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kambmoore's review against another edition
4.0
Damn, this book was good. Really, really good. Much better than the first one, in my opinion.
What this book did was amp up everything. It amped up the stakes that the characters are in, it amped up the characters themselves, and it amped up the plot and action. So much happened in this book, and we got to see that from so many different perspectives. Something that I really like about this series is all of the POVs in it, since they all offer such a different take on an event. Though there were some things that really annoyed me in this book, I was able to look past them and see how great this book is.
The world building in this book was much better than in the first one. In this one, we get the names of things and we get to really see that the scope of the world is much larger than just Mytica, as the first one leads you to believe. I didn't realize until reading this book that we never got the name of Cleo's home in Falling Kingdoms lol!
Speaking of Cleo, I liked her much better. She is now one of my favorite characters of the series, third to Magnus and Lucia. In this book, Cleo has to deal with a lot of shit, and the way she gets through it really impressed me in some parts, made me want to slap her, and made me want to commend her. Either way, she has really grown up from the insipid girl at the beginning of book 1.
I'm still on the fence about Jonas, but I'm slowly warming up to him and his rebel ways. Lysandra was a pleasant surprise, as I didn't really expect to like her as much as I did. But, as usual, this girl made me love her. Why is that all female characters named Lysandra are so awesome? I'm certainly not complaining though, lmao.
As usual, Magnus and Lucia were my favorites. We didn't really see a lot of Lucia in this book, more towards the end than anything else, but Magnus was able to fill in that void. After the ending of this book, I can't wait to see where these characters' stories go, because they are bound for very...peculiar places, I think.
I am pumped for Gathering Darkness.
4.5/5 stars
What this book did was amp up everything. It amped up the stakes that the characters are in, it amped up the characters themselves, and it amped up the plot and action. So much happened in this book, and we got to see that from so many different perspectives. Something that I really like about this series is all of the POVs in it, since they all offer such a different take on an event. Though there were some things that really annoyed me in this book, I was able to look past them and see how great this book is.
The world building in this book was much better than in the first one. In this one, we get the names of things and we get to really see that the scope of the world is much larger than just Mytica, as the first one leads you to believe. I didn't realize until reading this book that we never got the name of Cleo's home in Falling Kingdoms lol!
Speaking of Cleo, I liked her much better. She is now one of my favorite characters of the series, third to Magnus and Lucia. In this book, Cleo has to deal with a lot of shit, and the way she gets through it really impressed me in some parts, made me want to slap her, and made me want to commend her. Either way, she has really grown up from the insipid girl at the beginning of book 1.
I'm still on the fence about Jonas, but I'm slowly warming up to him and his rebel ways. Lysandra was a pleasant surprise, as I didn't really expect to like her as much as I did. But, as usual, this girl made me love her. Why is that all female characters named Lysandra are so awesome? I'm certainly not complaining though, lmao.
As usual, Magnus and Lucia were my favorites. We didn't really see a lot of Lucia in this book, more towards the end than anything else, but Magnus was able to fill in that void. After the ending of this book, I can't wait to see where these characters' stories go, because they are bound for very...peculiar places, I think.
I am pumped for Gathering Darkness.
4.5/5 stars
whitleyray's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
“Do you believe in fate, Prince Magnus? I never did before, but… do you?”
I planned to finish this book in March but struggled with it. Like the first book, the characters are hard to root for and it’s beginning to feel like the author is just killing off every single character. I’m not opposed to tons of character deaths but this all feels really fast. I’m not going to even give it a full review right now because I just… didn’t care. However, there were a few twists at the end that make me lean towards checking out the next book. Potentially.
3/5 stars
starlireads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
siraels's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars
Oh my god. It's been quite some time since I actually read a sequel of a series that I owned. I know that I just read the Wayward Son, it was my last book of 2020, but if you've read my rewiew you'll know that it dissappointed me. By a lot. And probably the previous sequel that I bought was the fourth book in The Neapolitan novels series in the summer. I should probably start buying more series because all of series that I started this year weren't mine.
I had really high hopes for this book and it didn't dissappoint me. So far it's been my second book of the year and both of them are five stars. With my immediate TBR at the moment, it seems it's going to continue.
I read the Falling Kingdoms in the autumn and I loved it - the world, the characters, the magic, the secrets. And I loved the second book, Rebel Spring, even more. This is the part of the story where everything started really going, it's got action and cliffhangenrs and moments so surprising that I didn't even expect.
I know that not everyone will love the series and I get that. But it was the perfect one for me. It's not my favourite of all time so far but I could say that it could be in my top 10 ever, if it's not too early to say.
My favourite character is definitely Lucia, I love her but I was a bit unsure when her character took a little darker tone. I'm really interested what's in her for the next books!
I also really like the other characters or I grow to like them more. Magnus, Jonas, Cleo, Lysandra, Alexius. Also the villain, King Gaius, is amazing. I don't really remember reading about a villain I liked so much in the last time. He's definitely interesting and I want to know more. On the other hand, I hate Aron and he got what he deserved.
The finale in this one propably wasn't as epic as in the first book but it was still amazing and I just finished the last one hundred pages in like two sittings. So I recommend it to everyone who's willing to read it and I just want the third book ASAP.
Oh my god. It's been quite some time since I actually read a sequel of a series that I owned. I know that I just read the Wayward Son, it was my last book of 2020, but if you've read my rewiew you'll know that it dissappointed me. By a lot. And probably the previous sequel that I bought was the fourth book in The Neapolitan novels series in the summer. I should probably start buying more series because all of series that I started this year weren't mine.
I had really high hopes for this book and it didn't dissappoint me. So far it's been my second book of the year and both of them are five stars. With my immediate TBR at the moment, it seems it's going to continue.
