Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3) By Morgan Rhodes - Restarting March 4th 2018

[Abi]

In GATHERING DARKNESS, book three of the New York Times bestselling Falling Kingdoms series, the stakes have never been higher as three teams push forward on a race to find the Kindred, the four elemental crystals possessing ancient all-powerful magic, first:

Prince Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during the bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces. Now he must choose between family and justice as his father, the cruel King Gaius, sets out to conquer all of Mytica. All Gaius needs now are the Kindred - the four elemental crystals that give godlike powers to their owner. But the King of Blood is not the only one hunting for this ancient, storied magic...

• THE KRAESHIANS join the hunt. Ashur and Amara, the royal siblings from the wealthy kingdom across the Silver Sea, charm and manipulate their way to the Kindred, proving to be more ruthless than perhaps even the King of Blood himself.

• THE REBELS forge ahead. Princess Cleo and vengeful Jonas lead them, slaying with sweetness, skill, and a secret that can control Lucia's overpowering magic - all so they can use the Kindred to win back their fallen kingdoms.

• THE WATCHERS follow Melenia out of the Sanctuary. They ally in the flesh with King Gaius, who vows to use Lucia's powers to unveil the Kindred.

The only certainty in the dark times is that whoever finds the magic first will control the fate of Mytica... but fate can be fickle when magic is involved.

[Dr. Andy]

Going to be a little late. Starting Kiss of Deception today, if I'm lucky it should only take two days to read and then I'll be doing this book :)

[Dr. Andy]

Ch. 9 (view spoiler)[ Magnus is probably my favorite character. Jonas just annoys me for no reason. I like the friendship between Lucia and Cleo. And Felix is a douche, I hope Lys hands his ass to him. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Ch. 18 (view spoiler)[ I really hate Melenia. She's an evil bitch. I wish someone could warn Lucia what she's up against with Alexius's return. I so want Magnus and Cleo to team up. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Ch. 25 (view spoiler)[ I wonder what that vision was that Lucia saw after the water kindred was awakened. And why was it different since Alexius wasn't there? I really hope he doesn't betray her to Melenia. And what's going to happen to Cleo?? (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Ch. 30 (view spoiler)[ I don't know what it is but I'm just so annoyed by these characters. Like wth did Nic run to Amara and Ashur, they never seemed trustworthy to me. And how the hell did these demon siblings catch up to Magnus and Cleo so fast? Seems weird af to me. And fucking Jonas, he can never do anything right. He's a shitty rebel. What just happened with Felix was ridiculous. Ugh this fucking book. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Finished (view spoiler)[ I'm glad Melenia is dead. Not sure how to feel about everything else (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

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Reading from the 4th of March 2018

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[Ashley]

I'm so excited to start this, I love this series so far

Chapter 1-6
(view spoiler)[ I like how this Felix character appeared just in time to help out Jonas, I wonder if he will help Jonas actually accomplish something. Magnus has to be one of my favorite characters of all time. I want him and Cleo together so bad, when will they realize they both hate the same person?!

This Amara person is driving me nuts already and I hate her. Why did she have to kiss Magnus? Not that Cleo is being nice to him right now or anything but I can dream. She is going to cause a lot of trouble, especially since she noticed Cleo's ring. I hope she doesn't know what it is (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley]

Chapter 6-12
(view spoiler)[ I hope Alexius figures out a way to visit Lucia's dreams again. I feel like she is going to lose it if he doesn't and do something terrible. Jonas kind of annoys me but I hope he is able to get his friends out of the dungeon and the plan doesnt fail like all of his other plans. But he needs to stop kissing Cleo! I don't want her distracted so she can realize how much she actually likes Magnus.

I wonder what is going to change now that Magnus knows Althea wasn's his real mother. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley]

Chapter 13-30
(view spoiler)[ Magnus and Cleo, finally! I am so happy. Of course Amara had to come ruin my life as soon as I got what I finally wanted. I knew she was going to be trouble.

I wonder if Alexius really did like Lucia before, but now Melenia is making him do all of these things that arent really him? Or are these choices really him? I don't trust him, or Lucia for that matter.

I love Felix and Jonas, Felix is hilarious.

I hope nothing bad happens to Magnus and Cleo in this last little part of the book. I'm kind of nervous to keep going. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley]

Chapter 31-end
(view spoiler)[ Wow a lot happened at the end of this book. I don't even know what to think. I'm super bummed about what happened with Jonas and Felix, I wish he would have just asked him if he was working for the king before he got into a fight that he obviously couldn't win because he is awful at everything.

