I am so glad I ended up reading this book! The story pulled me in right from the beginning and I just couldn't put it down. This is one of the best books I've read in a while. If you like dark academia, or magic school type fantasy books, then you will probably love this one.

This is a Roman inspired series, and I liked that about it. It felt a little different from some of the other books I've read, and I found the use of other people's will in the magic to be both intriguing and horrifying. There were several events in this book that were surprises, especially the one at the end. I didn't expect that at all, and now I can't wait to read the next book.

I thought the author was good at creating characters that I could care about and sympathize with, while also creating a world that was interesting, with a plot that was compelling with unexpected elements.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a ARC of this book.

One of the reasons Fantasy is a beloved genre is because of how familiar it is. In essence, it is a power struggle between good and evil. Characters, world-building, writing style, and how the story ends--it is these details that might make one story so endearing to us, while another might leave us feeling unsatisfied. If asked, I could explain to you why most of my favorite books share specific qualities. However, there is a big difference between common characteristics in novels and just slightly edited versions of another story. The Will of the Many, unfortunately, was like reading Red Rising by Pierce Brown all over again. While this was not outright copying, it was so eerily similar in reading experiences that I was uncomfortable. Between the academic setting, the hierarchy structure in the world (also based in Greek lore), and the personality of the main character, it was just one step removed from Red Rising. Maybe this is because I have just recently read Red Rising, and it is too fresh in my mind, but I had a hard time reading this when it was just an overwhelming sense of de ja vu. This might be great for fans of Pierce Brown's bestselling novels who are eager to slip back into a similar world; however, for others like me, it won't live up to the original.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is DEFINITELY a new favorite book.
Roman inspired, epic fantasy, Red Rising vibes and a dark academia setting? Yes please!
Set in a world where a government body called the Hierarchy have secured their power with the help of ''Will" a magic system(?) that allows them to collect said Will from other people. Thus the higher Will you collect, the more power you have. A very vague explanation but just go with it.... Vis is our main character. He has a secret, one that would get him killed if anyone found out, So when an opportunity arrives he is tasked with investigating an elite school about mysterious deaths. But uncovers much more..
Compelling characters, immersive plot that kept plotting, intrigue, politics and mystery. Everything I want in a book. My only complaint is this.....when will book 2 be out? I need it.

The Will of the Many is an incredible start to a new fantasy series. It has so many things that I love in fantasy - magical school setting, hidden royalty, unique magic system, great friendships, and even a dash of romance. I knew this was going to be a five star read about halfway through, but that ending left no doubt that The Will of the Many will be one of my favorite reads of the year.

“The decision may have been made by the few, Diago, but it’s the Will of the many that killed your family.”

The first 35% of this book follows Vis as he gets discovered and whisked away to train for entry into Catenan Academy. While I enjoyed this portion of the story, it was Vis’ time at the academy that made me fall in love with the story. I enjoyed following his advancement in the academy and the friendships he made along the way. There is also the mystery of what’s been happening to students at the academy that kept me intrigued.

I liked the pyramid style magic system as well. Will - a person’s energy, drive, focus, initiative, ambition, and vitality—can be voluntarily ceded to someone else. There are eight ranks, and each rank receives Will from a different amount of people. The more Will ceded to you, the stronger you become.

“There comes a point in every man’s life where he can rail against the unfairness of the world until he loses, or he can do his best in it. Remain a victim, or become a survivor.”

Admittedly, I did struggle with this book at first. If I hadn’t read Islinton’s previous work I think I may have given up, but knowing the genius I was working with, I persevered. I would say that things picked up about 45% of the way through - far past my usual “If you don’t care at 20% then DNF” mark and unfortunately it felt even farther due to the massive page count of this book. It is rare that I say this about larger books, but I really think the length of this did the book a disservice. I would have been much more motivated to power through the training montage and building blocks of this world that take place before Vis even enters the school if I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I couldn’t and so I drug my feet for ages!

Once we got to the academy my earlier hesitation fell away because the plot took off at a run (literally and not so literally - Vis really do be running everywhere! lol). Vis and his relationships to those around him are what really warmed me up to him as a protagonist, prior to then I was struggling to connect with the scrappy and kinda cold persona he put on. The cast that surrounds Vis is interesting and complex and I adore the friendship building that we as the reader really got to witness from the beginning.

And, in true Islington fashion, the plot unraveled, and unraveled, and unraveled to the point that I was just holding on and letting the book drag me though to the end (What I really love about Islington is his writing seems to grab ahold of you and not let go until you’ve finished - there feels like no time to reflect during the reading process, only after you’ve closed the book!)

