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leafblade's review against another edition
4.0
This was a slower one, with more political intrigue than fantasy, although The Thing We've Been Waiting For For The Last Two Books finally happens here.
Sadly, Magnus' redemption comes too late for me, and Nic's relationship was an unnecessary low blow. I can wait for prince Zuko's redemption arc for three seasons and a half, but Magnus is no prince Zuko.
Sadly, Magnus' redemption comes too late for me, and Nic's relationship was an unnecessary low blow. I can wait for prince Zuko's redemption arc for three seasons and a half, but Magnus is no prince Zuko.
andiemags53's review against another edition
4.0
Can't wait for the next book! Magnus and Cleo!! Loooove it.
awandtke's review against another edition
4.0
By far my favorite book in the series. Fast-paced and keeps you guessing who is loyal and who is good.
drridareads's review against another edition
4.0
Fire burned. Fire blinded.
Plot
I've read a lot of reviews and recaps online in attempt to remember this. And i remember some bits. Let's just say a lot happens in this book. There's killing, betrayal,magic,love and lots of drama
Characters:
Magnus is evolving and I'm starting to see why people like him. He's a long way from the weird brooding incestuous feeling brother of book 1 and aren't we all thankful for that. And I also see why people ship Magneo now
“In the shadow my father has cast over my entire life, you are the only light I can see anymore. And, whatever the cost, I refuse to let that light be extinguished.”
Jonas oh sweet poor well intending Jonas. You get points for trying..I still like him for some reason.
He was a joke—the rebel leader who led his people to their deaths time and again.
I most definitely am not sailing whatever this ship is of Lysandra and Jonas. What about the Bro Code Jonas your dead friend liked her..
Lucia Oh Thank the elements our sleeping beauty has finally woken. And is now with Alexius who she quite literally met "Once upon a dream".. At least her character arc i developing now. And I have high expectations for her after THAT END.
Cleo ; liking her more by each book.
No one controls your destiny but you
Lysandra Oh My God she's so strong and what the King of Blood does to her and her bother Gauis has my blood boiling... I guess I should finally fancast her (which is a thing I've been doing for this series). I have decided on Andrea Sixtos
Ashur Idk about you but I real feel like Rhodes was queerbaiting which I hate so much because I really really like this book. I liked Ashur except for the problematic scene in the last book
Amara I'm so loving the evil radiating from this one. She's deceptive, malicious, manipulative. I love her. My fancast is Image result for Morena Baccarin especially when she was in Firefly I know she's old now but I can't think of anyone else she's just perfect for this.
Felix This book had 2 great new additions Amara and Felix. I love his mysterious vibe. And he is definitely Ian Somerhalder. Rhodes please don't kill him. It is unlikely cause he's trained and everything but still.
King Gauis's his greed and malice is palpable like he's the character that shows how talented Rhodes is at making villains.
He was deceptive: a chameleon hiding in plain sight.
Overall
Me after finishing this book:
Me to myself after reading this book:
__________________________
EDIT: I finally have time to read the 4th book but I don't remember the events of this book. I was loving this series. I'm so sad. In the comments I've mentioned that Rhodes kills off a favourite and i have absolutely no idea who I'm even talking about. Help ME RECAP PLEASE!
__________________________
That was intense.
Plot
I've read a lot of reviews and recaps online in attempt to remember this. And i remember some bits. Let's just say a lot happens in this book. There's killing, betrayal,magic,love and lots of drama
Characters:
Magnus is evolving and I'm starting to see why people like him. He's a long way from the weird brooding incestuous feeling brother of book 1 and aren't we all thankful for that. And I also see why people ship Magneo now
“In the shadow my father has cast over my entire life, you are the only light I can see anymore. And, whatever the cost, I refuse to let that light be extinguished.”
Jonas oh sweet poor well intending Jonas. You get points for trying..I still like him for some reason.
He was a joke—the rebel leader who led his people to their deaths time and again.
I most definitely am not sailing whatever this ship is of Lysandra and Jonas. What about the Bro Code Jonas your dead friend liked her..
Lucia Oh Thank the elements our sleeping beauty has finally woken. And is now with Alexius who she quite literally met "Once upon a dream".. At least her character arc i developing now. And I have high expectations for her after THAT END.
