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samn95's review
5.0
I. LOVED. THIS.
When Kingdoms Fall had the perfect feisty FMC who loves bread just as much as I do.
The two MMCs are flawed but loveable and I adored exploring their journey throughout this story.
The writing is vivid and imaginative, full of monsters and it kept me intrigued on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE time.
The slow burn, enemies to lovers was a killer and to be left hanging at the end of the first book left me wanting for more straight away. I loved every moment.
When Kingdoms Fall had the perfect feisty FMC who loves bread just as much as I do.
The two MMCs are flawed but loveable and I adored exploring their journey throughout this story.
The writing is vivid and imaginative, full of monsters and it kept me intrigued on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE time.
The slow burn, enemies to lovers was a killer and to be left hanging at the end of the first book left me wanting for more straight away. I loved every moment.
mlinde35's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
In her debut novel, When Kingdoms Fall, Callie Dahl is creating a whole new world. The number of details and small hints dropped throughout the book can be overwhelming. I re-read so many parts afraid I would miss something. Each page is world-building and atmospheric. Her style of writing is devine. Callie’s ability to create and develop her characters left them embedded in my soul. I was crushed for Sorean. I ached for so much more. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment and hope for many more to come.
hpiekut's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
amberraetoro's review
5.0
I loved this start to a new High Dark Fantasy series. In a world cursed and abandoned by the gods, our feisty, wild, angry FMC finds herself thrown between clashing Elves, Fae, Gods and Demi Gods.
From dark woods with tainted magic and twisted magical creatures to hidden kingdoms laced with magic and deadly intrigue to well developed mythos the world building is exquisite.
Told from three points of view I loved the unique voices of all three of the morally gray main characters. The wild mortal FMC, the dark and brooding prince of the fae, and the vengeance consumed prince of the elves. I particularly loved the depiction of the fae and elves as haughty immortal beings, predators who are nearly schizophrenic with their magic acting as its own entity inside of them with its own desires and voice whispering in their heads.
The plot felt truly unique, filled with unexpected plot twists, I never knew what was going to happen next. There are excellent enemies to lovers' vibes, we will see what the next book brings.
This book ends with a triple cliffhanger that has me dying for book 2!
Spice:
From dark woods with tainted magic and twisted magical creatures to hidden kingdoms laced with magic and deadly intrigue to well developed mythos the world building is exquisite.
Told from three points of view I loved the unique voices of all three of the morally gray main characters. The wild mortal FMC, the dark and brooding prince of the fae, and the vengeance consumed prince of the elves. I particularly loved the depiction of the fae and elves as haughty immortal beings, predators who are nearly schizophrenic with their magic acting as its own entity inside of them with its own desires and voice whispering in their heads.
The plot felt truly unique, filled with unexpected plot twists, I never knew what was going to happen next. There are excellent enemies to lovers' vibes, we will see what the next book brings.
This book ends with a triple cliffhanger that has me dying for book 2!
Spice:
tosleepperchancetoread's review
5.0
Men feared monsters. Yet fear made men do monstrous things.
Thank you so much to Callie for providing me with an eARC!
All thoughts are my own.
Callie deserves the biggest round of applause for the effort and love she put into this novel. You can tell she absolutely adores these characters. It is no easy feat to craft a whole new fantasy world but SHE! DID! THAT!
The story centres around Willa, a fierce and determined girl who lives in the shabby human town, Traifton, isolated from the rest of the world. The rules of Traifton chafe at her but she stays and follows along (as best she can) for the sake of her mother and brother. After all, they are all she really has left after her father was lost to the Wylan Woods, a cursed forest full of monsters and other unknown oddities. But something about the Wylan has always called to Willa…
From here the story is non-stop action, whether that is Willa fighting off a Wylan beast or encountering vengeful Elves. Willa is such a smart-ass character, but you can’t help but find her endearing. I know if I were in her position I would shrivel up, but Willa rises to the occasion and shines.
Sorean! Now this man is a FAE BAE! He is moody and snarky but something about his cruelty is charming. I appreciate Callie not shying away from making her characters morally grey with a dubious moral compass. While sometimes I just wanted to shake Sorean, I also loved following along with his twisted adventure. These fae aren’t just ethereal and graceful, they are cut-throat and vicious and desperate to protect their magically hidden kingdom. But Sorean, just like Willa, isn’t one to fall in line. His essence is fighting to get free, and his mother is keeping secrets. If Sorean picks away he might just learn the truth… but at what cost?
