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Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)

Morgan Rhodes,

Michelle Rowen

Start date: August 1, 2016

Finish date: August 31, 2016

Discussion: Series

Why we're reading this: Won the poll for the series BOTM
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* New Series- One Dark Window
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What Members Thought

Nov 19, 2017 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, romance, own-ebook-read, favorites, wish-list-physical, fantasy, cover-love, young-adult

This book was awesome. Addictive. Satisfying. Literally almost perfect. I have been wanting to read this series forever, and I am finally getting around to it. Since the series is almost over I felt it was time to get cracking.

My first impression of the book was that it is basically Game of Thrones for a young adult audience. And that's not a bad thing. It really worked quite well. There are quite a bit of adult-ish things going on, but not in exuberant detail. It's more nuanced or implied.

I r This book was awesome. Addictive. Satisfying. Literally almost perfect. I have been wanting to read this series forever, and I am finally getting around to it. Since the series is almost over I felt it was time to get cracking.

My first impression of the book was that it is basically Game of Thrones for a young adult audience. And that's not a bad thing. It really worked quite well. There are quite a bit of adult-ish things going on, but not in exuberant detail. It's more nuanced or implied.

I really loved the writing style. The writing pulls you in and keeps you interested. And it flows so beautifully. The pace is perfect. This is my first Morgan Rhodes book and so far I am impressed. The words and dialogues are so smooth that I just race through them. The writing isn't confusing or disjointed in any way. It's bliss!

There are many characters in this series and I really loved getting a glimpse into their lives. The chapters of the book alternate by which kingdom the characters are in when the chapter takes place. The character growth is written fantastically. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions getting to know these characters. I liked how the distinction between good and evil was blurred. Each character acts upon what happens to them and what decisions they make.

The world building is excellent! There are three kingdoms and the way that they are portrayed was so vivid and atmospheric. The differences between the three kingdoms were vast and well written. I was never confused about which kingdom was which. I also really liked how the mythology of this world flows throughout the story. Every so often we get a little more info about the religions of this world. It built upon itself gradually, which was perfect. The Rhodes gave you just enough to satisfy but left out enough to make you curious and yearning to know more.

The plot was woven so creatively. I was invested in the story from the very first page. I was itching to find out what happened next throughout the book. There is so much intrigue, so many themes are covered, and it always kept me wanting more.

The only thing that fell a little flat was the romance. It is very lax in that department, and that is what prompted me to rate it the way that I did. With a little more romance this would have been simply perfect.

Overall, I was more than pleased with this book. It is a compelling read that you won't want to put down for a minute. I absolutely recommend this book, and I will be continuing the series.

More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction ...more

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Aug 19, 2013 Danielle rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2013, read-in-august-2013, ya-books, ya-books-read-in-2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 2.5 stars.

I have to give this a book a low score because honestly I didn't like it that much, I really didn't, and I didn't get where it was going until the very end then I finally got it and saw what the author was trying to accomplish. This book was very much a set up book, setting up the series and introducing the characters, etc, and the end was what I kind of enjoyed once I understood what the point of it was, but the rest not so much. I thought it was too long, too dragging, and I was rush 2.5 stars.

I have to give this a book a low score because honestly I didn't like it that much, I really didn't, and I didn't get where it was going until the very end then I finally got it and saw what the author was trying to accomplish. This book was very much a set up book, setting up the series and introducing the characters, etc, and the end was what I kind of enjoyed once I understood what the point of it was, but the rest not so much. I thought it was too long, too dragging, and I was rushing through it just to see where this was going, and even skimmed quite a few pages because it was just so slow going for me. I was bored to be honest, and I just thought it was all over the place. I get what the author was trying to do and set up, but I just felt like that it could have sped up a tad so that I would fly through the pages and not trudge through them like I felt like I was doing when reading this.