In the end I’m impossibly happy I pushed through the very start of this and I am SO looking forward to the rest of this series! (Those new to Islington - I highly recommend annotating the hell out of this book. Trust me. You will need it later!)

Hands down my favorite fantasy read of the year so far! I loved every single second of this book. I can easily see this being my favorite book of the year.

If you love magic schools, stories of rebellion, a tightly-paced plot, high intrigue and original world-building, you need to pick up The Will of the Many!

I will admit the story does begin like many other fantasy/sci-fi books I have read, including the Red Rising Series by Pierce Brown.

Vis, an orphan with many secrets, catches the eye of Ulsicor Telimus, a high ranking military senator. Telimus adopts Vis, not out of the kindness, but because he wants Vis to help him infiltrate The Catenan Academy, a school run by Religion where the highest ranking students learn to become leaders in the ruling class.

But the story quickly becomes it’s own unique world. Along the way we learn more about Vis’ past, about the world of the Hierarchy and the mysterious history of the pre-Cataclysm.

The friendships Vis develops along the way gives this story so much emotional depth. I absolutely adored the friendship dynamics between Vis and several characters he meets at the Academy. It swept me up in all the feelings!

Not one was I ever bored while reading this book. The pacing was immaculate! Every chapter held intrigue, twists and turns were everywhere, and every chapter I learned more about both the world and the characters. Not one scene was out of place or used as filler.

And that ending? What? I have never needed to read a sequel more than when I finished the last chapter of this book. For as expansive as this world already is, we have only scratched the surface of what we’re about to learn.

To say I’m excited to read The Strength of the Few next year is an understatement. It’s easily my most anticipated book for 2024!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for a digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early! I absolutely loved it.
It is an incredible start to what is sure to be an exhilarating new series.
Sometimes, fantasy that just drops you into the middle of it all can be frustrating as we’re trying to figure out all the new lingo and descriptors, but I think this book did an excellent job at explaining how the world works without getting too bogged down in complex world building.
I’ll admit that I first picked this up because of its synopsis’ similarities to the Red Rising series, but while there is a brutal school that mirrors the equally brutal society our main character must survive, that’s really where the similarities end. And I was really pleased with that fact. This book is highly unique.
Vis is a great main character—flawed and complex—and I enjoy seeing him grow as a young man as the book continues. This development was excellent in my mind because Vis’ growth is so subtle that neither he nor us really understand that growth until much later. Where similar processes in other books might be overly simplistic, contrived, or unbelievable, Vis’ growth is deftly accomplished and believable in the sense that it is not an easy or linear process.
While the book could be slow at times (it was quite verbose and overloaded at times with description) I found myself racing to a twist conclusion that I honestly had no idea was coming, despite my theories.
I already can’t wait for the second book to find out what happens next!

Perfect for fans of Red Rising and The Blood Trials, this political fantasy is one to immediately add to your shelves.

I got a copy of this book to read from the publisher for the purpose of providing an honest review.

I entered this book with moderately low expectations. I've read the first two books of the 'Licaneus' trilogy by the same author. I enjoyed the books, but they weren't genre trailblazers. Originally I wasn't planning on reading 'The Will of the Many,' but the publisher reached out to me with an offer for the ARC. I changed my mind and decided to read it.

This book was great.

If you read Licaneus, you probably are familiar with the author's writing style: a deep well of creativity and intricately plotted stories with lots of twists and turns, offset by bland prose and characters. After reading this, I am happy to report that the author has successfully improved upon his weak prose and characterization. The prose is still nothing fancy; I'd call it utilitarian a la Sanderson/McClellan. But I do think the prose has improved from Licaneus. The characters are also improved; I am emotionally invested in the relationships between the protagonist and his many and varied friends in a way I wasn't with Licaneus.

Okay, let's get this going.

Spoilers Below. I'm writing this review in good faith, as one author reviewing another's book, trying to balance positives with negatives.

WHAT IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE? WHAT GENRES? WHAT MAJOR TROPES?

Roman Fantasy

Political Scheming, which takes many forms

Rome vs Rebels

Military Vs Religion vs Government

Betrayal and betraying. You can never tell who you can trust.

This is targeted for adults, but I think someone 15+ could read this

High Magic. The Will drips off every page, with flying ships and uncanny lanterns and unseelie supernatural ruins left behind by a fallen civilization.

Magic School

Battle Royale

You know that sequence in Red Rising, where the teenagers fight against one another? This felt like that.

