First Lines Friday – 22/05/2026
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I’m back with a First Lines Friday, and I’m looking forward to sharing details of a book I have on my radar as it contributes towards the Goodreads 2026 Spring Reading Challenge. I had plenty of books to choose from. I have three other books on my TBR, as well as today’s feature, that will contribute towards the has me debating whether to pick up today’s feature for the Editor’s Picks award. Initially, my gut instinct was to pick up one of two other books. Now though, I may change my mind…
Let’s take a look at the opening lines, and then dive into details of the book!
I am dangling, and it is only my father’s blood-slicked grip around my wrist that prevents me from falling.
He is on his stomach, stretched out over the rocky ledge. His muscles are corded. Sticky red covers his face, his arms, his clothes, everything I can see. Yet I know he can pull me up. I do everything I can not to struggle. I trust him to save me.
He looks over my shoulder. Into the inky black. Into the darkness that is to come.
“Courage,” he whispers. He pours heartbreak and hope into the word. 
He lets go.
The Will of the Many – James Islington
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 640
Audience: Adult
Publisher: Saga Press
Publication Date: 23 May 2023
Goodreads – The Will of the Many
At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this “brilliant and gut-churning masterpiece” (Library Journal, starred review) by the internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.
The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.
I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilized society in allowing my strength, my drive, and my focus—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.
I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.
But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.
And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.
To survive though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them, and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.
And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.
My Thoughts…
The introduction in today’s First Lines Friday has me wondering if I should forego picking up Challenger or The Song of the Cell, which were my first choices, for The Will of the Many.
Dark academia is a genre I enjoy reading every time I go back to it. That’s why The Will of the Many is on my TBR anyway. That, and I’ve heard amazing things about the book. With that introduction, I’m already asking questions about the dynamic between the characters. It’s shocking and there is barely any detail or context for us to understand what is going on – and hook our attention!
I don’t know a lot about The Will of the Many beyond the synopsis and that fellow reviewers I trust enjoyed the book. And you know what, I’m kind of happy with that. I’m willing to go with the vibes and be surprised either way. Sometimes, it’s refreshing to go into a book not knowing – when you’re active in the community and read reviews by others, it’s rare to go into a book without some kind of preconception.
Have you read The Will of the Many? Do you like dark academia and want to read along with me? If you liked today’s post, please consider grabbing your copy of the book using this link, from which I will earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday, and hope you’re looking forward to the long weekend ahead!
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