by Morgan Rhodes
I read so many good reviews of this book I was very excited to start Falling Kingdoms. It was described as a "game of thrones for teens". Since I have found the game of thrones series to be the an incredibly complex, rich world with complex and evolving characters I was expecting something similar. That was a mistake. I don't feel like I end up knowing the characters that well. And I certainly don't like them very much. They tend to do things that make absolutely no sense and have no true depth of character. My favorite character is actually the darkest and most damaged.
There are four main characters. Cleo the spoiled and self centered princess. Jonas the downtroden peasant who decides to follow his blind rage rather than any sort of logic. Lucia the stunningly beautiful princess who has unheard of magical powers and lets herself be used and controlled by her father. Last is Marcus, the brother of Lucia, who has the most issues. But from that has the most depth. From his deep unrequited love for his sister (yes his adopted sister but he didnt know that) to his childhood abuse.
Theon is a minor characters whose epic love with Cleo seems to come from nowhere. Aside from admiring looks and a few conversations there seems to be no real basis for the relationship.
While not badly written the characters lack depth and reasoning for their actions and the magic of the world is not thoroughly explained. I found the book somewhat predictable and trite. Also a sidenote that it is slightly annoying that the cover of the book has absolutely no relation to the story.
**SPOILERS**
Summary
There are four kingdoms in the land of Mytica; Limeros, Paelsia, and Auranos. Auranos is a rich and abundant kingdom of plenty. Paelsia is a poor and barren place that only grows grapes to make wine despite the lowering price of their wine. Limeros is a kingdom in decline though it is still clinging to an image of well-being.
In the prologue there are two witches who steal a baby from the crib and kill the mother. The one has read in the stars that the baby will be the one to bring magic back to the land by finding the four lost Kindreds. The one witch kills the other and takes the baby.
16 years later...
Cleo, princess of Auranos, makes a group trip to Paelsia with nobles to buy some wine on the whim of Aron, a noble's son. Aron insists on buying the best wine in Paelsia. When he finds the wineseller he makes a paltry and insulting offer that the wineseller begrudgingly accepts anyways. The winesellers sons arrive and tell Aron to leave and stop insulting their father. Cleo stops her (handsome, of course) bodyguard from interfering because, though she knew Aron was being a jerk, he knows a secret she cannot let get out. Which of course is not revealed to us. Aron, being arrogant and stupid, kills one of the sons. The brother that survives, Jonas, swears vengeance on them. And instead of focusing his hatred on Aron, Jonas decides that Cleo is the one to blame. Cleo also blames herself for stopping her guard, which yes was stupid, and only the beginning of her stupidity. Cleo, Aron and the rest of the nobles run back to Auranos.
In Limeros we have the prince and princess, Marcus and Lucia. Marcus has been abused and mistreated by his father his entire life. He has a huge scar marring one side of his face that his father gave him as a child. He knows his father to be cruel and unjust, and so does the rest of the kingdom if anything can be taken from his nickname, the King of Blood. Most of Marcus' chapters have to do with his trouble over his lifetime of abuse and his forbidden and unrequited love for his sister. We come to find that she is really adopted but when he reveals this and his feelings to her she is appalled. She loves him most in the world but only as her brother. Marcus decides to be as cruel and unfeeling as his father when she rejects him. Meanwhile Marcus's father King Gaius uses the killing of a poor Paelsian peasant by an Auranos noble to make an alliance with the Chief of Paelsia against Auranos.
Jonas runs to the border planning to sneak into the Auranos palace and kill Cleo in revenge. Obviously a misguided and not well thought out plan. A friend stops Jonas from running to Auranos and he comes to the inspired conclusion that what his brother would really want is a revolution. So he tramps off to the Chief of his kingdom and tells him Paelsia should rise up and fight against Auranos. Turns out this is already what the Chief has planned, though Limeros with be fighting alongside them.
