Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1) in Hype or Like Friday

Apr 07, 2018 Sofii♡ (A Book. A Thought.) rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, read-in-2018, young-adult, fantasy, magic

Wow, this book is really intense and I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would, which is great!. The characters and the construction of the whole world are very solid and well thought, it reminded me of GOT and as a fan, I loved that feeling. Now I'm excited to continue with the next book, I'm ready for even more drama and betrayals.

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4/5 Stars

You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.

The story focuses on the three kingdoms of Mytica, where magic h
Wow, this book is really intense and I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would, which is great!. The characters and the construction of the whole world are very solid and well thought, it reminded me of GOT and as a fan, I loved that feeling. Now I'm excited to continue with the next book, I'm ready for even more drama and betrayals.

description

4/5 Stars

You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.

The story focuses on the three kingdoms of Mytica, where magic has almost been forgotten, the kingdoms have been at peace with each other for centuries, but something is emerging and could change everything. We follow four main characters, they're Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus, each with very different lives and goals, but their paths will cross in unexpected ways. They'll be involved in a world full of revenge, betrayals, forbidden romances and murders. In this book full of unexpected situations, which side will you choose?

I was very excited to read this book since my boyfriend has been recommending it to me a lot since he read it and you know, he was so excited that he started making me some spoilers and I was like "STOP, I promise I'll read it" lol . So before he made spoilers of the whole book I decided to read it finally, it's been in my TBR for a long time already, so it was about time I gave it a chance. I'm very happy about it, it's a very impressive book, I began to read it and I couldn't put it down and if I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it, it caught me from the beginning

The characters are the most varied thing, I'll tell you just a little about how I felt about each one of them, so as not to make this the longest review in the history lol. I have a lot of feelings

First we have Cleo, who's undoubtedly my favorite character in the book, I think she's a very brave character, who breaks a bit with the princess stereotype, I think she faces difficult situations and makes decisions that, although are risky, are valuable at the same time, because for me it's a girl who has a great heart and shows it many times during the book, I appreciate that. I know that, on the other hand, she's still immature but I think that with all that she has had to live and everything that she has faced in this book she'll become a stronger person and I'm excited to find out, she has a lot of potential.

Then we have Magnus and oh my god, after meeting Magnus Bane I thought that I could never like another Magnus but here I am, and this character has me fascinated. I usually fall in love with characters like him, he has a very hard story with a ruthless father, he has to test himself over and over again on front of him, he has to hide and repress his feelings and I feel so bad for him. I think that although it's a rather dark character there is something in him that comes to light in many scenes where we can see him as the kind and concerned human being that he really is, and he can't show that side in front of his father, which is very frustrating and sad. So I feel there's so much I want to know about Magnus yet.

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I have to confess that his scenes with Cleo are my favorites, I love how these two interact with each other and I'm shipping something that is probably impossible, but I don't care, I'll sink with this ship lol.

Then we have Lucia and I'm not entirely sure about her, I think it's naive but I don't blame her because of the context in which she was raised she couldn't behave in any other way. Even so, I think that over time she'll grow up and maybe start making decisions for herself instead of always doing what others say, I like that she's very loyal and sweet, but even so I feel that this can play against her in this world full of betrayals. I'm excited to see her evolution after everything she has discovered in this book , so we'll see.

Finally we have Jonas, and his story is, in my point of view, the saddest and hardest of all. Just at the beginning of the book he suffers a awful loss of someone he loves and that transforms him in some way and makes him make perhaps hasty and impulsive decisions. I know that his intentions are noble but at the same time I was very frustrated with him while reading the book, I think he's so naive that he really can't see the true intentions of others. Even so at the end of the book his attitude left me more pleased and I'm looking forward to reading more about him, although being honest this book hasn't been enough to feel a connection with him, I think he was the character that least interested me in this opportunity

We have many secondary characters in the plot, of course being a High Fantasy is normal that there are alot of them, so it's always an overwhelming experience. Even so I can't complain about it with this book, it's quite easy to get into the world, I love how it's divided, I really like the construction of the kingdoms and how they differ from each other, that is fantastically created, I loved that!. Each chapter is a different kingdom so it's very easy to locate yourself where the situation is happening, without having to be remembering which character belong to which place, and it's a great detail the incorporation of the map in the book, I love maps but sometimes I find them a little bit confuse, in this case is very simple and that makes everything easier when it comes to reading about the kingdoms and their policies.

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I really liked the writing style, I think it's very easy to read despite being fantasy, you start with it and it's very hard to put it down, besides, the chapters are short and I loved that.