And then KAIUS!!! I admit I wanted more of Kauis. The second he was introduced I thought, “yes. That’s my man right there”. This elf is not one to be trifled with and when he arrives at Traifton with the humans falling at his feet, he knows this is his chance to find the mystical artifact he has been in search of for ages. The elves are barely hanging on and he just might be his people’s last hope. With the help of his trusty bonded gryphon, Greer, Kauis is prepared to stop at nothing to complete his quest. Kauis is as cold as stone but damn, COLOUR ME INTRIGUED! I can’t wait for book two when we get even more of him. And after the cliff-hanger ending… things are about to get REAL!
Callie is a brilliant writer. The dialogue is full of quips and hilarious banter but also plenty of introspective moments where you get a glimpse into each character’s psyche. The action was constantly going, there was hardly a dull moment in this book. Sometimes fight scenes can be hard to follow, but in When Kingdoms Fall, I was feasting on every word. This is the type of book that plays out like a movie in your head and I couldn’t get enough.
Now there wasn’t any spice in this one but my GOD was there tension!!! Just wait until you get to a certain festival scene… When I tell you I was SHAKING! Book 2 better feed me all that delicious tension and more!
I strongly recommend this to all my fae and elf loving baes out there. DO IT!!!
Thank you so much to Callie for providing me with an eARC!
All thoughts are my own.
Callie deserves the biggest round of applause for the effort and love she put into this novel. You can tell she absolutely adores these characters. It is no easy feat to craft a whole new fantasy world but SHE! DID! THAT!
The story centres around Willa, a fierce and determined girl who lives in the shabby human town, Traifton, isolated from the rest of the world. The rules of Traifton chafe at her but she stays and follows along (as best she can) for the sake of her mother and brother. After all, they are all she really has left after her father was lost to the Wylan Woods, a cursed forest full of monsters and other unknown oddities. But something about the Wylan has always called to Willa…
From here the story is non-stop action, whether that is Willa fighting off a Wylan beast or encountering vengeful Elves. Willa is such a smart-ass character, but you can’t help but find her endearing. I know if I were in her position I would shrivel up, but Willa rises to the occasion and shines.
Sorean! Now this man is a FAE BAE! He is moody and snarky but something about his cruelty is charming. I appreciate Callie not shying away from making her characters morally grey with a dubious moral compass. While sometimes I just wanted to shake Sorean, I also loved following along with his twisted adventure. These fae aren’t just ethereal and graceful, they are cut-throat and vicious and desperate to protect their magically hidden kingdom. But Sorean, just like Willa, isn’t one to fall in line. His essence is fighting to get free, and his mother is keeping secrets. If Sorean picks away he might just learn the truth… but at what cost?
And then KAIUS!!! I admit I wanted more of Kauis. The second he was introduced I thought, “yes. That’s my man right there”. This elf is not one to be trifled with and when he arrives at Traifton with the humans falling at his feet, he knows this is his chance to find the mystical artifact he has been in search of for ages. The elves are barely hanging on and he just might be his people’s last hope. With the help of his trusty bonded gryphon, Greer, Kauis is prepared to stop at nothing to complete his quest. Kauis is as cold as stone but damn, COLOUR ME INTRIGUED! I can’t wait for book two when we get even more of him. And after the cliff-hanger ending… things are about to get REAL!
Callie is a brilliant writer. The dialogue is full of quips and hilarious banter but also plenty of introspective moments where you get a glimpse into each character’s psyche. The action was constantly going, there was hardly a dull moment in this book. Sometimes fight scenes can be hard to follow, but in When Kingdoms Fall, I was feasting on every word. This is the type of book that plays out like a movie in your head and I couldn’t get enough.
Now there wasn’t any spice in this one but my GOD was there tension!!! Just wait until you get to a certain festival scene… When I tell you I was SHAKING! Book 2 better feed me all that delicious tension and more!
I strongly recommend this to all my fae and elf loving baes out there. DO IT!!!