I think the main thing that made me not enjoy this book was the characters, who I didn't connect with or really like at all. And I think it jumped around too much for me too from point of view to point of view because I would just be getting used to that characters perspective then we switched to another one then another one, etc. For me that didn't work not because it was a little disorienting for me while trying to remember who was related to who and what their storyline was, but for me it didn't work and I just couldn't really connect to anyone or just liked in general. I understand what the author was trying to do, I really do, and it followed kind the pattern of Game of Thrones, but for teens, with each chapter being a different setting and different perspective as we followed them along their journey in that chapter. But the difference between this story and the Game of Throne was that I actually flew through the pages and couldn't wait to see what happened to the characters in the story because I cared about them and liked them, and I would kind of groan when the chapter switched and we focused on another character leaving a slight cliffhanger at the end of every chapter that made me want to keep reading and find out what happened in that character's story arc, and it worked so well for Game of Thrones, and made me really enjoy it when I wasn't sure I would have and that worked for me. And even though the concept was the same in this book as the Game of Thrones it didn't work for me, and I wasn't like "you can't end the chapter there I want to see what happened to said character. I need to read some more and see what happens to him or her" instead I just felt blah when the chapter ended, and almost ho hum, yeah okay that happened, but almost didn't care what happened next in that characters storyline because I wasn't really invested in them really. Though I was a little curious about Magnus and how that whole having feelings for his sister who was really not his sister would turn out, but I wasn't overall invested just more curious than anything. So I didn't really like the character in this book until maybe the end then it got more interesting and where this book left off probably made me more interested than I had been for the entire book because to me that was the most intriguing part.

Though I understand what this author was doing some of the plot points kind of confused me too, and made me wonder why the heck they were in there and what was the point because to me it seemed very unnecessary and something that really shouldn't have been introduced. Or maybe if it was developed better than maybe I would have liked it better. The part that I am speaking about was the whole Theon and Cleo storyline, which wasn't really built up well in my mind and kind of happened really quickly when it did happen and then before I knew it was over. I was like "okay, what was the point of that? why even do that storyline?" The only thing I can figure was that it was so Cleo could understand how her sister Emilia because they both went through the same pain and knew what the other was going through. But even still I just thought that Theon and Cleo could have more time together and not just a blink of an eye and it disturbed a bit and just made me think it was really unnecessary to a degree. Though I can see where this is going in future books, and probably who she will end with later down the road and kind of saw that coming from clues in the book, but even still I didn't like how that storyline was done for my taste.

Like I said I just felt like the plot drug on and on for me, and I just wanted it to get to the point already and not have this long drawn out process that I felt could have been sped up. Not that I don't understand what the author was trying to accomplish, but still it was quite a haul trying to get through this book and see where it was going. It was almost too much at time just the thoroughness of what each character was going through. I think I would have been happier if it just focused on two people or something, I can't quite put my finger on it, but just something wasn't working for me for all those pages. I had to skim through most of it. It might had to do with the characters and my not connecting with them, but I just couldn't get into this book really. I'm glad I just finished though I am kind of glad I did because I liked the ending the best, seeing more action and set ups of what is to come.

I can see in the next book that Cleo, even though brave and strong in this book, will have to be more brave and strong as she goes along, doing what she can to get her kingdom back, and might have to work with old enemies along the way in order to accomplish that. Which I would look forward to in the next book and see the tension between her and Jonas as they work together for this common goal. That should be fun to see, and I kind of liked them when they had a confrontation in this book and wished there was more of that along the way instead of the long journey that each character had separately. Also what is going to happen with Magnus, is he going to go to the dark side or is he going to help Jonas and Cleo along the way. I'm also wonder what is going to happen with his relationship with Lucia, and just what happens to Lucia herself. Also curious to see what happens on Cleo's journey to finding the crystals in hopes of getting her kingdom back so she could take over from the Blood King, which hopefully that would be interesting and something I would have liked to see in this book instead of so much background, characterization, and just set up, which was what this book consisted of only in my view. And hopefully I would connect more with the characters and like them a bit more. As you can see I was more interested by the questions that were left open at the end then I was with the entire story that was dragging in my opinion.