Back in Auranos, Cleo's sister is extremely ill. Cleo decides to go to Paelsia to save her based on a legend of magic seeds that can heal any ailment. Her father forbids her to go and her bodyguard Theon tells her he will not help her. So she sneaks off in the middle of the night with her friend Nic. In Paelsia she travels around asking about the seeds. She meets a woman in a village who tells her the tale of the Watcher who ran away from the Sanctuary to the mortal world with the seeds. She gives her a letter. Cleo is captured by Jonas who says he would like to kill her but really there is a weird flirting that goes on between them that is uncomfortable. Instead Jonas takes her to his sister to keep her captive until Prince Marcus can come collect her so she can be used to help defeat Auranos in the coming war.
Cleo is rescued by her bodyguard, Theon, who came chasing after her. They apparently just make it a few steps to the road before stopping and just standing there to declare their love for each other. Despite having been told that Marcus was on his way to come get her. Smart. She is telling him how she will refuse to marry another and she will tell her father that she is in love with her guard (*gag*) when Marcus rides up. Marcus kills Theon, much to my joy, and Cleo's everlasting despair. Nic runs up to disarm Marcus and then stops Cleo from killing him. Cleo and Nic run back to Auranos and Marcus back to Limeros.
Cleo goes back to Auranos to her still ailing sister. She finally opens the letter from the woman in the Paelsian village to find some seeds. The letter reveals that she was the watcher who stole the magic seeds. Cleo had them all that time. She despairs that she could have used them on Theon (apparently forgetting that then she wouldnt be able to save her sister) but then runs to her sisters room to save her. But finds her sister dead. Another person she couldn't save. Just then the Limerian and Paelsian armies attack Auranos castle. She finds her father just before he too dies from injuries. Before he dies though he gives her a ring that will help find the kindred. She escapes the castle.
King Gaius kills the Chief and kills the Paelsians that were previously fighting alongside Limeros. He becomes the ruler of all three kingdoms. Jonas finally decides to start thinking and decides he will fight against King Gaius.
Cleo is standing in the crowd listening to King Gaius give a speech to the people of Auranos. Jonas approaches her and tells her he wants to bring an end to the King of Blood. He warns her she should leave. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't. And she is captured by Marcus. The book ends with her saying to herself that she will be strong and reclaim her kingdom.
I read so many good reviews of this book I was very excited to start Falling Kingdoms. It was described as a "game of thrones for teens". Since I have found the game of thrones series to be the an incredibly complex, rich world with complex and evolving characters I was expecting something similar. That was a mistake. I don't feel like I end up knowing the characters that well. And I certainly don't like them very much. They tend to do things that make absolutely no sense and have no true depth of character. My favorite character is actually the darkest and most damaged.There are four main characters. Cleo the spoiled and self centered princess. Jonas the downtroden peasant who decides to follow his blind rage rather than any sort of logic. Lucia the stunningly beautiful princess who has unheard of magical powers and lets herself be used and controlled by her father. Last is Marcus, the brother of Lucia, who has the most issues. But from that has the most depth. From his deep unrequited love for his sister (yes his adopted sister but he didnt know that) to his childhood abuse.
Theon is a minor characters whose epic love with Cleo seems to come from nowhere. Aside from admiring looks and a few conversations there seems to be no real basis for the relationship.
While not badly written the characters lack depth and reasoning for their actions and the magic of the world is not thoroughly explained. I found the book somewhat predictable and trite. Also a sidenote that it is slightly annoying that the cover of the book has absolutely no relation to the story.
**SPOILERS**
Summary
There are four kingdoms in the land of Mytica; Limeros, Paelsia, and Auranos. Auranos is a rich and abundant kingdom of plenty. Paelsia is a poor and barren place that only grows grapes to make wine despite the lowering price of their wine. Limeros is a kingdom in decline though it is still clinging to an image of well-being.
In the prologue there are two witches who steal a baby from the crib and kill the mother. The one has read in the stars that the baby will be the one to bring magic back to the land by finding the four lost Kindreds. The one witch kills the other and takes the baby.
16 years later...
