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Falling Kingdoms #1
Falling Kingdoms
Treacherous betrayals, secret alliances, unforeseen murders, and forbidden love—
The world of Mytica will hold you captive:
AURANOS - Privileged Princess Cleo is forced to confront violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse.
LIMEROS - The king’s son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father’s trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying secret about her heritage that will change everything.
PAELSIA - Rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.
Witches, if found, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.
The world of Mytica will hold you captive:
AURANOS - Privileged Princess Cleo is forced to confront violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse.
LIMEROS - The king’s son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father’s trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying secret about her heritage that will change everything.
PAELSIA - Rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.
Witches, if found, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.
412 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2012
About the author
Morgan Rhodes
21 books6,664 followersMorgan Rhodes lives in Ontario, Canada. As a child, she always wanted to be a princess -- the kind that knows how to wield a sharp sword to help save both kingdoms and princes from fire-breathing dragons and dark wizards. Instead, she became a writer, which is just as good and much less dangerous. Along with writing, Morgan enjoys photography, travel, reality TV, and is an extremely picky, yet voracious reader of all kinds of books. Under another pen name, she’s a national bestselling author of many paranormal novels. Falling Kingdoms is her first high fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,416 reviews
February 7, 2016
Falling Kingdoms crushed my heart but exceeded all my expectations. SO GOOD. If you love high fantasy, do yourself a favor and read this book.
June 23, 2015
I can already tell that this is going to end up being one of my favorite series! Excellent cast of characters with a shocking and unexpected plot full of twists and turns. I can't wait to pick up the next book!
April 25, 2017
This book is being hailed as "A Game of Thrones for young adults." I have only read the first twenty pages of A Game of Thrones & I can already tell you that is like comparing a stick figure drawing to a professional painting.
Perhaps the barest framework of the two series can be compared, but anything more than that is a stretch.
Falling Kingdoms follows a handful of young main characters spread out across three neighboring territories. Nearly all of them are prominent political figures: princes, princesses, etc. When an act of violence is committed on foreign soil, all three kingdoms become embroiled in a bloody war.
Now, I feel obligated to mention that this 'bloody war' doesn't actually become relevant until around the 80% mark. The pace up to that point is dreadfully slow.
No, not just slow. Needlessly slow.
A couple small things happen here & there along the way, but it mostly consists of each character whining about their individual circumstances.
The world building is severely lacking, as we only see wisps of the mythology & magic of Mytica.
This series contains six books, so I realize there are likely more explanations to come, but if the first book doesn't provide enough information to hook the reader then I typically won't stick around to find out more.
The characterization was shoddy at best & laughable at worst.
There is hardly any difference between how each character speaks. All the dialogue reads like it's the same voice. The same extremely corny voice.
I felt like I was reading a bad high school play with a medieval theme.
Also, I don't know if I have ever experienced such an intense dislike for almost every main character the way I did with this book.
I can only think of two characters I would happily hold a door open for, and one of them barely got any screen time so really I have no idea if I truly like him or not.
I like flaws. I like villains. I like moral ambiguity.
The problem I have with this set of characters is that I can tell I am supposed to sympathize with them.
Spoiler alert: I DIDN'T.
Everyone is a brat.
Impulsive. Selfish. Rage-inducing.
It made it difficult to root for them or hope for their future growth.
I can't find anything positive to say about Rhodes' writing style either. Her word choices were odd & the tone of narration conflicted with the mental image I was getting.
Example: "Concern coated her words."
The word "coated" in this sentence creates one of three potential visual experiences for me:
1. Words coated in snow.
2. Words coated in rust, lichen, etc.
3. Words coated in chocolate/sprinkles/candy of some kind.
The tone of these visual experiences didn't line up with the tone that was established in sentences directly before this one.
Saying, "Her words echoed with concern," or something similar would have matched the serious nature of the situation much better.
Is this nitpicking? Maybe. But these patches of choppy writing popped up so many times that I felt jolted while reading.
After the 80% mark when the ball finally starts moving, I had already thrown myself off the wagon in a full on tuck-and-roll.
The action was predictable. The climax was underwhelming. The political leaders had the intuition of toddlers.
Despite disliking the book itself, I had an absolute blast participating in a fantasy league game with these awesome people:
♥ Frankie
♥ Kaylin
♥ Rachelle
♥ Jeremy
♥ Bentley
I've heard this series gets better as it goes along. I will be continuing on this journey with them unless it becomes unbearable, and so I suppose I will see for myself if that is true!
Perhaps the barest framework of the two series can be compared, but anything more than that is a stretch.
Falling Kingdoms follows a handful of young main characters spread out across three neighboring territories. Nearly all of them are prominent political figures: princes, princesses, etc. When an act of violence is committed on foreign soil, all three kingdoms become embroiled in a bloody war.
Now, I feel obligated to mention that this 'bloody war' doesn't actually become relevant until around the 80% mark. The pace up to that point is dreadfully slow.
No, not just slow. Needlessly slow.
A couple small things happen here & there along the way, but it mostly consists of each character whining about their individual circumstances.
The world building is severely lacking, as we only see wisps of the mythology & magic of Mytica.
This series contains six books, so I realize there are likely more explanations to come, but if the first book doesn't provide enough information to hook the reader then I typically won't stick around to find out more.
The characterization was shoddy at best & laughable at worst.
There is hardly any difference between how each character speaks. All the dialogue reads like it's the same voice. The same extremely corny voice.
I felt like I was reading a bad high school play with a medieval theme.
Also, I don't know if I have ever experienced such an intense dislike for almost every main character the way I did with this book.
I can only think of two characters I would happily hold a door open for, and one of them barely got any screen time so really I have no idea if I truly like him or not.
I like flaws. I like villains. I like moral ambiguity.
The problem I have with this set of characters is that I can tell I am supposed to sympathize with them.
Spoiler alert: I DIDN'T.
Everyone is a brat.
Impulsive. Selfish. Rage-inducing.
It made it difficult to root for them or hope for their future growth.
I can't find anything positive to say about Rhodes' writing style either. Her word choices were odd & the tone of narration conflicted with the mental image I was getting.
Example: "Concern coated her words."
The word "coated" in this sentence creates one of three potential visual experiences for me:
1. Words coated in snow.
2. Words coated in rust, lichen, etc.
3. Words coated in chocolate/sprinkles/candy of some kind.
The tone of these visual experiences didn't line up with the tone that was established in sentences directly before this one.
Saying, "Her words echoed with concern," or something similar would have matched the serious nature of the situation much better.
Is this nitpicking? Maybe. But these patches of choppy writing popped up so many times that I felt jolted while reading.
After the 80% mark when the ball finally starts moving, I had already thrown myself off the wagon in a full on tuck-and-roll.
The action was predictable. The climax was underwhelming. The political leaders had the intuition of toddlers.
Despite disliking the book itself, I had an absolute blast participating in a fantasy league game with these awesome people:
♥ Frankie
♥ Kaylin
♥ Rachelle
♥ Jeremy
♥ Bentley
I've heard this series gets better as it goes along. I will be continuing on this journey with them unless it becomes unbearable, and so I suppose I will see for myself if that is true!
June 26, 2016
Perfect. I-read-it-in-one-sitting perfect.
That is the most fascinating thing about Falling Kingdoms.The characters aren't pure good or pure evil (except Gaius,that hideous bastard),they make choices that lead them to one path or another,they fight hard their inner demons,they justify their actions based on their beliefs of right and wrong and their needs. I'm just trying to make sense of everything and finding that nothing at all makes sense .I am not really sure where my loyalties truly lie,I just know that this book was so addictive and exciting that I held my breath in every page!
The death of a peasant in the hands of a royal triggered the events that altered the course of three nations.Through war,death,betrayals and hatred our 4 heroes have to find out who they really are and what they are going to do with that knowledge.In the end,it all comes down to the four crystals that wield unlimited power that can corrupt anyone,and the difficult journey to find them.What remains unanswered is who deserves them the most.
Cleo.The stubborn princess who is used to getting everything she wants.She may be naive sometimes,but her heart is pure and stronger than anyone could ever imagine.I think she is my favorite so far,a young girl with the weight of the world,her family and her nation in her shoulders.
Magnus.The prince of a falling kingdom,the son of the King of Blood,he was never respected by his father,who thought kindness is a weakness.I can't forgive him for what he did.I can't forgive him (yet) for becoming so cold and heartless,but I understand him and that is a huge achievement.I hope he will find his way,because there are times that my heart breaks for him.
Lucia.A sorceress princess who doesn't know the vastness of her powers.Everyone wants to use her,from her father to the ancient Watchers.She is a character with great potential for destruction or salvation.Maybe both.
Jonas.I don't know what to make of him.His ideals are noble,he wants to be free,to be considered a human being,he wants a better future for his starving people,but he was blinded by hatred and was manipulative at times,and I am conflicted over him.
Adventure woven with elemental magic,fantasy lands,illicit romances,legends of goddesses,heartless rulers,deaths and courage make Falling Kingdoms a brilliant book.What are you waiting for?
Even in the darkest and most cruel person, there is still a kernel of good. And within the most perfect champion,there is darkness.The question is,will one give in to the dark or the light?
That is the most fascinating thing about Falling Kingdoms.The characters aren't pure good or pure evil (except Gaius,that hideous bastard),they make choices that lead them to one path or another,they fight hard their inner demons,they justify their actions based on their beliefs of right and wrong and their needs. I'm just trying to make sense of everything and finding that nothing at all makes sense .I am not really sure where my loyalties truly lie,I just know that this book was so addictive and exciting that I held my breath in every page!
The death of a peasant in the hands of a royal triggered the events that altered the course of three nations.Through war,death,betrayals and hatred our 4 heroes have to find out who they really are and what they are going to do with that knowledge.In the end,it all comes down to the four crystals that wield unlimited power that can corrupt anyone,and the difficult journey to find them.What remains unanswered is who deserves them the most.
She would be strong.She would reclaim her rightful throne.She would be queen.
Cleo.The stubborn princess who is used to getting everything she wants.She may be naive sometimes,but her heart is pure and stronger than anyone could ever imagine.I think she is my favorite so far,a young girl with the weight of the world,her family and her nation in her shoulders.
Weak things are so very easy to break.
Magnus.The prince of a falling kingdom,the son of the King of Blood,he was never respected by his father,who thought kindness is a weakness.I can't forgive him for what he did.I can't forgive him (yet) for becoming so cold and heartless,but I understand him and that is a huge achievement.I hope he will find his way,because there are times that my heart breaks for him.
Lucia.A sorceress princess who doesn't know the vastness of her powers.Everyone wants to use her,from her father to the ancient Watchers.She is a character with great potential for destruction or salvation.Maybe both.
Jonas.I don't know what to make of him.His ideals are noble,he wants to be free,to be considered a human being,he wants a better future for his starving people,but he was blinded by hatred and was manipulative at times,and I am conflicted over him.
You must continue to believe with all your heart.Sometimes belief is all if takes to make something real.
Adventure woven with elemental magic,fantasy lands,illicit romances,legends of goddesses,heartless rulers,deaths and courage make Falling Kingdoms a brilliant book.What are you waiting for?
September 19, 2015
I should have known there’d be trouble in paradise when I found out that Morgan Rhodes was a non de plume for Michelle Rowen, who wrote that terrible Dark Kiss novel that I couldn’t even finish.
I buddy read Falling Kingdom with ItsJaneLindsey who was my beloved BookBuddyAthon Buddy. And I think both of us suffered greatly as we read it together.
Falling Kingdoms is really Fantasy Lite with scarcely enough world building and concepts to skate by. If it asked me to witness it I’d be all like:
Because who hasn’t pictured me as the megalomaniac god-figure of a desert dieselpunk cult?
To be honest, I was reading this book kind of like:
Things are happening but I do not relate…
Things happened but it was hard to relate to anything through the cookie-cutter, 2 Dimensional characters and lacklustre plot.
Consider for a moment that you have three supposedly very different kingdoms. Though they are situationally VERY close (I mean like, a couple of days travel, it would seem, between them) everyone seems to speak the exact same language with the same inflections and manner of speaking. Whether it be princess of Auranos or poor peasant boy of Paelsia. Consider if you will, the fabulous ‘Enry ‘Iggins of Pygmalion glory who could guess a person’s birth place and where they were raised just by listening to their accent. Now of course, you can’t add accents very well into the book, but a little diversity in how people spoke and some slang would have been nice!
