Morgan Rhodes’s Falling Kingdoms is the first book in the Falling Kingdoms series. The land of Mytica once lived in harmony. Back then, the magic of the four elements flourished throughout the continent. Sadly, all good things must come to end, so as the magic dried up, the continent fractured into three kingdoms. Limeros faced harsh winters in an equally harsh landscape. Paelsia withered into poverty as the once fertile soil dried up. Auranos clutched onto its remaining magic and managed to flourish. After centuries of peace, rulers hunger for power. On the eve of war, four teenagers find themselves caught in a tangled web of betrayal, murder, alliances, and love.
Princess Cleo was raised in the luxurious kingdom of Auranos. She is as spoiled as she is beautiful, but she truly has a good heart. When her sister falls ill, Cleo must brave a treacherous journey into enemy lands to find a lost magic that can save her.
Jonas Agallon was born into the impoverished kingdom of Paelsia. His hatred toward the rich royals always bubbled inside of him, but is brought to the surface at the painful loss of his brother. His fury leads him to a commanding position in a revolution.
Lucia was adopted into the Limeros royal family. As she comes of age, she discovers her supernatural powers and magical destiny.
Magnus is the son of the Blood King and the heir to Limeros. From a young age he was surrounded by aggression and bloodthirsty violence, but as war approaches, his heart is pushed to its limits.
Falling Kingdoms is a surprisingly good read. The plot starts at a time of a tentative peace, but builds up as war draws closer and closer. This book tries to take overused fantasy tropes and tie them together. There is a powerful sorceress, a spoiled, but kind princess, passionate rebel and cold-hearted prince. As the story tries to take many directions it fails at each one. Many of the POVs sounded exactly the same and it’s a huge problem when your dark prince sounds like a passionate rebel.
While the individual stories were disappointing, together they formed a good story. The multiple POVs allows you to see both sides of the war. We see our rebel’s hatred toward arrogant royalty and our princess’s love for others. It makes the story interesting and adds some life to the overused plot.
The book also fails in world building. Fantasy books get their appeal from the massive world they seem to create. They are complex, new, and full of possibilities. They should feel open and expansive, but should never (especially in a political fantasy) feel contained. Morgan Rhodes isolates the kingdoms on one single landmass, making it feel like what happens on it doesn’t affect or bother anyone. There is no mention of anything beyond the kingdoms causing the world to feel very small. There is nothing to explore and nothing to discover. Despite my complaints, a tiny world is okay if it is given lots of detail. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Each kingdom can be characterized by one or two words. Limeros is harsh and cold, Paelsia is poor and Auranos is wealthy. In addition, the characters travel around the kingdoms in a couple hours or a day causing the world to feel even smaller.
The magic system is similarly lacking. Magic based on the four elements is nothing new, so it is up to the author to do something new with it. Sadly, not much was done with it. The story does contain some interesting lore, but like the world building, its small, limited to one sorceress, two goddesses, and a handful of Watchers. One of the books few redeeming qualities is that it’s in a series. This book contained an interesting premise and plot, but it is clear that this book was only meant to build up to a much more interesting plot. Hopefully, the next installment will live up to the hype brought by the first.
I give this 412 page book 4 stars.
Falling Kingdoms
Years ago, the isolated continent of Mytica was full of magic and peace. As magic faded from the world, the island split into three kingdoms. After years of peace, four teenagers find themselves in the midst of a brewing war.