Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Falling Kingdoms 

Author: Morgan Rhodes

Series: Falling Kingdoms #1

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: December 11, 2012

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....

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“Magic will find those with pure hearts, even when all seems lost.” 

I had seen this series go through my Goodreads feed for a while. Some of my book friends have really enjoyed it. Since I had the audiobook and I had a long drive, I decided it was the perfect time to begin it. 

Falling Kingdoms has four main characters. They each have their own voice in this novel. 

There's Cleiona Aurora Bellos or Princess Cleo for short. She lives a pampered life and is the second daughter of the King of Auranos. She loves her older sister who's the responsible one and someday she shall be queen. During an outing to the Kingdom of Paelsia, where wine is involved, a young man ended up dying. Cleo runs back home but the damage has been done. Peace is broken.

Jonas is a young man who's from Paelsia. When his brother is murdered right in front of his eyes. He promises revenge and he will do anything in his power to bring Auranos down especially Princess Cleiona.

Lucia is a sixteen-year-old princess who has no idea about her past until she discovers she's adopted and she has magical powers. She's a powerful sorceress and her birth was foretold in the stars. 

Magnus is the Prince of Limeros. He's the true son of the King of Blood. For years, he has been harboring feelings for Lucia even though, he believes she's his sister. When he finds out the truth, he will do anything for her. He will become her protector despite Lucia not sharing his amorous feelings.

“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 have to say that the idea of these three Kingdoms going into battle for power and for the search of the kindred, was enticing. However, I couldn't stop feeling like the main female characters were immature, self-centered and without real goals. I liked Magnus at the beginning but by the middle of the book, I was disillusioned by him.

“Then his heart, now broken into a thousand pieces, slowly began to turn to ice.” 

The character that was more interesting to me was Jonas (maybe because he is not a prince?). Yet, he had the least page time. I hope this gets rectified in Rebel Spring.

I expect both female characters to improve in the next few books. I want them to show me they are fighters. Worthy heroines.

“Sometimes you don't realize how strong you are until you're tested” 

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

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Amazon

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 realise that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....

I was not emotionally prepared for this book. This book made me feel so many feels, and I honestly don't know how I survived. 

I am so happy that I finally got around to reading this book! I have seen so many people rave about this book, and I was so happy that it lived up to the hype that it received. I am a fantasy lover, and this might be one of my favorite fantasy worlds. I think people who are nervous to read fantasy or haven't read a lot of fantasy should pick up this book. The plot of this book wasn't hard to follow, and the book was extremely addicting. There was action, adventure , magic, and just amazingness in this book. 

The beginning of this book was a little slow, but it really starting pick up about 20% into this book. From that point forward, I couldn't put the book down. I haven't read a book as quickly as I read this book in a very long time. There was just something so addictive to this book.

My favorite character in this book was Cleo.

Sure, there were times when Cleo was super annoying. She sometimes acted extremely bratty and spoiled. However, I really enjoyed her character. Her POVs were always my favorite, because I thought her storyline was the most interesting one. I admired how strong and loyal she was. She would do anything for those she loves, and I just really liked her for that. A lot of crazy things happened to her in this book, and I wish I could have just given her a big hug. 

When it comes to Lucia and Magnus, I cannot decide how I feel.

I felt bad for both of these characters. There family situation was horrible, and they were treated so unfairly. Magus was dark and moody, but he had a very emotional side that I enjoyed seeing. However, there is no denying that he was a complete jerk. Lucia was really sweet and caring, but she seemed kind of bland personality wise. I do think that with some character development, these two characters could turn into characters that I love.

I could not get behind any of the romance in this book. There was instalove and what was basically insect. Neither of those types of romances are my cup of tea, so I was just annoyed and disgusted by them the entire book. I think the next book will start to develop different romances that I will love a lot. Another issue I had sort of related to romance was how every male character seemed to be in love with Cleo or Lucia. Literally, any guy that saw them fell in love with them. It was stated so many times how beautiful the two girls were, and I was so done with it by the end. I get it, they are beautiful. I didn't need it repeated every chapter. That combined with all the men in love with the two girls was just so annoying.

Those things aside, I really enjoyed this book. I cannot believe it took me this long to pick up this book! I am going to read the next book as soon as possible, because I can tell that the sequel is going to be even better than the first book. 

4 / 5 Fangs