There’s this thing called a Cultural Iceberg. It’s a concept by Edward T Hall from all the way back in 1976, but he theorised that like an iceberg, culture has a small, visible surface, and a much larger, invisible mass, and that to truly know a culture, you have to participate in it. It’s just a theory, but I like to use models like this when I’m looking at cultural construct of fantasy novels.
So little of what Rhodes wrote breached the depths of the cultural iceberg in terms of character and world building these three cultures. I didn’t even walk away with a solid concept of how people on Auranus dressed or what kind of homes the people in Limeros lived in. How did they raise their children? What did they think was beautiful? What did honour look like to them? What was proper etiquette in Paelsia? What did they take for granted? How did they treat their elderly? Damn it I want to know these things!
The characters were essentially very basic. One never truly got to know any of of them. The story follows the tales of Magnus, Lucia, Cleo and Jonah as they navigate this crumbling world.
Ah characters of Falling Kingdoms. If only I’d given three fifths of a fuck for any of you then this book might have turned out better.
In my opinion the writing was the worst culprit in this novel. Taking a cheese grater to my forehead might have been kinder. At one point, Magnus’s widdle heart turned to ice… because he was so heartbroken. It. Turned. To. Ice. The writing was enough to make purple prose embarrassed.
The one okay thing about this novel was that the plotting itself was at least reasonably consistent. There was always something happening, even if that something was ridiculous. Or poorly written. I felt the novel was fairly well paced.
Over all a sloppy attempt at fantasy. One that almost made me look upon The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson with some measure of warmth and longing.
This review can be found on my blog,
I buddy read Falling Kingdom with ItsJaneLindsey who was my beloved BookBuddyAthon Buddy. And I think both of us suffered greatly as we read it together.
Falling Kingdoms is really Fantasy Lite with scarcely enough world building and concepts to skate by. If it asked me to witness it I’d be all like:
Because who hasn’t pictured me as the megalomaniac god-figure of a desert dieselpunk cult?
To be honest, I was reading this book kind of like:
Things are happening but I do not relate…
Things happened but it was hard to relate to anything through the cookie-cutter, 2 Dimensional characters and lacklustre plot.
Consider for a moment that you have three supposedly very different kingdoms. Though they are situationally VERY close (I mean like, a couple of days travel, it would seem, between them) everyone seems to speak the exact same language with the same inflections and manner of speaking. Whether it be princess of Auranos or poor peasant boy of Paelsia. Consider if you will, the fabulous ‘Enry ‘Iggins of Pygmalion glory who could guess a person’s birth place and where they were raised just by listening to their accent. Now of course, you can’t add accents very well into the book, but a little diversity in how people spoke and some slang would have been nice!
There’s this thing called a Cultural Iceberg. It’s a concept by Edward T Hall from all the way back in 1976, but he theorised that like an iceberg, culture has a small, visible surface, and a much larger, invisible mass, and that to truly know a culture, you have to participate in it. It’s just a theory, but I like to use models like this when I’m looking at cultural construct of fantasy novels.
So little of what Rhodes wrote breached the depths of the cultural iceberg in terms of character and world building these three cultures. I didn’t even walk away with a solid concept of how people on Auranus dressed or what kind of homes the people in Limeros lived in. How did they raise their children? What did they think was beautiful? What did honour look like to them? What was proper etiquette in Paelsia? What did they take for granted? How did they treat their elderly? Damn it I want to know these things!
The characters were essentially very basic. One never truly got to know any of of them. The story follows the tales of Magnus, Lucia, Cleo and Jonah as they navigate this crumbling world.
Ah characters of Falling Kingdoms. If only I’d given three fifths of a fuck for any of you then this book might have turned out better.
In my opinion the writing was the worst culprit in this novel. Taking a cheese grater to my forehead might have been kinder. At one point, Magnus’s widdle heart turned to ice… because he was so heartbroken. It. Turned. To. Ice. The writing was enough to make purple prose embarrassed.
The one okay thing about this novel was that the plotting itself was at least reasonably consistent. There was always something happening, even if that something was ridiculous. Or poorly written. I felt the novel was fairly well paced.
Over all a sloppy attempt at fantasy. One that almost made me look upon The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson with some measure of warmth and longing.
This review can be found on my blog,
March 9, 2018
Re reading series so I can finish up w/ the last book.
I have to mention first that I love the cover of this book! :)
I'm just going to go ahead and get this out of the way, there are some characters in the book that I really liked that were killed. I have a feeling I probably shouldn't like too many characters that have made it to the next book, or they might die as well!
The main characters are Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus. They are all from different kingdoms. And they probably all could be friends if their fathers, the Kings, weren't jerks.
I'm not too sure how I feel about Cleo. The way she just "let" a death happen in the beginning of the book. I do believe she could have stopped this death if she wasn't so ignorant and let the jerk Aron do what he did. And now that I think about it, her stupidity caused a death of someone I really liked later on in the book! Ok, I don't like Cleo. Her hearts in the right place, but she's stupid. I'm hoping she wakes up in the next book.
I liked Lucia and Magnus in the beginning. They have a sad and weird relationship. I'm not too sure about Lucia at the end because of the things she did, but she is an innocent girl that just seems too naive, so we shall see in the next book.
Jonas I just feel sorry for because of a lot of different reasons. I hope he can find some kind of peace in the next book. He seems like he's going to be a major player in the coming books, or die. Anyway, he started using his brain toward the end of the book when he lets go of the revenge factor.
I'm looking forward to learning more about the Kindred and The Sanctuary! That is an interesting story from the little we get to read about it.
Happy Reading!
Mel♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
I have to mention first that I love the cover of this book! :)
I'm just going to go ahead and get this out of the way, there are some characters in the book that I really liked that were killed. I have a feeling I probably shouldn't like too many characters that have made it to the next book, or they might die as well!
The main characters are Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus. They are all from different kingdoms. And they probably all could be friends if their fathers, the Kings, weren't jerks.
I'm not too sure how I feel about Cleo. The way she just "let" a death happen in the beginning of the book. I do believe she could have stopped this death if she wasn't so ignorant and let the jerk Aron do what he did. And now that I think about it, her stupidity caused a death of someone I really liked later on in the book! Ok, I don't like Cleo. Her hearts in the right place, but she's stupid. I'm hoping she wakes up in the next book.
I liked Lucia and Magnus in the beginning. They have a sad and weird relationship. I'm not too sure about Lucia at the end because of the things she did, but she is an innocent girl that just seems too naive, so we shall see in the next book.
Jonas I just feel sorry for because of a lot of different reasons. I hope he can find some kind of peace in the next book. He seems like he's going to be a major player in the coming books, or die. Anyway, he started using his brain toward the end of the book when he lets go of the revenge factor.
I'm looking forward to learning more about the Kindred and The Sanctuary! That is an interesting story from the little we get to read about it.
Happy Reading!
Mel♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
April 27, 2017
See this review and more like it on my blog: www.bookbastion.net
____________________________________
This was not good.
You know how sometimes the media latches onto trends - hint, they do this all the time - and suddenly when one specific type of story starts getting popular a whole bunch of knock offs with similar stories start appearing? I truly believe that this story would not have been published had Game of Thrones not become a smash hit the year before its initial publication. Or at the very least, not without substantial rewrites.
I really wanted to like this, but I can't remember the last time I've come across a mainstream and acclaimed book that was quite so poorly written. We've got to talk about some things fam.
For starters, the characters are totally flat, and almost wholly unlikable. The story alternates between various points of view characters each chapter, and one thing that struck me about this was that every single character sounded exactly the same! If you're going to write a story from multiple perspectives, you'd better be sure that the characters all have a unique voice and perspective on the situation, otherwise what's the point?
Also, why in the name of all that is holy would you write a book in a fantasy setting and then have the narrative and character voices speak in a contemporary fashion? There were so many modern colloquialisms thrown in here that I couldn't hear anything but Morgan Rhodes' keyboard furiously typing out the first draft of this story, which I assume is also the published version because it's so lacking in polish and care.
The map at the start of the book really proves my point of how rushed this book was.
First, it's almost a total copy of the map of Westeros from Game of Thrones in shape and size. Secondly, it is so devoid of information that it's almost laughable it was included at all. I suppose I should have lowered my expectations for the worldbuilding right then and there, but alas I still let myself get my hopes up.
The land of Mytica is apparently divided into three separate realms, each with their own styles and belief systems. You'd never know it though, as every character from each realm talks and behaves in the exact same way. Sure, Cleo calls a few guys from Paelsia savages a few times, but there's really nothing shown in the story to prove her point. I know that with YA some things have to fall by the wayside, but this is basic worldbuilding folks. Mytica felt empty, and inherently false as a result.
There's a bunch of character deaths thrown in to keep the audience interested, but to be honest even that was boring. No one of any importance to the plot actually dies, and when a main character is in danger you can bet that there's going to be a 5 page conversation that sucks the tension right out of that moment before anything actually happens. Even when a certain royal character is dying of a mysterious illness, there's no tension because no surrounding characters seem to even care that it's happening.
Everything lacked emotional heart and soul, and when that happens I check right out.
It certainly doesn't help that I didn't care an iota about any of the main characters. There's this hawk flying around that gets mentioned in an offhanded way every few chapters that I cared more about than Cleo, Magnus, Lucia or Jonas. Each of them was whiny, selfish and extremely grating. None more-so than Magnus with his weird obsession with his sister. It wasn't endearing. It was creepy and controlling
Game of Thrones this was certainly NOT. In the series this was written to emulate, characters are fleshed out and we can understand their choices, even if we can't agree with them. The world is huge and rich and full of unique cultures that are shown to the reader, not told. In fact, you can find this sort of thing in many great fantasy series. This book pales in comparison to the majority of them, and I'd urge people debating picking this series up to turn pretty much anywhere else first.
We need to stop allowing media trends to tell us what to read. This might be the acclaimed YA answer to Game of Thrones, but do we really want to give a poorly written knock off that spot when there are more original and finely crafted stories out there just waiting to be discovered?
★★✩✩✩ = 2, extremely generous stars out of 5
__________________
This was a Buddy Read with a fantastic group of people listed below.
I am honored to call them friends. Check out their profiles!
✣Frankie Lovely
✣Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~
✣Kaylin
✣Rachelle
✣Jeremy
____________________________________
This was not good.
You know how sometimes the media latches onto trends - hint, they do this all the time - and suddenly when one specific type of story starts getting popular a whole bunch of knock offs with similar stories start appearing? I truly believe that this story would not have been published had Game of Thrones not become a smash hit the year before its initial publication. Or at the very least, not without substantial rewrites.
I really wanted to like this, but I can't remember the last time I've come across a mainstream and acclaimed book that was quite so poorly written. We've got to talk about some things fam.
For starters, the characters are totally flat, and almost wholly unlikable. The story alternates between various points of view characters each chapter, and one thing that struck me about this was that every single character sounded exactly the same! If you're going to write a story from multiple perspectives, you'd better be sure that the characters all have a unique voice and perspective on the situation, otherwise what's the point?
Also, why in the name of all that is holy would you write a book in a fantasy setting and then have the narrative and character voices speak in a contemporary fashion? There were so many modern colloquialisms thrown in here that I couldn't hear anything but Morgan Rhodes' keyboard furiously typing out the first draft of this story, which I assume is also the published version because it's so lacking in polish and care.
The map at the start of the book really proves my point of how rushed this book was.
First, it's almost a total copy of the map of Westeros from Game of Thrones in shape and size. Secondly, it is so devoid of information that it's almost laughable it was included at all. I suppose I should have lowered my expectations for the worldbuilding right then and there, but alas I still let myself get my hopes up. The land of Mytica is apparently divided into three separate realms, each with their own styles and belief systems. You'd never know it though, as every character from each realm talks and behaves in the exact same way. Sure, Cleo calls a few guys from Paelsia savages a few times, but there's really nothing shown in the story to prove her point. I know that with YA some things have to fall by the wayside, but this is basic worldbuilding folks. Mytica felt empty, and inherently false as a result.
There's a bunch of character deaths thrown in to keep the audience interested, but to be honest even that was boring. No one of any importance to the plot actually dies, and when a main character is in danger you can bet that there's going to be a 5 page conversation that sucks the tension right out of that moment before anything actually happens. Even when a certain royal character is dying of a mysterious illness, there's no tension because no surrounding characters seem to even care that it's happening.
Everything lacked emotional heart and soul, and when that happens I check right out.
