Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (Falling Kingdoms #1)

War, magic, and a runaway princess
May 28, 2015
3 min read

In the land of Mythica, three kingdoms have been at odds for centuries. To the south, Auranos flourishes and prospers. In the north, Limeros is in decline as it becomes colder and less fertile. And the middle kingdom, Paelsia, has been oppressed by its neighbors, its people considered savages. Change is long overdue.

Princess Cleo has always lived a sheltered, peaceful life until the murder of an innocent Paelsian begins to cause the waters to boil and her sister becomes terribly ill. In order to save her sister, and hopefully her kingdom, Cleo sets out to see if the rumors of magic that she has come across are true in hopes of finding a cure for her sister's illness. Prince Magnus of Limeros struggles to gain his father's trust and also to help his sister hide a dangerous secret. And Jonas, an average Paelsian, throws himself into rebellion with a vengeance after his brother is murdered before his very eyes. In the background, a group of beings called Watchers hunt relentlessly for the keys to elementia, the magic that could save both their world and the world of the kingdoms.

The story is leaning in Cleo's direction, and I think it's going to mostly be about her based on the way the book ended. My first impression of her was a soft, slightly weak girl who would rather let others do her work. However, as the story wore on, I say how brave she is and determined to help her sister. Cleo would rather avoid violence, but she's not afraid to fight if she has too and will do anything to keep her family safe regardless of her own safety. Cleo is a privileged girl who has been thrust into a frightening world and isn't quite sure what to make of it, which is a trait I can sympathize with. I admire her resolve and appreciated her development throughout the story as a character.

So even though the story is mostly about Cleo, Magnus may be one of my favorite characters for several reasons. First and most shallowly, his name is Magnus, which makes my mind jump immediately to Magnus Bane. I also admire how clever and watchful he is. Magnus also isn't above manipulating others for his own personal gain, but I get the feeling that he acts that way more because he has to than because he wants to. Magnus's father is notoriously brutal, and as his son, he's expected to act the same. However, Magnus just doesn't have the stomach to kill and hurt people without a second thought. I can sympathize with his loneliness and wish to have someone close to him that really loves and understands him, and, much like Cleo, I find him relatable.

Third comes Jonas. Jonas is angry at Auranos for not only treating his people like dirt, but also because they have a ridiculous excess while his kingdom has next to nothing. Jealous and resentful, he wants revenge and lets it cloud his reasoning. I can understand his anger, but he's thinking with his emotions rather than his head. When he wants to be, however, he can be very smart and insightful.

I have mixed feelings about Falling Kingdoms. The characters were all real and relatable, but I was only interested by Magnus. The others just felt clichéd. The multiple POVs also helped me learn more about what was going on from the different characters perspectives, which I liked. I found the story interesting and the plot had plenty of action and adventure. However, on the flip side, the plot, while not exactly predictable, didn't have many good plot twists, and the idea wasn't very original. The book kept me mildly interested, but I was in no way hooked. I just feel like I've read so many similar fantasy stories, and I want something new. This is high fantasy for passing time, but I didn't find it that good for much else. 3/5 stars.