Seen at Scott Reads It 
 Everything about Falling Kingdom made me desperately want to read it. Falling Kingdoms has received fantastic reviews, it has been compared to LOTR and Game of Thrones, and it is a magical high fantasy. I am seriously convinced that Morgan Rhodes (a.k.a Michelle Rowen) wrote this book for me exclusively (I am only kidding!). Everything I love in a book makes an appearance one way or another in Falling Kingdoms. 
 Falling Kingdoms has a really complex story line so I am no going to bother to explain the plot. There are 3 kingdoms called Paelsia, Limeros, and Auranos; a war is brewing between the kingdoms. The story switches from the perspective from 4 characters who are unrelated in the beginning but in the end their fates intertwined beyond measure. 
 I think the most remarkable thing about Falling Kingdoms is not the plot but the characters. All the characters in Falling Kingdoms are extremely well developed and believable. In the beginning I had a bit of trouble remembering who was who and what kingdom they were from. Once I found the character sheet, differentiating between the characters became a cinch. Trust me in the first few pages the character sheet will be an invaluable tool ! I really liked the way Rhodes portrays the antagonists because they aren't viewed as purely evil. The antagonists are not depicted as wholly evil and they are described as having a "kernel of good". To most people this may not seem like a big deal but I hate when villains are portrayed as being evil to the point where they are completely inhumane. In my opinion even the most evil of people have even the tiniest bit of good in me. When characters are solely evil, it becomes harder to connect and empathize with them. 
 Of all the characters in Falling Kingdoms my favorite was Princess Cleoina without a doubt. Through thick and thin Cleo proved herself to be a true heroine and I just loved everything about her. Even when Cleo managed to screw up royally, I couldn't help but continue to root for her. Cleoina is one of my favorite female protagonists due to many factors. First of all Cleo is completely believable everything about her felt so raw and genuine. Cleo wasn't perfect but her flaws never bothered her once. Unlike a bunch of female protagonists, she wasn't insecure and she didn't complain how she isn't drop dead gorgeous. 
 The way Rhodes manages to pull of the switching of perspective is quite brilliant because I really enjoyed seeing the story from so many different perspectives because you really get a sense of what living in all 3 kingdoms is truly like. I didn't think this technique would work so well because I thought the alternating perspectives would become convoluted and confusing. 
 Why do people find incest so fascinating? Honestly between Flowers In The Attic, Star Wars, Mortal Instruments and A Game Of Thrones I feel that the world has enough incest. Incest isn't something I enjoy reading about at all yet in Falling Kingdoms I feel the incest aspect was executed phenomenally. Even though I don't approve of incest at all, I really liked Magnus's character dynamic. His "romance" with Lucia adds a lot of tension, suspense, and plot twists. Even though incest creeps me out, I can't really imagine Falling Kingdoms without it because it feels essential to the story. 
 The mythology of the 3 kingdoms is truly spellbinding and intriguing. It amazes me how Rhodes managed to create such complex yet interesting myths. Falling Kingdoms just wouldn't have been the same without all the tales of the Watchers. Were-Hawks anyone? The incorporations of these myths into the main plot line kept me on the edge of my seat through out the novel. The complex mythology was not original but it also was executed well. 
 I could go on and on describing my fan boy love of Falling Kingdoms. Where can you go wrong with a fast paced plot, a complex plot-line numerous plot twists, and tons of magic? Falling Kingdoms has made me realize that it's been too long since I have read high fantasy. I look forward to the next installment in the Falling Kingdom series immensely. I hope Rebel Spring has all the gory battle scenes, magic, high stakes tension, and fantastic character development that made me love Falling Kingdoms. I hope to get to read A Game of Thrones this year but it's length is very intimidating. I highly recommend Falling Kingdoms without a doubt in the world to all fans of fantasy!