It certainly doesn't help that I didn't care an iota about any of the main characters. There's this hawk flying around that gets mentioned in an offhanded way every few chapters that I cared more about than Cleo, Magnus, Lucia or Jonas. Each of them was whiny, selfish and extremely grating. None more-so than Magnus with his weird obsession with his sister. It wasn't endearing. It was creepy and controlling
Game of Thrones this was certainly NOT. In the series this was written to emulate, characters are fleshed out and we can understand their choices, even if we can't agree with them. The world is huge and rich and full of unique cultures that are shown to the reader, not told. In fact, you can find this sort of thing in many great fantasy series. This book pales in comparison to the majority of them, and I'd urge people debating picking this series up to turn pretty much anywhere else first.
We need to stop allowing media trends to tell us what to read. This might be the acclaimed YA answer to Game of Thrones, but do we really want to give a poorly written knock off that spot when there are more original and finely crafted stories out there just waiting to be discovered?
★★✩✩✩ = 2, extremely generous stars out of 5
__________________
This was a Buddy Read with a fantastic group of people listed below.
I am honored to call them friends. Check out their profiles!
✣Frankie Lovely
✣Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~
✣Kaylin
✣Rachelle
✣Jeremy
January 2, 2013
After a beginning I wasn't too sure about, Falling Kingdoms surprisingly became an extremely enjoyable - if somewhat unoriginal - story. Rhodes' world was a fascinating and exciting place that I am eager to explore more of in the sequel, her characters were complex individuals often torn between political and moral duty, and the tensions between the lands of this world (Limeros, Paelsia and Auranos) were highly convincing. My final opinion of this novel is such a turnaround from my first impressions that varied from indifference to a little disgust at Magnus' not-so-brotherly love for his younger sister (but more about that in a bit).
Rhodes puts her characters through several levels of hell in this story and she doesn't shy away from unpleasant events. One of the best things that she does is pulls you inside the lives and minds of those within each kingdom - people who are enemies and wish one another dead - and gets you to sympathise with each and understand every point of view, even those that contradict one another. For example, she introduces you to Cleo's world and her desire to escape her forced engagement to a man she does not care for, she is flawed but still thoroughly likeable - that is, until you see her through the eyes of Jonas whose brother was murdered while she stood idly by and let it happen. There is more than one side to every character in this story and it makes for a very interesting book.
At the end of the day, the plot of this novel is really nothing different from the vast majority of high fantasy novels out there already. It features the usual political battles for the throne, a touch of romance, a fair bit of magic, throw in an ancient prophecy for good luck and you have the perfect mixture to create a fantasy novel like all the others. But... the difference is in the details here, the way Rhodes builds up such a complex set of characters and the relationships between them, and it is this which has made it so I have to pick up the next book. There's such a fine line between good and evil in Falling Kingdoms that you find yourself reevaluating your opinions of certain characters and their actions all the time. I cannot wait for more.
But, yeah, I can't put a status update about incest and then not address the issue properly. Technically, biologically, the feelings that Magnus has for Lucia are not incestuous because she isn't his real sister by birth but I have two things to say about that. For one, he isn't aware of this fact and he believes her to be his sister by blood. For another, whether you agree with me or not, one of the weirdest things for me about incest is the fact that these people have grown up with one another, maybe ran around naked together as toddlers, been brought up to love one another as siblings... I've read those news stories where siblings separated at birth have by some weird chance ended up meeting in later life and becoming lovers, only to then discover the horrible truth, but this seems less weird to me than two youngsters who do not share the same genes being brought up together and then getting it on. This is why I prefer to view Wuthering Heights as a kind of gothic tragedy, rather than a romance, even though Cathy and Heathcliff are not blood relations. Though, I will say for those of you who are put off by incest in books, so far Magnus' feelings for Lucia have been viewed as disgusting by Lucia and the other characters - hopefully, nothing will come of it.
However, let's not get carried away with the negative! This is pure fast-paced entertainment with characters who you can't help but care about. Definitely worth reading if you're a fan of fantasy books filled with Kings, Queens and magic.
June 7, 2023
2023
Wow. Ok, this time I'm reallyreallyreally going to finish this series out.
Just did a re-listen (again) and it's still a great story. BUT this time around I actually have access to ALL the books in the series on audiobook and 8 years later I'm going to be able to tick this series off of my list.
2021
Just did a re-read of this one because I suddenly realized I've somehow never finished this series, and I can't remember enough of the details to just jump back in after all these years. I snagged the audio this time, and Fred Berman was an excellent narrator. My original feelings on the book stand and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!
2015
3.5 stars
I had no idea this book even existed until my librarian gently pointed me toward this series. And by gently, I mean she flapped in front of my face and told me it was a great series. And by flapped it in front of my face, I mean she threatened to revoke my (PRECIOUS!) card unless I read it.
She's shady.
So I check it out, and the next thing you know I'm all involved in a prince with incestuous thoughts, a princess being forced to marry a drunk, a young man from a poor village who dreams of revenge, a soon to be queen who is dying from a broken heart, a palace guard that may have fallen for his charge, a man masquerading as a hawk, and another princess who might have the power to restore the balance...or destroy the world.
Oh, and dead people.
Because every time you turn around somebody is getting shanked!
I think at least 3 people bit it in the prologue. You know, just to set the tone.
I'm guessing that's where the Game of Thrones references are coming from in all the other reviews.
Keep some booze handy, because nobody is safe in this sucker.
Nobody!
Overall, this was really good, but with so many characters in play, it was hard to get a good flow going in the story. But that was really the only thing that kept this from being a solid 4 star read for me. With a little more momentum behind the plot, I think this bird will fly.
Now, I've been told by a reliable source (above mentioned crazy librarian) that this one gets better and better. And since she has the power to screw with all of my precious Pending Requests, I choose to believe her. In other words, I'll keep you guys updated on my progress with this series.
Wow. Ok, this time I'm reallyreallyreally going to finish this series out.
Just did a re-listen (again) and it's still a great story. BUT this time around I actually have access to ALL the books in the series on audiobook and 8 years later I'm going to be able to tick this series off of my list.
2021
Just did a re-read of this one because I suddenly realized I've somehow never finished this series, and I can't remember enough of the details to just jump back in after all these years. I snagged the audio this time, and Fred Berman was an excellent narrator. My original feelings on the book stand and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!
2015
3.5 stars
I had no idea this book even existed until my librarian gently pointed me toward this series. And by gently, I mean she flapped in front of my face and told me it was a great series. And by flapped it in front of my face, I mean she threatened to revoke my (PRECIOUS!) card unless I read it.
She's shady.
So I check it out, and the next thing you know I'm all involved in a prince with incestuous thoughts, a princess being forced to marry a drunk, a young man from a poor village who dreams of revenge, a soon to be queen who is dying from a broken heart, a palace guard that may have fallen for his charge, a man masquerading as a hawk, and another princess who might have the power to restore the balance...or destroy the world.
Oh, and dead people.
Because every time you turn around somebody is getting shanked!
I think at least 3 people bit it in the prologue. You know, just to set the tone.
I'm guessing that's where the Game of Thrones references are coming from in all the other reviews.
Keep some booze handy, because nobody is safe in this sucker.
Nobody!
Overall, this was really good, but with so many characters in play, it was hard to get a good flow going in the story. But that was really the only thing that kept this from being a solid 4 star read for me. With a little more momentum behind the plot, I think this bird will fly.
Now, I've been told by a reliable source (above mentioned crazy librarian) that this one gets better and better. And since she has the power to screw with all of my precious Pending Requests, I choose to believe her. In other words, I'll keep you guys updated on my progress with this series.
February 28, 2018
I only love my bed and Magnus, I'm sorry.
My kink is being so thoroughly satisfied by a book I was so sure to hate. You guys don't even know the amount of hate/negative reviews I read for this book and then personally being told by many of my friends that I WAS GOING TO HATE THIS, BITCH HA. OKAY.
Anyways, Falling Kingdoms is such a cliched, tropey filled fantasy book with so much insta love, incest, a predictable storyline and a whole entire love-fucking-PENTAGON, BUT I STILL LIKED THIS SO MUCH, HOLY SHIT?? This book is not perfect. But, it was a great great read and I give you permission to shove the next book down my throat right the fuck now.
This book is about three kingdoms: UrAnus, Pealsia and Limeros, with several characters from each kingdom, facing tough shit, discovering secrets and murdering each other, so that's great!!! Anyways, there are a lot of bad things that they (the leaders) are wishing and wishing and wishing on me (Cleo, Magnus, Jonas, Lucia.)
LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME STUFF.
1) PRINCESS CLEO is literally the most beautiful princess and I love her so much, like how can you not, she's beautiful and she's like,,, so beautiful, wow I love her because she's SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! oh my god!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like,,, literally so beautiful oh my god!!!! *squeals* I LOVE HER and if you don't love her then why do you even exist,,,, maybe leave.
Wait did I mention how other people love her too? Sad face. I have to fight for her love now because the guard, Nicholas and Aron all want her!!!!!! Dude?! Wtf, pray I win the heart of this beautiful princess, oh ymg od, I love her so much, I literally breathe just for her.
2) I N C E S T: Maybe you should,,,, stop. And it was very predictable???
3) Magnus. Oh wow this poor boy. Give my boy a fucking break will y'all. Poor kid's been through SHIT. THERE'S ONE (1) BOY I WANT TO PROTECT AND LOVE AND HIS NAME IS MAGNUS DAMORA AND IF HE SUFFERS ANYMORE PAIN, I WILL BE A CRY. Reading about what he went through was the equivalent of stepping on a lego.
Actually,,, it was worse.
Wow, bye, can't deal, bye.
4) Okay it took me four days to read this, but honestly??? it was so fast paced and ended so fucking crazily and suddenly it felt like it took me less than 10 minutes to read this. It's action packed and just so intriguing!!!!
5) Uhhh it's been a week and I forgot some stuff, but anyways you should read it and laugh at all the people dying every five chapters!
---------
Honestly, what the fuck, why do people have to die like,, every five chapters in this book akdjakdbdn. Okay but, I loved this tropey, clichéd bullshit???? I am a cry.
SOMEONE THROW THE NEXT BOOK IN MY FACE BECAUSE I NEED.
Review to come.
My kink is being so thoroughly satisfied by a book I was so sure to hate. You guys don't even know the amount of hate/negative reviews I read for this book and then personally being told by many of my friends that I WAS GOING TO HATE THIS, BITCH HA. OKAY.
Anyways, Falling Kingdoms is such a cliched, tropey filled fantasy book with so much insta love, incest, a predictable storyline and a whole entire love-fucking-PENTAGON, BUT I STILL LIKED THIS SO MUCH, HOLY SHIT?? This book is not perfect. But, it was a great great read and I give you permission to shove the next book down my throat right the fuck now.
This book is about three kingdoms: UrAnus, Pealsia and Limeros, with several characters from each kingdom, facing tough shit, discovering secrets and murdering each other, so that's great!!! Anyways, there are a lot of bad things that they (the leaders) are wishing and wishing and wishing on me (Cleo, Magnus, Jonas, Lucia.)
LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME STUFF.
1) PRINCESS CLEO is literally the most beautiful princess and I love her so much, like how can you not, she's beautiful and she's like,,, so beautiful, wow I love her because she's SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! oh my god!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like,,, literally so beautiful oh my god!!!! *squeals* I LOVE HER and if you don't love her then why do you even exist,,,, maybe leave.
Wait did I mention how other people love her too? Sad face. I have to fight for her love now because the guard, Nicholas and Aron all want her!!!!!! Dude?! Wtf, pray I win the heart of this beautiful princess, oh ymg od, I love her so much, I literally breathe just for her.
2) I N C E S T: Maybe you should,,,, stop. And it was very predictable???
3) Magnus. Oh wow this poor boy. Give my boy a fucking break will y'all. Poor kid's been through SHIT. THERE'S ONE (1) BOY I WANT TO PROTECT AND LOVE AND HIS NAME IS MAGNUS DAMORA AND IF HE SUFFERS ANYMORE PAIN, I WILL BE A CRY. Reading about what he went through was the equivalent of stepping on a lego.
Actually,,, it was worse.
“Then his heart, now broken into a thousand pieces, slowly began to turn to ice.”
Wow, bye, can't deal, bye.
4) Okay it took me four days to read this, but honestly??? it was so fast paced and ended so fucking crazily and suddenly it felt like it took me less than 10 minutes to read this. It's action packed and just so intriguing!!!!