Light military fantasy

Slow start

Trope of: Lost civilization, and we have to reclaim their technology

Inverts tropes

MY EMOTIONAL RESPONSE/ FUN FACTOR

Enjoyment! I'd give this 4 out of 5 stars, where I usually default to giving good books 3 stars. It certainly has it's flaws (slow pacing to start off with/relying too heavily on intricate worldbuilding magic), but I feel that the book's positives outweigh those negatives significantly.

To explain my rankings, I give good books 3 stars. The breakdown is 15% 5 stars, 25% 4 stars, 35% 3 stars, and 25% 2 stars.

WARNING! QUIT READING NOW UNTIL YOU FINISH READING THE BOOK! SPOILERS!

BIASES STATED

To put this review/study in proper context, you must know my starting point.

As stated earlier, I entered expecting this to be mid. I read the first two Licaneus books and thought they were forgettable fun popcorn books. 'The Will of the Many' exceeded my expectations, in part because I entered this with fairly low expectations and in part because it's genuinely better than Licaneus.

CONCEPT AND EXECUTION

The book's concept is: a prince in hiding as a war orphan is recruited by rebels to fight the evil empire which killed the prince's royal dynasty. The twist is that the prince must go to the evil empire's school of magic and excel there, become so good at the enemy's magics and methods that he is indistinguishably evil from them, a la Red Rising. The book climaxes in a Battle Royale sequence where the various students have to fight against one another to advance, a la Red Rising. Contrasting against this is a 'stopping the return of an ancient apocalypse' sub-plot, where the protagonist must delve into ancient dungeons to plumb ancient secrets from long forgotten tombs..

I thought this concept was well executed upon, with a few quibbles. I referenced Red Rising repeatedly because the similarities between these books are obvious. I think this book compares favorably to that one. Think of this as Red Rising meets Codex Alera.

CHARACTERS, CHARACTERIZATION AND DIALOG

I'll start with the necessary pre-amble. When discussing Licaneus, a lot of reviewers mention that they found the characters to be a bit stiff and tropey. I feel as though the author heard the message from those reviews and worked hard to advance his characterization in 'The Will of the Many.' The characters here all have distinct personalities and speech patterns, with unique drives and motivations. I personally found them to be emotionally investing in a way I didn't with Licaneus.

I'll start out with the protagonist Diago. At first I didn't love him. From the outset, he appears to be a fairly generic trope: the secret farmboy prince, on the run from the Dark Lord who cast him out from his kingdom. But the trope develops nuance. There is no Dark Lord; the empire is a Republic, so the protagonist can't avenge himself by simply cutting off the head of the snake a la 'Sword of Shannara' or 'The Belgariad.' Instead the protagonist must integrate himself into the system, become a senator, and try to destroy the system from within.

Diago was written to be hyper-competent. Looking at it from a certain perspective, he was a power fantasy. He was the best swordsman in the book, the best fighter, spoke multiple languages, great at chess, great at magic... everything he turned his hand to, he excelled. Let's address this in two ways. From the watsonian analysis, Diago was great at everything because he was once a prince, so as a child he trained with lots of tutors. This makes sense. From a doylist perspective, the author didn't want to bother including montage sequences of the protagonist becoming good at everything, so the excuse of 'a former prince with lots of tutors' served as a good narrative shorthand to speed along the plot. If you want to read a book about a zero-to-hero protagonist, you'll be disappointed, but if you want a power fantasy, this is a good novel.

Finally, I enjoyed Diago when he was put out of his element. As stated, Diago excelled as a student in school, so seeing him removed from school and sent back to his oppressed kingdom was really interesting to see. Going home to Suus, Diago suddenly became unsure of himself, and he remembered that he should hate hating his nobleman friends he was making in evil empire school due to them looking down on his homeland. Further, he began to hate himself. In order for Diago to infiltrate and destroy the Hierarchy, he has to become the Hierarchy. Naturally going home and finding his home laid waste by the empire would make him hate the empire he now had within himself.

Net total, I enjoyed Diago. If I were to add a caveat, his character arc feels incomplete. I need more books to tell.

I enjoyed Diagos friends Callidus and Eidhin. Callidus was a super smart slacker archetype, going to school just to make his family happy even though he had no passion for it himself.

Eidhin was a 'noble savage' going to school to prove his people aren't barbarians. The Hierarchy empire is book is Roman coded. Eidhin and Diago are both Celtic coded. Eidhin is Irish Celtic, whereas Diago is Celtibarian. I liked how Eidhin and Diago stuck together and became friends due to the discrimination they both faced at the hands of their Roman overlords. I liked how you could feel that Eidhin and Diago were from different ethnic groups in the way they interacted with one another, and again how Diago/Eidhin were different from the mainstream Hierarchy ethnicity just based on how they reacted to different things. The author did a good job of giving them subtly different sets of social mores depending on their national origin.

