But once he’s adopted, he realizes that his adoptive father has an ulterior motive-to send Vis to the Academy to find answers about something he can’t find out in any other way. Vis is adopted by someone rather prominently placed in the Senate, from a well-known and distinguished family line. The entire Hierarchy depends on people ceding their Will to higher-ups in the pyramid, creating a corrupt system where the people at the top, with the most Will benefit, and the people at the bottom contribute the most and get the least out of it. The world building in this story is so creative and unique, and it speaks to Islington’s talent-despite how much information is shared, he never info-dumps and always presents the information in bite-sized chunks that make it easy to understand and absorb as it arises. He’s an orphan who hates the Catenan Republic and the Hierarchy and everything it stands for, but is trapped by it.

The story is told through the eyes of a 17 year old boy, Vis. It’s kind of like what I’d expect from Red Rising if it was set in a fantasy world instead of in space. However, I had nothing to worry about, because this book turned out to be one of the most incredible reads I’ve found lately. I’ve been on a big fantasy kick lately, so when I started this book, I wasn’t quite sure if it would live up to all the other amazing reads I’ve finished recently. 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.Īnd if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me. To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.Īnd that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family. I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.īut the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised 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. 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. The Catenan Republic – the Hierarchy – may rule the world now, but they do not know everything. CONTENT WARNING: blood, violence, gore, murder, suicide, bullying, grief, harm to an animalĪt the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

The licanius trilogy review