Cleo ; liking her more by each book.
No one controls your destiny but you
Lysandra Oh My God she's so strong and what the King of Blood does to her and her bother Gauis has my blood boiling... I guess I should finally fancast her (which is a thing I've been doing for this series). I have decided on Andrea Sixtos
Ashur Idk about you but I real feel like Rhodes was queerbaiting which I hate so much because I really really like this book. I liked Ashur except for the problematic scene in the last book
Spoiler
unfortunately he's dead how did you not see that coming?Amara I'm so loving the evil radiating from this one. She's deceptive, malicious, manipulative. I love her. My fancast is Image result for Morena Baccarin especially when she was in Firefly I know she's old now but I can't think of anyone else she's just perfect for this.
Felix This book had 2 great new additions Amara and Felix. I love his mysterious vibe. And he is definitely Ian Somerhalder. Rhodes please don't kill him. It is unlikely cause he's trained and everything but still.
King Gauis's his greed and malice is palpable like he's the character that shows how talented Rhodes is at making villains.
He was deceptive: a chameleon hiding in plain sight.
Overall
Me after finishing this book:
Me to myself after reading this book:
__________________________
EDIT: I finally have time to read the 4th book but I don't remember the events of this book. I was loving this series. I'm so sad. In the comments I've mentioned that Rhodes kills off a favourite and i have absolutely no idea who I'm even talking about. Help ME RECAP PLEASE!
__________________________
That was intense.
sapphyi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating 4.5 stars
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Check out my series review for the first three books here: https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/series-review-falling-kingdoms-1-3-by-morgan-rhodes/
Critically
Plot – 4 out of 5 stars
boring/slow in the beginning, picks up a lot in the second half, full of action, death (though not as much as usual), violence and magic, the plot is full of twists and turns that I didn’t expect, there’s alliances, betrayals, but I still felt like some things were predictable
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
I have to repeat myself but that’s okay, multiply POVs, visual, descriptive, detailed, engaging, easy to read, but the many POVs also give a lot of plots points away
Characters – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Cleo is taking some backward steps in this book. I loved her tenacity in RS but in this book she’s a bit too trusting with the people around her. She’s getting desperate and making mistakes in what she says and who she confides in. She’s still determined but I feel like she’ll need more power before being able to get what she wants.
Magnus started to win me over a bit in this book. He’s still super arrogant but now it feels more like a front to get ahead. He’s a lot more emotional and vulnerable, at least to himself. But he’s smart and cunning and has a lot more power.
Lucia is annoying the crap out of me. Here’s this chick with more power than anyone else and she’s pretty much wasting it. She’s naive and easily manipulated by everyone around her and I mean everyone. It’s almost pathetic to be honest.
Jonas just does not have any luck whatsoever. He has the best intentions, he’s doing everything he to save his people from slavery basically. But his plans are too outrageous, he doesn’t think them through and the executions always end up biting him in the ass.
Emotionally
This third book has cemented my belief that I have a love/hate relationship with this series. It drives me mad because I still don’t know if I like it.
The plot is intricate. The characters in Mytica are all mixing and things are getting more freaking complicated as everyone is trying to find the Kindred to keep them for themselves. I get so angry at these books because in the beginning, I always find myself super bored and not really interested in what’s going on. But then we reach the halfway point and then the last few chapters where shit hits the fan and everything gets turned on its head and it’s interesting and then I catch myself being invested into the story again. And it happens in every freaking book! In the review for the second book, I mentioned that I felt like a lot of things were predictable. I knew a lot of people were going to die, and I knew that things weren’t what they seemed, so it stopped being surprising when plot twists happened. BUT this book changed all of that! The alliance, betrayals and deaths kept me on my toes the entire time. I honestly could not have guessed any of them at all. All the relationships between the characters is what really pushes the plot forward and it’s really interesting to read from all the perspectives. However, I still have a hard time connecting deeper with the characters. I like them all in general but they don’t bring out any particularly strong emotions in me. Also, there are no real solid romances. Most of them are instalove on crack with the exception of one and they don’t really last for more than one book. That point makes it really hard for my shipper self to fall in love with the series.