5) Uhhh it's been a week and I forgot some stuff, but anyways you should read it and laugh at all the people dying every five chapters!
---------
Honestly, what the fuck, why do people have to die like,, every five chapters in this book akdjakdbdn. Okay but, I loved this tropey, clichéd bullshit???? I am a cry.
SOMEONE THROW THE NEXT BOOK IN MY FACE BECAUSE I NEED.
Review to come.
January 25, 2013
Spoilers
Awful. Just awful. The plot was crap — some young guy gets killed in one country and then that country starts a war with the murderer's country and then there's also a silly prophecy about a chosen one/Mary Sue/boring bitch. It all made for horrible reading.
The world building was thin and unimaginative. Basically there were 3 countries: 1. Aurenos was sunny, fertile and lovely
2. Paelsia was poor, dry and depressing and 3. Limeros was cold and harsh. The people in Aurenos were spoilt lazy bastards. The people in Paelsia were hard done by, struggled every day and were all 'woe is me'. The people in Limeros were strict and religious.
Paelsia and Limeros hated Aurenos because they were jealous of how easy their life was so they teamed up to invade them. It was all so simple and obvious and blah. There was no history or subtlety behind the war — the Limeros douches were evul power hungry dicks for the sake of being evul power hungry dicks and the Paelsia losers were bitter, resentful and angry that they didn't have the easy life the Aurenos people did. Where were the questions, doubts and inner struggle about war? Where was the intrigue? Where was the backstabbing? Where was the manipulation? Where was the politics? Where were the twists and turns? It was all so straightforward, predictable and uninspired.
The characters were appalling. I can't remember ever being so bored by that many characters in a book — they were all underdeveloped, dull and unrelatable. There was only one POV that I was somewhat invested in.
Magnus was a crap character. It was obvious that he was written as some sort of YA version of Jaime Lannister. Jaime however, has depth, attitude and charm. Magnus had none of those things, there was nothing endearing about him. I didn't care for his daddy issues or his constant self pity. He was boring. I'm guessing because he was in love with his sister (who actually turned out not be his biological sister) we were meant to think that he was complex, tortured and deep. Nope, not me. The only reason he loved his sister was because she was beautiful and was always nice to him. If she was average looking and had bad moods, he wouldn't love her. A love that relies on someone being attractive and constantly nice is a shallow kind of love. And someone that loves so shallowly is hardly intriguing.
Cleo was a spoilt brat but she was the only one who had a personality that was partially developed. I disliked her but at least her crappy attitude kind of entertained me. Also, how many guys were in love with her?? Then again, they probably only liked her because of her looks. The only redeeming quality she had was her love for her sister, in all other ways she was ghastly.
Lucia was the worst character. She was bland and also a complete Mary Sue. I was bored by her 'personality' — she was a goody two shoes nicey nice girl, she had a super speshul snowflake destiny to somehow bring magic back to the world and she was oh so beautiful but of course she was ignorant of her beauty. UGH.
Oh and it's so bloody obvious that that millennia old bird guy that was stalking her is going to fall in wuv with her in the next book — he seemed to half a hard on for sixteen year old girls.
Jonas was a petty, bitter jealous bitch. I didn't care at all when his brother died - Jonas was far too unlikeable for me to sympathise with him. I don't know why he kept blaming Cleo for his brother's death when she didn't kill him — she wasn't responsible for someone else's actions. He should have let his anger out on his brother's actual murderer and not someone that had no control over it.
It's obvious that he's going to fall for Cleo in the sequel because all he did when he wasn't hating her was talk about how good looking she was. I hope Cleo tells Jonas to fuck off.
All in all, it was rubbish. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
Awful. Just awful. The plot was crap — some young guy gets killed in one country and then that country starts a war with the murderer's country and then there's also a silly prophecy about a chosen one/Mary Sue/boring bitch. It all made for horrible reading.
The world building was thin and unimaginative. Basically there were 3 countries: 1. Aurenos was sunny, fertile and lovely
2. Paelsia was poor, dry and depressing and 3. Limeros was cold and harsh. The people in Aurenos were spoilt lazy bastards. The people in Paelsia were hard done by, struggled every day and were all 'woe is me'. The people in Limeros were strict and religious.
Paelsia and Limeros hated Aurenos because they were jealous of how easy their life was so they teamed up to invade them. It was all so simple and obvious and blah. There was no history or subtlety behind the war — the Limeros douches were evul power hungry dicks for the sake of being evul power hungry dicks and the Paelsia losers were bitter, resentful and angry that they didn't have the easy life the Aurenos people did. Where were the questions, doubts and inner struggle about war? Where was the intrigue? Where was the backstabbing? Where was the manipulation? Where was the politics? Where were the twists and turns? It was all so straightforward, predictable and uninspired.
The characters were appalling. I can't remember ever being so bored by that many characters in a book — they were all underdeveloped, dull and unrelatable. There was only one POV that I was somewhat invested in.
Magnus was a crap character. It was obvious that he was written as some sort of YA version of Jaime Lannister. Jaime however, has depth, attitude and charm. Magnus had none of those things, there was nothing endearing about him. I didn't care for his daddy issues or his constant self pity. He was boring. I'm guessing because he was in love with his sister (who actually turned out not be his biological sister) we were meant to think that he was complex, tortured and deep. Nope, not me. The only reason he loved his sister was because she was beautiful and was always nice to him. If she was average looking and had bad moods, he wouldn't love her. A love that relies on someone being attractive and constantly nice is a shallow kind of love. And someone that loves so shallowly is hardly intriguing.
Cleo was a spoilt brat but she was the only one who had a personality that was partially developed. I disliked her but at least her crappy attitude kind of entertained me. Also, how many guys were in love with her?? Then again, they probably only liked her because of her looks. The only redeeming quality she had was her love for her sister, in all other ways she was ghastly.
Lucia was the worst character. She was bland and also a complete Mary Sue. I was bored by her 'personality' — she was a goody two shoes nicey nice girl, she had a super speshul snowflake destiny to somehow bring magic back to the world and she was oh so beautiful but of course she was ignorant of her beauty. UGH.
Oh and it's so bloody obvious that that millennia old bird guy that was stalking her is going to fall in wuv with her in the next book — he seemed to half a hard on for sixteen year old girls.
Jonas was a petty, bitter jealous bitch. I didn't care at all when his brother died - Jonas was far too unlikeable for me to sympathise with him. I don't know why he kept blaming Cleo for his brother's death when she didn't kill him — she wasn't responsible for someone else's actions. He should have let his anger out on his brother's actual murderer and not someone that had no control over it.
It's obvious that he's going to fall for Cleo in the sequel because all he did when he wasn't hating her was talk about how good looking she was. I hope Cleo tells Jonas to fuck off.
All in all, it was rubbish. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
January 25, 2018I heard that Magnus Damora might or might not be my future husband. *lol*
Well, at least that's what reliable sources tell me. *raises eyebrow*
So yeah, I think 2018 is the perfect year to find out! ;-P
Let's see if I can get my fingers on him .... erm... this book real quick! XD
Well, at least that's what reliable sources tell me. *raises eyebrow*
So yeah, I think 2018 is the perfect year to find out! ;-P
Let's see if I can get my fingers on him .... erm... this book real quick! XD
June 29, 2023
5/5 stars. The 4th time I've read this book. I forgot how tragically beautiful this book is.
December 14, 2016
Many people are raving about this series, but I couldn't get passionate about it. While reading Falling Kingdoms, I often got a gut feeling that something was off about the book but I had difficulty pinpointing the origin of that feeling. It was an instinctive reaction. I've mulled it over and will try to put the reason into words without sounding too harsh. I can't name specifics because it's been a few months since I finished this and I've been suppressing the memories.
There are two kinds of artists: the kind who work on pure inspiration and brilliance; and the kind who watch other artists and think, "Hey, that doesn't look too hard, I could try that!"
Unfortunately Morgan Rhodes belongs to the latter category. Her authoring was mediocre, when a complicated world like Mytica needs strong writing skills to keep it afloat.
Mediocre because: Falling Kingdoms has the feel of a teen ASOIAF/Game of Thrones, but my favorite part of the latter - the many characters' complexity and unpredictability - is completely missing in the former. Rhodes' characters are flat and easy to grasp within a few pages of their introduction. Even the main characters! No surprises, no big developments. That's an unforgivable blunder into two-star country.
The dullness extends to the plot also, where every major "twist" could be guessed 50 pages in advance (because the characters' actions are so annoyingly foreseeable). Whenever a character was totally knocked out by a betrayal, all I could think was
That said, there were positive parts to the first installment of this series. The world is interesting and made me want to stick around to find out more. The occasional unusual relationships were another plus, e.g. that shitstorm brewing between Magnus and Lucia. When I consider those things, I might think about sticking with Falling Kingdoms a while longer.And I need to keep up with them hip book series
There are two kinds of artists: the kind who work on pure inspiration and brilliance; and the kind who watch other artists and think, "Hey, that doesn't look too hard, I could try that!"
Unfortunately Morgan Rhodes belongs to the latter category. Her authoring was mediocre, when a complicated world like Mytica needs strong writing skills to keep it afloat.
Mediocre because: Falling Kingdoms has the feel of a teen ASOIAF/Game of Thrones, but my favorite part of the latter - the many characters' complexity and unpredictability - is completely missing in the former. Rhodes' characters are flat and easy to grasp within a few pages of their introduction. Even the main characters! No surprises, no big developments. That's an unforgivable blunder into two-star country.
The dullness extends to the plot also, where every major "twist" could be guessed 50 pages in advance (because the characters' actions are so annoyingly foreseeable). Whenever a character was totally knocked out by a betrayal, all I could think was
That said, there were positive parts to the first installment of this series. The world is interesting and made me want to stick around to find out more. The occasional unusual relationships were another plus, e.g. that shitstorm brewing between Magnus and Lucia. When I consider those things, I might think about sticking with Falling Kingdoms a while longer.
November 25, 2020
4.5 Golden Stars!
I repeat!
FREAKING Golden!
*scribbling it down into my TOP fav series*
one of my most anticipated books
(thank you for not disappointing me!)
10th best of 2019
This...
Thiiiis!
This,
is the story I expected all my life from an Epic fantasy about game of thrones!
this is the story I wanted to read about medieval world & palaces!
something I can relate easily, sensible with easy & cool world building, young characters that I can relate (bonus point for them being from different places & going to meet at last), funny & less political brutality.
so satisfying!
4 main Players:
✦ an Heir, who is my favourite character. Mysterious which made me more interested in him. Because these kinds of characters {Broken, Brooding, Serious, Sarcastic, Hiding their Feelings} are my weaknesses! give me more of his chapters! (I want to give it 5 stars just because of his chapters!)
✦ a Rebel, who is cool & funny but also a hothead. in general, I like him.
✦ a Sorceress, who is a female character I think I like.
✦ a Princess, who was annoyingly stubborn, irritating childish brat! I didn't like her at first but in the end, I think she evolved into a good way. (still not sure if I use the word 'like' for her. I shall see in the next books)
in Three Kingdoms, into a Magic-lost Mytica
their lives going to weave together.
& bonus point! because the names are easy to pronounce & to remember.
Castles (not those insipid gaudy always-partying palaces; real medieval-ish ones! with dark corridors & dungeons! yay!)
Cool Characters (so far I like Magnus, Theon, Jonas, Brion & probably Nicolo) well-created, realistic, with their own desires, intentions, struggles & goals, realistic traits & behavior.
Fun, a lot of sensible jokes & sarcasm. XD
Elemental Magic!
turning each pages, revealing new events. exciting & satisfying.
This book was the first one in the series, introducing the world & the characters to us, but also it had EVERYTHING! ordinary kings' life with parties (& dungeons... hehehe), betrayal, adventure & travel, plot twists, lots of characters developments!, rebellion, plotting & allying, battles, death, magic & Love; different types of love; forbidden, unrequited, banned; interesting & shippable, all of them with drama!
Fast pace & quick read!
I could've let it be 5 stars (innocent Magnus, Alone, makes this book deserve 5 stars!) but for some reason (*cough* Cleo *cough*, I changed it to 4 stars.
different POVs, being back & forth into the kingdoms, didn't bother me, it was obvious who was telling the story, the voice was different; Magnus's chapters were royal language & mature personality with harder words than the others. Lucia's was also royal & arrogant, but a bit childish. (not bad here, she was young.) Cleo's was more childish. (this is bad! she was a pampered royal brat without any responsibility!) & Jonas's were simpler than the others. Sanctuary was solemn & formal.
the title mentioning the location helped too, anyway! XD
Every chapters was interesting, but I was anticipating Magnus chapters the most & I was willing to skip Cleo's. (don't worry, I never do.)
it was the introduction book as it was only the first, but beside the whole exciting plot, it ended with such a WOW!