Though I am curious to see where this story goes, I am not hoping up and down like "I need to read the next one now" instead I am just like "if I read it I read it. If I don't I don't." I would be more happy for the cliffnotes version to be honest and just see what happens with each character without having to read the entire story because I don't know if I am really interesting in carrying on with this series. I just didn't get it, thought it was too long, bombarded with too much information, and I really didn't like the characters that much. It just wasn't my cup of tea, though I think I understand better where this story is heading in the future, but even still it was so hard just getting through this one I don't even if I want to trudge through the rest of the series if it was anything like this book, which I barely got through. Though maybe having some of those questions asked at the end of this book would be answered in the next one and would provide for more interesting reading. But like I said, I'm not going to look for the second one just yet, and maybe wait a little longer until attempting to read the second one. Hopefully the second one would be better, but who knows. I just know that I didn't really enjoy this one so much. ...more

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Mar 06, 2019 Susan rated it it was amazing

That was the easiest 5 stars to give away. This book had me enthralled from the prologue to the end. I couldn't put it down it was amazing. The author did a great job with character development. Cleo was this spoiled brat who I think was coddled by her father and older sister and she did what she wanted. Then she was a girl Jonas wanted to take his revenge out on, but it didn't stop her from crossing back into Jonas's land to find and exiled watcher and back into a land that didn't exactly like ...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 2013, high-fantasy, 2015, audiobooks

When I first started Falling Kingdoms in 2013, I could hardly stand a single main character. Everyone but Jonas was completely awful in some way or another. I made it almost 200 pages in and decided that I was done with it. Over the past two years though, this series's covers have lured me in and my friends gave me the final push I needed. I read this and the second and third novels in one week; that's approximately 35 hours of audio.

I fell in love with the series this time around. I still didn' When I first started Falling Kingdoms in 2013, I could hardly stand a single main character. Everyone but Jonas was completely awful in some way or another. I made it almost 200 pages in and decided that I was done with it. Over the past two years though, this series's covers have lured me in and my friends gave me the final push I needed. I read this and the second and third novels in one week; that's approximately 35 hours of audio.

I fell in love with the series this time around. I still didn't really like anybody though. Lucia was annoyingly innocent and naive. Magnus and King Gaius were horrible. Jonas was fine but hardly in the novel. And I just didn't like Cleo. However, their personal relationships are complicated. Magnus and Lucia are siblings but not. Jonas is in such deep pain that he is willing to risk his entire kingdom for vengeance. Cleo is in pain because of multiple people and decisions made by herself and others.

I don't understand how Rhodes did it, but I was thoroughly invested in these characters by the end of the novel. Rhodes lets the bad guy win. A lot. She puts the characters in impossible situations. She kills characters that you don't always know that you liked until they're dead. She let's the main characters love and care for people, then rips them apart in the most painful way possible sometimes. This series is very much character driven and Rhodes uses it to her complete advantage.

The consequences of certain decisions are pretty clear from the moment a decision is made. King Gaius can't be trusted but people trust or ally with him anyway. He has no respect for anyone and will use anyone in his path to his advantage. He doesn't love or care for anybody. He claims to but his actions say otherwise. Watching characters trust him was almost infuriating. The entire time, I was just hoping someone would see the danger I saw before it was too late. They didn't though. The never did and some people got what they deserved, but most of them didn't deserve Gaius or Magnus. Some of the characters that died, didn't deserve death; and some people who lived didn't deserve life.

The biggest lure with Falling Kingdoms was the world building. It's high fantasy, but it's barbaric. Absolutely barbaric. I wouldn't recommend this world for the faint of heart. It's fully developed and dangerous. I admire Rhodes for it. It's clear that it has a dark history, made darker by its current inhabitants. Sometimes it's like all humanity is lost. Everyone could die and this world would be better off for it. There is hardly anybody left worth saving.

As far as the narration goes, Fred Berman did a great job. I think he does a perfect King Gaius and has the perfect voice for such a barbaric setting. I've heard better narration but Berman's voice was pleasant to listen to and I don't have any complaints.

If you haven't read Falling Kingdoms yet and claim to love high fantasy, then it's time to give this series a shot. It was a long held suspicion of mine that this would be the case and it has been confirmed. I can see tragic things coming before they happen when I read this series, but that never lessens the impact. It doesn't not make you gasp or gape. This series will destroy your bookish heart in a very good way. ...more

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