In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power–brutally transforming their subjects’ lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:
Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.
Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished–and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.
Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past–and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword… The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
Release Date: December 11, 2012
After reading such high fantasy young adult novels like Finnikin of the Rock and Seraphina, I wasn’t expecting another one from this year to really take my breath away with characters and a plot that kept me on my toes.
Even though the synopsis alludes to the possibility of multiple point of views/narrators, I was not expecting an entire CAST list at the beginning of Falling Kingdoms similar to the cast lists at the beginning of a Shakespearian play. This intimidated me, because let’s face it, I’ve been overwhelmed with the number of characters in novels before. However, I’m not sure why some of the characters are even mentioned in the cast because they are so minute.
But anyway, if you are not a fan of shifting point of views, then Falling Kingdoms might be difficult for you. The shifts are easily distinguished since each chapter is heralded by a third person limited POV that is labeled with the location of the character: one of four places: Auranos, Paelsia, Limeros, or The Sanctuary. I’ll break it down for you:
Auranos POVs: Cleo, Theon
Paelsia POVs: Jonas
Limeros POVs: Lucia, Magnus
The Santuary POVs: Ioannes
So we do get a number of different angles in this story of three kingdoms at odds, but it definitely helps the reader understand the plight of each nation…and it took me all the way until the end until I definitely decided which character I would want to join forces with.
Now, some will say that the shifting POVs restricts the amount of character development that can occur for each character, but the main four, Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus, were all very well developed, in my opinion. Is there room for more growth and depiction of character in the coming sequels? Of course, but there always is. For a very plot heavy novel, the character development was supurb.
World building, on the other hand, could have used some improvement. While we do get some descriptions of the land…Rhodes leaves the majority of the details out and leaves the reader with basic descriptions of color and weather. The religious component of the novel was a bit convoluted, but I feel that these “prophecies” and “legends” will be explained clearly later on.
The purpose of Falling Kingdoms was to introduce us to a world at odds, four characters whose lives would have never been linked….forced together in destiny, and set up for larger turmoil to come.
There is a touch of romance in Falling Kingdoms, but not enough to trump the amount of action that occurs. While I appreciate Rhodes’ adhereance to the royal need to select mates, I still abhor that entire practice. I think Cleo and Emilia would agree, but I will let you make your own asssumptions. At first, I had trouble separating THIS Magnus from Cassandra Clare’s super flamboyant Magnus, but it was clear that Rhodes’ Magnus was suffering from secrets of his own. I feel for him, because as a reader we know the truth, and he does not. I found myself trying to reassure him throughout the novel.
I’m not going to tell you whose side I eventually took, because I’d love to hear who you sympathize with. I read this book in under 24 hours and can’t wait until I get the chance *cough,cough* TIME to re-read it.
4.5 Bards
Moving! 