I'm sad about Alexius dying, he seemed like a good guy and now Lucia is going to go off the deep end with this new guy that Melenia wanted back. I'm also sad about Ashur dying, I liked him way more than Amara. She is dead to me for killing him.

(hide spoiler)]

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

I will be starting this today! I am re-reading the series and I cannot wait to read this book!

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

Up to chapter 4

Prologue: (view spoiler)[ There seems to be an unknown entity who has entered Mythica through fire and blood. I really do not know if it is one of the elementals that have escaped and it is foreshadowing or one of the watchers that came to help Lucia. (hide spoiler)]

Jonas: (view spoiler)[ After the events that cause his little rebel group to either die during battle or get capture and thrown into the dungeon; Jonas is trying to figure how to save them and keep his rebel cause alive. While out hunting with another rebel comrade, he meets a man name Felix who seems to be a former assassin and want to help Jonas with the rebellion. But something does not seem right about Felix and he seems to be hiding something. (hide spoiler)]

Magnus and Cleo: (view spoiler)[ These two characters have so much sexual and romantic tension that I just want them to confess their feelings but then it would ruin their relationship in future books. Magnus is still trying to figure out how to take everything from his father without getting himself killed. After finding out this his father caused his mothers death it has lead him to realize that he never wants to be like his father and want to be a different man all together. Cleo is trying to figure out how her ring works on Lucia and how she could use it against the man that took everything away from her. (hide spoiler)]

The Cortas siblings: (view spoiler)[ After reading about the kiss that happened between Nic and Ashur, I knew I would like him from the very beginning. Unfortunately, I do not trust his sister very much; there seems to be something cunning and evil about her as she wants to get absolute power for any kingdom that she comes in contact with. I don’t know what their interest is with the kindred and why would they need it. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

Up to chapter 8

Magnus: (view spoiler)[ He is trying to figure out how to take the throne from his father but he knows that he needs to get the kindred first before anything else. He also knows that a foreign adversary is trying to obtain the kindred and take over his kingdom. Also, the siblings have some plans to use Magnus in some way and I cannot wait to find out why. (hide spoiler)]

Lucia: (view spoiler)[ it has been hard to control her powers and it feels like the dark powers will take over her body and control her. But every since Cleo has been trying to be her friend, she has been somewhat skeptical about her intentions. I cannot wait until Lucia realizes that she needs Cleo’s ring to help her control her powers and hopefully it does not run in their friendship. (hide spoiler)]

Alexius: (view spoiler)[ He initially thought when he was helping Melania that they would fix the Sanctuary and make it livable again for all of them but in the end, he was tricked and now is being used for his magic. Now he cannot go visit Lucia and warn her about her plans to release the fire God because he was her former lover. Hopefully, these two can get a happy ending but I don't think that will happen. (hide spoiler)]

Nic: (view spoiler)[ After, the events of the last book regarding him and prince Ashur; Nic has not only been confused with his feelings but also what are this foreign prince's true intentions. Is he just using him for his own gain or does he actually have feelings for this guard? I love Nic with my whole heart! And I love his relationship with the prince and Cleo. Nic is the only in this book that hasn't done any damage or harm to anyone in this book as of yet! I cannot wait to see the development of his character even further. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

Up to chapter 12

Jonas: (view spoiler)[ After teaming up with Felix; Jonas has been trying to figure out how to save his other rebel comrades from execution in the Damoras castle. He’s also been slowly trusting Felix even though he has lots of hidden secrets. He meets with Cleo secretly and both of them have decided that they will work together and Cleo will be Jonas spy in the castle. I think Jonas still has feelings for Cleo but slowly Lysandra is taking a place in his heart. I hope everything works out well but something will happen. (hide spoiler)]

Cleo:(view spoiler)[ After having met with Jonas and deciding to work for him as a spy, she ends up getting caught by the palace guard and brought to Magnus so they can have a little chat. There is so much sexual tension between these two characters and they cannot release it because they still have to deal with the issues that they have with each other. Magnus killing Cleo’s first love Theon and Magnus confused with his identity. I cannot wait to see how this relationship will blossom and how they will overcome these obstacle. (hide spoiler)]

