Once Upon a Bibliophile

BOOK- Falling Kingdoms

AUTHOR- Morgan Rhodes

SERIES- Falling Kingdoms #1

RATING- 4/5

My friends are, by now, used to my sudden and excited text messages about whatever book I’m currently reading. Frankly, I’m sure they could not care less about my latest reading challenge or that the newest book in a series still isn’t in my local library, but I send them anyway. They received such a message maybe a month ago when I discovered Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes.

Many reviews have compared it to A Game of Thrones, but as I haven’t read those novels yet, I cannot contribute to the conversation. However, based on ratings online, Falling Kingdoms seems a little like a younger-YA-reader-friendly equivalent. Packed with royal intrigue, magic and romance, I loved the first book.

Plot

It all starts with a dagger. One afternoon in Paelsia, Princess Cleo of Auranos and her fiance Lord Aron are out buying wine when Aron takes his temper out on a young farmer named Tomas. The two flee the scene, leaving behind only Aron’s jeweled dagger, stuck in the neck of the boy’s corpse. (So, really, Aron is to blame for this series of books.) On seeing his body, Tomas’ brother Jonas vows to avenge his murder, and in doing so save their poor country from destruction. From that one dagger, a revolution is formed. Meanwhile, in cold and icy Limeros, Prince Magnus’ father the King of Blood allies with the Chief of Paelsia to conquer Auranos and steal its riches for themselves, and Princess Lucia hides her magic, fearing her father will prosecute her as a witch. War is looming for these young people, and kingdoms will fall. It’s time to choose your side.

It’s certainly exciting, but the question is, will it deliver? And the answer to that is yes. I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel, despite its slow moving plot. I normally can’t stand books where lots of time passes and nothing happens, but Falling Kingdoms had so many characters that the plot never truly stopped. There was always somebody else doing something exciting to draw you back in.

The war between the three falling kingdoms isn’t the only thing going on though. Slowly emerging amidst the politics and adventure is the legend of the Kindred. Said to be four crystal orbs once owned by the sorceress Eva, these are the key to infinite power. But never mind about those for now: there’s a kingdom to save!

This is definitely what I needed this winter: compelling, complex and a project to keep me going. Though I might not love the characters all that much, I loved the book. It was, if not entirely unique, very well written. I was hooked from the first page.

Characters

In Falling Kingdoms, there are four main characters: Cleo, Jonas, Magnus and Lucia. The story is told through alternating POV chapters, so we get to know each character very well.

MAGNUS

Prince Magnus is the heir to the throne of Limeros, son of the King of Blood. He’s conflicted, torn between is admiration for his cruel father and his conscience. More of a misguided protagonist than an antagonist, he’s nevertheless seen as heartless like his father. With masks in place to hide his true feelings and confused goals, he’s a tricky character to unravel. To begin with, I didn’t like him. Without seeing his soft and deeply caring side, it’s easy for a reader to assume Magnus is the villain of the story. He’ll surprise you though, with a much more complex personality than he originally reveals.

CLEO

The golden Princess of Auranos, Cleo lives a life of luxury, but her inner steel is revealed when invasion threatens her home and tragedy threatens her family. She’s deeply loyal and loving, willing to do much for those she really cares for. Used to a life of ease, is our pampered princess ready for war? Of course she is. As stubborn and determined as she seems ignorant and naive, you’d do well not to underestimate this fiercely loving royal.

JONAS

Impulsive, fierce, charming, arrogant, handsome… what else can I say? Jonas is your typical hero. Fighting for the people and what’s ‘right’, he joins the invasion of Auranos hoping to quench his thirst for the blood of royals (justifiable, of course, by his ‘righteous’ cause), who left his homeland to starve in hard times. He’s smart and careful, but sometimes lets his heart lead the way to disaster. His previous life of tragedy and poverty left him with a determined attitude and one goal: justice.

LUCIA

Sweet, kind and quiet, Princess Lucia Damora fears her forbidden magic will anger her father. She’s close with Magnus and the two share many traits: Lucia also hides her true self from others around her. She doesn’t fit in with the blood-thirsty Damoras, but Lucia will have to learn to defend herself from enemies. She’s innocent and loving, but her secret could destroy the world.

Those are the four main characters in Falling Kingdoms. Entering their world for the first time, I had a clear favorite: Cleo. Her rebellious spirit and taste for adventure combined with a lighthearted personality created, in my opinion, almost the perfect character. However, in a book as complex as with one, it’s no surprise that each one of them has a secret side that takes a while to emerge. Motives and morals emerge in pieces throughout the book, and characters that may seem shallow reveal hidden depth. By the end, I liked most of them quite well. Jonas gets on my nerves, but then most heroic heroes do. Magnus is cold and cruel, but that doesn’t mean you don’t root for him. Lucia is uninteresting to begin with, but her story quickly grows to be the most important of them all. And Cleo? Still the favorite.

Conclusion

I dived eagerly into this book with hopes of drama, romance and royal intrigue. It delivered on all of those things and more, with an intricate plot that succeeds in both capturing and holding your attention. It was a little slow to begin with, but as the plot and characters developed, I became more and more captivated with this brilliant story. Characters you can root for, a truly villainous antagonist and a well built world. Just what I needed to banish winter boredom.