And finally, about the other students. I liked that as Diago climbed the social ladder of the school, his opposing students started less educated but got smarter and cleverer the higher he climbed. It added brilliant texture and tension to the book because it let the reader feel that Diago's quest was harder and harder the more successful he was. This is good storytelling.

Finally, this book has two sets of antagonists. The evil Hierarchy empire, and the Anguis rebelling against them. The Anguis are righteous in their cause, but take it too far, killing innocent people to achieve their aims... except their failing. Up until the beginning of the book, they're just killing people without successfully advancing the cause of freedom.

I liked the Anguis as antagonists. They are using Diago as a pawn. They're the ones who got him placed in the academy, and they're willing to do ANYTHING to see him become a senator. Staging a murder as suicide or killing thousands of innocent men, women and children so Diago looks like a hero... they'll do it with a song on their lips. Further, they're hypocrites. The Hierarchy used the Will based magic system to conquer the world, and the Will is (to summarize) morally dubious at best. The Anguis hate the Will like they hate the Hierarchy, but they've started using the Will because they see it as the only way to win. When Diago points out their hypocrisy, they don't disagree with him.

PACING AND STRUCTURE

Pacing wise, this book has a slow start. This is a magic school book, and the magic school doesn't start til the 35% mark. There were a few interesting scenes in that 35%, (in particular, the naumacia was breathtaking), but a lot of it felt like set-up. I feel like a lot of that set-up could have been done away with. The narrative was willing to handwave away a lot of plot holes with 'I had tutors growing up,' I don't see why more of this set-up could have been handwaved away for the same reason. We didn't need a montage sequence for Diago learning to fight; we didn't need a montage for Diago learning how to use the labyrinth.

After that, though, I felt the book was paced just right. It was really fast, but slowed down just enough at moments to add nuance and characterization. The fight scenes were spaced in such a way to make the story fun to tell, but without overbearing the plot with lopsided amounts.

I feel that this book is structured into five acts.

Before school

I felt that the first two or three chapters were the slowest paced. In short, we're introduced to the protagonist in two settings. First, at his job as a prison warden and again at a fight scene in an arena.

After his adult adoption into a noble family, Diago goes on a date with Aequa to a festival called the naumachia. It's a mock boat fight in a flooded combat arena, between two navies. It goes horribly wrong when the Anguis attacks.

Diago saves the day, and is injured. He goes to the academy for the first time.

School starts

Diago is placed in the lowest rank at school, Grade 7. He makes friends. He progresses upwards to 6 by being a good student.

He's immediately punished, forced to clean the stables.

The middle grades

Diago deserves to be in Grade 5, but his teacher is racist against Diago.

To open up a slot for Diago to progress, the Anguis kill a student above him.

To progress into the open slot, Diago beats up another student in ritual combat. He graduates to Grade 5.

Diago's adoptive father demands Diago investigates an ancient ruin to find Caeror. Spooky magic.

Diago briefs his adoptive father on the contents of the ancient ruin. He demands more results.

Diago meets with the Anguis. Finds out about their treachery and double-dealing. Mention of a 'boat,' set up for later.

Aequa stabs him in the back, by setting up a test to ambush him in a back alley. Diago passes the test. Aequa is relegated, and Diago moves up to 4.

Diago plunders the depths of the true labyrinth to find Caeror, fails. He saves a dog.

Diago wins a game of chess against his nemesis to advance up to 3.

Suus

Under cover as a student of the Academy, Diago returns to his homeland of Suus. He's very sad to see it run down after it's conquest.

He saves Emissa's life from a riptide. They date.

He meets with Fadrique and the locals

He eavesdrops on the meeting of the Military taking place there. Mention of a 'boat,' pay off from earlier. Discovers that the Anguis and the Military are in an alliance.

The Ending

The final exam is a Battle Royale against all the other 3 students, winner gets a plumb position in the government. He allies with Callidus and and Aequa, even though Aequa betrayed him.

Diago's team is beaten by his nemesis... temporarily. Aequa does a double-backstab and saves their team.

The heroes team up to steal a magic tablet from the instructors, to use to beat the other students. They split up.

Under his dad's orders, he enters the real labyrinth again. He runs the trial and passes it. While running the maze, he discovers his nemesis' body in there; she ran and failed the trial. At the end of the trial, he discovers... an empty room. He frees lots of robot zombies though.

Robot zombie combat, with his pet dot.

Diago reunites with his Aequa and Callidus. They discover a pile of dead bodies. All the instructors, and some of the students, have been killed by the anguis.

