Publisher: Razorbill
Format: ARC
Published: In eBook: 11th December 2012
In Paperback: 3rd January 2013
Number of Pages: 432
Number of Pages: 432
Book: For Review*
Genre:
Epic Fantasy, Magic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure,
YA
Recommended
Age: 12+
Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol References
No Drug References
Author's
Blog: Falling Kingdoms
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?
Review:
"The
time is coming for a reckoning - one a thousand years in the making."
Lost magic. Three kingdoms on the
brink of collapse…
Welcome to Mytica...
Princess Cleiona of Auranos travels to the
rough land of Paelsia. There, her intended brutally stabs a young man
called Tomas in the neck. Needless to say, this enraged his younger
brother, Jonas, who loved Tomas and is determined for revenge - on Cleo and all
of Auranos. To do so, Jonas decides to raise a revolution in his
impoverished Paelsia - and strike back against the Auranians...
Prince Magnus of Limeros has perfected his
mask of indifference. He's had to in this family. And there's the
fact that the one he loves, the only one he ever wants, is the one he can never
have. So he decides to help his father and try to forget it all.
Try to freeze his heart...
His sister Lucia is also trying to keep a
devastating secret – one that could end her life should anyone find out.
But it becomes harder to conceal. Especially with all these talks
of prophecies flying about...
All the while she is watched by a golden
hawk...
Battle is imminent.
Which side will you choose when kingdoms
begin to fall...?
Now, I've neither read nor seen Game of Thrones, but from the moment I
lay eyes on the gorgeous cover and read intriguing blurb of Falling Kingdoms, I knew I simply had to read it. I love, love,
love epic fantasies, so I was super,
super excited about this. There have been some pretty split reviews on
it, but I found myself completely hooked. I read half the book in a
single sitting. It got so much better as time went on – I stormed
through, loving every single second to pieces! I couldn't get enough - I
want more, even after all those pages!
The characters were amazing. They
were such a varying bunch, so 3D and complex. I liked that they all had
faults and redeeming qualities – it made them all feel more real, y'know?
I felt like all the characters had light and dark inside, each and every
one. Well, everyone except King Gaius of Limeros. That man was pure
evilness. But let's forget that for the time being and speak about the
characters I did like.
Like Magnus, who was so brilliant – and really
funny! I felt so sorry for him though. It was made worse by the
fact I loved him from the moment he entered. I don't know what made me
fall in love with him so hard, but fall I did. I loved his snark and
bluntness and that hidden vulnerability beneath the bravado. My heart
broke for his own brokenness - I'd put you back together if I could, Magnus!
His sister Lucia was a sweet girl, stronger
than she looked and so loving. And I liked that she was strong in more
than one way...
Now, Cleo was spoilt – a real stereotypical
princess, if you know what I mean. But there were these flashes of a
better person, the woman we know she
can become. I absolutely loved seeing her grow – I just can't wait for
the Cleo in the next book. She will be formidable!
Jonas, the poor boy, was just drowning in
grief. But he was so determined and loyal. I loved how strong and
sure he was.
As for the minor characters, well, I must
say, when I started reading, I was worried about whether or not I'd be able to
remember who was who. But it was surprisingly easy after not long at all.
Plus, Miss Rhodes killed loads off, which helped. But anyway, I
adored sweet Nic, really liked Theon and absolutely loved Cleo's family.
The relationships - I loved the bond
between siblings Magnus and Lucia, even if it was a little, um, unconventional. But I loved how
they were always there for one another and trusted no one more than the other.
I loved the bond between sisters Cleo and Emilia too. Some of the
romantic bonds didn't feel quite as real as I'd like, but maybe that's because
we didn't follow every one for every second – their bonds had time to grow when
we weren't watching.
Now, the writing was beautiful – like, seriously. It was so wonderfully
addictive and descriptive - I could see everything in my head. I will say
that at times the dialogue was a little off for the time period - I wouldn't
really expect the word "jackass"
to exist back then, for example. But I didn't care. I loved it all
– how we read from Magus, Lucas, Cleo and Jonas' POVs, all in third person. And the plot was so just rich and twisty.
No one was safe – Rhodes had a bit of a habit of killing people off.
I'd think they'd be a huge part of the story, then, bam! Bye bye.
Even though I knew how trigger happy she was, one death in particular
shocked me to the core - and really, really upset me too! I loved that
she could shock me like that. I also loved how fast paced it was and how
she twisted the stories together so effortlessly. And near the end, when
it REALLY kicked off? Needless
to say, I was just breathless and reading as fast as I possibly could! I NEED
more!
The world was brilliantly built up - so
beautiful. I absolutely adored all the myth and legends and origins in
the world. And I loved seeing how all the different lands differed - and
not just in religion or people. The lands themselves. Lush, green
Auranos. Barren, dying Paelsia. The icy, frozen Limeros.
I also loved that it was an epic fantasy that
had a breathlessly fast pace, nonstop action and endless intrigue and
twists. It was a fantasy that was fun and didn't give you a headache as
you tried to get to know the world. It
was just magical and full of court intrigue and very human problems. I
love it for that – and about a million more reasons.
An epic fantasy full of magic, treachery,
intrigue and power plays, Falling
Kingdoms had me hooked start to finish. Sure, it wasn’t perfect but
it was completely addictive and fun to read. I've been left absolutely
stark-ravingly desperate for
the next in the series. I need more of
the adrenaline, the pain, the excitement, the magic... Just more of everything this book was about.
As for whose side I'm on... Well, I
can’t choose. I’m torn. I love and hate people equally from both
Limeros and Auranos and feel that I don’t know enough about Paelsia. So,
I guess I'll have to wait til the next book to decide. Bring it on, Miss
Rhodes!
Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5
4½ Out of 5
Read this
book if you liked:
Throne of Glass by S.J. Maas
The Seven Kingdoms by Kristin Cashashore
The Black Magician Series by Trudi Canavan
Old Kingdoms Series by Garth Nix
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Challenges
It's Taking Part In:
Happy Reading
Megan
* This
book was received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review
2 comments:
omg! this looks great!! i love fantasy novels haha! awesome review as usual! XD hope u had a wonderful holida (whatver you celebrate) and a very happy new year!
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