keep it intriguing and actually really spooky, and if there was more of it, it could have taken away from the intimidation factor for me Still. SO many questions and hopes for the next book

Thank you so much for this review! I was intimidated by the hype around this book and needed a non-hype perspective to feel comfortable picking it up 😄

Read this a few weeks ago with low expectations and your criticisms are spot on, however this book had me so captivated. Truly enthralled. Such a rapid pace. Some fun twists. Some humor. Some emotion. Just loved it.

Timely! Thank you. I am half way through this book right now and not sure I will finish it -- your comments are spot on.

I always appreciate your reviews! This was my favorite book of 2023 (I read 150 books). It reminded me of The Name of the Wind in some ways. I do wish there was more focus on Will, though.

I'm great that you're doing a review for this book :)

I love how you can do an in-depth review without spoiling the book! I probably wouldn’t have spared this book a second glance if it weren’t for the hype. While I’m still ambivalent towards it, I have it on hold on Libby so I think I’ll still give it a try once it’s my turn to borrow it

Thank you for the review! I was considering buying this based on the hype but I'm now thinking of maybe getting it from my library or waiting for a cheap second hand copy instead.

I was happy that I enjoyed this more than I expected but I did find I needed the audio to help me with momentum in the slower paced descriptive sections. I want more focus on the the theme of Will too but I won’t be surprised if there is some element the plot focuses on more for the rest of the trilogy

I can totally see where you are coming from and the validity of your points but for me I absolutely loved that book, it was best of last year for me :) and i have a feeling that the next books in the series will explore more of what was missing for you in this one because I am also keen to have more exploration of the themes established but somehow I feel like they will be explored more :)

Totally get the cons and the Gary Stu-ness of it all and thought the friendships were done well. I think because of the decision he made at the very end of the book we'll hopefully get a lot more of those discussions about the theme. Also the wolf... I hope we get more of the wolf 🐺

I read this book about 2 weeks ago and had no idea about the hype which is surprising! I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t perfect but I’m looking forward to the second one.

Thank you! May just have to read this one now. :) I really enjoyed the magic system and twist in Naomi Novik's Scholomance Trilogy. Have you checked it out yet? Your review of that would be really appreciated.

I enjoyed hearing your thoughts but I did absolutely enjoy this book. Honestly, I was just along for the ride and I truly loved the experience.

I loved this book, it kind of reminded me of Red Rising like you said, but I enjoyed it WAY more, especially compared to the first Red Rising book. Then the ending I thought was incredible and left me needing the sequel when it comes out.

I guess I love the mystery of Will, so many questions that I want answers too but I feel like Book 2 and further one we will learn more and more. I also haven't read Red Rising yet but I know its a big inspiration. Also for the duel, I would agree with you if he became a master of their fighting style but he specifically points out the reason why he is able to "win" which makes sense for a culture that is full of dueling for entertainment.

Yes I wanted to hear more about the Will. I wanted to understand it more!

Thank you for making a video on one of my favorite books!!! I am 💯 going to pick up book 2. There were some flaws about the book but the writing, magic system, world building and characters were great imo. I felt his personal Will is what allowed him to overcome obstacles. Since he hasn’t shared his Will and the other characters mostly have. I took it as his Will (related to his moral compass) was superior and therefore was “winning”. I found his flaw to be his temperament. I loved this and red rising but I wouldn’t want to read them back to back.

I'm so split on whether I want to read this! I'm very intrigued by it but it's really long and I have heard other people also say that the page length is not always used in the best way. I really don't like long books so that's where I'm struggling.

Love the new Luna pic! My dog is also named Luna ❤️

Loved this book rocking back and forth for the sequel

I read this last year and honestly thought it would be my fave afterwards. But then I read Empire of the Vampire and that was solidly my fave of 2023.

BTW have you read Swan Song by Robert Mccammon?

I didn't read this but by your description it seems extremely similar to his other series, Licanius, too similar in fact.

But Vis won the duel not because he became better in just 24 hours but because his fighting style was different from the style that had been trained in and that was familiar to his opponent, and, in the end, Vis allowed his rage to get the better of him (as it did at the beginning of the book). One might say he won by cheating and would not have gotten away with it if he had not proven that the preceptor was the first to break the rules by imbuing the armor with the Will. It's how I saw most of Vis successes, after all, but it's ok that different people saw his story differently. I haven’t read Red Rising, so this story was quite unique for me, though I foresaw several plot twists, and now this book is at the top of my favorite fantasy books.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read Red Rising, so that could be part of it too. I'm hoping that since this is just the first book, the author will continue to explore Will in further books.

Interesting. I bought the book driven by all the hype and your perspective is refreshing. I tore through Licanius in a single month and was both engaged and frustrated by it (impressive solving of the main plot knot, disappointing use of a deus ex machina and the treatment of all the secondary characters)

Easily the best novel of 2023 and one of the best academy settings I've read since HP

I have not read a lot of fantasy.. I mean at all, but I LOVED this one! The one thing I wanna say about Viz winning at everything, well I think he says it and even his adopted father and his own father said it , that he is smart. He is smart to see the loophole and attack there. He struggled, while training with Lanistia or when he struggled as he went up the classes, he was still last in Class 3. He acknowledges when people are better than him. And I think him besting them is sort of a narrative that they ( the children of knights and senators) win because they are privy to the best of everything. They get admission in that academy because of the positions their parents have. They all have some ties to the people who are “rulers” and here is Viz who in reality is similar to them ( he is a prince) so I dunno to me that wasn’t the frustrating part. But the last part I agree went too fast, I wanted more. Ahh I have so many questions..

