Sunday, June 9, 2013

Book Review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes


Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
Genre:
YA Fantasy
Published:
December 11th 2012 by Razorbill
Source:
borrowed from library
Pages:
412
My Rating:
☆☆☆☆
 (4.5)
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?
MY THOUGHTS:
 This is considered high-fantasy but when I think of high-fantasy, I think of huge fantasy worlds that have so much information you can never stop learning more and the books just keep on coming. This novel was just perfect enough to keep you reading without info dumping or confusing you with superfluous details.

Falling Kingdoms is about three kingdoms, all in the same realm of Mytica. There is strict and devout Limeros in the North, barren and suffering Paelsia in the middle, and luxurious Auranos in the south. I did enjoy how very different the three kindgoms were and how the characters from those kingdoms also differed from each other in many ways. There is animosity between these three kingdoms and the main characters, though young, soon realize how diverse they are after being thrust into situations that cause them to meet.

I think my favorite character was Magnus because he had a harsh life and a secret but soon found out how much worse it could get. I didn't really appreciate Cleo until the end but I did sympathize with her the most. I think the best thing about the characters in this book are that you start out with one opinion of them and by the end of the book, that opinion has changed drastically. I'm really looking forward to continuing their stories.

I very much enjoyed reading this but I honestly can't say that I loved it even though fantasy is my favorite genre. I think I might be able to love it more after reading more of the characters so I am impatiently waiting for Rebel Spring which comes out on December 3rd of 2013. A long wait.


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