Book Review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Falling Kingdoms
By Morgan Rhodes
Falling Kingdoms #1
Hardcover: 305 pages
Publication Date: December 11, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Rated: ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
4 out of 5 Stars
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Related Reviews:
| Rebel Spring (#2) | Gathering Darkness (#3) |
Categories: Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult

In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....

Falling Kingdoms. Sigh. It took me far too long to arrange my thoughts properly upon finishing this insane novel. I mean insane in the nicest way, of course. Insane, nonetheless.

It feels, at first, that there are way too many points of view to be conducive to a well thought out novel. That worry soon comes to pass though, as the reader finds themselves thrown into a world of chaos and magic, love and hate, death and power. It is truly hard to keep up with the multitude of characters, at first, but I found myself connecting with each of them.

First and foremost in Princess Cleiona, the youngest daughter of the King of Auranos. She seems like a typical princess; spoiled rich and as selfish as possible. She is so much more than that. Sure, she is sheltered and naive, but the struggles that she goes through in this book.. Let me just say that she proves herself a strong and brave young woman. Her passion is refreshing in this war torn world of haughty royals and poor peasants.

Prince Magnus, heir to the Limeros throne is the polar opposite of Cleo in so many ways. He has taught himself to portray callous disregard towards every person in the kingdom, save for his sister, Princess Lucia. She is the only person that he truly trusts, and his heart belongs to her in more ways than one. These illicit feelings for his sister, his hatred for his father, and his apathy for his mother; Magnus is a lonely prince caught in the middle of a struggle for power as old as time itself.

Jonas Agallon. Son of a poor wine maker in the dying land of Paelsia. A young man filled with complete hatred of royals with their frivolous excesses, while his family fights to keep food in their bellies on the daily. When his older brother, Tomas is murdered in cold blood by one of these such royals, Jonas vows vengeance.

This book is filled with twists and turns at every new page. I fell in love with each of these characters, their strengths and weaknesses, their hatred and love. In this war torn world, trust is impossible- and love, even more so. A beautiful story and one that I would recommend to everyone.

“Even paradise could become a prison if one had enough time to take notice of the walls.”

“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.”

Related Reviews:
| Rebel Spring (#2) | Gathering Darkness (#3) |

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