This was a 2 star book. It’s no where near red rising. The academy fails in comparison to Name of the Wind.

Its weird, because i can see where you're coming from with all your criticisms, and even agree whole heartedly with some of them, and i still really really liked this book. I liked having one POV, and the first person narration. And while I agree that Viz is a bit of a Gary Stu, I was really invested in him and his goals

The Licanius trilogy, also by James Islington, is on of my favorites! So I will definitely be picking this one up.

I'm glad I watched this review. This book was on my TBR and now it's coming off. Power fantasy (being good at everything, making bad decisions without lasting/impactful consequences) is my least favorite character trope. You're the first reviewer for this book that I've heard mention it. You saved me from 2-starring a book that everyone else seems to like, just because it doesn't fit my personal tastes. Thanks, Elll!

You had some really great insights into the book and I 100% agree with your criticisms. The school setting part of the book was incredibly disappointing as the author had to make the character a Gary Stu to make his plot work. It significantly brought down my rating of the book. If I were a developmental editor, I would have had him rewrite the entire school plot. Keep the ending, fine, but find a different way to get there.

I haven’t read this book, but the way you describe the main character reminds me of how I perceived Kvothe from The Name of the Wind, and I found him to be a super annoying protagonist to follow (especially in the sequel). I think I’ll still check out this book just to see what the hype is about. Thank you always for your thoughtful spoiler free reviews!

I was considering picking it up eventually, but the things you describe would probably drive me up a wall. It's a bit funny that the protagonist being a Gary Stu, who's just too good at everything, is part of the reason Red Rising didn't work for me.

This was great, I have this on my tbr and this gives me more realistic expectations for the book 😊

James Islington mentioned that Red Rising was a strong influence on this work.

Sounds a lot like how I felt while reading Empires of Silence....

I agree with all your criticisms actually, and had the same reception. I’ll just point out that besides the plot setup both Red Rising and Will are heavily roman inspired so that wouldn’t help with differentiate the two

I respect your reviews so much and I wanted to let you know I'm 30% into Godkiller and very much enjoying ❤

I feel like I'm losing my mind over this book. It was good! But I absolutely don't see how it hit so hard for everyone else.

It's funny how ppl can perceive things and characters differently. I think Vis is one of my very favorite main characters in a long while, and I think he has such a strong personality lol I adored this book. I cannot wait to read book 2.

I absolutely adore the Red rising books! So the Will of the many, while would be good on its own, to me is too similar to the red rising but not as good. I will definitely continue but hope it becomes more of its own story 🙏

I read The Shadow of What Was Lost and really didn’t feel it. When I saw this one came out I figured I’d give it a shot, but then I accidentally knocked NK Jemisin’s The World We Make off the shelf and ended up taking that home instead.

I agree with this review. How could you forget about the wolf? That was awful. 😝

I feel the same ! I liked it but I didn't love it. It's totally my type of story but there were somethings that didn't work for me (most of what you said actually). The main reason is that as you said it is really similar to Red Rising which I love, so I keep comparing it to it but the tone and the characters are totally different. I can't wait for book 2 though.

Oh man, your description of The Will of the Many sounds like everything I hated about Name of the Wind. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights!

the pics of Luna at the end just always make me so happy 😂😂😂 also love every one of your reviews because it seems we are yearning for the same themes and content, moral and political/philosophical exploration within fantasy. Your reccs haven’t steered me wrong yet!! I’ll probably pass on this one for now, in a little tired of the competitive academia settings trope lately…seems really overdone

This book is in the top 5 of books I’ve read in 2023. I didn’t see any pacing problems, but I saw it as a dude watching an action movie. I liked everything despite its flaws because it checked so many of my boxes: ✅ Magic school ✅ Brutal action ✅ Underdog story ✅ Protagonist is more capable than people think ✅ Intrigue ✅ Academia (although the philosophies and quotes the story provides were a little shallow. The Suneater, in contrast, had a lot of amazing quotes by in-story philosophers and writers) ✅ Grief (the part of the story where the protagonist encounters their past was also my favourite part. At first, I just didn’t resonate with their grief. But once that part of the story came along, I was finally sold on their past and their character) I did feel that the protagonist was a Mary Sue. However, I understand that the later books will have harder stakes to overcome. The ending of the book showed us just how big this series is gonna get. A magic school full of elite students and nobility is merely a stepping stone compared to what the protagonist is going to encounter. In terms of the themes of the book, I was impressed. Another story with themes of hierarchy is the movie Parasite, and I felt that this book did just as good as the movie in portraying how broken our systems are in their exploitation of a colonized peoples’ resources.

