REVIEW Falling Kingdoms.

TITLE. Falling Kingdoms
AUTHOR. Morgan Rhodes
PUBLISHER. Razorbill
RELEASE DATE. March 2014
PAGES. 412
FORMAT. Paperback
GENRE. Fantasy, Young Adult

SUMMARY.
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....


REVIEW.
This is the first part in the Falling Kingdoms series, consisting of six books in total. The first four are already released and the fifth one will come at the end of the year. And.. that’s not all, there is even a spin-off series, Spirits and Thieves !

So, I’ve had this book on my shelves for a while now and every time it was time to grab something new I lingered on this one.. but choose something else instead ! Don’t know why exactly, but I felt like I wanted to save it for another time… So last weekend I decided that, that day it was time ! I was in the mood for something with lots of fantasy and well, I should have read this book ages ago.

And how stupid of me !! I really should have picked this one up a long time ago, because it was really great ! This story is so awesome and I had a lot of trouble putting it down. At the end I could not stop until I had finished it, and it was very late when I finally put it down. I itched to pick up the next one, but it was already past midnight and I had to work again in the morning.. So I started that one as soon as I got home the next day haha.

What I really liked about this book, is how fast-paced it is. It does not have long boring pieces in between were nothing happens, but shit keeps hitting the fan ! One scene after the next big things happen, people die and pacts are made. Just wow ! 

I really enjoyed this world as well, set in three very different counties. We see these countries through the eyes of its own citizens as well as from neighbouring countries, that gives a very thorough sight as how these countries are viewed.
I really liked how a different regime (king of chieftain) can have a very different impact on the welfare of a country and its citizens.
Because of this you do not only sympathize with one country, but it makes you care for all of them. Each of them has their own flaws of course, but they also have their redeeming factors that make you want to cheer for that country. And, this does not only count for the countries, but for the main characters too.

Mainly, the story is viewed through the eyes of Cleo, Jonas and Magnus and I liked each of them in their own way. Cleo was very wild, but honest for a princess and I felt very connected with her. I loved how much she cared for her sister and did everything in her power to help her. She is very brave and reckless and doesn’t take no for an answer.
I felt for Magnus and his home situation, how difficult and horrible his childhood was, and how hard it is to grow up a decent person.
Jonas was very passionate, but has a smart on his shoulders too. I’m very curious as how things will continue with him and Cleo !!

Because well.. what I kept thinking throughout this story is, will this become a love triangle ? It is still a bit too early to say at the moment.. but the way things are heading, who knows ?
Because the romance itself was not that spectacular to me, I did not feel much for Theon to be honest and am more team Jonas even though nothing has happened yet haha XD But time will tell. 

The thing I did not like though, was that it was kind of predictive.. I knew what was going to happen before it happened most of the time and that kind of sucks. I like to be surprised and keep wandering what will happen instead of already knowing. Like halfway, with Theon, I knew THAT was going to happen. And of course was Jonas his feeling about the war correct as well, everybody saw that one coming from miles away…

One thing I do have to mention though, before I read this I noticed some other reviews commented on this one being a Game of Throne rip-off and stealing a lot of the plot from other books. But I didn’t feel it.. I had nowhere were I thought it sounded similar to other books and found this an original read. Yes people die easily just like GOT, but that is just life. 

FAVORITE QUOTES.
“Even in the darkest and most cruel person, there is still a kernel of good. And within the most perfect champion, there is darkness. The question is, will one give in to the dark or the light? It's something we decide with every choice we make, every day that we exist. What might not be evil to you could be evil to someone else. Knowing this makes us powerful even without magic.”
.
“You're the same as you were yesterday and the day before. Nothing has changed. Not really. Forget what troubles you. Regret nothing, but learn from any mistakes you make. Tomorrow will be a brighter day, I promise.”
.
“...You need to think with your head, not only your heart."
He couldn't help but snort softly at that. "You think I'm using my heart right now?"
Brion rolled his eyes. "Yes. And in case there's any doubt, your heart is an idiot just like the rest of you...”
.

FINAL THOUGHTS.
So all in all, I really enjoyed this story and am very curious about what is going to happen next. That means that the writer did something right, because I really want to know how Rebel Spring and the others will go !! I have a lot of trouble continuing stories right away most of the time, so that is a big plus for me. So, apart from the predictability from this book, this book most definitely deserves a 4.5 Freyja’s ! And I really hope this story will be more surprising in the future books, and continue to capture my attention !