Falling Kingdoms Book Review

 

    I had first read Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes for the first time during quarantine, in an e-book form online. I had really enjoyed reading it, along with the following 5 books in the rest of the series. After I had finished reading the series I moved on to other series, so it was certainly a surprise when I saw them at my local library. The first time I saw these book, I hadn't actually noticed at first that I hadn't read these books before. The covers were intricately detailed, and the synopsis sounded interesting. After I started reading the first few chapters, I realized I had read this book before, but I still decided to continue reading it nonetheless. I really enjoyed rereading this book, and it brought back many pleasant memories from when I first read this book.

    This book is written from the perspective of four different characters, but all of the storylines are interconnected so it isn't hard to stay on track with the plot. The book takes place on a continent roughly the size of England, split into three different kingdoms. Each kingdom is very distinct, each with differing opinions on every topic from taxes to basic human rights. The characters in this book all seemed very real, and their actions were always driven by their motives. 

    The beginning of the book starts with an unexpected murder by nobles in a different kingdom from which the nobles originate. This sets of a chain of reactions in the three kingdoms, as they each try to take advantage of one another for their own good, setting off a large-scale war against each other. The protagonists are spread out throughout the plot, making sure the reader gets coverage of all events transpiring. This book is a young adult fantasy novel, set in an ancient world featuring magic.

    There were many things I liked in this book, especially the characters. They all seemed to truly be human, an achievement that most books I've read don't seem to fully accomplish. All of the characters in this book are well thought out, and follow a logical arc, without any unnecessary twist or turns just for an attempt at drama. I also thought the plot was well written. Events really seemed to be based on cause and effect, with new events happening in response to or because of previous events. Both the characters and the plot followed a human sort of progression, which was really nice in contrast to many other young adult fantasy novels.

    While there were a lot of things I liked, there was also one big thing that I was consistently bothered with. Throughout both the first book and the rest of the books in the series, the chronology was a major issue. There were many times throughout the books where some characters would travel long distances over the course of what seemed weeks, while other characters would travel those same distances in mere days. This really threw off both the scale of the world, along with the time progression. Based off of some events I assume the main continent was the size of England, however it was occasionally described as being incredibly large with multiple sprawling cities. 

    Overall, I really enjoyed reading Falling Kingdoms and the other five books in this series. I thought all six books were really well written, and it was very easy to get immersed in the world. I would recommend this book for a wide range of readers, as I think it has something for a lot of people. Fantasy plays a large role in the main plot, but many of the subplots have no fantastical elements at all, something you might like if you don't enjoy fantasy as much, along with some romance. This book was very enjoyable for me to read, and I would suggest that you read it as well.

- Collins Rosch