::Post by Jackie Lindert::
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?
I started reading this book because I wanted to change it up from all the contemporary books I had been reading. I told my roommate, Hannah herself :), that I was in the mood for a good fantasy, and she handed me this book. It was absolutely perfect.
Falling Kingdoms is like an awesome mix of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone and a YA version of Game of Thrones. If you are familiar with either of those, and enjoy them, you will love this book. The world this story takes place in is just flat out amazing. That is by far my favorite aspect of the book. The world is divided into 3 separate kingdoms, each with their own hierarchy and culture. The detail is incredible, and of course, there are tense relations between the monarchies.
The different perspectives in this book really make it a layered, complex, better read. I swear I changed my mind about whether I liked certain characters or not, and whose side I was on in different confrontations. It messes with your mind like that, but I'm so into that. It will show you a world, get you thinking in terms of black and white, and then *BAM!* Shades of gray! People you thought were bad end up having a heart, and they do terrible things, but you still care about them. It's glorious.
Lastly, I think another great thing about Falling Kingdoms is that Morgan Rhodes does not hold back. Think Game of Thrones-eske gore and barbarianism. It totally works and make the story of clashing kingdoms seem way more accurate and realistic. I was on the edge of my seat (literally, on the subway--not trying to be cliche) worrying if one of my favorite characters was going to be killed. And just when you think maybe it's going to go too far, you're thrown for a loop and remain sucked in.
I'm so excited to see where the series goes from here. This first book ends with a cliff-hanger, obviously, so there is a lot of action and drama I'm dying to see worked out. Stay tuned for my review of book 2, Rebel Spring!