They save as many students as possible... except Diago's girlfriend Emissa. Diago goes to save her from the Anguis.

Surprise! Emissa stabs Diago in an attempt to with the Battle Royale. Diago falls to his death... again (first time happened when his dynasty was overthrown).

Except he survives. He tracks down Callidus, finds him dying. The Anguis got him.

Diago returns to school and wins the Battle Royale.

Twist ending: the empty room isn't empty. It was really a cloning chamber. A copy of him appeared in a distant land. He finds Caeror.

Overall, I thought this was well structured. I personally felt that the first half of act 1 was the least compelling of the 5, but overall this worked well.

PLOT, STAKES AND TENSION

Okay, this is what the author does really well. I thought the plot was the best part of Licaneus, and it's good here too. I think the author is unusually talented at writing twisting and turning plots. Part of the reason why I enjoyed the characters more in this book is because they seemed to be active participants in the plotpoints, cunningly scheming against one another.

There was some roughness around the edges of the plotting. I thought the integration between the 'dungeon diver' plotline and the 'friends cooperating to climb the social ladder' plotlines should have been more integrated. As an example, I would have enjoyed if Callidus or Eidhin cooperated with Diago in either of the two ruin dives. But overall, this is a quibble and not a big deal.

I think this book could have stood to increase the stakes, sooner. When the characters went to Suus, we saw first hand just how bad the Hierarchy is for normal people. That happed at the 60% mark. I feel like this should have happened sooner. Additionally, I think the narrative could have explained the Cataclysm more. Why should we care about a new Cataclysm? The word 'Cataclysm' sounds bad, but it's never explained what a 'cataclysm' is exactly.

The book's tension was good. As stated, the book became more and more tense as the story went on as the protagonist's competition became more and more competent, as the stakes rose higher and higher.

AUTHORIAL VOICE (TONE, PROSE AND THEME)

This book's tone struck me as slightly less dour than 'Red Rising,' but more serious than 'Codex Alera,' the two books which are most similar to this one.

The author's prose was unexciting, but it worked. I think the prose as improved from 'Licaneus.' I'd compare it to Sanderson or McClellan or Butcher in it's simplicity. If you disliked Licaneus for it's simplistic prose, but you don't mind mainstream authors like Sanderson, I'd say give this a go if you're curious.

The book had a very, very obvious theme of deception and betrayal. Suus was betrayed from within by Fadrique. Diago betrays Suus by studying at the Academy. The Anguis betray the Hierarchy by rebelling. Emissa betrays Diago. Aequa betrays Diago. Belli betrays Callidus. Sedotia betrays Ulciscor. And the final test of the book is about trust and friendship in the Battle Royale. This was well done.

SETTING, WORLDBUILDING AND ORIGINALITY

This is what I really love about this book.

The author had the genius idea of combining Roman Slavery, Brandon Sanderson's Endowment system, and the Runelord's Endowment system. Ancient Rome was a MASSIVE slave state. This book had the clever idea of combining the feel of that highly-stratified society with a form of magic where poor people are compelled to spiritually enslave themselves to the aristocracy. The aristocracy becomes magically immensely strong, while the peasantry become weaker and stupider. This history-and-magic integration deeply added to the texture of the story, making it feel that much more believable. It also adds a tension to the story because the magic system is on it's very face deeply unjust and unethical.

The politics of ancient Rome are explored in another way, when the topic of military expansionism comes up. In short, Ancient Rome got rich and powerful by being constantly expanding, conquering surrounding lands. When the Roman empire got too large from all that conquest, it had constant barbarian invasions across it's many borders which it couldn't defend because of the Black Death/Plague of Justinian/Antonine plague. The Empire got too large, the middle couldn't hold, and the Empire imploded.

The Hierarchy has expanded to the point that it can't expand any further. The magic system encourages constant conquest and enslaving foreign lands, because the more octavii (aka peasants/serfs/slaves) under an aristocrat's control, the more magically powerful the aristocrat becomes. So what happens when all foreign lands are conquered? Simply put, all the forces which drove the Hierarchy to conquer distant lands are now pointed inwards at the Hierarchy itself. If an ambitious aristocrat wants to move up in the highly stratified Hierarchy society, the only way to grow stronger is to attack your fellow aristocrats and steal their peasants. Civil war becomes an inevitability, with factions like the Military sponsoring terrorist Anguis being the result. The middle can't hold, so the Hierarchy will implode.