-
re-read
2020: buddy read with dear Massiel (it was so fun! thank you!)
I love to see the building of the relationships again! & truthfully, I didn't even think they ended up together at first!
“I will see you dead.”
“And I, princess, will see you at dinner.”
-
World building: ★★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★(★)/5
Writing style: ★★★(★)/5
Plot: ★★★★(★)/5
General idea: ★★★★/5
I repeat!
FREAKING Golden!
*scribbling it down into my TOP fav series*
one of my most anticipated books
(thank you for not disappointing me!)
10th best of 2019
This...
Thiiiis!
This,
is the story I expected all my life from an Epic fantasy about game of thrones!
this is the story I wanted to read about medieval world & palaces!
something I can relate easily, sensible with easy & cool world building, young characters that I can relate (bonus point for them being from different places & going to meet at last), funny & less political brutality.
so satisfying!
4 main Players:
✦ an Heir, who is my favourite character. Mysterious which made me more interested in him. Because these kinds of characters {Broken, Brooding, Serious, Sarcastic, Hiding their Feelings} are my weaknesses! give me more of his chapters! (I want to give it 5 stars just because of his chapters!)
✦ a Rebel, who is cool & funny but also a hothead. in general, I like him.
✦ a Sorceress, who is a female character I think I like.
✦ a Princess, who was annoyingly stubborn, irritating childish brat! I didn't like her at first but in the end, I think she evolved into a good way. (still not sure if I use the word 'like' for her. I shall see in the next books)
in Three Kingdoms, into a Magic-lost Mytica
their lives going to weave together.
& bonus point! because the names are easy to pronounce & to remember.
Castles (not those insipid gaudy always-partying palaces; real medieval-ish ones! with dark corridors & dungeons! yay!)
Cool Characters (so far I like Magnus, Theon, Jonas, Brion & probably Nicolo) well-created, realistic, with their own desires, intentions, struggles & goals, realistic traits & behavior.
Fun, a lot of sensible jokes & sarcasm. XD
Elemental Magic!
turning each pages, revealing new events. exciting & satisfying.
This book was the first one in the series, introducing the world & the characters to us, but also it had EVERYTHING! ordinary kings' life with parties (& dungeons... hehehe), betrayal, adventure & travel, plot twists, lots of characters developments!, rebellion, plotting & allying, battles, death, magic & Love; different types of love; forbidden, unrequited, banned; interesting & shippable, all of them with drama!
Fast pace & quick read!
I could've let it be 5 stars (innocent Magnus, Alone, makes this book deserve 5 stars!) but for some reason (*cough* Cleo *cough*, I changed it to 4 stars.
different POVs, being back & forth into the kingdoms, didn't bother me, it was obvious who was telling the story, the voice was different; Magnus's chapters were royal language & mature personality with harder words than the others. Lucia's was also royal & arrogant, but a bit childish. (not bad here, she was young.) Cleo's was more childish. (this is bad! she was a pampered royal brat without any responsibility!) & Jonas's were simpler than the others. Sanctuary was solemn & formal.
the title mentioning the location helped too, anyway! XD
Every chapters was interesting, but I was anticipating Magnus chapters the most & I was willing to skip Cleo's. (don't worry, I never do.)
it was the introduction book as it was only the first, but beside the whole exciting plot, it ended with such a WOW!
-
re-read
2020: buddy read with dear Massiel (it was so fun! thank you!)
I love to see the building of the relationships again! & truthfully, I didn't even think they ended up together at first!
“I will see you dead.”
“And I, princess, will see you at dinner.”
-
World building: ★★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★(★)/5
Writing style: ★★★(★)/5
Plot: ★★★★(★)/5
General idea: ★★★★/5
September 12, 2016
“Magic will find those with pure hearts,
even when all seems lost.”
Let me start by saying it's really hard for me to review books i love, there is so much i want to say.
I know a lot people dislike these books so i decided to read a few bad reviews before i started this. Turned out most people had similar issues; too many characters, confusing plot line, too many POVs.
I read first few chapters like a textbook, paid attention to every little detail, tried to remember their names, and who belonged where, once you get all that down this book is amazing! I love and hate all the characters. That's one of the things i loved about it that characters are more complex rather than just being pure evil or all goodness.
“Then his heart,
now broken into a thousand pieces,
slowly began to turn to ice.”
^^(I fucking love this quote)
Magnus.
Magnus Lukas Damora, prince of blood, is a jackass. At first i felt sorry for him, he is obsessed with his sister and he feels disgusted with himself. I get it that he can't help it but things get really weird when he realizes she is not actually his sister. He has convinced himself whatever he is feeling is absolutely normal and there is nothing wrong with him. So he decides to go all psycho on her. Bad idea, buddy! At this point, i thought i had a pretty good idea what kind of character he was, but that changed when we saw him through Cleo's eyes. HE IS SO FREAKING SCARY AND CREEPY. He is a monster! I'm not sure i like him or not but i definitely enjoy reading about him.
Cleo.
Cleiona Aurora Bellos is the youngest princess of Auranos. Again, i didn't hate her but i didn't like her either but for totally different reasons. It's hard for me to connect with her. Many readers find her exasperating because she is spoiled, i didn't have that problem. Her older sister, the heir to the Auranian throne is dying and Cleo is seeking for magic that has been long forgotten to save her. She definitely grew on me by the end of the book.
“If you want something,
you have to take it.
Because nobody's ever going to give it to you.”
Jonas.
Jonas is the youngest son of a wine-seller in Paelsia. After his older brother, Tomas gets killed cold-heartedly by one of Cleo's friend, Jonas seeks vengeance. He joins rebels to take over Paelsia. Now he fights for the freedom of his country against the tyranny of the King of Blood, King Gaius Damora. I. LOVED. HIM. Needless to say, he is my favorite of them all.
Lucia.
Lucia Eva Damora, the prophesized sorceress. I feel really bad for her. First, she was taken away from her home when she was a baby. Her real mother was killed that night. She was brought up as a princess but the king and the queen never loved her. The king wants to use her powers and take over all kingdoms. The only person who she trusts is Magnus, her brother, who wants to sleep with her. On the surface she seems calm and polite but she's a ticking bomb, she is going to explode one day and fuck everything up.
even when all seems lost.”
Let me start by saying it's really hard for me to review books i love, there is so much i want to say.
I know a lot people dislike these books so i decided to read a few bad reviews before i started this. Turned out most people had similar issues; too many characters, confusing plot line, too many POVs.
I read first few chapters like a textbook, paid attention to every little detail, tried to remember their names, and who belonged where, once you get all that down this book is amazing! I love and hate all the characters. That's one of the things i loved about it that characters are more complex rather than just being pure evil or all goodness.
“Then his heart,
now broken into a thousand pieces,
slowly began to turn to ice.”
^^(I fucking love this quote)
Magnus.
Magnus Lukas Damora, prince of blood, is a jackass. At first i felt sorry for him, he is obsessed with his sister and he feels disgusted with himself. I get it that he can't help it but things get really weird when he realizes she is not actually his sister. He has convinced himself whatever he is feeling is absolutely normal and there is nothing wrong with him. So he decides to go all psycho on her. Bad idea, buddy! At this point, i thought i had a pretty good idea what kind of character he was, but that changed when we saw him through Cleo's eyes. HE IS SO FREAKING SCARY AND CREEPY. He is a monster! I'm not sure i like him or not but i definitely enjoy reading about him.
Cleo.
Cleiona Aurora Bellos is the youngest princess of Auranos. Again, i didn't hate her but i didn't like her either but for totally different reasons. It's hard for me to connect with her. Many readers find her exasperating because she is spoiled, i didn't have that problem. Her older sister, the heir to the Auranian throne is dying and Cleo is seeking for magic that has been long forgotten to save her. She definitely grew on me by the end of the book.
“If you want something,
you have to take it.
Because nobody's ever going to give it to you.”
Jonas.
Jonas is the youngest son of a wine-seller in Paelsia. After his older brother, Tomas gets killed cold-heartedly by one of Cleo's friend, Jonas seeks vengeance. He joins rebels to take over Paelsia. Now he fights for the freedom of his country against the tyranny of the King of Blood, King Gaius Damora. I. LOVED. HIM. Needless to say, he is my favorite of them all.
Lucia.
Lucia Eva Damora, the prophesized sorceress. I feel really bad for her. First, she was taken away from her home when she was a baby. Her real mother was killed that night. She was brought up as a princess but the king and the queen never loved her. The king wants to use her powers and take over all kingdoms. The only person who she trusts is Magnus, her brother, who wants to sleep with her. On the surface she seems calm and polite but she's a ticking bomb, she is going to explode one day and fuck everything up.
Read
January 27, 2023
Do you like Game of Thrones and wish for a YA-version? Well, my friends, look no further:
• Unexpected killings of significant characters?
• Multiple POV’s (including possible villains) taking place in different kingdoms with royalty, assassins, and other worldly creatures/shifters
• Heavy world-building
• Feuding kingdoms
• Even a brother-sister romance though that is a bit less Cersei-Jamie, a bit more Clary-Jace if you know what I mean=)
Is this book perfect? Well, honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the main characters (blegh, Cleo), or the side characters (farmer boy), but there are other characters that make up for them: MAGNUS, MAGNUS, MAGNUS.
I give you the cold-hearted prince that has the makings of a really hot, badass villain:
“Then his heart, now broken into a thousand pieces, slowly began to turn to ice.”
Magnus made the book for me. I need at least one character/romance to be invested in to enjoy a tale –no matter how exciting or kickass the characters may be- and he fulfilled that quota instantly. He’s dark, broody, sarcastic, untrusting, arrogant, aloof, dresses in all black and loves to drop sentences like this: “Weak things are so easy to break” >> ummm, well I may be a bit biased since he is basically Darren (from my First Year series: “Never trust a wolf, because the only thing the wolf will ever want to do is break you” >> SEE WHAT I MEAN?). Clearly I have an affinity for badass, dark princes who have a weakness for only one thing and that is the girl they love… who also may accidentally turn him to the dark side if she betrays him… Oh snap, you didn’t hear me say that. I’m just saying, lots of coincidences to D-R which is fine by me ‘cause y’all know I love me some villainous princes.
But honestly Magnus was just part of the reason I loved this book. Falling Kingdoms was incredibly fast-paced, and while there was a lot of world-building, it didn’t have too many details to slow me down. The action was constant and there was never a boring chapter. I thought for a moment I would hate it after the incredibly fast build up to instalove between my two least favorite characters (Cleo & her knight protector guy) but Morgan nipped that right in the bud and it was just badass the way she did it (never saw that coming!). There was so much action and drama and history that this book just flew by for me, and the crazy thing is when I finished I couldn’t believe I had only read one book –now I can’t wait to start the next (As well as A Book of Spirits and Thieves which I won at a book convention) because I want to know what happens. Just like Game of Thrones, this author is not promising us safety for any of the favorites –even a romance doesn’t save them! I can’t believe it took me so long to pick up this series.
April 22, 2018
first of all:
cause this shit was GOOOOOOOOD.
i think if you've been awake for more than a couple of days, and been on this site for more than a few seconds you've probably seen the mixed reviews for this book. divisive, divisive, she is.
i can totally understand why people don't like this book. it's not exactly ground breaking in terms of unique characterizations or world building. and the use of language is... odd. i mean it's set in like a pseudo-medieval fantasy world but we're using words like "asshole" and "flesh wound."
but frankly my dear, i don't give a shit. this was fun and i don't mind a cliche.
let's talk about characters!!!!!
chloe
- basic bitch, becky with the blonde hair
- has "fire" within her but honestly not that impressed
- she better come back with a revengebody plan
jona-bona
- annoying, 2/10
- kind of clever though and has decent insights into people's manipulations
- but who cares cause he's annoying
manga
- sad boi, cries all the time, very EMOTIONAL
- carries big things if u know what i mean [i'm talking about his sword, pervs]
- gross, but i'm into it
lucky
- seriously she's just lucky
seriously though, if you're not expecting something GROUND BREAKING this was pretty fcking good. i'm interested to see where things go.
