❋
As the three rulers of the kingdoms of Mytica grapple for power, the lives of their subjects will be changed. Four will find their lives and destinies intertwined in unexpected ways - Cleo, a princess; Jonas, a rebel; Lucia, a sorceress; and Magnus, the heir. Only one thing is for certain, and that is that kingdoms will fall. The real question: Who will be triumphant when everything comes crashing down?
I was fully prepared to love Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes and have a new series to obsess over, but I found myself greatly disappointed. I actually ended up DNFing this audiobook at 15%. Normally, sprawling epic fantasy is one of my favorite genres, but that's not the case here. I simply couldn't make myself care about anyone or anything that was going on. Although there are so many characters introduced in this novel, not a single one of these cardboard cutouts interested me enough to keep going. As for Mytica, there is not nearly enough world-building to flesh out the three kingdoms that make it up. Falling Kingdoms tries very hard to be Game of Thrones lite, but honestly I would much rather prefer to read, or watch, that instead because this just doesn't work out. By the way, the names of some of the characters are quite similar to GoT characters - there's even a character named Theon.
Overall, I had high hopes for the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes, but unfortunately, it just didn't work out for me. The characters are a tad too generic, unrelatable, and uninteresting - plus, there are too many to easily keep track of (and that's just within the first 15%) - and the world-building is lacking the depth for the wide world of Mytica. If you're looking for a YA Game of Thrones read alike perhaps you should try Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas or The Young Elites by Marie Lu instead.
I listened to this audiobook from August 8 - 11, 2016 and my review is also on Goodreads.
I completely agree : I was also disappointed by the similarities with GoT and it doesn't get better in the next books. But I liked the writing so I kept reading and now I like it. I try not to cringe everytime something reminds me of GoT though...
ReplyDeleteBut I disagree about one thing : I don't see how Throne of Glass is a YA GoT. I know a lot of people compare these two but it's so different !
I'm glad that you warmed up to it, Lys.
DeleteThey are really different, but maybe what makes me compare them is the world building and the epic scale.
OH no, I’ve been looking forward to starting this series! I’ve heard so many amazing things about it... oh well, not every book is for everyone, nice to heard a more critical review about it as a heads-up :)
ReplyDeleteI had heard so many great things about it, but it just didn't work out for me. Maybe you will end up liking it, though.
DeleteThanks for visiting, Caroline!
I have mostly heard negative things about it! Good, that I stayed away :D
ReplyDeleteSaved yourself some trouble!
DeleteSorry this one wasn't for you. I may still give it a try someday, but I've seen pretty mixed reviews on it. Seems people either love it or hate it so I guess it's a 50/50 chance then lol.
ReplyDeleteThe more reviews that I've seen the more accurate that seems. I hope you will end up liking it more than me, Erin.
Delete