Cleo is getting so much better! Honestly, I am loving her strength and determination. I think she’s in the most precarious spot in the series but she’s managed to keep herself alive throughout (obviously but still) and I enjoy that. She still has an awful habit of trusting a few too many people and it tends to come back and bite her in the ass.
Magnus is really starting to annoy me. We all know your tough exterior is just a front right now dude, let it go! He tries too hard to be this badass, cold hearted person when as soon as you read from his POV, you know is all a bunch of bullshit. It was an interesting contrast in the beginning but I am now tired of the wounded boy routine.
I now don’t like Lucia. It’s official. This bitch is way too naive and easily manipulated for this series. All her power is going to waste and it’s frustrating how I’ve said this about her the entire time.
Jonas, the poor boy, is just useless. Honestly, he can’t do revolution to save his life. It’s a bit pathetic at this point and I’m pretty sure he’s only alive because of higher intervention because he can’t keep himself alive even if he wanted to.
There are two new POVs in this book which I want to mention before I finish. I love Lysandra. She’s a freaking badass and the kind of girl this series really needed. She’s a take no shit, I can do anything just as well as a guy can type of character and considering the soft kinds of girls this series has, she’s a breath of fresh air. And then there’s Felix. I love him. He’s the kind of character Magnus should’ve been. You can tell his dark persona isn’t a front and he walks with an air of mystery that still intrigues me, specially after that ending.
Overall, I was hoping this series would be an instant favorite for me but it wasn’t. It took me a long time to be really invested in the story and into the characters. I wish it was more action packed because that’s how I like my fantasy but there is a lot of potential in the last few books to make it an explosive ending which I hope happens. I am thinking of trying to read the Book Of Spirits And Thieves trilogy as well since it feels like it has more elements than this one.
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Check out my series review for the first three books here: https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/series-review-falling-kingdoms-1-3-by-morgan-rhodes/
Critically
Plot – 4 out of 5 stars
boring/slow in the beginning, picks up a lot in the second half, full of action, death (though not as much as usual), violence and magic, the plot is full of twists and turns that I didn’t expect, there’s alliances, betrayals, but I still felt like some things were predictable
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
I have to repeat myself but that’s okay, multiply POVs, visual, descriptive, detailed, engaging, easy to read, but the many POVs also give a lot of plots points away
Characters – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Cleo is taking some backward steps in this book. I loved her tenacity in RS but in this book she’s a bit too trusting with the people around her. She’s getting desperate and making mistakes in what she says and who she confides in. She’s still determined but I feel like she’ll need more power before being able to get what she wants.
Magnus started to win me over a bit in this book. He’s still super arrogant but now it feels more like a front to get ahead. He’s a lot more emotional and vulnerable, at least to himself. But he’s smart and cunning and has a lot more power.
Lucia is annoying the crap out of me. Here’s this chick with more power than anyone else and she’s pretty much wasting it. She’s naive and easily manipulated by everyone around her and I mean everyone. It’s almost pathetic to be honest.
Jonas just does not have any luck whatsoever. He has the best intentions, he’s doing everything he to save his people from slavery basically. But his plans are too outrageous, he doesn’t think them through and the executions always end up biting him in the ass.
Emotionally
Spoiler
There is so much hype for this series that I expected a lot more. The first book was underwhelming, the second one was a bit better and by the third one I realized I have a love/hate relationship with this series.This third book has cemented my belief that I have a love/hate relationship with this series. It drives me mad because I still don’t know if I like it.
The plot is intricate. The characters in Mytica are all mixing and things are getting more freaking complicated as everyone is trying to find the Kindred to keep them for themselves. I get so angry at these books because in the beginning, I always find myself super bored and not really interested in what’s going on. But then we reach the halfway point and then the last few chapters where shit hits the fan and everything gets turned on its head and it’s interesting and then I catch myself being invested into the story again. And it happens in every freaking book! In the review for the second book, I mentioned that I felt like a lot of things were predictable. I knew a lot of people were going to die, and I knew that things weren’t what they seemed, so it stopped being surprising when plot twists happened. BUT this book changed all of that! The alliance, betrayals and deaths kept me on my toes the entire time. I honestly could not have guessed any of them at all. All the relationships between the characters is what really pushes the plot forward and it’s really interesting to read from all the perspectives. However, I still have a hard time connecting deeper with the characters. I like them all in general but they don’t bring out any particularly strong emotions in me. Also, there are no real solid romances. Most of them are instalove on crack with the exception of one and they don’t really last for more than one book. That point makes it really hard for my shipper self to fall in love with the series.
