Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
3.5 STARS.

“You must continue to believe with all your heart. Sometimes belief is all it takes to make something real.”

Goodreads Description: In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface. As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed… and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love. The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed? It’s the eve of war…. Choose your side.

I finally finished a book in April! 😛 Major slumping and it totally sucks, but I decided to listen to the Falling Kingdoms audiobook in the hopes to get me back into the reading mood.

There were certain parts in this book that made me think of Merlin (the BBC show), which was kind of annoying. I LOVED Merlin so much, but it was annoying in the book because all I could focus on was the fact that lots of things were similar to that. So I just kept thinking about the Merlin TV show instead of what was going on in the book, OOPS. I was just like “hey, this is like Merlin” “Merlin” “Merlin Merlin” “Hey Gaius was Merlin’s guardian in the show” “Magic was not allowed in Camelot” “Arthur’s sister found out she had magic and was a sorceress too” “MERLIN MERLIN MERLIN” “Merlin starts with an M and so does Magnus” “Morgana – Lucia, both have an the same “A” sound”. LOL. NO JOKE, this was how I was the majority of the time while listening to this book. I just kept trying to find all the similarities between the BBC show and this book. I’m sure I even tried TOO hard sometimes.

It did have it’s exciting moments though and I did enjoy it some of the time. Some things were a little weird like Magnus being in love with Lucia. I also felt bad for him throughout the book though. 😦 Poor guy. I did like Magnus and Lucia was okay. Their story/kingdom is the one that made me think of Merlin the most. Cleo annoyed me so much. I was definitely not a fan of her character. It was also annoying that there were three guys that liked her. It seemed a little excessive. I was a huge Jonas fan. So right now my side is definitely with the rebel. 😛

I’m curious to see how the rest of the series plays out. I liked the book enough to want to continue with the series. There were a lot of awesome moments in the book where I was like “what!?” or “OMG” and that was fun. I liked the world and I’m really interested in getting more into the magic side of things. I think if it wasn’t for the Merlin thing, I would have loved this book so much. It was a decent read though and I am planning to start the second book today. Hopefully I can get past the Merlin thing and enjoy the second book more!

“Even paradise could become a prison if one had enough time to take notice of the walls.”

From Goodreads Description:
Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.
Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.
Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword….

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? What side did you choose?

This wasn’t the greatest review (sorry about that), but I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I haven’t been reading much at all. I haven’t been reviewing books, sadly. 😦 I am still trying to get out of this lame reading slump and get back into blogging. I’m having major case of the Mondays today. I better get to work!

I hope you had a great weekend and I hope you have a great Monday!