The book explores other aspects of Roman culture. For example, do you know that Rome would flood the Colosseum and hold mock naval battles to entertain people? That happens here. Also, the culture of the Hierarchy are obsessed with lineage just like Rome, with a focus on adoption of adult children and performing rituals to placate the patronymic lares. Armed horsemen in this are cataphracts, just like Rome. I could keep going.

When I read a book inspired by history, THIS is exactly what I want to see. I like reading books where authors use diverse historical settings to tell a fun story, but too often the 'history' is little more than set dressing, a change of clothing. Or (even worse) they get the history wrong in such a way that the actual message is lost. Not here. This book is so deeply informed by history that you can't go two sentences without an echo of actual history singing off the page.

HOWEVER, it's not perfect. The Hierarchy is a pyramid with three sides: the Government, the Military, and Religion. These three separate institutions control the empire. They are rivals to institutional power, and push and pull against one another for control. Neat concept, and totally ahistorical.

In actual Rome the relationship between Government, military and religion were very fluid. Before Julius Caeser was a Consul (government) and general(military), he was a priest of Jupiter (religion). To climb the social ladder in Rome, you'd often advance sideways by going from a priesthood to the military to the government, clawing your way higher and higher the entire time. Often Roman priesthoods, government offices and military posts were the same thing. The Vestal Virgin priesthood played an important role in maintaining and guarding important government documents. Roman judges were priests of the gods of justice.

And you know what? It's fine this book got it wrong. The book failed in the nitty-gritty of this aspect of Roman culture, but it succeeded in showing the highly competitive nature of Roman government. If it takes creative liberties around the edges, I'm willing to forgive it.

Finally, this book does something really cool. This book has as a theme of 'ancient civilization destroyed and we have to reclaim their technology.' Fun fact, this trope is a Western cultural relic left behind by the destruction of the Western Roman Empire. Seeing actual Romans playing around with this trope is a bit hilarious. You got the cart before the horse! I loved reading it, it was a great inversion of tropes. (Also this trope is false, the technology never was lost after the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Dark Ages, but that's an entirely different story.)

LESSONS LEARNED

As an author, I want to improve my own writing/editing skills. To that end, I like to learn lessons from every story I read. Here's what I learned from this story:

Fully integrate the magic system with the theme of the book. In this case, the Roman Slavery theme is extrapolated into a magic system where aristocrats gain magic by enslaving people.

This book does a good job of integrated ethnicity into the story. Not just because the aristocrats at the academy were prejudiced against Diago, but also when Diago and Eidhin were initially prejudiced against one another but later became friends, when it was revealed that they were from similar, but not the same, ethnicity.

When you adapt a setting, try to honor it. I feel this book did a great job of bringing Roman life to the page.

People often say 'I want more non-medieval European fantasy.' They're right! But that doesn't just translate to peeling the skin off of a medieval European fantasy novel and slapping on a skin of some other setting.

You need to actually go into the day-to-day life of that other setting, understand the mechanics of their society and government, and portray it reasonably faithfully. Remember that your book might be the only exposure your audience gets to that setting. Try to be a good historian and do a decent job of showing what life was actually like so your reader comes away with a reasonably accurate understanding. You are allowed to make changes, but make those changes carefully.

Here's a link to all the lessons I've previously learned.

SUMMARY

This is a great book. I'd start reading book 2 right now were it available. I think this is in contention for the best book I'll read this year.

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★☆

This is my first foray into James Islington’s work and I was not disappointed. Dark academia and grim dark novels are in vogue recently (or perhaps just in my reading list), and the Ancient Rome-esque setting to this series adds an additional little shine to that trope.

The beginning of this book was hardest to get through for me. There was a lot of action happening, but it was hard to understand what the stakes were. As soon as Act II starts though, this read is a breeze. The world of The Hierarchy is extremely compelling, not least because there’s so many mysteries that even those in power are in the dark about. This creates the tension that I think is a necessary anchor-point for the sleuthing and power play that makes up most of the novel.

Note: There are some graphic action and torture sequences, so this is definitely not the book for queasy stomachs.

My only minor gripe is that Vis is too good at everything he tries. This kills the anticipation for some key conflict scenes in the book. Many times I found myself skimming through because the author had already established that no one is a match for Vis, and he walks away with few plot altering injuries. I wish that he would have failed more often, had to rely more on friends or smart thinking to get out of situations; the explanation for his skill at literally anything is “royal upbringing”. His only real flaw is anger, and that makes him feel like less rounded of a character than he could be.

The world of The Hierarchy will me coming back for more, though, and I hope we uncover a more mortal, flawed side to Vis in the next book.

after thoroughly enjoy Islington's previous work, I had to know how he would play with the magical school trope and once again he did not disappoint. Don't let the size fool you, his words are so digestible that you want to fly through the whole thing in a sitting or two.

