Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)by Michelle Rowan, Morgan Rhodes
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Synopsis:
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.
As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.
The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.
Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.
Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....
Weak things were so very easy to break.
(Yes, I used all Dylan O’ Brien Teen Wolf Gifs. Because…pretty)
There are times (well, most of the time, actually) when I know exactly what I want to read, when I’m going to read it, and in what order. This is when I have my [book] shit together. And, in all honestly, this really is a very common occurrence. But then there are times, like right now, where life is kicking me in the balls, the familiar sounds wonderful (ie, new books in my series I love), but I’m in a situation where I’m on the cusp of all my eagerly awaited releases almost being out, but not just quite, and I have a week and one day from tonight when they will be released, one after the other in a beautiful march of wonderful words. So-here I am.
With all this being said, it implies that I am in a slump…which is incorrect. In fact, there are so many books I want to read at this moment that it physically pains me that I can’t read them all at once. But…there comes a time when your mood is so dour that you don’t want to ruin your absolute favorites that you’ve been saving for the best possible moments. And, with this mood, you don’t want to ruin your streak with a wonderful new genre you’ve discovered and became obsessed with, lest you start to dislike it inadvertently because you read it at a bad time or moment in your life. SO. Sosososososoooooo…these zany thoughts led me here: What can you read that you know you won’t judge harshly, that you know you won’t hold a loss against, that you know is excellent but never feel like putting it above your current favorite genres? Well, Folks, that would be YA Fantasy.
All his life he’d endured so much pain and developed only a thin mask to cover his true feelings. But masks could easily be removed and smashed with only a few words.
I know I love it. I know it’s super addicting….but it also requires a certain amount of attention and devotion…And a certain mood. As it just so happens??? I want to be out of this world, out of reality, out of everyday inane activities-And fantasy is the genre to do just that. Well, at least until February 9, when my first release(s) comes out. Tee hee. And luckily my wonderful friend, Rachel, recc’d this to me last week and strongly influenced this decision. A savior, this one.
Oh, and let me preface this review with a little tidbit: I might or might not be drinking some margs while writing this review. Hm. Well. Whatever. Carpe diem and C’est la vie and all that nonsense. 😛
I’ll also cut to the chase fairly early so as to not make this any longer than need be, seeing as I had many base emotions while reading this: My absolute favorite thing about this book was not the action, nor the deception, lies, or magic. No, my favorite thing was not a plot, but a single person: Magnus. My dear dear tortured, dark, and brooding Magnus, the Prince of Blood. Yes *sighs* I am indeed in love with an incestuous little fuck. But…..I don’t know. He wasn’t…disgusting. I can’t even begin to explain away why he feels so strongly for his sister, but I can make it quite simple: He cares so deeply, so strongly for this forbidden desire that it keeps his heart from turning to stone.
Then his heart, now broken into a thousand pieces, slowly began to turn to ice.
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve had some margs and it’s making it increasingly difficult to find the correct words to describe what made Magnus so special for me, when normally the obsessive words slide off my tongue with the littlest effort. So, I’ll end it here, even if it kills me: He was perfect in every little tortured, evil, and wounded way, fighting the inherited source of evil that is expected to surface at every moment. He was vulnerable and trusted only one, his sister, who had the means to destroy his mind and fracture his very soul. Yes, he had a major flaw….but I don’t think so many people would love him if he was disgusting, hmmmm??????
Swearing under his breath, he pushed the tears away, vowing that they would be the last he ever shed. Strength, not weakness, was what he needed from this day forward.
One of my least favorite things ever is multiple, MULTIPLE alternating POVs, but in this case, it didn’t bother me. At least, not after meeting them all as their stories began to intertwine the farther the story progressed. I started this book because I needed an escape from reality, but I stayed because it ensnared me. I gave this a four because I just needed a little more-I mean, Magnus can’t do everything, you know?? I did adore more characters than just him, some even gaining more respect as the story came to a close, but something was just missing to make this perfect. Maybe some more peril?? I do love me some peril…. Where have we heard that before?
Minor insta-love in one POV (though it didn’t bother me because…reasons…READ IT YOURSELF), some dumb reasonings for everything behind another (though, to be fair, this might be the booze doin’ the talkin’), and some side characters I could easily see myself slicing the throat of, it wasn’t without it’s flaws. But then there were those constant moments where I didn’t want to put the book down, where I imagined immediately beginning book two right after I finished this installment, where I had a smile on my face and fierce butterflies in my heart even as my mood soured more and more. And frankly?? That means everything. When a book can make you feel as if you are happy even when you aren’t, then it’s more than just a filler-it’s a winner. And for that…I am extremely grateful. Thank you, lovely Rachel, you just partially salvaged my horrid weekend. *Muah*
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An absolute shock and just what I needed to reset my system.
And I will admit….Magnus stole my heart with his dark, little tortured self. Even if some things were weird…
RTC.
This review made me laugh out loud! May have to pick up the book now, intrigued Magus ……