I enjoyed it. I get the pacing issue. Enough of a hook at the end to get me to wait to read the second.

i just finished reading this. i feel like i read a different book from everyone else. i think i'm just not cool enough to get it/love it as much as everyone does.

You didn’t like the ending ? I really loved the characters and the ending was so unique that it upended the short comings and made me question a lot ?

I had a similar reaction to the book. I wanted to learn more about Will, and to be reminded less strongly of Red Rising. I didn't help that I disliked RR.

I really enjoyed The Will of the Many but simultaneously agree with a lot of what you said about him being a Gary Sue through out the book lol but I think the ending kind of changed my mind a bit because the author allowed certain things to happen to him:almost like his luck ran out. Semi Spoiler (I think) Also i am deeply curious about what is going to happen considering last scene of the book. I really don’t know what’s coming, but it seems like a pivot away from the political nature of the book to something more spiritual/fantastical (the book leans more sci-fi to me). I also think I liked this book more than red rising because I like the begrudging hero trope more than the unlikely hero trope. Edit: this is such a long comment, my apologies. But in regards to the scene you read from the book, I actually disliked that scene because I felt like it was too on the nose and kind of forced considering the setting and the situation Vis was in at the time. It wouldn’t have fell flat for me if the scene took place in the school setting where discussing philosophical musings is more appropriate. But anyway love your reviews and thoughts ❤

i’m 165 pages into this book and trying so hard to like it omg 😭 I’m going to try to finish but it's difficult

I don’t mind that Will wasn’t expanded on. Aside from it clearly being set up to be expanded on later, it’s very clear the “Will” in this first book is more so commentary on society giving power to celebrities and idols just because they are powerful or popular.

I agree with everything you said but i ignored it-LOLOL

Also its a 5 book series im sure we will learn more about the will…

I got this when it came out but I haven't read it yet. Typical of me. :)

*spoilers* I found all the characters interesting, especially Vis. 99% of the time I struggle with long books that only have one POV because I don't like or don't care about the MC but this book was an exception. I thought he was well written (although he very often acted WAY too clever/wise for his age, like he was 17/18 years old not 40...) The only character I thought could use more work was Emissa who lacked depth. She was nice, funny and helpful but that's all... She didn't have any flaws and was just... there. That's also why her romance with Vis felt so lackluster to me.

Okay my defense of the Marry Sue/Gary Sue trope. I look at it like why would we follow a normal person in a story? In most of these cases we are following a virtuoso of sorts. Someone with natural talent. A good example would be singers that are born with an exceptional talent vs singers that are pretty good with lots of training. The talent will make any training they have be much more meaningful and they will move past everyone else very quickly. I think the same can be said in fighting or magic. I like following the exceptional talent vs the regular Joe.

This is one my favorite books for last year loved the characters and the story and very beautifully written and amazing and the cover so gorgeous 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉📙📚📚📚📙📙📚📚📚📙📙📚📚📚📙📚📚📚📖📖📖📖📖📙📙📙📙📙📚📚📙📙📙📙💕🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

I didn’t get the hype around this one. I think it was fine. Hated the twist at the end. Won’t read next book solely because of the twist at the end

I honestly could not get into this book at all. Its not surprising to me that most people loved it and I really did not, that tends to be the case with movies for me sometimes too. But this was just a slog for me.

I appreciate this review because Gary Stu or Mary Sue, it doesn't matter, they bother me. Sometimes I can overlook it but this just sounds... eh.

Haha, typical Elliot Brooks, playing the devil's advocate. We want more of these book critiques. Thank you.

You know this was a lot of people's favorite book of the year, right? Most people feel like it has a voice of its own.... Was hard to really go into the magic system when The book is written in the first person with a character who doesn't participate directly in it! I loved this book, by the way! Totally different experience than you!!!!

Art is subjective and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I have so many issues with this review. 💀 It is okay to say that something didn’t vibe with you and leave it at that. Personally, I think that’s a totally valid reason to not like something. With that said, you don’t have to make stuff up to justify your opinion.

My BotY hands down:

Worst cover ever lol but it sounds like a great read

This is a surprisingly negative for a “non-spoiler“ review . And I just have to say, Vis IS flawed. He has anger issues and more often than not when that is your issue it’s all encompassing. You don’t or can’t feel those other emotions first or until the anger burns off. And personally, it’s so much more refreshing to see someone with less ANGST at the forefront of a series.

It sounds crap

This book could have benefited from editing out 100-150 pages. The magic system wasn't explained very well. I tried hard to understand and eventually gave up. Our main character was annoying. He kept messing up but kept winning. And people at the academy were helping our main character even tho it was a very competitive environment . They were sacrificing their own success for him. Nobody progressed in the academy except for our main character, which was annoying. Our main character recieved two months of training before joining the academy and suddenly he was expert at everything. He knew every answer to every question lol Plus the structure of the book was problematic. The back and forth between a competion at the academy and spying mission on some kind of festival outside the academy got boring really quickly. There was no character development. I don't think any character was distinguishable. One character was alaywse referred to as red haired guy or muscular guy .. That was his only distinguishable feature lol. I rated this book 3 star but now I think it deserve only 2.