I had some problems with some scenes since it seemed to me that very important things like deaths of characters with a lot of weight in the story happened in a hurry, I don't know, they didn't convince me at all. I would have liked that those scenes have been told in a more leisurely way, I hope you understand what I try to explain here lol. In conclusion, there were scenes that happened too quickly for me and I'm still processing them.

Another thing that I'm not sure about is the romance, I talk about the one that involves Cleo with another character, I felt that it was too much insta-love for my liking, in general it's not something that bothers me but in this book it was too much. Literally one of them was just walking and then thinks "Oh my god, I think I fell in love" and I was like "When did this even happen!" LOL. Even so, I liked the couple, it's just that the romance wasn't built, it just happened and that's something hard for me to follow

In summary it's a very good book, it has a great world building and very interesting characters. I recommend it a lot if you like GOT, like me or if you want to read a High Fantasy that is not heavy at all, on the contrary, it's very easy and quick to read and I can't stop highlight that, since it's something so hard to find in this genre. I think you'll enjoy it especially if you like plot twists and unexpected betrayals, besides the political elements of each kingdom are very well thought, I really enjoyed that aspect. I can't wait to read the next one,I feel there are so many things that can happen, the end of this one was AMAZING.

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PS: I'm sorry that this review has ended up being so long, but the reviews of the following books in the series will be shorter I promise ...more

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Jul 17, 2018 Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Probably closer to a 2.75 stars
“The truth is only dangerous if it can inflict injury.”
Fantasy stories either wow me or I think they’re just okay. Falling Kingdoms fell into the second category for me. I liked parts of it and I felt the potential and foundations for a great series, but it didn’t feel like the story went all in. Set in the divided land of Mythica, we follow 4 strangers whose lives intersect as a power struggle erupts between the three countries and an ancient magic i ...more

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Aug 17, 2015 Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer rated it it was ok

Shelves: imo-author-forced-story, fiction-young-adult, g-t-another-world, series-book-1, reviewed, imo-terrible-female-protagonist, g-a-magic, 2016, stars-2-5, g-a-real-combat

2.5 stars, rounded down due to the fact I only really liked Magnus.

This is set in one kingdom split into three with an uneasy peace that is set to explode due to lifestyle inequality and lack of charity for the poorer nations. We follow 4 teenagers as they play a part in the future of their kingdoms. Cleo is a spoiled princess that sets the whole war into motion. Jonas is the poor boy who desires to be a revolutionary. Lucia is the powerful pawn who does what her king desires. And Magnus a kind 2.5 stars, rounded down due to the fact I only really liked Magnus.

This is set in one kingdom split into three with an uneasy peace that is set to explode due to lifestyle inequality and lack of charity for the poorer nations. We follow 4 teenagers as they play a part in the future of their kingdoms. Cleo is a spoiled princess that sets the whole war into motion. Jonas is the poor boy who desires to be a revolutionary. Lucia is the powerful pawn who does what her king desires. And Magnus a kind prince who kills first and asks questions later.

I didn't much like this book from the prologue. I thought the evil sorceress was stupid to kill her sister with all the answers! It lacked sense to me and that is part and parcel of the problem with this entire story. For example, there are several sibling relationships that make the bedrock of this story but they are all in "the sweet, my sibling is perfect" vein. A couple of these siblings die and that is the prime motivation of those characters. It's all a bit saccharine, convenient and flat.

The thing was I LIKED that these sibling relationships were included! I just wish they had been developed for each character, been depthful and worked at until each stood on its own separate from the many other relationships in the story. If two ideas are too close together rule of thumb for writing says merge them into one!! You don't need two "almost the same" ideas!

*Spoilers After This Point*

There was A LOT of effort made to portray each character as flawed. Cleo lost her virginity to a drunk ass. Magnus lusts after his sister while sleeping with the maid who looks like her if you squint. Jonas is manipulative and strings along the king's daughter to get what he wants. Lucia is plain stupid. Not sure its a "flaw" to kill the woman who kidnapped you and killed her sister who at least would have raised you in less ignorance. I just didn't buy it. Half the time it felt overly modern (like the whole oops I let an ass have his way with me because I made such poor choices) or overly old fashioned (oh I never felt love so I must love my sister who is the only one I received affection from).

The thing is most of the time these "flaws" transferred to really poor choices in the story as well. Cleo ran off in the middle of a war with no protectors. She's surprised when she gets someone she luuuuvvvvvsssss killed. Magnus kills someone in cold blood when a knock to the head would have worked wonders. Lucia ends a standoff in the war only to put her rotten adopted father on the throne of all three countries. Talk about selfish to the core! All due to the fact none of these characters could think any deeper than the surface of their own image!