************************
tbh this is the most excited i've been for a book in a VERY long time. i'm ready to both love & hate it (be prepared for way too many updates whoops)
buddy read with ☄️nova
cause this shit was GOOOOOOOOD.
i think if you've been awake for more than a couple of days, and been on this site for more than a few seconds you've probably seen the mixed reviews for this book. divisive, divisive, she is.
i can totally understand why people don't like this book. it's not exactly ground breaking in terms of unique characterizations or world building. and the use of language is... odd. i mean it's set in like a pseudo-medieval fantasy world but we're using words like "asshole" and "flesh wound."
but frankly my dear, i don't give a shit. this was fun and i don't mind a cliche.
let's talk about characters!!!!!
chloe
- basic bitch, becky with the blonde hair
- has "fire" within her but honestly not that impressed
- she better come back with a revenge
jona-bona
- annoying, 2/10
- kind of clever though and has decent insights into people's manipulations
- but who cares cause he's annoying
manga
- sad boi, cries all the time, very EMOTIONAL
- carries big things if u know what i mean [i'm talking about his sword, pervs]
- gross, but i'm into it
lucky
- seriously she's just lucky
seriously though, if you're not expecting something GROUND BREAKING this was pretty fcking good. i'm interested to see where things go.
************************
tbh this is the most excited i've been for a book in a VERY long time. i'm ready to both love & hate it (be prepared for way too many updates whoops)
buddy read with ☄️nova
December 3, 2016
Perfect book for reading in Scotland by the fire :)
July 19, 2015
I am truly sorry, I am. I wanted this book to be spectacular, to amaze me with its epicness. I was ready to love it heart and soul! Alas, sadly -- and very much obviously thanks to those two ugly stars -- that did not happen. I'm going to rant now, so please excuse my shouty capitals whenever they appear.
You see, my average rating is somewhere around 4.4/5 and seeing that I've read almost 500 titles that means I pretty much drop them 4 and 5 star ratings like they're hot. It doesn't bother me, because I don't like wasting my time with books I know will bug me, so naturally that I'm choosing ones that will most likely suit me. Sometimes I miss and it results in the few and far between lower ratings.
But you know what all those good ratings of mine have in common? The answer is simple, folks: characters. You know, the ones that actually have a character. I don't care if there are 100 characters in a single story, give me just one that's not flat and I'll happily overlook the other 99 insipid ones for the sake of enjoyment. But when that one single "good" character fails to make its appearance, all hope is lost for me. A perfect example of that is Falling Kingdoms.
If there is one word I could use to describe the literary cast of this novel, it would be weak. Everyone is freaking dull, without a backbone and seriously stupid.
There are 4 main POVs we have to endure and I honestly liked Jonas's the most, but the fact that he's practically the brightest in the bunch doesn't excuse his demeanor set on the mantra hate royals, kill royals, get what the royals have.
Now let me do you the honor of being acquainted with Princess Cleiona Bellos of Auranos, with a quote her highness herself offered.
"He was her hero. He saved her once. He would save her again."
She's the perfect damsel in distress and she's fucking okay with it. I hated her profoundly. If you thought Eadlyn from The Heir is a self-centered, selfish brat, you haven't met dear Cleo. Because even though she might not be exactly self-centered and selfish down to the core, she chooses to express her conflictual feelings internally, never doing anything to change facts, never taking a stand, happily obliging to choke down her worries. And that's somehow worse. She's also plain childish and immature. 16 years old? More like 8.
Let's get on to Magnus, who's apparently a dark and tormented prince. Truly, he's not. He's much more of an emo coward with the impression of being powerful. I'm not gonna lie, he's messed up in the head and even my boundless love for tall, dark, handsome princelings couldn't make him appealing in my eyes. Besides the fact that he's obsessed with his sister -- ew ew ew -- he doesn't have much of a personality. I'll say that he has the potential for a strange, mysterious hero, but it has never come to fruition in this first installment.
Lucia, Magnus's said-sister, is really adopted -- but still ew ew -- and also the possible sorceress the stars prophesied about that has immense power. She was such a pitiful puppet in this book and, for the love of God, try as I might I still couldn't connect with her. We know she's beautiful, that she loves her brother, that she has countless suitors and that she can do magic. And that's all. No development, no real insight into her personal traits. NOTHING.
The secondary characters were laughable. We have the basic clichés of elder and wise sibling, the best friend who's in love with the girl and the father who's spoiled his child to no end. Chief Basilius was an idiot. King Gaius reminded me of the King of Erilea but he was nowhere near his capacity of portraying a good villain. Don't get me started on Aron because that shit with eyes could've saved me the pain of this book if he hadn't wanted to get drunk on the best wine ever.
I won't even bother explaining the plotline, because from the get-go it had such a bad foundation I can't even tell you. Sure, there were a few fantasy elements that probably saved me from giving this one a 1 star rating (magic, prophecies and some watchers), but besides that? Only predictable and boring outcomes.
Seriously though:
WHAT KIND OF ROYALTY THINKS IT'S OKAY TO VENTURE INTO THE UNKNOWN WITHOUT A GUARD?!
WHAT KIND OF LEADER DOESN'T CONCERN HIMSELF WITH THE FACT THAT HIS NEW-FOUND ALLY MIGHT ACTUALLY SCREW HIM OVER?!
WHAT KIND OF A SUPPOSEDLY TRAINED GUARD KILLS TWO SOLDIERS, MAKES GOOGLY EYES AT GIRL FOR ETERNITY AND THEN GETS HIMSELF KILLED BY FORGETTING ABOUT A THIRD DUDE?!
Arghhhh. Oh, and let's not forget about a certain someone not knowing something incredibly important is right in her grasp until of course it's too late.
There were two ounces of romance in this one and none was a winner. Firstly, we have Cleo and Theon's forbidden "love" that had the quality of being also insta-love since although time passes between their interactions, we don't get to see anything of that. One sec we're meeting them both and then, after a few chapters with multiple POV swaps, we're supposed to believe they developed feelings? I don't believe it till I see it, so NOPE from me. Secondly, we have Magnus and Lucia and the girl has brains for pushing him away, I'll give her that, because I know they're not related but for 16 long years they were RAISED as they were so anything beyond a deep friendship and brotherly love (like in Lucia's part) shouldn't even exist. Again, ew ew ew.
Oh, I almost forgot the cherry on the top! The fantastical world-building! This continent, called Mytica, that has only three states (Limeros, Paelsia and Auranos) and that could probably be travelled from one corner to the other in less than a week. Oh, please. They're talking about world-domination and their land is the size of a small island!
I really really need to talk a bit about the ending because I was almost happy dancing the book was over and then it punched me again with Cleo's stupidity. As if I needed a reminder. With the price of being spoilery (no worries, you would have figured it out yourself nonetheless if you actually read the book), I am going to ask: Who the fuck doesn't flee his newly-conquered kingdom and sits in the fucking courtyard listening to a fucking speech when you're the goddamned wanted princess?!?
Oh, that's right. Cleiona fucking Bellos. Kill me now, please.
Also, the cover? With that badass looking killer and daggers and mysterious cloak? Totally not having anything to do with the book besides the mere appearance of that tiny hawk.
To sum up, I didn't downright hated Falling Kingdoms (IKR, it's hard to believe), because after all I did finish it and I might even entertain the incredulous idea of picking up its sequel -- if I'm very very bored or I lack a piece of good literature at the moment. But I sure as hell wouldn't recommend it, because, in the end, I don't care what happens to these characters now and that is always problematic if you want to read something memorable.
ENJOY! <3
September 20, 2015
RE-READ: SEP 2015
Note - old review below but my thoughts have not changed....still loved it!
****************************************************
“Even paradise could become a prison if one had enough time to take notice of the walls.”
After seeing quite a few negative things about Falling Kingdoms on goodreads i was hesitant to buy it. But eventually i did, because, like, what the hell? Just cause some people disliked it doesn't mean that i will too! And i am so glad i did.
Why?
Because it was a total winner for me and i LOVED it!
FANS OF Throne of Glass and A Game of Thrones (both books and TV show) will INHALE this outstanding high fantasy book just like i did!
IN A LAND WHERE MAGIC HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN AND PEACE HAS REIGNED FOR CENTURIES, UNREST IS SIMMERING.
THREE KINGDOMS BATTLE FOR POWER.
A PRINCESS....
“Magic will find those with pure hearts, even when all seems lost.”
An Auranos princess must journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct in order to safe her sister. But on her journey she will start the beginning of a new era.
A REBEL....
A rebel with a heart made of ice will become the leader of a bloody revolution that will change everything.
A SORCERESS...
A sorceress discovers the truth about the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
A SON OF A BLOOD KING.
Magnus is the son of the Limeros' cruel king (nicknamed the 'blood' king), and will either be a hero or the biggest villain Mystica will ever see. Will he surrender to the light?...Or to the dark?
IT'S THE EVE OF WAR.
EACH MUST CHOOSE A SIDE.
KINGDOMS WILL FALL.
So you are probably confused, and trust me, i can see why. Let me clarify things for you, because i was really baffled at times in the beginning myself.
In the book the fantasy world is called Mystica, and is split up into 3 very different kingdoms.
1)Auranos - a beautiful, rich and 'happy' kingdom ruled by a fair king.
2) Paelsia - a starving, dusty, and harsh kingdom/place to live in, ruled by no one in particular.
3) Limeros - violent and disciplined kingdom ruled by the 'blood king'.
There are 4 protagonists and each play an essential part of the story. BUT there are a few more secondary characters POV's added to theirs.
You are probably all like this right now...
I hope it makes a little sense at least, if not i promise you it will if you read the book!
Characters:
Cloe(princess) - OMG. The majority of the book i thought she was a spoiled little brat who was dumb and very naive. It seemed like EVERYONE was in love with her. I felt like strangeling. She was exaggerating and acting like she was 5. Cloe was an immensely ignorant and selfish protagonist that i had a hate/love relationship towards the end. She did grow on me though, and at the end i thaught life has finally tought her a lesson and she grew up. Definitely became stronger.
“You must draw from that strength. You must increase it. And you must hold on to it because sometimes that small glimmer of inner strength is all that we have to help us press forward through the darkness."
Lucie and Magnus i loved in the beginning.NOT.ANYMORE. After what they have done i'm all like...
There are many flaws in Falling kingdom that make me understand why some readers disliked it. For example, the more than 1 love triangle and about million love interests.
But i loved the fantasy world and the few legends. I thought everything in this book was very interesting and i was intrigued throughout the book.
“I have stories. But stories are not facts.'
'I like stories. Love them, actually. Most of the time they're better than facts.”
I was shocked a few times too. Like when my favorite character died. I was like...
The end more than made up for the flaws, in my opinion.
It was so emotional it made me shed a tear or two!
Overall , Falling Kingdoms was a book that played with my feelings and took me on a fantastic rollercoaster i absolutely loved! It is action-packed and has a very awesome plot that i enjoyed. The cliffhanger at the end wasn't big but i still need book 2 ASAP (thank goodness it's out already!). Read this, guys ! :)
Sincerely - The Critic.
March 7, 2019
What a great start to a series that promises so much more! I loved pretty much all the characters and the plot was pretty well set up. Do I love it or do i love it? I can't wait to read the next. 4.25/5 ⭐
September 5, 2016
Yay, now i'm only 18 books behind on my goodreads challenge, not 19.... :)
This book fell exactly where I expected it to, so 3 stars isn't a horrible rating! The main thing I loved about this is that it's different from any YA fantasy that i've ever read. The plot itself isn't really anything too special, but the scope of it all (following several characters/kingdoms instead of one main one) and the risks that the author is willing to take with characters (MANY deaths) kept me on my toes. The main downfall here was just how stupidly plain the writing was. I don't want to say that the author is talentless, but there were just some sentences I read that I could only go, "REALLY? That's the ONLY description you could come up with?" The descriptions are just so PLAIN I really couldn't put myself in any of the characters' shoes or get engrossed in the world. Literally, describing a character's hair color, the best she could come up with was "brownish." I know this may improve over the course of the next few books, but honestly I'm hesitating to continue them. My favorite character has a weird character arc going for him, and i'm not sure if it's worth it to get invested in these books if the only person I like dies. I own the next three, though, should I go for it? I feel very lukewarm about this and probably wouldn't regret it if I got rid of them, even though this one was entertaining for what it was worth.