I can absolutely see why this is being compared to Red Rising. It is so similar in so many ways, yet different enough to hook me and not make me feel as if I'm being fed derivative work. It is an utterly addictive tale of a young man driven to succeed in the halls of the enemy, but it is also one of discovery, friendship, and sheer will power (hah).
Vis Telimus, or Vis Solum as we are first introduced to him, is an orphan who came from the royal lineage of Suus, an island nation conquered by the Hierarchy. He's been toiling away in a minor city at the edges of the empire, but is brought to the attention of one Magnus Quintus Telimus when Vis recognizes an obscure language. Telimus adopts him, and puts him forth as a student at a prestigious academy where the sons and daughters of the Hierarchy's most powerful players go to learn to wield Will. Of course the motive behind this is that Telimus needs a spy for the Military inside an institution run by Religion, so Vis certainly has his work cut out for him. Especially since a rebel group called the Aquiris have a plan for him as well, though he's less keen on helping a group responsible for killing the people he perceives as innocent.
Vis is instantly likable, showing an intense intelligence and a sense of "right". You could easily call him a Mary Sue type character, but I personally find it enjoyable when the character rises to the top with sheer brilliance and a certain degree of shenanigans.
One of the best parts of this story is Vis's friendships developing over the course of the story. Callidus and Eidhen end up becoming two of his closest companions and Vis becomes close with a few other students as well. Of course, on the flip side he makes quite a few enemies while he's at it. James Islington did a brilliant job of balancing plot development (the shenanigans and infiltration) alongside the human, emotional portions and this deftly executed balance is what made me love this story to such an intense degree. That and the ending that made me go "what the actual duck!". If you know, you know. And you're probably looking up any scrap of info available about the sequel too.
This was an easy 5 stars and will, with certainty, be going on my list of best books of the year. Now excuse me, I must go shout about this from the rooftops… I've already recommended it to a friend who I just got hooked on Red Rising.

My thanks to Gallery Books, James Islington and Netgalley.
I had planned on doing up one hell of a review. Characters, placement and what all.
Then I noticed Rover. That's my Betta fish. He was giving me the evil eye, and flashing his beautiful fins at me! Sure. I could almost read his thoughts. How could I not? His 👀 eyes, and his fins..Just giving me the "feed me now" look.
Yeah, he owns me!
O.K. So, in truth we all know that I never give reviews. What I give are feelings of the story.
This story was initially difficult to get into. I think it was mostly because what's his face was a bit much. Superhero a bit? Yes. Well rounded? Yes.
It was too much.
I'll confess that I really didn't like the first half of this story.
Thankfully, it definitely grew on me!
No mucking around here, but I guarantee that I'll be reading the next book.

It took a while to get into but I enjoyed the over all character arc and the underlying fantasy world inspired by the idea of control and subservience

This book was an unexpected 5 star read for me, which I requested on a whim and am pleased to report turned out to be a banger! It reminded me of what YA blockbusters used to be like a few years ago--in a good way--specifically An Ember in the Ashes, but with more interesting SFF worldbuilding and less focus on the romance. (I love romance and mention the comparative lack of it as neither complaint nor endorsement, just noting that while there is a love interest it's much less central here.) It's also a lot stronger than the author's first and initially self-published novel, which I went back and tried to read when I realized I now have to wait a year or more for the next one in this series, and I hope this new trilogy will bring him many new readers. If the publisher is smart they'll do everything they can to market it as the YA crossover it truly is, and personally I'll recommend to teen and up readers who like SFF with fast-paced, high concept plots set in worlds that feel big in both scope and stakes.

This was my first time reading a story by James Islington. He has been in my TBR for a couple of years already but time has not been in my favor until now. God bless 2023 and Gallery Books for giving me the chance to enjoy this amazing story. After reading this book I'm more than convinced to buy and read the Licanius Trilogy.

The first element I must highlight from the book is the magical system. I know there are other books with magical systems based on casts, however, this is the first one I've read with this type of magic and I LOVED IT. I think James handled very effectively the explanation and logic of this system, making it work during the novel and making it easy to understand for the reader.

I also enjoyed how James treated the magical school trope. This is so different from what I've been used to reading in other stories. In this case, in order for you to progress and improve your education, you have to rise through the academy's ranks and compete against the top students. Also, this place is full of secrets and conspiracy. Vis, our main character, isn't in the Catenan Academy just for the learning process, he's there to uncover secrets, get information about conspiracies that may be forming within its walls and, well, blend with the community, so they think is unharmful.

