Sarah Z. Creates

I don’t know why it’s so difficult for me to write reviews for stories I like. It is, but I’ll give it my best shot!

Best Bit

My favorite thing about the Hierarchy series (to date) is the main character, Vis. He’s an old soul in a young body who’s had way too much trauma in his life. He has a secret that could get him killed, and his grief keeps getting shoved in his face, but he keeps going. He’s clever and brave and terrified, and I just love him.

Bit That Works

The plot is good. Not “I will re-read this forever,” but good. Engaging enough that I finished both 600-plus page books. In addition to being physically thick, they also skew intellectually dense, at times. The magical theory is a little math-heavy for me, and at times, the necessary explanations drag on the plot.

Bit That Bothered Me

I really was not a fan of the way book 2 divided into three separate storylines. I was very invested in the characters of book 1, and these many (many) new characters and plot arcs felt like they were stealing time and attention from my faves. I skimmed a lot of the extra on my first read. SPOILER (Skip to the Final Recommendation if you need to!) I also was not a huge fan of the “back from the dead” bit. Yes, it probably provided a lot of necessary “this is what the bad guys are up to” plot elements, but … it felt a little cheap to me. Poor Vis.

Final Recommendation

All that said, am I ready for book 3? Hell, yes! Bring it! Although, by the time it’s out, I’ll need to take a week off to re-read books 1 and 2. So I can really enjoy book 3!

If you’ve read “The Strength of the Few,” what did you think—especially about the POV shifts and Vis’s arc?