Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing one of my most anticipated releases of the year, The Strength of the Few by James Islington. I loved The Will of the Many so much and have been dying to know where the story would go next after the crazy way it ended. Did this sequel live up to the heights of the first book? Read on for all of my thoughts!

This highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Many—one of 2023’s most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels—follows Vis as he grapples with a dangerous secret that could change the course of history across alternate dimensions.

OMNE TRIUM PERFECTUM.

The Hierarchy still call me Vis Telimus. Still hail me as Catenicus. They still, as one, believe they know who I am.

But with all that has happened—with what I fear is coming—I am not sure it matters anymore.

I am no longer one. I won the Iudicium, and lost everything—and now, impossibly, the ancient device beyond the Labyrinth has replicated me across three separate worlds. A different version of myself in each of Obiteum, Luceum, and Res. Three different bodies, three different lives. I have to hide; fight; play politics. I have to train; trust; lie. I have to kill; heal; prove myself again, and again, and again.

I am loved, and hated, and entirely alone.

Above all, though, I need to find answers before it’s too late. To understand the nature of what has happened to me, and why.

I need to find a way to stop the coming Cataclysm, because if all I have learned is true, I may be the only one who can.

While there wasn’t anything particularly bad about The Strength of the Few, I did find it quite underwhelming. I really loved the first book in this series and knew it would be a hard act to follow. This story felt both bloated and too short at the same time while succumbing to common issues that often plague second books in a series. The relentlessly plodding set up for future parts of the story combined with some lackluster plot and character choices left me feeling meh by the end of this one.

In the beginning, I was actually really intrigued by the split in the plot between the three different worlds and versions of Vis. The detail of the world-building in each setting, especially in Obiteum, was one of my favorite things about the book. Unfortunately, I quickly came to hate the effect of the split on the pacing and the plot. While the scope was ambitious, the breadth of things happening meant that nothing got enough focus. Additionally, every time I’d get invested in one of the stories, the narrative switched back to another one. At times, it felt like I was reading three different books simultaneously, which felt jarring and became frustrating rather quickly.

I also found that very little in The Strength of the Few felt earned. In the first book, the struggles of Vis and the development of his relationships were messy and explored in so much detail. The weaving in and out of different storylines and worlds in this book made that depth impossible to uphold. I felt that in how the characters were treated most of all. Most of the people we got to know in the first book were completely sidelined, only getting glorified cameos. Then new characters were introduced in Obiteum and Luceum, but having to share space in the narrative with all of the other characters from three different worlds just didn’t give enough time for them to have the impact I expected.

The plot of The Strength of the Few also took a hit from being delved up into three different stories. I wanted to see so much more of Vis navigating Catenan politics. We got to see some of the big moments, which were great, but that storyline just felt like it skipped so much. The use of will in this book was markedly different, too. Whereas it followed pretty strict rules in the first book, it felt like a free for all in this one. The power pretty much became whatever Vis needed it to be in the moment, which was a little annoying. Some of the deaths, and many of the resurrections, also just felt really cheap, and the revelations about Ka and the Concurrence seemed obvious to me from the beginning.

All of that being said, my experience with The Strength of the Few wasn’t all bad. lol. Thank goodness, or it would have made for a painful 700+ pages. There were so many great sequences in this book. The chariot race and the infiltration of Ka’s pyramid, in particular, had me on the edge of my seat. The action, pacing, and descriptions in those scenes were nothing short of spectacular. The story also set up the potential for a really great third installment that might explore some juicy themes related to the morality of what to do when all of the possible actions cause harm.

Overall, The Strength of the Few took some really big swings. While I don’t think I’d categorize this book as a miss, it definitely wasn’t a home run. The pacing and character development weren’t always that great, but the world-building was interesting and laid the groundwork for what will likely be an explosive third installment. It wasn’t as good of a time as I’d hoped it would be, but I enjoyed it despite the fact it didn’t quite recapture the magic of the first book. Therefore, I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on The Strength of the Few by James Islington. Did you love/hate where this sequel took the story? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!