Sunday, January 26, 2014

Review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
Steph's Rating:  3 stars
Dani's Rating: 4 stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

Format: ebook
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: December 11th, 2012
Pages: 412

Goodreads Synopsis:
 In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects' lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:

Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.

Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

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

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

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

Steph's Review:

Falling Kingdoms is a very solid story with an intriguing plotline, and I did enjoy reading this book. It is set in multiple POV's of characters within the books, four main voices that represent all of the "worlds" -- the drastically different kingdoms -- of the land. 

The three split kingdoms of Auranos, Paelsia, and Limeros are  all vying for the domination over all three.  Auranos is the wealthy kingdom, where there is plenty. Paelsia is a kingdom that has been completely devastated, where citizens' only hope is the rumor of their Chief's magical powers. Limeros is a cold and hard kingdom with a face of stone--highly militaristic, yet successful--and the biggest rival to Auranos. With the advent of magic returning to the land once more, a war for power begins amongst the three kingdoms, beginning the fall of each nation as people know.

Since this is a very character oriented book, I'll do a character talk for this one:

Cleo: Crown Princess of Auranos, excessively spoiled and used to getting her way. Despite her faults, she is my favorite character in this book because she's brave and loyal to a fault. When illness descends upon her family, and chasing the dream of magic is the only way to save them, she raises her hand first to search for a cure even when it means traveling straight into the depth of a deathly domain.

Magnus: Crown Prince and heir of Limeros, who has a secret--he's in love with his own sister Lucia. The incest thing first really freaked me out, but once I got over that after a few chapters, I really loved Magnus. His father, the King, is cold and sadistic and hopes his son will follow the same path. Magnus is more soft-hearted than the King, but he has to constantly put on the facade of being a perfect son. I do love Magnus, but not as much as Cleo because Magnus has one great fault: cowardice.

Lucia: I really don't like Lucia. She's Magnus's sister but she's so...naive. And stupid so to say. Sure she's got a pretty face that attracts Magnus to her like a flock, but otherwise? I couldn't connect with her. Of all the characters, I disiked reading her POV the most. She's boring, and like a sheep--just takes whatever she's told and accepts it, with no mind for herself. 

Jonas: I didn't love Jonas, and didn't hate him. The most feeling I had for him was pity--his brother was killed through a misunderstanding with Cleo, and his desire for revenge overrides rational though for him. He tried to lead a Paelsian rebellion, and didn't always realize that his goal and the Chief of Paelsia's goals were not one and the same. I'm hoping he will turn out to be a better character in Rebel Spring (Book 2). 

Each of the characters represents a very extreme POV within the book, so I don't know how Morgan Rhodes is going to tie their story up, but can't wait to see how she expands this story.

The main reason I gave this book 3 stars was because it was so predictable. Since there are four POV's going on, suspense was basically killed. The reader knows exactly what to expect in the next chapters, etc. Another reason for the 3 stars is instalove alert. The characters fall in love every which way like crazy without buildup, especially Cleo.

Falling Kingdoms is a good read but didn't give me the "can't put it down" vibe. I will be reading the next book to look for improvements to the story. It's a good book to read in your spare time, so that you won't devote an hours-long block of time to finish it in one go.

2 comments:

  1. Jonas definitely develops more in Rebel Spring :D

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    Replies
    1. Awesome, Rebel Spring is probs the next read after a little too far

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