Review ~ "Falling Kingdoms" by Morgan Rhodes

Title: "Falling Kingdoms
Series: Falling Kingdoms, #1
Author: Morgan Rhodes
 
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Published: December 11, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 412
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
 
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Treacherous betrayals, secret alliances, unforeseen murders, and forbidden love— The world of Mytica will hold you captive: AURANOS - Privileged Princess Cleo is forced to confront violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse. LIMEROS - The king’s son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father’s trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying secret about her heritage that will change everything. PAELSIA - Rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making. Witches, if found, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.

This book actually took me a long time to get into. When I first started it, I was so excited since I had heard rave reviews from other bloggers. However, I was not impressed when I first started it. So I set it off to the side for a few months, and then decided to get back to it. And I'm really happy that I took a break from this book, because once I started it back up, I really liked it. Sure, I didn't love it like everyone else, but the story picked up and got more interesting, and that was what I was really hoping for. 

I'd have to say that this book is very character driven, and I didn't really like most of the main characters. The only one that I really liked was Cleo. I found her to be the most interesting, as she seems like the typical pampered princess who comes from probably the richest country of the three, but she's very fierce and determined. She sort of breaks away from that image when she tries to find a cure for her sister. The only other main character that I sort of liked was Jonas, who comes from the poor country, the second of the three in the story.. After his brother is murdered, he's determined to seek revenge, even if it means trusting the enemy and risking his life. I felt that he was blinded by rage. He did some stupid things and didn't really think about how things could turn out afterward.

The other two main characters are Magnus and Lucia. And this is bit of a weird story. Magnus is the prince of the third country, and is incredibly cold. He constantly complains about his father for being cruel and uncaring, but during the book he essentially becomes his father. Lucia is the princess of that country, but her history is a bit strange. I don't want to spoil too much, as her backstory is kind of important. Just like her brother, I didn't care for her too much. Compared to Cleo, she just seems quite weak. She's not very independent and doesn't have much of a backbone. Anyways, to the weird story: Magnus is secretly in love with Lucia.

Ew. 
 

 
This isn't really a spoiler, as it's pretty obvious.
 
The fighting between all three of the countries was interesting. Cleo's country is the richest, which causes the other two countries to hate them. The dynamics between the countries and their people was really interesting. They automatically hate the other people because of where they come from, which really isn't anything new. It was just surprising to see what lengths they would go to for things, like siding with an enemy being the big one.
 
I was surprised by how many deaths there were. Within the first few chapters, there is a really important murder, which pretty much leads to a bunch of other people dying. It was actually pretty sad. I guess I can see where some of the Game of Thrones comparisons come into play, and I haven't even watched or read the series! I can only assume even more people die in the next book, but I can't help but wonder WHO is going to be killed off!
 
Cleo
She starts off as the pampered princess, but then bucks that image and becomes incredibly independent. I loved watching her grow!
 
Jonas
He was pretty good. Annoyed me quite a bit, but I can see where it came from. I'd probably make some of those choices too if I were in his shoes.
 
Magnus
I couldn't stand him. He becomes the person he hates, and that doesn't seem to bother him. It should bother you if you are becoming what you don't want to be!
 
Lucia
Very weak. I'm really hoping she grows and becomes stronger.
 
Overall, the book that initially didn't impress me definitely turned around! The beginning is a bit slow, but then the ball starts rolling and the pace picks up. Some of the characters grow immensely during this book, and it all sets up for a sequel that I can't wait for. Totally a YA version of Game of Thrones.