This book fell exactly where I expected it to, so 3 stars isn't a horrible rating! The main thing I loved about this is that it's different from any YA fantasy that i've ever read. The plot itself isn't really anything too special, but the scope of it all (following several characters/kingdoms instead of one main one) and the risks that the author is willing to take with characters (MANY deaths) kept me on my toes. The main downfall here was just how stupidly plain the writing was. I don't want to say that the author is talentless, but there were just some sentences I read that I could only go, "REALLY? That's the ONLY description you could come up with?" The descriptions are just so PLAIN I really couldn't put myself in any of the characters' shoes or get engrossed in the world. Literally, describing a character's hair color, the best she could come up with was "brownish." I know this may improve over the course of the next few books, but honestly I'm hesitating to continue them. My favorite character has a weird character arc going for him, and i'm not sure if it's worth it to get invested in these books if the only person I like dies. I own the next three, though, should I go for it? I feel very lukewarm about this and probably wouldn't regret it if I got rid of them, even though this one was entertaining for what it was worth.
May 18, 2017
2 Stars
Overview:
This series is often hailed the ‘Game of Thrones for YA' and because I haven’t read/watched GOT, I can’t comment on the comparison.
I can tell you the similarities. They're both fantasy series involving a large cast of characters, murder, magic, and backstabbing.Also incest! Here, however, the overarching story focuses on the intersecting lives of Cleo, Jonas, and Magnus as war blossoms between their nations.
Pros:
There were several deaths I didn’t expect! Most didn't feel senseless and still pushed the story forward, while also adding a threat of danger that made everything more exciting.
The history of the three-lands and their opposing views of the same goddesses was very interesting to me. In fact, most of the mythology in this was intriguing and I wish it had been expanded upon.
I thought several characters have potential. I actually liked Cleo? She was definitely a little spoiled, but I could already see improvement. I really liked Lucia and Nic as well. Lucia’s story is arguably the most interesting, and I appreciated how well she stood up for herself/loved ones.
None of the characters are 100% morally good and some teetered anti-hero territory. This wasn't carried out well, but it was something I appreciated.
Cons
Why did Alexius only have like three chapters? Why were they only 2 pages long? Why was his POV even there if it didn't impact the story at all??
I never really connected with any of the characters. I understand their motivations and how I’m supposed to feel—but mainly because Rhodes reiterated it 50 times. For example:
Everyone’s motivation is explicitly stated. There's no guesswork or showing anything through actions. It was boring and made even worse when motivation would rapidly change. A character went from soley seeking revenge to clamoring for war, then a few chapters later he was advocating for peace.
And somehow everything is so convenient? Jonas is able to talk freely with the leader of his country, the first person Cleo interacts with in a new country is able to give her the information she wants, everyone is blinded by Cleo’s beauty, apologies are made and accepted through the aid of cute rabbits, etc. Quite a lot was just unbelievable occurrences pushing the plot forward.
Prologue was completely unnecessary and gave away what could have been a cool plot-twist.
The writing itself wasn’t great.Sorry, not sorry. And I've listed my three biggest problems with it.
1. There was a lot of stitled dialogue:
2. Repeated wording. Certain phrases were consistently reused every few chapters:
"A muscle under Sabina’s right eye twitched, almost imperceptibly." Then a few chapters later, “A muscle in Brion’s cheek twitched.”
3. Clunky sentences with a lot of filler words. Take below for an example, did we really need so many ‘that’s and ‘had’s??
It was never horrible, it just wasn’t great.
In Conclusion
Oddly, I really enjoyed reading this! No doubt because this was a Buddy Read with these awesome people in a fun fantasy league: Bentley, Mary, Frankie, Jeremy, and Rachelle. <3
They are all awesome, and their commentary made the whole thing worth it!
Taking a little break before we move on to the second book, and I saw potential here, so maybe it’ll be better?
Overview:
This series is often hailed the ‘Game of Thrones for YA' and because I haven’t read/watched GOT, I can’t comment on the comparison.
I can tell you the similarities. They're both fantasy series involving a large cast of characters, murder, magic, and backstabbing.
Pros:
There were several deaths I didn’t expect! Most didn't feel senseless and still pushed the story forward, while also adding a threat of danger that made everything more exciting.
The history of the three-lands and their opposing views of the same goddesses was very interesting to me. In fact, most of the mythology in this was intriguing and I wish it had been expanded upon.
I thought several characters have potential. I actually liked Cleo? She was definitely a little spoiled, but I could already see improvement. I really liked Lucia and Nic as well. Lucia’s story is arguably the most interesting, and I appreciated how well she stood up for herself/loved ones.
None of the characters are 100% morally good and some teetered anti-hero territory. This wasn't carried out well, but it was something I appreciated.
Cons
Why did Alexius only have like three chapters? Why were they only 2 pages long? Why was his POV even there if it didn't impact the story at all??
I never really connected with any of the characters. I understand their motivations and how I’m supposed to feel—but mainly because Rhodes reiterated it 50 times. For example:
“I hate them. I’d kill them all for a chance of a life like their's.”
"He had spent time in her bed, listened to her gossip about her friends, to her stories about her hateful snakes, all in an attempt to gain the chief’s confidence so that he might convince him to rise up against the Auranians and take what should have been theirs.”
Everyone’s motivation is explicitly stated. There's no guesswork or showing anything through actions. It was boring and made even worse when motivation would rapidly change. A character went from soley seeking revenge to clamoring for war, then a few chapters later he was advocating for peace.
And somehow everything is so convenient? Jonas is able to talk freely with the leader of his country, the first person Cleo interacts with in a new country is able to give her the information she wants, everyone is blinded by Cleo’s beauty, apologies are made and accepted through the aid of cute rabbits, etc. Quite a lot was just unbelievable occurrences pushing the plot forward.
Prologue was completely unnecessary and gave away what could have been a cool plot-twist.
The writing itself wasn’t great.
1. There was a lot of stitled dialogue:
“Paelisan scum,” he snarled as he raised his sword “Die you maggot!”
“Tell my mother I love her. And that I did this for her.”
“The princess isn’t in her room. She’s nowhere to be found!”
2. Repeated wording. Certain phrases were consistently reused every few chapters:
"A muscle under Sabina’s right eye twitched, almost imperceptibly." Then a few chapters later, “A muscle in Brion’s cheek twitched.”
3. Clunky sentences with a lot of filler words. Take below for an example, did we really need so many ‘that’s and ‘had’s??
“I had no idea that the difficulties between the lands would result in conflict like this. I spoke with King Gaius, who told me that he had [spoiler].”
It was never horrible, it just wasn’t great.
In Conclusion
Oddly, I really enjoyed reading this! No doubt because this was a Buddy Read with these awesome people in a fun fantasy league: Bentley, Mary, Frankie, Jeremy, and Rachelle. <3
They are all awesome, and their commentary made the whole thing worth it!
Taking a little break before we move on to the second book, and I saw potential here, so maybe it’ll be better?
June 26, 2018
This was one of those books that didn't seem to want to go forward. It dragged especially the first half and then dragged some more.
There was potential, sure but all shattered when it was clear that everything and i mean EVERYTHING needs to be discussed to death. I only wish it was literally to their deaths so I didn't have to continue with them anymore.
Really. So fucking tedious.
Give me the story.
Do something.
Anything!
Cleo, you wanna go Go then. Go or stay i don't care! Just fricking do it already! I can't read anymore of your discussions about this same tiresome subject - i've read three, three goddamn talks about this! And they lasted pages! Come the F on!
This thing had way too many POVs and none of them particularly well done.
Dnf@79%
*marked as dnf for now*
Wouldn't you believed it?
I actually went back and finished this!
I know shocking! BUT I've heard this was the weakest book in the series. So I figured 'finish it and have an option to move on to book 2 if the mood strikes'
The rating remains the same for this book though.
There was potential, sure but all shattered when it was clear that everything and i mean EVERYTHING needs to be discussed to death. I only wish it was literally to their deaths so I didn't have to continue with them anymore.
Really. So fucking tedious.
Give me the story.
Do something.
Anything!
Cleo, you wanna go Go then. Go or stay i don't care! Just fricking do it already! I can't read anymore of your discussions about this same tiresome subject - i've read three, three goddamn talks about this! And they lasted pages! Come the F on!
This thing had way too many POVs and none of them particularly well done.
*marked as dnf for now*
Wouldn't you believed it?
I actually went back and finished this!
I know shocking! BUT I've heard this was the weakest book in the series. So I figured 'finish it and have an option to move on to book 2 if the mood strikes'
The rating remains the same for this book though.
May 24, 2018
4 Princess. Rebel. Sorceress. Hire. ★'s
“You must continue to believe with all your heart. Sometimes belief is all it takes to make something real.”
'Falling Kingdoms' was so good! I was hooked from the first page and I finished it in one sitting. I couldn't put this book down, it drew me right in and it was also a fast passed read. I enjoyed the plot, the writing style was captivating, the world was enchanting and well thought out. As were the characters, the character building was done nicely and they were all very enjoyable. I loved getting to know each and everyone of them and learning about the different kingdoms. I really enjoyed all the back stories too. The best part though was all the different characters and the different lives that they lead. They were all enticing, had depth and lots of room for growth. Truly it's so hard to choose a favorite. But... I do really love Princess Cleo, then again I really love all four of the main characters. I also love how none of the character are all good or all bad. The choices they make determines the paths in-witch they travel and some of those choices are leading them down some pretty dark alleys :( But every story needs a good villain or two in this case. The Kingdoms are fighting for POWER and in its wake, is so much blood, destruction, betrayal, and chaos. Sadly, so many die in this first book and one in particular completely shocked me!!! I was so NOT expecting that character to die so soon. But war is war, and I have a feeling that many, many, more will die before it's all said and done! There are so many twists and turns, and surprises at every corner. I love reading books with multiple POVs and this book has many :D Falling Kingdoms is sure to draw you in and break your heart. It broke mine, and it also had me tearing up in a few places. It gave me all kinds of feels! Everything felt really planned out and it was addicting. I believe, I have found my new addiction and I can't wait to see what adventures await me in Rebel Spring book #2.
*I love this cover a lot!*
“Hate is such a strong emotion. Much more powerful than indifference. But those who burn with hate can also love just as intensely. Can't they? When you hate--or love--do you do so with all your heart? So much that it feels as if you might die from it?”
“Even in the darkest and most cruel person, there is still a kernel of good. And within the most perfect champion, there is darkness. The question is, will one give in to the dark or the light? It's something we decide with every choice we make, every day that we exist. What might not be evil to you could be evil to someone else. Knowing this makes us powerful even without magic.”
“I’ll be strong,” she whispered. “I’ll be strong for you. For Emilia. For Theon. For Auranos. I swear I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done.”
“In any case, her fight was not over yet—not nearly over. It had only begun. And yes, Cleo would be strong. Just as her father and Emilia had asked her to be. She would be strong. She would reclaim her rightful throne. She would be queen.”
“You must continue to believe with all your heart. Sometimes belief is all it takes to make something real.”
'Falling Kingdoms' was so good! I was hooked from the first page and I finished it in one sitting. I couldn't put this book down, it drew me right in and it was also a fast passed read. I enjoyed the plot, the writing style was captivating, the world was enchanting and well thought out. As were the characters, the character building was done nicely and they were all very enjoyable. I loved getting to know each and everyone of them and learning about the different kingdoms. I really enjoyed all the back stories too. The best part though was all the different characters and the different lives that they lead. They were all enticing, had depth and lots of room for growth. Truly it's so hard to choose a favorite. But... I do really love Princess Cleo, then again I really love all four of the main characters. I also love how none of the character are all good or all bad. The choices they make determines the paths in-witch they travel and some of those choices are leading them down some pretty dark alleys :( But every story needs a good villain or two in this case. The Kingdoms are fighting for POWER and in its wake, is so much blood, destruction, betrayal, and chaos. Sadly, so many die in this first book and one in particular completely shocked me!!! I was so NOT expecting that character to die so soon. But war is war, and I have a feeling that many, many, more will die before it's all said and done! There are so many twists and turns, and surprises at every corner. I love reading books with multiple POVs and this book has many :D Falling Kingdoms is sure to draw you in and break your heart. It broke mine, and it also had me tearing up in a few places. It gave me all kinds of feels! Everything felt really planned out and it was addicting. I believe, I have found my new addiction and I can't wait to see what adventures await me in Rebel Spring book #2.
*I love this cover a lot!*
“Hate is such a strong emotion. Much more powerful than indifference. But those who burn with hate can also love just as intensely. Can't they? When you hate--or love--do you do so with all your heart? So much that it feels as if you might die from it?”