Another element I'd like to highlight are the amazing action scenes that James provides in this novel. Every time there was a fight o a battle in the book, I felt like I was in the first row, looking at it so closely I could listen to everything that was happening around me. Islington's descriptions and narration are so precise and thoughtful that I felt immerse into the story.

I recommend this book to readers that have already some experience with Fantasy. This is not an introductory book with basic storytelling, here you'll find a dense novel with complex characters plotting against each other. Now, if you are a fantasy reader with some baggage, this is a novel that you must read. You'll definitely enjoy it from the beginning to the end.

It's been a hot minute since I read a high fantasy novel that didn't have a romance figured centrally in the story, but I found myself absolutely rapt with all 688 pages of this book.

The book's main character, Vis, an orphaned, ex-prince who is bitter at the empire that toppled his family's kingdom and destroyed his entire family. The new rulers have established a hierarchical system where those at the bottom cede their Will to those in higher positions, granting them more power and control over those beneath them. While this system of ceding is required by all citizens of Catenan, Vis has managed to escape the ritual and the notice of those in power. That is until he meets Ulciscor Telimus who notices the device that draws the Will out of people doesn't have any effect on Vis. Using not-so-veiled threats and the promise of a life of Vis's choosing, Telimus convinces Vis to allow him to be adopted and work for him as a spy at the Academy -- a school where the children of the elite are trained to become future leaders -- in pursuit of the secrets behind Caeror Telimus's mysterious death.

As with most high fantasy series, summaries barely skim the surface of what was contained between the pages of this book. While there were tropes and relatively simplistic structural concepts, Islington managed to expand and complicate these ideas in ways that immersed me in this world, beyond my sessions reading it. I found getting into this world a bit confusing, but it became clearer as the story continued and the reader starts learning the secrets of this society and its inner machinations. Although there were some plot twists that I saw coming, there were a few surprising moments that kept me turning the pages well past my bed time.

While I certainly didn't love everything about the writing style in places and some parts were a bit confusing to get through, I rated this book five stars because it was just a good time. I'm sad I have to leave this world for a little while and excited to see how this develops as a series.

I think this is going to be one of the best fantasy books that come out this year.

Vis is an orphan with a past that he keeps secret. Once a prince of Suus, the Hierarchy has taken control of the world, including slaughtering millions. When Vis is noticed by a Quintis, he is adopted and set on the path of greatness... at least according to Catenan standards. Inwardly Vis revolts at every turn, but outwardly he plays the political game he is now a part of. On one hand, searching for clues to a murder and, on the other hand, attending Catenan Academy to rise among its ranks .

This story instantly grabbed me. Vis is a relatable and likable character, and I felt like I was fighting along beside him through this whole story. James Islington is a masterful storyteller, and I can not recommend this more!

Out May 23, 2023!
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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I can say that I enjoy reading a first book in a brand new and exciting series. Didn't try to find out to much about this book but having read a book by this author I was hopeful that it would pretty decent. For some this will at the top of their lists of best books this year and for others I am not it will hit that mark. For its falling somewhere between as I did like reading it but there are parts that just were sort of not interesting to me and a little confusing. This can happen when you introduced into a new world and are bombarded with so many new characters. I didn't really like the use of Roman or Greek type names as they are not favorite. I didn't expect this to end in a school type of environment, but it was ok for the most part. The way fight scenes were orchestrated sort make sense as he was usually fighting stronger people and needed to end fights quickly. The magic system was talked about, but I suppose will learn more about in the next books in the series. This is one of the things I found interesting and sort of confusing at the same time. Wasn't really caring to much about the plot of this book but at the end I did get into it. Most of the story was not really that unsurprising to me but the last few chapters there was a twist that I was not expecting but should have been having reading a book by this author before. Can't say if this will be an automatic reread for me but it was worth the time reading it for sure. Thanks to the author for a good story and netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read a good book as always. I think 3 and half stars is what I give this one.

Another book with lots of high ratings and reviews already. This author writes well and I stayed engaged. The author has a great imagination and puts on the page well.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

Holy hell! This story was awesome! I really loved the dark academia and epic fantasy vibes. It had a Red Rising feel to it, combined with some dystopian Hunger Games similarities, yet this book definitely was its own thing. It wasn't a ripoff of anything that I've read before. Very original in execution and the way the author manipulated familiar tropes. The characters were incredible, which is so important to me as a character-focused reader. I loved so many of them and really hated others! Islington did a great job of bringing his characters to life. And just when I thought I had this story figured out, he twisted the entire plot into something that was really cool but totally unexpected, at least for me, and it really blew my mind. This book was amazing and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Saga for providing an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.