IMMORTAL REIGN By Morgan Rhodes

February 13, 2021 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

IMMORTAL REIGN By Morgan RhodesImmortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #6
Published by Razorbill on 2/6/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Ebook, Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice.

Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone.

Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme.

Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of the last book, two of our characters have the kindred in their body trying to take control. Kyan is still trying to reunite his siblings and rule Mytica. All of our characters have to band together to save Mytica and their friends.

I feel like over the course of 6 books all of the characters have grown immensely. I loved Lucia she basically had a redemption arc, she was hell bent in the last book but the birth of her child sort of grounded her, I also liked her friendship with Jonas. Cleo and Taran had the kindred in them and we can slowly see it taking over. Cleo tries to learn how to use the kindreds power but her attempts were futile. I love that Magnus was trying to find a way to save Cleo we can see how much he loves her. Amara left Mytica and went back to her kingdom and although she’s not my favorite character it was interesting to see how things occurred with her grandma and being crowned.

I love this series and the ending was beautiful. Everything that occurred made you wonder how things would resolve and there was a twist that I wasn’t expecting. I love these characters and its been a journey but a satisfying one!


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CRYSTAL STORM By Morgan Rhodes

October 30, 2020 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

CRYSTAL STORM By Morgan RhodesCrystal Storm by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #5
Published by Razorbill on 11/14/17
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

MAGNUS and CLEO are forced to test the strength of their love when Gaius returns to Mytica claiming he's no longer the King of Blood but a changed man seeking redemption.

LUCIA, pregnant with the child of a Watcher, has escaped the clutches of the unhinged fire god. Her powers are dwindling as she goes forth to fulfill a prophecy that will keep her baby safe . . . but could mean her demise.

JONAS treks back to Mytica with a plan to overtake Amara, but fate takes hold when he runs into the beautiful Princess Lucia and joins her on her perilous journey.

AMARA has taken the Mytican throne, but with no way to unleash the water magic trapped within her stolen crystal, she'll never be able to seize glory and get sweet revenge.

Short and Sweet

Cleo and Magnus are traveling with King Gaius a man who says he’s trying to redeem himself. Lucia is also on a path of redemption and is now further along in her pregnancy. Jonas is back in Mytica and plans to overtake Amara. Amara now the empress of Mytica is ready to be powerful and get everything she’s ever wanted.

Characters

Cleo: Cleo is traveling with Magnus and King Gaius to find the bloodstone. Cleo is left out of a lot of plans unfortunately. In the end Cleo remembers that she’s a queen and in the game of politics you have to make bold moves.

Magnus: Magnus is dealing with his father and his new personality which involves showing Magnus how much he cares. Magnus just wants to survive this trip and make sure that Cleo is safe.

Lucia: Princess Lucia, I feel like we didn’t see a lot of her in this book. Well Lucia is pregnant and for a bit of time she’s in the sanctuary learning more about the history of the kindred and the watchers. Lucia wants to try to make things right so she decides that she’s going to put Kyan back into his orb.

Jonas: Jonas is back in Mytica and he wants to over take Amara. Jonas is working with some rebels and is still in an alliance with Magnus. In Paelsia Jonas comes across Lucia and he ends up helping her.

Amara: Amara wants to be powerful and win her people’s admiration. Amara also comes in contact with Kyan and decides to help him but mainly for her own gain.

Romance

Cleo and Magnus: The relationship between Cleo and Magnus is tested in this book. King Gaius tries to keep them away from each other most of the time and he just says the worst things about Cleo. Cleo and Magnus do end up questioning if things could even work out between them, but there’s a lot of moments when they realize that the love they have for each other is stronger.

My Thoughts

~ Most of our characters are all over the place, so I was happy when most of them reunited in Paelsia. We see that King Gaius has a powerful witch for a mother it also reveals why he is the way he is. Gaius’s mother Selia is actually very lethal and she may seem like she’s only worried about Gaius but she does have other plans that the other characters aren’t aware of. Kyan, even though he’s without a body also has big plans which involve a storm and this is what’s involved in the ending which was a big shock to me. I love that Jonas and Lucia met and were able to get to know each other especially after what happened to Lysandra.

Overall

I’m ready to read the last book in the series! This was a great lead up to what I’m thinking is going to be an epic ending!

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FROZEN TIDES By Morgan Rhodes

September 29, 2020 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FROZEN TIDES By Morgan RhodesFrozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #4
Published by Razorbill on 12/15/15
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

CLEO: Reeling after a shocking realization about Magnus, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a queen.

MAGNUS: The steely prince of Limeros is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he's strong enough to rule his people.

LUCIA: Heartbroken and blind with fury, the betrayed sorceress allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.

JONAS: The defeated rebel leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to become a pawn in the dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.

KING GAIUS: A desperate King of Blood flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.

Short and Sweet

After the events of Gathering Darkness, each of our characters has a goal, and most of them revolve around finding the kindred and coming into power positions.

Characters

Magnus: Magnus is back at the Limeros and he takes the throne while his father is away. Magnus just cares about being able to be the ruler his kingdom needs and making the right decisions.

