Falling Kingdoms Series - Review

Book Review:
Title: Falling Kingdoms Series
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Penguin

“Because if you don't choose to fight against the wrong in the world, then you are the wrong in the world.”

In a land where magic has been forgotten and peace has reigned for centuries, unrest is simmering . Three kingdoms battle for power... 

A princess must journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long-thought extinct.
A rebel becomes the leader of a bloody revolution.
A Sorceress discovers the truth about the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
It's the eve of war. Each must choose a side.
KINGDOMS WILL FALL. 

I feel very much accomplished right now. Although the final book, Immortal Reign, came out just over 3 years ago, this series has been on my TBR for MUCH longer – probably since 2014.

Having just finished my final year of university and having a couple of months free before I start work, I thought this was the perfect time to binge-read the Falling Kingdoms series…and I was not left disappointed.

This series really took me back to the classic YA phase of the early 2010s/pre-2015s. Very trope-y and cliché but also incredibly addictive. I honestly think if I read this series when the books first came out, it would have 100% made it on to my favourites list. Alas, my reading tastes have somewhat changed, but that didn’t stop me from devouring and enjoying these books. Plus, I would still give it a rating of somewhere between 3.5-4 out of 5 stars!

This series is known as a YA Game of Thrones, and I can see why. Other than the (thankfully minor) incest plotline, there’s a fantastic, broad cast of characters, whom I’d argue are all morally grey, feuding families/kingdoms, magic, and a LOT of death. There’s a lot to unpack.

I read all 6 books in just over 2 weeks and looking at where the story began and where it ended, SO MUCH HAPPENED. Thinking about everything that transpired in the first book, it’s crazy to see how much the story expanded. With each book the story grew, with new elements introduced, and I literally couldn’t guess what wild thing was going to pop up next.

The characters themselves also had some amazing journeys and arcs. From the very first book, I was immediately drawn to Magnus and Cleo (although that could be because I’ve seen tweets/fanart pop up about them over the years) and kind of meh towards Jonas and Lucia, but by the end, I loved them all, even the side characters. One particular side character I really enjoyed was Amara – I can’t say much about her since she’s introduced in the middle of the series, but what I can say is that I found her so fascinating and powerful.

Overall, I think this series had a great balance of characterisation and plot.

Do I think this series dragged on for a bit, and could have been shortened by a book or so? Yes, there were definitely a few points where the story dragged (and possibly grew too much ??) BUT, I still had a lot of fun and you can’t beat some good ol’ nostalgia.

3.75 Stars
Goodreads