Everyone wants to rule Mytica, but what good is a throne when the entire realm is in danger? In Morgan Rhodes’s Falling Kingdoms, the power struggle may be the very thing putting everything at risk. The adults really need to get their kingdoms together. They’re busy fighting over crowns, power, and personal greed while an altogether bigger threat is gathering, and somehow the younger generation is left to deal with the consequences.
If you love a high fantasy with multiple perspectives, complicated loyalties, political intrigue, and characters who have no idea how much trouble they’re heading towards. Falling Kingdoms series gave me all of that, plus a few reasons to question the decision-making skills of its adults.
This is the series that made me fall hopelessly in love with High fantasy. The first book came out in 2012, but I stumbled across it around 2014, when Book 3 had just been released. I devoured those first three books in record time, and then spent the next several years impatiently waiting for each new release like my life depended on it. Well, it kinda did because I was so emotionally invested in those characters’ lives (Spoiler Alert: Magnus was my favorite)
Blurb (Book 1)
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.
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….
Genre
Young Adult (YA) High Fantasy Adventure
Characters
Half the characters have childhood trauma nd half were making the worst possible decision to endanger the world lol
- Cleo the spoiled princess
- Magnus the tortured prince
- Lucia the cuckoo in the head sorceress
- Jonah the shameless flirt
Tropes
- Multiple Kingdoms
- Slow Burn
- Political Intrigue & Court Politics
- Betrayals & Shocking Twists
- War & Rebellion
- Lost Magic Returns
- Royals & Rebels
- Multiple POVs
- Enemies-to-Lovers
My Review
Falling Kingdoms is a high fantasy that follows four young people: Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus, whose lives become entangled as political tensions between the kingdoms of Mytica spiral into war. Each has their own struggles, loyalties, and difficult decisions to make, but the people sitting on the thrones aren’t exactly making things easier.
The first book spends time building the world and setting the pieces in motion. From the second book onwards, I found myself much more caught up in the action, political intrigue, mysteries, and everything happening around the Sanctuary. Magnus quickly became my favourite, and the slow burn between him and Lucia was one of my highlights. Cleo, on the other hand, tested my patience occasionally.
To sum it up!
Everyone is lying.
Everyone is plotting.
Everyone probably needs a nap (for real)
What I enjoyed most about Falling Kingdoms was watching its characters navigate a cutthroat, ruthless world where power, magic, loyalty, and personal ambition keep colliding. The series starts humbly but grows into a much bigger story of war, mystery, and difficult alliances. I’d happily recommend this series to YA fantasy readers who enjoy political intrigue and high-stakes storytelling.
My Rating
- Overall: ★★★★ | 4 Stars
- Plot: ★★★★| 4 Stars
- Romance: ★★★★| 4 Stars
- Characters:★★★★ | 4 Stars
- Pacing: ★★★★| 4 Stars
- Ending: ★★★★| 4 Stars
- Book Cover:★★★★★| 5 Stars ( Perfection)
The Best Part
- Without spoiling anything, I love how all these characters seamlessly came together and complement each other’s personalities, how they were supposed to. Especially Magnus 👀 (please read !!!!)
My Fav Words
“Sometimes you don’t realize how strong you are until you’re tested”
“Even paradise could become a prison if one had enough time to take notice of the walls.”