Cleo: Cleo is still with Magnus mainly because he saved her from being executed. All Cleo wants is to find the other kindred and reclaim her throne.

Lucia: Lucia is still dealing with the losing Alexius and while in the headspace of anger she decides to team up with Kyan the fire God. Lucia goes along with Kyan but the further they go on with their journey the more she starts to contemplate the destruction that they’re leaving behind in their wake.

Jonas: Jonas is finally ready to kill Magnus and rescue Cleo, but during the process he ends up going on a search for more of the kindred and becoming meeting more allies.

Amara: The princess Kraeshia is ready to do what she has to to prove she’s powerful. She’s already killed her brother and she won’t stop there. Amara is smart and deceitful.

Romance

Cleo and Magnus: These two… I love the tension between them. They both like each other but they try to fight their feelings. Eventually those feelings come out and that was my favorite part of the book. Cleo and Magnus care about each other even though they don’t want to admit it most of the time.

My Thoughts

There’s so much going on in this book and none of it was overwhelming. We follow our characters and they all have very different paths they’re following, Magnus and Cleo are in Limeros, Jonas and Lyssandra are on their way to Limeros, Amara and King Gaius are in Kraeshia, and Lucia and Kyan are just going where they think the kindred are. There’s so many twist that I wasn’t expecting! I love how Cleo and Jonas are reunited I also like how Magnus decides to team up with Jonas. Although Lucia is going around with Kyan she does end up having a moment of clarity where she realizes she needs to go her separate way. Amara is also on the move and she plans on taking Mytica as her own.

Overall

I love this series! I feel like every book just gets better! I’m so excited to start reading Crystal Storm!

Filed Under: Reviews

GATHERING DARKNESS By Morgan Rhodes

January 7, 2019 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

GATHERING DARKNESS By Morgan RhodesGathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #3
Published by Razorbill on 12/9/14
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Alliances form across Mytica and beyond as royals and rebels alike race to hunt down the Kindred—the four elemental crystals that give their owners god-like power. The stakes have never been higher for Magnus and Cleo, who are brought together by a life or death decision that will lock their fates and change the course of the kingdom forever.


Short and Sweet 

After the events that took place in Rebel Spring the King is still on a quest to conquer Mytica and what he really wants is the Kindred which are four crystals that represent elements and give the owner of them powers. The only problem for the King is he isn’t the only one who wants the kindred in his possession, and in the end all of the characters have their own motives for seeking out the kindred and its a race to the finish line.

Characters

Magnus: Magnus is Magnus and that’s all there really is to it (Kidding!). Wow I just read this book and now that I think about it I feel like there wasn’t enough of Magnus, but he’s just trying to do what he thinks is right and some of his decisions are questionable. He does try to win his fathers approval but he still tries to do what’s right because deep deep deep down he’s a good person.

Cleo: Cleo decides to help Jonas and become a spy and relay messages about whats going on in the palace to Jonas. Cleo is also in search of the kindred and she thinks the best way to find them is to befriend Lucia because Lucia is the key.

Lucia: Lucia is still working on her elementia and doesn’t become essential in finding the Kindred until Alexius shows up and becomes her tutor. Lucia is smart and quiet she has a caring soul.

Jonas: Hmm Jonas is the rebel leader but it feels like he’s the only rebel left. I don’t really like Jonas for someone thats supposed to stop the king most of his plans end up backfiring.

Alexius: A watcher and love interest for Lucia. Alexius has a hard time mainly because he’s under Melenia’s control. Because of this Melenia uses Alexius to help Lucia find the kindred so that Melenia can finally be reunited with her Love.

Ashur: Ashur is a Kraeshian and is also searching for the Kindred. I don’t know how to describe him other then surprising some of the things and decisions Ashur makes will make you question him and its hard to tell which side he’s on.

Amara: Ashur’s sister and a Kraeshian. Amara comes to Auranos to try to find the Kindred and she’s determined to get what she came for and doesn’t care what she has to do to get it.

Nic: A guard and Cleo’s best friend. Nic plays a bigger role in this book because he knows Ashur and Cleo tries to use that to get information about what Ashur’s motives are.

Romance

Magnus and Cleo: Well these two are married but they spend most of their time avoiding each other if they can. The thing is I like this relationship I like relationships that take time to build and thats what this is these two don’t like each other but they do (does that make sense?). These two just work together in a “I don’t want to like you but I’ve already started to fall for you.”

Cleo and Jonas: I wasn’t feeling this match I’m glad that all they did was share a kiss because I don’t think I would be able to handle an actual Cleo and Jonas relationship.

Jonas and Lysandra: Jonas rescues Lys from being executed and he does like her even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

Magnus and Amara: Well basically Magnus had a one night fling with Amara mainly to get his mind off of Cleo and Amara slept with Magnus to try to get information about the Kindred.

Lucia and Alexius: Alexius has been watching over Lucia for a while, and in this book he leaves the sanctuary and takes a mortal form to be with Lucia but he’s also still under Melenia’s control. Lucia loves Alexius and she thinks about him all the time because she truly loves him.

