Review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Publisher: Razorbill
Series: Falling Kingdoms #1

Pages: 412

Received: Borrowed from Christa at More Than Just Magic

Release Date: December 11, 2012
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Goodreads Synopsis:

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?

My Review:

I have just been newly introduced into the fantasy genre this past year through blogging and friends, and I have loved just about every one of the books that has been recommended to me, so when FALLING KINGDOMS came out and I heard high praises from many people that I respect I knew I had to get my hands on the story... and I can say I highly recommend this story!

I found that this book is a great introduction to fantasy novels for teens and younger readers, coming from someone who hasn't read a lot of fantasy I thought this was such a fun read and still had the adventure and violence that comes from these types of books. To be completely honest, I was actually surprised at the amount of violence that came out of this book, but I can see that it needed to happen to help certain characters grow during the story.

What really caught my attention with this book was the story with many characters that all have intertwining stories. Though there are a lot of characters, Rhodes did not make you feel overwhelmed with the different narrations. It made me think a little bit of Ken Follett's novels (which I absolutely adore!) Rhodes definitely set this book up as a start to what I foresee to be an amazing series.

The one thing that really stuck out to me in this book was the strong sense of family in all the characters. Everyone had different ways of showing their love but you could see how each of the main characters would do anything for their family members (which spurred a lot of the fights throughout the story). For me, when I see such a strong sense of family bonding in books it really makes me love the characters more, in my opinion I find strength in characters who are there for their families.

This book was a great introduction to each of the characters, and a lot happens in this book. The ending really took me by surprise, I thought one thing was going to happen and I was completely shocked when something completely different happened! Rhodes knows how to keep her readers interested, even through slow times (though there aren't that many). I really can't wait to see where she takes these characters next, and how they will grow throughout.