I read the Falling Kingdoms in the autumn and I loved it - the world, the characters, the magic, the secrets. And I loved the second book, Rebel Spring, even more. This is the part of the story where everything started really going, it's got action and cliffhangenrs and moments so surprising that I didn't even expect.
I know that not everyone will love the series and I get that. But it was the perfect one for me. It's not my favourite of all time so far but I could say that it could be in my top 10 ever, if it's not too early to say.
My favourite character is definitely Lucia, I love her but I was a bit unsure when her character took a little darker tone. I'm really interested what's in her for the next books!
I also really like the other characters or I grow to like them more. Magnus, Jonas, Cleo, Lysandra, Alexius. Also the villain, King Gaius, is amazing. I don't really remember reading about a villain I liked so much in the last time. He's definitely interesting and I want to know more. On the other hand, I hate Aron and he got what he deserved.
The finale in this one propably wasn't as epic as in the first book but it was still amazing and I just finished the last one hundred pages in like two sittings. So I recommend it to everyone who's willing to read it and I just want the third book ASAP.
julieabe89's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was an interesting development after book 1. I'm still not sure how I feel about the characters. Though I'm interested to see where it goes.
xknight95's review against another edition
3.0
We have gained a larger number of POVs. This has its pros and cons. Some of the new ones I am not the biggest fan of and now it means less time with characters I like more. Still excited to continue with this series.
rlstrayer1's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars
The one redeeming quality of this book is the Super Sexy Scottish accent the narrator gives Magnus.
Otherwise, I am sad to say I actually paid for this.
There are so many things wrong with this book....everything from the themes (exploitation of sexual assault and harrassment) to the meat and bones of the book (terribly written dialogue, horrible character arcs). Is it possible that this book is even worse than the first one? Yes, yes it is.
I don't think I've ever read such terrible dialogue in a published, POPULAR book. The over-the-top drama was infused with almost every scene, and it was exhausting. I swear a daytime soap opera has a better script than this. The actions of the characters make no sense whatsoever either. This whole book is a never-ending cycle of Person A hating Person B's guts and wanting to murder the shit out of him/her. But, because FEELINGS, Person A ends up falling in looooove with Person B. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Okay let's meet our characters! And to help you get a good sense of their personalities, I'm attaching a gif that describes them to a T.
PS: some of my gifs are from General Hospital, which is probably more medically accurate than these books. I'm not bitter..... -_-
First up, we have our piney fresh smelling "if I only had a brain" Jonas:
Next in line, our wishy washy whiney princess Cleo (who everyone is in love with):
He's-all-that homeboy Aron:
Broody, sexy, morally ambiguous Magnus:
Jekyll and Hyde Lucia:
Her bitch Alexius:
The loyal puppy dog Brion:
Katniss's sister from another mister Lysandra:
Psycho serial killer King Gaius:
And that's just the main cast geesh. Rhodes needs to trim off the number of characters. This is getting ridiculous.
Okay overall, the ONLY reason I gave this book 2 stars is because the narrator is awesome. I read the first 2/3 and listened to the last 1/3 when I was taking a road trip. I hated Magnus and his actions/thoughts/feelings, but the narrator totally changed my mind on that. Giving him an accent and inflection definitely made me see Magnus in a whole new light. Sadly, this only worked for Magnus. My opinion stayed the same for the rest of the characters.
Yes I will be reading the third book, because our fantasy league is the bomb.com and I have so much fun discussing and roasting the books with them =)
--------
Moving along with the Fantasy League!
The one redeeming quality of this book is the Super Sexy Scottish accent the narrator gives Magnus.
Otherwise, I am sad to say I actually paid for this.
There are so many things wrong with this book....everything from the themes (exploitation of sexual assault and harrassment) to the meat and bones of the book (terribly written dialogue, horrible character arcs). Is it possible that this book is even worse than the first one? Yes, yes it is.
I don't think I've ever read such terrible dialogue in a published, POPULAR book. The over-the-top drama was infused with almost every scene, and it was exhausting. I swear a daytime soap opera has a better script than this. The actions of the characters make no sense whatsoever either. This whole book is a never-ending cycle of Person A hating Person B's guts and wanting to murder the shit out of him/her. But, because FEELINGS, Person A ends up falling in looooove with Person B. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Okay let's meet our characters! And to help you get a good sense of their personalities, I'm attaching a gif that describes them to a T.
PS: some of my gifs are from General Hospital, which is probably more medically accurate than these books. I'm not bitter..... -_-
First up, we have our piney fresh smelling "if I only had a brain" Jonas:
Next in line, our wishy washy whiney princess Cleo (who everyone is in love with):
He's-all-that homeboy Aron:
Broody, sexy, morally ambiguous Magnus:
Jekyll and Hyde Lucia:
Her bitch Alexius:
The loyal puppy dog Brion:
Katniss's sister from another mister Lysandra:
Psycho serial killer King Gaius:
And that's just the main cast geesh. Rhodes needs to trim off the number of characters. This is getting ridiculous.
Okay overall, the ONLY reason I gave this book 2 stars is because the narrator is awesome. I read the first 2/3 and listened to the last 1/3 when I was taking a road trip. I hated Magnus and his actions/thoughts/feelings, but the narrator totally changed my mind on that. Giving him an accent and inflection definitely made me see Magnus in a whole new light. Sadly, this only worked for Magnus. My opinion stayed the same for the rest of the characters.
Yes I will be reading the third book, because our fantasy league is the bomb.com and I have so much fun discussing and roasting the books with them =)
--------
Moving along with the Fantasy League!
shadowrealmreader's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you, Cristal! It was indeed a very good read! So much is happening and unfolding, I can't wait to see what happens next. Especially with that ending!