“Even in the darkest and most cruel person, there is still a kernel of good. And within the most perfect champion, there is darkness. The question is, will one give in to the dark or the light? It's something we decide with every choice we make, every day that we exist. What might not be evil to you could be evil to someone else. Knowing this makes us powerful even without magic.”
“I’ll be strong,” she whispered. “I’ll be strong for you. For Emilia. For Theon. For Auranos. I swear I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done.”
“In any case, her fight was not over yet—not nearly over. It had only begun. And yes, Cleo would be strong. Just as her father and Emilia had asked her to be. She would be strong. She would reclaim her rightful throne. She would be queen.”
July 15, 2019
*unmarked spoilers ahead, read at your own risk. *
buddy read with Jessica, fellow Theon lover. 🍦
Oh, wow. I did not expect this to become a 5 star read for me, but it really did. I got so emotionally invested in every single character, which I never expected!
Firstly, I need to put it out there that this was like And I Darken/Now I Rise+fantasy+magic= amazing. I was getting so many feels for the Conqueror's Saga, my utmost favorite series. I LOVED IT 😻😻
The world building, the magic, the characters, I loved it all and hated all the snakes that were slithering around everywhere (cough cough Sabina) & I am just so happy I read this book! It's one of those series that everyone raves about and you can't wait to board the hype train.
Definitely plot and character driven, so I'll give my thoughts on both:
Cleo : so first, I thought I wasn’t going to like her because she just stood by, doing nothing, making naive decisions. But she PULLED HERSELF TOGETHER & I really loved her near the end. I can’t wait to see what the next books hold for her & her stubborn witty personality!
Magnus : alright so I thought I wasn’t going to like him AT ALL. but whenever he was sad I felt my heart sink for him & I felt so bad for him. Like please let me give you all the love you deserve? shoot, I think I just admitted that I like him. but he’s still an arrogant and rude and evil ass. what a mess.
Theon : I’m tearing up. I started to love him 5% through the book and him and Cleo were beautiful? Like give me more? Oh no, but Morgan Rhodes just had to kill him off. It’s fine. I’m fine. How am I supposed to get through with this? How? How will I ever forgive Magnus?
Boy, was I glad to see Sabina burn. King Corvin was the best & I’m still not over his death. He just took so much care of his daughters and loved them unlike Gaius who uses his children. MAGNUS BACK AWAY AND RUN AND HIDE. Also, what in the world was the Chief he made me so mad & annoyed like get out and take your topless dancing girls with you, sir.
Lucia was also pretty annoying. Jonas was okay, I guess, warmed up to him a bit but good luck marrying the dancing snake lady. Also, I'm done with Nic. Also I miss you Emilia. & Simon, even though I didn’t know him. This comes to show how much effect the characters had on me. Even Tomas, who I didn’t even know for a page. I’m so sorry. AND ARON, oh ARON was the worst.
okay my feelings are all messed up seriously, can you even call this a review because it really is jut all my feelings written out in an extremely incoherent way. but read THIS BOOK and I need the next and all the books and the series in general because this is fantasy. This. Is. Fantasy.
I’m so embarrassed to have written this review I promise I’m not like this all the time.
buddy read with Jessica, fellow Theon lover. 🍦
Oh, wow. I did not expect this to become a 5 star read for me, but it really did. I got so emotionally invested in every single character, which I never expected!
Firstly, I need to put it out there that this was like And I Darken/Now I Rise+fantasy+magic= amazing. I was getting so many feels for the Conqueror's Saga, my utmost favorite series. I LOVED IT 😻😻
The world building, the magic, the characters, I loved it all and hated all the snakes that were slithering around everywhere (cough cough Sabina) & I am just so happy I read this book! It's one of those series that everyone raves about and you can't wait to board the hype train.
Definitely plot and character driven, so I'll give my thoughts on both:
Cleo : so first, I thought I wasn’t going to like her because she just stood by, doing nothing, making naive decisions. But she PULLED HERSELF TOGETHER & I really loved her near the end. I can’t wait to see what the next books hold for her & her stubborn witty personality!
Magnus : alright so I thought I wasn’t going to like him AT ALL. but whenever he was sad I felt my heart sink for him & I felt so bad for him. Like please let me give you all the love you deserve? shoot, I think I just admitted that I like him. but he’s still an arrogant and rude and evil ass. what a mess.
Theon : I’m tearing up. I started to love him 5% through the book and him and Cleo were beautiful? Like give me more? Oh no, but Morgan Rhodes just had to kill him off. It’s fine. I’m fine. How am I supposed to get through with this? How? How will I ever forgive Magnus?
Boy, was I glad to see Sabina burn. King Corvin was the best & I’m still not over his death. He just took so much care of his daughters and loved them unlike Gaius who uses his children. MAGNUS BACK AWAY AND RUN AND HIDE. Also, what in the world was the Chief he made me so mad & annoyed like get out and take your topless dancing girls with you, sir.
Lucia was also pretty annoying. Jonas was okay, I guess, warmed up to him a bit but good luck marrying the dancing snake lady. Also, I'm done with Nic. Also I miss you Emilia. & Simon, even though I didn’t know him. This comes to show how much effect the characters had on me. Even Tomas, who I didn’t even know for a page. I’m so sorry. AND ARON, oh ARON was the worst.
okay my feelings are all messed up seriously, can you even call this a review because it really is jut all my feelings written out in an extremely incoherent way. but read THIS BOOK and I need the next and all the books and the series in general because this is fantasy. This. Is. Fantasy.
I’m so embarrassed to have written this review I promise I’m not like this all the time.
February 7, 2017
Ouuu, I liked this book....despite a few things.
RTC...When I'm not:
1) Lazy as fuck
2) SCHOOL
3) SCHOOL
4) LIFE
5) Yup, lazy as fuck again ;P
Anyway, gimme the next book pls!
**************************
I went to the library to ACTUALLY study and do my school work. Okay, I'm trying make it to places GUYS !! *cough* I should've thought about becoming a Doctor like holyyyyyyyy shit. The work load ISN'T A JOKEEEE.
Please tell me how I walk inside and the first thing I see is a big ass book sale. Everything was being sold for $1.....
YOU SEE THAT ??
ALL
FOR
$1
My inner self and I have accepted that we can't escape books. Of all days, I wanted to be a good ass student, get all my work done and BAMMM!! The book Life hits me like a damn Train ಥ_ಥ
I was going to close my eyes and sprint right by the book sale section because *cough* I'm broke af. Luckily, I remembered I made sure to take some money from my mom because there's a really bigggggggg Starbucks near the library. And yeah, Tweebs wants her Starbucks. They have this really nice drink my friend forced me to try that legit tastes like it came straight out of heaven. If you have a Starbucks nearby then I'd advise you to please get the "Caramel Frappe"
YOU'LL THANK MEEEEE GUYS =) !!
Anyway, as I was getting ready to sprint; I swear, this lady, who was selling the books, was looking into my soul like "I know you're a book addict. It's written all over you. I bet a million dollars, you got zero guts to actually walk by and not buy some books. Best deals like you be missing out on this beautiful opportunity. I double D dare your ass to continue walking.
Comeeeeeee
hereeeeeee.
youuuu
littleeeee
shittttt
headdddd "
SOOOOO yeah, I bought 4 books. I stopped myself from going crazy because I didn't want to return home with 3849384392 books. Not that I could because I'M ACTUALLY REPRESENTING TEAM BROKE. I have to get a job guys like for real....
SOMEONE HIRE MY ASS LIKE HOW COULD ANYONE NOT WANT SUCH AN AMAZING, CUTE, FUNNY, SASSY, SAVAGE, YEAH...the list of qualities is endless
Didn't know I'd make this pre-review this long but what can I say?? I got carried away. All I wanted to say is....Don't let me down because I heard a lot about you, Oh Falling Kingdom One :) :) :) :)
RTC...When I'm not:
1) Lazy as fuck
2) SCHOOL
3) SCHOOL
4) LIFE
5) Yup, lazy as fuck again ;P
Anyway, gimme the next book pls!
**************************
I went to the library to ACTUALLY study and do my school work. Okay, I'm trying make it to places GUYS !! *cough* I should've thought about becoming a Doctor like holyyyyyyyy shit. The work load ISN'T A JOKEEEE.
Please tell me how I walk inside and the first thing I see is a big ass book sale. Everything was being sold for $1.....
YOU SEE THAT ??
ALL
FOR
$1
My inner self and I have accepted that we can't escape books. Of all days, I wanted to be a good ass student, get all my work done and BAMMM!! The book Life hits me like a damn Train ಥ_ಥ
I was going to close my eyes and sprint right by the book sale section because *cough* I'm broke af. Luckily, I remembered I made sure to take some money from my mom because there's a really bigggggggg Starbucks near the library. And yeah, Tweebs wants her Starbucks. They have this really nice drink my friend forced me to try that legit tastes like it came straight out of heaven. If you have a Starbucks nearby then I'd advise you to please get the "Caramel Frappe"
YOU'LL THANK MEEEEE GUYS =) !!
Anyway, as I was getting ready to sprint; I swear, this lady, who was selling the books, was looking into my soul like "I know you're a book addict. It's written all over you. I bet a million dollars, you got zero guts to actually walk by and not buy some books. Best deals like you be missing out on this beautiful opportunity. I double D dare your ass to continue walking.
Comeeeeeee
hereeeeeee.
youuuu
littleeeee
shittttt
headdddd "
SOOOOO yeah, I bought 4 books. I stopped myself from going crazy because I didn't want to return home with 3849384392 books. Not that I could because I'M ACTUALLY REPRESENTING TEAM BROKE. I have to get a job guys like for real....
SOMEONE HIRE MY ASS LIKE HOW COULD ANYONE NOT WANT SUCH AN AMAZING, CUTE, FUNNY, SASSY, SAVAGE, YEAH...the list of qualities is endless
Didn't know I'd make this pre-review this long but what can I say?? I got carried away. All I wanted to say is....Don't let me down because I heard a lot about you, Oh Falling Kingdom One :) :) :) :)
September 6, 2017
Blog review @Scaredy Engines End of Line Library
There is a lot of drama and plot twists in this book. A lot. Which is what made it so enjoyable for me! :D
First of all the characters and world were so richly developed I could not guess what was around the next corner. Like I've said in other reviews one of the most enjoyable aspects of a high fantasy novel is the world building and Myticas history was full of intrigue not to mention how I loved the stories from the past catching up and intertwining with the characters of present. In a way it felt like everything was explained at the end of the book regarding the intentions of the characters and the magic at stake, but with definite room for more adventures and more problems to solve. (This is an ongoing series after all)
I liked how the author managed to create a believable world and fill it with complex characters whose intentions aren't always clear at least not until the end. In fact the characters were so well written that their feelings and actions felt real to me. Cleo was a character I didn't like at the beginning but I feel she really grew out of that spoiled princess cast and came to realise there was a lot at stake. That cliffhanger ending with her definitely makes me want to grab the next book ASAP.
On my copy there is a statement which says "perfect for fans of game of thrones ". I cannot comment on this as I have never read the book or seen the tv series. But I have a general idea as to what game of thrones is about and based on that idea I would say that statement is right. Highly recommended
There is a lot of drama and plot twists in this book. A lot. Which is what made it so enjoyable for me! :D
First of all the characters and world were so richly developed I could not guess what was around the next corner. Like I've said in other reviews one of the most enjoyable aspects of a high fantasy novel is the world building and Myticas history was full of intrigue not to mention how I loved the stories from the past catching up and intertwining with the characters of present. In a way it felt like everything was explained at the end of the book regarding the intentions of the characters and the magic at stake, but with definite room for more adventures and more problems to solve. (This is an ongoing series after all)
I liked how the author managed to create a believable world and fill it with complex characters whose intentions aren't always clear at least not until the end. In fact the characters were so well written that their feelings and actions felt real to me. Cleo was a character I didn't like at the beginning but I feel she really grew out of that spoiled princess cast and came to realise there was a lot at stake. That cliffhanger ending with her definitely makes me want to grab the next book ASAP.
On my copy there is a statement which says "perfect for fans of game of thrones ". I cannot comment on this as I have never read the book or seen the tv series. But I have a general idea as to what game of thrones is about and based on that idea I would say that statement is right. Highly recommended
August 22, 2015
I couldn't bring myself to give this higher than 3 stars because it's just not as good as some of my favourite fantasies, but it was still really good! The instalove was super cringeworthy and the writing was very simple and I dunno it's just not the best thing I've ever read.
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