The "Red Rising" graduation
If you have a reader who spent their middle school years obsessed with The Hunger Games or Red Rising, they’ve likely hit a wall where YA fantasy starts to feel a bit thin. James Islington wrote this book for the reader who wants the high-stakes "undercover in an elite academy" trope but with the training wheels ripped off.
It shares a DNA with those series—a protagonist who shouldn't exist, a brutal caste system, and a school where the grading curve is literal life and death—but it’s significantly more rigorous. While many fantasy novels rely on "chosen one" destiny, Vis wins because he is better prepared, more observant, and willing to take a beating. It’s a refreshing pivot for kids who are tired of protagonists who just happen to be the best at everything without showing the work.
A magic system that’s actually a social critique
The "Will" system is the most interesting thing about this world. In the Catenan Hierarchy, people can cede their physical and mental energy to those above them. It’s a literalized version of a class-based economy. The people at the top are essentially gods because thousands of people at the bottom are "giving" them their strength.
This creates a specific kind of friction that makes the book more than just an adventure. It’s a story about the ethics of power. If your teenager is currently navigating the lighter fare in our fantasy books and movies for tweens, this is the "final boss" of that genre. It forces the reader to ask: Is a stable, peaceful empire worth it if the foundation is built on this kind of parasitic theft?
The first-act hurdle
Let’s be real: the first 50 to 100 pages are a lot. Islington doesn't do much hand-holding with the Roman-inspired terminology. You’ll see terms like Septimus, Sextus, and Telestiane thrown around without a glossary. It’s easy to feel lost.
If your kid is a "vibes" reader who gets frustrated when they don't understand every noun immediately, tell them to push through to the arrival at the Academy. Once Vis is on campus, the book transforms into a high-octane thriller. If they’re still struggling, the audiobook is a great pivot—the narrator handles the Latin-esque pronunciations well and helps keep the momentum up during the denser world-building chunks.
Why it’s sticking the landing
In a landscape full of "BookTok" hits that often prioritize romance over plot, The Will of the Many is a reminder that intellectual fantasy can still be a massive page-turner. It currently holds a 4.7 on Amazon for a reason: it respects the reader’s intelligence.
The ending is a genuine "holy shit" moment that recontextualizes the entire book. It’s rare to find a story that manages to be this bleak and this fun at the same time. If you want to get a 16-year-old off their phone and back into a 600-page hardcover, this is the strongest candidate we’ve seen in years.