The worst thing was everyone felt the same because they were all universally selfish, self-centered, stupid and foolhardy with an insistence on not using their brains! At least mix it up! The one-dimensional everything got very tiring and it pisses you off when there is a framework in place that if better developed could be quite stellar.

BOTTOM LINE: As shallow as fantasy can get. ...more

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Jul 14, 2015 Marie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Read more here : https://bookreviewsfrommarie.wordpres...

4.5/5 stars

An amazing start to a fantasy series. Really intrigued to see where this series will go. The characters are very complex and interesting to read from. Recommend! ...more

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Dec 18, 2017 Larkin (Wonderfilled Reads) rated it liked it

Shelves: finished-series, high-fantasy, own, romance, young-adult, multiple-pov, cover-love, razorbill, beat-the-backlist-2017

This wasn’t a terrible book, but it wasn’t great either. It was a little too long with not a whole lot happening for the most part. I can see where the author was trying to recreate a YA Game of Thrones but wasn’t quite able to bring it together cohesively. I do plan on continuing with this series though, as I enjoyed the ending and think that the next book will be more enjoyable... or I hope so at least.

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Mar 14, 2016 Kirsty rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-copy, owned-physical, reviewed

This is a YA High Fantasy so of course it was on my radar. I'd seen a lot of criticisms of this book saying that it isn't a great book and the series gets much better after this one but I thought it wasn't that bad actually and quite enjoyed it.

After a bit of an altercation at a village, the three kingdoms of Mytica are at unrest and a war is looming. Falling Kingdoms follows 4 characters, and their importance in the power struggle between the 3 nations.

It can be difficult to create a high fanta ...more

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Aug 22, 2016 Debby (Alwaysbooking) rated it really liked it

There was so much book hype surrounding this book I almost didn’t start it. Then my SIL downloaded so I thought why not try it. It took me so long to get even half way through, the book didn’t really pick up for me until almost chapter 22. I understand that they are so many characters that needed introduced but some of the characters beginning stories seem so A-typical of a YA book. I’m going to try to do this with as little to no spoiling at all okay?

There are 3 kingdoms in this book all believ There was so much book hype surrounding this book I almost didn’t start it. Then my SIL downloaded so I thought why not try it. It took me so long to get even half way through, the book didn’t really pick up for me until almost chapter 22. I understand that they are so many characters that needed introduced but some of the characters beginning stories seem so A-typical of a YA book. I’m going to try to do this with as little to no spoiling at all okay?

There are 3 kingdoms in this book all believing in different things and living in different ways. Cleo is from a kingdom where all is well and everything is vibrant and beautiful all the time. If you haven’t guessed yet Cleo is a princess, a rather beautiful princess. She gets to go traipsing about not worrying about anything except what she wants to do until a visit to a neighboring kingdom doesn’t go as planned. Now she is stuck being watched by a bodyguard at all times. The precedent she sets forth after finding out her beloved sister is sick is rather tropey. (is that a word?)

Then there is Magnus and Lucia (I can’t stand this trope) they are brother and sister. However his sister has a huge secret as does Magnus. When their father the King of Blood decides to align with another neighboring kingdom to take down Cleo’s kingdom he uses his children so recklessly. However he is the king of blood soo… Magnus has already met the lovely princess Cleo in rather unfortunate circumstance. They actually can’t stand each other.

Okay onto my favorite character Jonas probably because he is the only one with depth or so it seem to me in the beginning. He is trying to avenge is family when the person he allies with turns out to be a traitor. Now he must rely on the person he was going to kill to avenge everything that has been done to him and his kingdom.

Did you get a theme?? Everyone is avenging everyone and everyone DIES… You are very good at killing off people Morgan Rhodes which kills me. (disclaimer NOT everyone dies…. I was being dramatic) However like I said in the beginning until everyone’s stories start to intertwine about half way through I could’ve cared less about any one character. Everyone loves Magnus but I’m not on that band wagon I really hope she doesn’t kill off Jonas in the next book… ...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Nẹdu rated it really liked it

I liked this book and I'm excited to continue this series. I almost didn't finish reading this book but I'm glad I stuck with it.

CLEO:
In the beginning she was annoying and comes across as spoiled but her development throughout the book is good. I can't wait to see her arc in the sequels. Her relationship with Theon was difficult to buy mainly because it was rushed. -sidenote- I really hope Aron dies the worst death possible.

Jonas:
Initially Jonas is fueled with revenge for his brother's death ...more

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