Magnus: (view spoiler)[ After having the heated discussion with Cleo, he leaves the palace to go find Lucia (who still is uncertain with her relationship with her brother). Their conversation does not go well and Magnus then leaves to go confront his father about everything. Before he can do that he witnesses the beheading of Lysandra’s brother Gregor and Magnus disagreed with everything his father does and in return he receives some shocking news regarding who his biological mother is. At this point, he does not know what is real or what is fake and I think will affect him in the future. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

Up to chapter 16

Nic: (view spoiler)[ After his little encounter with prince Ashur (which may have involved a kiss) Nic has been confused with his feelings and the prince is actually using him for his own gain. He also knows not to trust the prince’s sister as she has her own plot to do whatever it takes to gain power as she’s seen as a weak women in the eyes of her own kingdom. I hope Nic finally figures out the prince’s true intentions and does not get his heart broken because he’s my favourite character and is a small little bean. (hide spoiler)]

Lysandra: (view spoiler)[ After witnessing the beheading of her brother, Lys did not anymore of her fighting spirit and has accepted her death. Taurus (which is the other rebel that was captured) begged her to be strong and not leave him behind. At their execution, an explosion had happened and had given both of them time to escape with Jonas and Felix. It was decided that Taurus would go back to his family and Lys would stay and fight. This brought back her fighting spirit that we all know and love (hide spoiler)]

Lucia: (view spoiler)[ After being knocked down from the balcony from the explosion, Lucia was pushed from the castle and was lot in a place she didn’t have a clue about. She had to use her magic to protect herself and then she ran into Princess Amara (who I do’t trust at all). They found the boy who caused the explosion and Lucia used her magic against him and Amara killed him. after separating, she finally runs into Alexius after not hearing from him. (hide spoiler)]

Alexius: (view spoiler)[ After being casts out from the Sanctuary (because of the obeying spell from Melenia) his task was to find Lucia and regain her trust. Even though he feels bad for doing this he cannot disobey or he will be harmed by the spell. After locating Lucia and was brought back to the palace, Magnus and Alexius have a little altercation and the king decides that he will be Lucia’s new tutor and train her. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

Up to chapter 20

Magnus: (view spoiler)[ After the sudden appearance of Lucia’s new tutor, Magnus decided that he would go waste away his time at the local bar and drink away his misery. When the guard forced him to leave the bar, he goes visits Cleo at the Temple and they have an interesting conversation. they seem to be getting close (as they are slowly are breaking each other’s walls) then suddenly Magnus says something so horrible that they go back to their hatful self. Then Magnus thought that it would be a good idea to sleep with Amara. I just want Magnus and Cleo to get together so badly but I know that I have to wait for their character development before they can get together. (hide spoiler)]

Cleo: (view spoiler)[ After their interesting conversation from the night before, she thought it would be a good idea to talk to Magnus again but then she found out that both Amara and Magnus have slept together and she is furious. She goes straight to Nic and he informs her that Lucia new magical tutor have arrived and both of them have been pre-occupied with their magical studies. She visits the two and Alexius notices her Ring and explains everything to Lucia. She sees how it benefits for her and gives Lucia the ring, in exchange she can come when she retrieves the Kindred. (hide spoiler)]

Lucia: (view spoiler)[ After extensive practice with Alexius; Lucia feels that she is ready to find the Kindred with the help of her new ring and developed powers. As the three of them sit and Lucia starts to search for the Kindred with her magic, it starts to drain her powers until she blacks out from using to much magic. Lucia decides that when she is ready, all three of them will go search for the Kindred and bring it back fo the watchers. (Unfortunately, plenty of people have different plans regarding the Kindred and her powers) (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

Up to chapter 24

Jonas: (view spoiler)[ After dropping of Tarus back to his parents who thought was dead, him and his group head up to a tavern for the night so they can relax and not worry about being on the run for a little bit. As everyone is getting to know each other, Lys does not trust Felix one bit. She thinks he has something to hid from Jonas and means to use his trust as a way to gain something from the king. Jonas then receives a letter from Cleo telling him how he can retrieve the earth crystal and to keep it in his protection until they meet again and figure how to use it. The trio goes to Cleonia temple and he draws the earth symbol in blood and grabs the crystal. Now he has to figure out how he can use it to defeat the king. (hide spoiler)]

