The Will of the Many — Done

Just another quick one to get into the habit and write some more. This is the follow-up to my one-third-in thoughts where I cover what the book is about — worth a read first if you haven’t seen it.

Where did we end up?

Looking back at some of the open questions I had at the 1/3 mark — mostly about the power system — and sadly we did not learn much more, other than that there are definitely some tensions between the factions. We did get some more info about our protagonist Vis and how he has learned more of his tricks, but I suspect there is more to come. Foreshadowing.

What did I think?

The only thing I can really add is what I think about the book, and I don’t think it is a new timeless classic. But I did end up reading too long on at least a few evenings, feeling like I just wanted one more chapter. And I think that is one of the best things you can say about a book.

As you have seen I’m not a very good writer, so I’ll hold off on trying to say something about the writing style — I’ll leave that for other folks. But I do want to talk a bit about the one thing I feel holds the book back: the way time moves. I understand that most of the time our lives are a bit dull, but there are moments where whoosh — half a year has passed — and then we get a single hour stretched out over I don’t know how many chapters. Somehow our year and a half at the academy felt a bit short. I feel like we missed out on some bonding time.

Recommendations

I suspect you will know if you will like this book or not — it has a lot of emo teenager energy. But sometimes that is just what you want.

I find the world to be richly drawn in places, then there are areas where nothing is explained, and I do find that a bit inconsistent. But then again I really like books that flesh out their world, and I suspect just as many people will prefer this more restrained style.

I think it is a good fantasy book. I would have liked to learn more about the other characters, but the way Vis is written he doesn’t make trusting friends easily.

If you feel like some classic emo fantasy with a lost hero boy, I suspect you will find some joy following along on Vis’s wild ride. The ending doesn’t feel like much of an ending — more of a toss into the next book — so if you want something quick and self-contained, this is not it. You will not leave feeling finished if you only read this one.

But with that said, I have already started the next book and have to stop myself from reading too much.

Thanks for reading, hope you find something you enjoy!