My Thoughts

~ So there’s a lot going on in this book but the main focus was on where and how to find the kindred. Lucia was obviously the key in finding the kindred because she could use her  elementia to lead the way.

~ The main people who are really worried about finding the Kindred are the king, Cleo, Lucia, and Ashur and Amara. Each of these characters have their own motives for wanting the kindred in their possession.

~ I will admit I preferred to read from Cleo, Magnus, and Lucia’s POV more than any of the other characters.

~ Jonas befriends a guy named Felix who ends up joining Jonas and helps him free Lys from being executed by the king.

~ The last 100 pages of the book are when things got really good and I couldn’t put the book down. There were so many twist and it just leaves you wanting more.

Overall

After what happened in this book I’m excited to read the next book in series. There’s so many twist and turns and its hard to know who to trust and what alliances are going to shift and thats what I love the most about this series, you never know whats going to happen next.

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REBEL SPRING By Morgan Rhodes

November 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

REBEL SPRING By Morgan RhodesRebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #2
Published by Razorbill on 12/3/13
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 412
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Auranos has been conquered and the three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But alluring, dangerous magic still beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world. . . .

•  CLEO is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people
•  MAGNUS stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister, Lucia
•  LUCIA is haunted by the deadly outcome of her breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms
•  JONAS watches at the palace gates, a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius
When Gaius announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains, formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of cataclysmic events that will forever change the face of this land.


* No Short and Sweet (for the fear I might spoil something for you guys)

My Thoughts

~ We have all of our main characters from the first book and we meet a few side characters in this book.

~ Okay, so Cleo oh Cleo the people closest to her have died and her kingdom is now under the order of King Gaius. You would think this would break Cleo, but it only made her stronger and fight harder for the chance to win her kingdom back. Cleo was resourceful and quite smart, I think she was good at playing people. She’s my favorite character and favorite POV to read.

~ Magnus is still feeling a little broken after Lucia’s rejection of him. Magnus is still trying to follow his father’s orders and fight off his inner demons.

~ Jonas is trying to gather a rebel army to take on King Gaius, because he basically got screwed by the King during the battle. (Can I say that?)

 (But remember Jonas got screwed in the battle for Auranos not WWII)

~ Lucia is in a deep slumber after using so much of her power in the battle, so most of her POV is in her dreams when she’s talking to a watcher.

~ There was some romance and I thought I knew who I wanted to be together, but now I’m just so undecided after finishing this book. I think I want some more of Cleo/Magnus maybe.

~ We learn about Mytica’s history in this book. We learn about the goddesses Cleona and Valoria and their relationship with Eva the first sorceress and the Kindred.

~ I wanted a few more alliances I wanted to know who stood where! But I guess I’m just going to have to read the next book.

Overall

No cliffhanger again (yay). I just love this series, the characters are so complex and there’s so many layers to each of them. This book was full of action, adventure, magic, and mystery. I’m so excited to read the next book to see what will happen next. Definitely do yourself a favor and start this series!

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FALLING KINGDOMS By Morgan Rhodes

November 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FALLING KINGDOMS By Morgan RhodesFalling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #1
Published by Penguin Group on 12/11/12
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 423
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Princess Cleo of Mytica confronts violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse. Once a privileged royal, Cleo must now summon the strength to survive in this new world and fight for her rightful place as Queen.

The King of Limeros’s son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father’s trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying secret about her heritage that will change everything.

Rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.

Witches, if found, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.


Short and Sweet

Falling Kingdoms follows four young people from different kingdoms. When one wrong move has the kingdoms at each others throats, our main characters fates become intertwined, as they’re now key players in which kingdom will come to power.

Characters

Cleo: A princess who tries to do the right thing often finds herself regretting taking action or not taking action.

Jonas: A boy who suffered the loss of his brother at the hand of a lord, and now searches for justice for himself and his country.

Magnus: The heir to his father’s throne who does everything to try and earn his father’s respect but only seems to be met with failure.

Lucia: A princess who’s scared of the power she holds. Her only problem is that her only confidant, her brother Magnus seems to be avoiding her.

My Thoughts

~ The world building was so amazing, it was fast paced, and none of the details will slow you down.

~ No one is safe in this book, the killings in this book were unexpected and some were shocking.

~ There’s so much action and drama in this book, my interest was always held and it kept me on my toes.

~ These characters and their relationships are complex, everything they do dictates their futures and how their paths cross.

~ This book was unpredictable the events and plot twist just keep you guessing at Rhodes will do next.

~ So there’s some romance in this book, some of them were crazy. But fear not because the romance is not the forefront of this book, but at some points it did drive the story forward.

~ There was so much violence and action in the end, and secrets revealed, and there wasn’t a cliffhanger!

Overall

I loved this book more than I thought I would, it was everything I would want in a high fantasy! I need to read the rest of the series. If you haven’t started this series pick it up, you’ll love it!

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Filed Under: Reviews