REVIEW: Falling Kingdoms
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
Page Count: 412 pages
Release Date: December 11, 2012
Rating: 3/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
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....
My Review:
This book has been on my TBR list for literally years, and as 2018 is the Year I Read What's On My Shelves Instead Of Only Rereading Harry Potter™, I thought it was about time I picked it up.
When I was asked what I thought of it, this was my response:
Did I like it? Yes. Did I love it? No. Did I really like it? ... Also no.
This book follows three main characters, from three warring kingdoms: Cleo, from wealthy Auranos, Magnus, from frozen Limeros, and Jonas, from barren, dying Paelsia. Each had their own motivations and goals, and throughout the book their goals get intermingled, sometimes in disastrous ways. The characters were complex, and overall the plot was good and fairly fast-paced.
The writing, however, was what caused the book to go from good to "eh, okay." So much of the plot we were told about, after the fact. For instance, it would say something like "Jonas woke up after being on the run for two weeks, searching for __, getting in fights __, having conversations with __." That's a made up example, but you get the point. Two weeks summed up into a sentence. And it happened a lot, with big parts of the book being summed up too quickly. While sometimes that has to happen, because of course a writer can't detail every second of a character's life and actions, it left me feeling disconnected from the characters, like I was just rushing through the story with lots of things left unanswered.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the story and am curious to see where the plot goes, so I'll continue with the series and hope that I enjoy the later books more!
RECAP: WARRING KINGDOMS. ELEMENTAL MAGIC. WITCHES. MURDER. HATRED. INSTA LOVE. INSTA HATE. POLITICAL MANEUVERINGS.