Cleo, princess of Auranos, makes a group trip to Paelsia with nobles to buy some wine on the whim of Aron, a noble's son. Aron insists on buying the best wine in Paelsia. When he finds the wineseller he makes a paltry and insulting offer that the wineseller begrudgingly accepts anyways. The winesellers sons arrive and tell Aron to leave and stop insulting their father. Cleo stops her (handsome, of course) bodyguard from interfering because, though she knew Aron was being a jerk, he knows a secret she cannot let get out. Which of course is not revealed to us. Aron, being arrogant and stupid, kills one of the sons. The brother that survives, Jonas, swears vengeance on them. And instead of focusing his hatred on Aron, Jonas decides that Cleo is the one to blame. Cleo also blames herself for stopping her guard, which yes was stupid, and only the beginning of her stupidity. Cleo, Aron and the rest of the nobles run back to Auranos.
In Limeros we have the prince and princess, Marcus and Lucia. Marcus has been abused and mistreated by his father his entire life. He has a huge scar marring one side of his face that his father gave him as a child. He knows his father to be cruel and unjust, and so does the rest of the kingdom if anything can be taken from his nickname, the King of Blood. Most of Marcus' chapters have to do with his trouble over his lifetime of abuse and his forbidden and unrequited love for his sister. We come to find that she is really adopted but when he reveals this and his feelings to her she is appalled. She loves him most in the world but only as her brother. Marcus decides to be as cruel and unfeeling as his father when she rejects him. Meanwhile Marcus's father King Gaius uses the killing of a poor Paelsian peasant by an Auranos noble to make an alliance with the Chief of Paelsia against Auranos.
Jonas runs to the border planning to sneak into the Auranos palace and kill Cleo in revenge. Obviously a misguided and not well thought out plan. A friend stops Jonas from running to Auranos and he comes to the inspired conclusion that what his brother would really want is a revolution. So he tramps off to the Chief of his kingdom and tells him Paelsia should rise up and fight against Auranos. Turns out this is already what the Chief has planned, though Limeros with be fighting alongside them.
Back in Auranos, Cleo's sister is extremely ill. Cleo decides to go to Paelsia to save her based on a legend of magic seeds that can heal any ailment. Her father forbids her to go and her bodyguard Theon tells her he will not help her. So she sneaks off in the middle of the night with her friend Nic. In Paelsia she travels around asking about the seeds. She meets a woman in a village who tells her the tale of the Watcher who ran away from the Sanctuary to the mortal world with the seeds. She gives her a letter. Cleo is captured by Jonas who says he would like to kill her but really there is a weird flirting that goes on between them that is uncomfortable. Instead Jonas takes her to his sister to keep her captive until Prince Marcus can come collect her so she can be used to help defeat Auranos in the coming war.
Cleo is rescued by her bodyguard, Theon, who came chasing after her. They apparently just make it a few steps to the road before stopping and just standing there to declare their love for each other. Despite having been told that Marcus was on his way to come get her. Smart. She is telling him how she will refuse to marry another and she will tell her father that she is in love with her guard (*gag*) when Marcus rides up. Marcus kills Theon, much to my joy, and Cleo's everlasting despair. Nic runs up to disarm Marcus and then stops Cleo from killing him. Cleo and Nic run back to Auranos and Marcus back to Limeros.
Cleo goes back to Auranos to her still ailing sister. She finally opens the letter from the woman in the Paelsian village to find some seeds. The letter reveals that she was the watcher who stole the magic seeds. Cleo had them all that time. She despairs that she could have used them on Theon (apparently forgetting that then she wouldnt be able to save her sister) but then runs to her sisters room to save her. But finds her sister dead. Another person she couldn't save. Just then the Limerian and Paelsian armies attack Auranos castle. She finds her father just before he too dies from injuries. Before he dies though he gives her a ring that will help find the kindred. She escapes the castle.
King Gaius kills the Chief and kills the Paelsians that were previously fighting alongside Limeros. He becomes the ruler of all three kingdoms. Jonas finally decides to start thinking and decides he will fight against King Gaius.
Cleo is standing in the crowd listening to King Gaius give a speech to the people of Auranos. Jonas approaches her and tells her he wants to bring an end to the King of Blood. He warns her she should leave. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't. And she is captured by Marcus. The book ends with her saying to herself that she will be strong and reclaim her kingdom.
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