"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?"
I decided to read this book for a read-along that is occurring now until December 5th and must say, I do not regret this decision one bit. I must have been living under a rock to not have heard about this series before now, especially when it is so similar to one of my favorite series, A Song of Ice and Fire.
The first book in the series, Falling Kingdoms, follows three kingdoms on the brink of war and, as shown in the blurb above, four different characters, which did make this read somewhat difficult! I found myself able to empathize easily with any of the four, but the character that stood out the most had to be Prince Magnus, the Limerian prince who struggled between who he is and who his father wants him to be. Having all the characters so easy to relate to made this book seem to fly by with no dull moments and it honestly pained me to have to put the book down to do mundane activities like work, or laundry, or anything that did not involve reading this book!
In terms of world building, I did not find this one particularly unique because it did remind me of George R. R. Martin's enchanted land of Westeros, as stated above, but the element of magic, combined with well developed characters and a fast-moving plot left me salivating for the second book as soon as it ended!
Genre: YA Fantasy
Positives: I was immediately drawn into this spectacular fantasy world and found no slow spots. I was always turning the page, looking for more!
Negatives: The world in the book was not 100% unique in my opinion, but that is something I am more than willing to overlook!
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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