Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6)

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Title: Falling Kingdoms Series
Author: Morgan Rhodes

Synopsis:
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has been long 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 unforseen love.
The only outcome thats certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

Initial thoughts:
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes has been on my list of books to read for a good while now. When it comes to stories with many different point-of-view like this one, I like to wait until the entire series has been completed before I begin reading them. So, when I learned that the conclusion had been written and released, I jumped right in and started it up!
In the beginning, I really didnt find myself liking the characters all that much. Things started off very whiny and increasingly got better from there.

Plot:

What I liked:
I really did enjoy this book series. I always love a good tale of fantasy and magic and really find myself drawn to these kind of books.The magical element to the series was very well thought out and really helped drive the plot along. I also really enjoyed most of the character development and the world building that went into the series. As a reader, it was very interesting to learn how the magic ultimately affected the characters in the long run of this story.
The villains were very well put together and had this edge to them that allowed me to understand what it was that they were thinking even when they were not the ones that were telling the initial story. I looked forward to certain narratives more than others and when they were back I found myself instantly engrossed in the story.
The books themselves were very fast paced and had a lot of action. The fight scenes really were what got me. They were realistic and honor was often just thrown out the window which I felt had a very nice feel to it.

What I didn’t like:
The relationships in this series were TOXIC. I dont typically find book series where I want to yell at every couple that tries to form, but this one was. I kept feeling angry with the books everytime anything to do with love appeared.
Another reason why I was unable to give this a higher rating was due to the fact that I found that the characters could be a little over dramatic and almost whiny at times. I also became easily frustrated with them for how they reacted to certain situations.For example, Lucia was one character I found myself growing to dislike more and more throughout the series. She was a very two-faced character even during her own narrative and I found it hard to sympathize with her in the long run.
Also, just as a heads up, Morgan Rhodes seemed to have a fun time killing off characters only to bring them back to life again. I found it to be a little annoying personally, but others might not agree especially if its their favorite character that gets to comes back.

Main Characters:
Cleo: In the beginning I was really hesitant to like her, but she really grew on me as a strong character. I loved how she developed through the series.
Jonas: He didnt seem to make as big of an impact on me as I thought that he was going to. I enjoyed his character, but he didnt seem to learn from his mistakes and that was kind of annoying.
Lucia: To be honest I kind of didnt like her at all. I hated chapters that were told in her point of view and looked forward to be done them.
Magnus: I gotta say I really enjoyed his character. Magnus was a very complex individual and I thought that he was a fun character to watch grow through his issues with his family and come to terms with who he is as a person.
Nic: I think that he was my favorite character. I loved this boy even though I didnt see his POV too often in the story. I thought that he was a good brother and a kind friend, but he certainly wasnt afraid to voice his own opinions.
Amira: I loved her and hated her. It was hard to decide which I felt more for her to be honest. Her character was very interesting and fun to follow.

Overall:
I did find myself rooting for the characters and hoping that things would pan out well for them even when things were beginning to look bleak. For those of you who like a book series that has a lot of action, deceit, politics, and magic this is a fantastic book for you.

Falling Kingdoms is kind of like Whose Line is it Anyway?

Everythings made up and the plot doesn’t matter.

I’ll be the first one to admit that I don’t read these books for the plot, and if you are someone who really focuses on the plot elements of a story over the character elements, I think you will be disappointed in this series as a whole, but this conclusion in particular.

But character-wise, everyone gets a befitting ending. Especially in regards the romantic sub-plots. (Magneo, anyone? <3) I was extremely satisfied with this installment because this series is a fluffy teen soap-opera and this book is the most ridiculous, dramatic, and fun of them all.

When I started this series, I wasn’t sure what to think. I liked some of the characters, and the premise was pretty cool, but it was all pretty underwhelming. Not bad, but not amazing. It was good enough for me to keep reading, and pretty soon I was four books deep and hungering for more. I was both excited for and dreading the ending. All of the plot lines come to a head in this jam-packed book. Romances are broken and solidified, betrayals are made, many die, and the climax centuries in the making finally comes to fruition. I enjoy this book very much – I just wish it was longer! It’s already filled with content, but it does feel a bit rushed. I won’t spoil anything, but there are at least a half dozen loose ends that the book ties up in a matter of paragraphs. It’s understandable that the author doesn’t want to drag things out once the climax is over, but I was a bit let down at all the seemingly last-minute decisions. Still, that doesn’t take away from the hours of fun I had with these characters and their world.

I didn’t enjoy “Immortal Reign” as much as I did “Crystal Storm”. That said, “Immortal Reign” was still a really good book and gave us a satisfying conclusion. There were several nemesis to be defeated in this novel including a fire god, a (somewhat) evil King and a (somewhat) evil Empress. Maybe I have just explained why I liked this series so much. Many of the characters in this story are multi layered. There are people who could have been good if circumstances had been different and characters who think they are doing the right thing even when they are not. I read this series for six book (sixish years!) because of the characters and the plot was very much secondary. I wanted to know about Magnus and how he would come to grips with his crush on his adopted sister Lucia. I wanted to know if Lucia was a good or bad person. I wanted to know what Jonah would do next. In fact, sometimes these characters just plain annoyed me, but I still wanted to know more. The climax of the story did feel a bit hurried and the book used the last few chapters to ‘tell’ more than to ‘show’ where the main characters ended up. Still Morgan Rhodes has become a must read author for me and I hope she gets some time now to finish up her Book of Spirits and Thieves series. Two books in and the third seems to have been pushed back for ages now. (update: Just checked and the second book is nearly two years old).

I was so anxious to read the ending of this series, but I was also afraid, at the same, time that it would end in tragedy like Shakespeare had done with his novelswhich was the usual model in epic fantasy. Yes, tragedy surely existed in the story but in a direction I was pleased to have had happened. Departing from the characters I had become fond of in the book was a bit disheartening. It was like seeing a light at end of the tunnel but not wanting to cross it just yet. I would immensely appreciate if Morgan Rhodes would do a crossover with Spirits and Thieves series so my detachment from the Falling Kingdoms would not be as bad as falling in the abyss wandering in eternal darkness. Such a series worth rereading!

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