Magnus: (view spoiler)[ After the arrival of Alexius; Magnus does not trust him near Lucia and does not understand how they king can trust someone that suddenly arrived without a warning and was told that Melenia sent him. He becomes suspicious when he notices that Cleo, Alexius and Lucia have gone missing from the castle and have traveled to Cleonia temple. He secretly follows them until he caught by Lucia and is told that he cannot tell anything to father about today. Once they reach the temple they realize that someone has taken the earth kindred they have to get to the other ones before someone else take all of them. (hide spoiler)]

Lucia: (view spoiler)[ After traveling to the temple and not finding the Earth Kindred. Lucia suspects Cleo telling someone about the crystal and might have told them how to get it. Because she was the only one in the room beside Alexius on where the other crystals are. So she sets a trap for Cleo and tells her that she knows the location of the water kindred and notices how greedy Cleo reaction is and now is wondering if she's just being her friends because her family took everything from her and she wants revenge on them. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

Up to chapter 28

Cleo: (view spoiler)[ After Lucia telling her that she found the last crystal, she thought her plan was working but then Lucia magic had made her evil and she tried to kill Cleo. She then convinced her and ran out the room. She was then captured by guards and was thrown in the dungeon for treason. She was then visited by Magnus and he saved her by killing the guards and cutting her loose. She then told Magnus where Lucia and Alexius ran off too and they went to go save them. (hide spoiler)]

Lucia: (view spoiler)[ Her magic is getting worse and the ring is not helping her. After the situation with Cleo, she ran towards Alexius and she was stressed out and he calmed her down. They then made love to each other and Alexius suggested that they run away and elope. At first she thought he was joking but then he convinced her and they ran away to Limeros from everyone and decided to get married. (Side note: I forgot how annoying her character is but I realize why she is like this because she was tricked by everyone but still she shouldn’t act like this.) (hide spoiler)]

Magnus: (view spoiler)[ was brought to the throne room by his father and they discussed that the Kreshia empire wanted to take over and his father thought a marriage proposal between Magnus and Amara would be smart but Magnus thought otherwise. He said that Amara is not like that and they should think of a another plan. Suddenly, his father said that Cleo was being held for treason and Magnus should interrogate her to get information and then she will be executed. Magnus had other plans and he saved her and both of them ran to go save Lucia from doing something stupid with her tutor. (hide spoiler)]

Nic: (view spoiler)[ he was on duty during the time of the banquet for the king’s friend daughters wedding and suddenly that someone escaped from the dungeon and killed two guards. Then he overhears the king wants to put the coats sibling under arrest for suspicion. Nic then runs towards the villa to warn them but then he realize that he was tricked by Ashur (I actually didn’t think he would trick him and his feeling are genuine but he’s hiding them from his sister). He was then given a sleeping potion to be used against to bring Princess Cleo on their side. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die-]

Up to Chapter 32 & 36

Magnus and Cleo: (view spoiler)[ After helping Cleo escape from the dungeon and went to go find Lucia as she ran away from home to go elope with Alexius. As they travel to Limeros and find a place to stay at Lady Sophia’s. As they both stay in same room, they both argue and Cleo wants to know why Magnus saved her. As they fought, they finally found out their true feelings for each other and finally kiss. They were interrupted by the Cortas siblings who want the kindred. Once they go to the temple, they realize that someone has taken the kindred and it was Nic. Once Amara leaves them to die, Magnus fights to save them and got 2 out of the 3 guards and was pinned until Cleo saved him and he realized that he’s in love with her. (hide spoiler)]

Lucia: (view spoiler)[ Once she ran away from home to elope with Alexius towards Limeros and he told Lucia what Melenia had been planning the whole time and how he wa supposed to kill her but he couldn’t bring it to do it! After he kills himself and tells Lucia how to kill Melenia, Lucia personality has changed has she gone to give vengeance for Alexius. As she’s fighting Melenia, she summoned the fire god and they decided that they are going to work together in the upcoming books (Lucia is going to get more powerful and maybe even more evil) (hide spoiler)]

Jonas: (view spoiler)[ After flaming the last two crystals he found some devastating news about Felix that puts their friendship in jeopardy. Felix was actually an assassins that worked for king Gaius was supposed to capture Jonas and bring his head to the king. But everything changed once he met him and then he made a big mistake by letting Felix not explain himself. He lost a rare friend and now he going through redemption to get his friend back and work together. (hide spoiler)]