Cleo is getting so much better! Honestly, I am loving her strength and determination. I think she’s in the most precarious spot in the series but she’s managed to keep herself alive throughout (obviously but still) and I enjoy that. She still has an awful habit of trusting a few too many people and it tends to come back and bite her in the ass.
Magnus is really starting to annoy me. We all know your tough exterior is just a front right now dude, let it go! He tries too hard to be this badass, cold hearted person when as soon as you read from his POV, you know is all a bunch of bullshit. It was an interesting contrast in the beginning but I am now tired of the wounded boy routine.
I now don’t like Lucia. It’s official. This bitch is way too naive and easily manipulated for this series. All her power is going to waste and it’s frustrating how I’ve said this about her the entire time.
Jonas, the poor boy, is just useless. Honestly, he can’t do revolution to save his life. It’s a bit pathetic at this point and I’m pretty sure he’s only alive because of higher intervention because he can’t keep himself alive even if he wanted to.
There are two new POVs in this book which I want to mention before I finish. I love Lysandra. She’s a freaking badass and the kind of girl this series really needed. She’s a take no shit, I can do anything just as well as a guy can type of character and considering the soft kinds of girls this series has, she’s a breath of fresh air. And then there’s Felix. I love him. He’s the kind of character Magnus should’ve been. You can tell his dark persona isn’t a front and he walks with an air of mystery that still intrigues me, specially after that ending.
Overall, I was hoping this series would be an instant favorite for me but it wasn’t. It took me a long time to be really invested in the story and into the characters. I wish it was more action packed because that’s how I like my fantasy but there is a lot of potential in the last few books to make it an explosive ending which I hope happens. I am thinking of trying to read the Book Of Spirits And Thieves trilogy as well since it feels like it has more elements than this one.
joana_stormblessed's review against another edition
5.0
Oh so much love for this series!! I cannot believe how good this series is becoming!! Holy crap!!!
teeggzz's review against another edition
5.0
*4.75
Eeeekkkkk. This book did not disappoint! It was SO close to a five but didn't receive it for a couple of small reasons. Them being, the characters were frustrating because at times I liked them and others I hated them. And a couple of things that were said I found slightly offensive.
Honestly a phenomenal book that blew me away. There were so many plot twists and kick ass scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat. The plot is heading in an interesting direction and I am so excited to continue.
The characters keep surprising me. At points I hated some and loved others and it was so tiring. Although I can say that I fully hate Lucia. She's such an annoying bitch. The romance between Cleo and Magnus was swoon worthy and there was so much romantic tension and I loved it! But why whenever these characters get their special moments does somebody interrupt? Amara interfered with Cleo and Magnus and Felix interrupted Jonas and Lysandra's. Ugh. I will say I have warmed up to Cleo a bit because she is actually quite smart and cunning. Love her.
Who trusted the Kraeshians? Not gonna lie I kinda did. Well correction I trusted Ashur but not for a second did I trust Amara. Honestly I kinda Shipped Nic and Ashur and when Amara killed her own brother I was furious. So many people died in this book, including Alexius who I actually didn't really care for. But I did not expect Melenia to die I mean she's a Watcher!
Those were only SOME of my thoughts on Gathering Darkness. The build up for the ending was perfectly done and made for an epic finale, cannot wait to get my hands on Frozen Tides.
Eeeekkkkk. This book did not disappoint! It was SO close to a five but didn't receive it for a couple of small reasons. Them being, the characters were frustrating because at times I liked them and others I hated them. And a couple of things that were said I found slightly offensive.
Honestly a phenomenal book that blew me away. There were so many plot twists and kick ass scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat. The plot is heading in an interesting direction and I am so excited to continue.
The characters keep surprising me. At points I hated some and loved others and it was so tiring. Although I can say that I fully hate Lucia. She's such an annoying bitch. The romance between Cleo and Magnus was swoon worthy and there was so much romantic tension and I loved it! But why whenever these characters get their special moments does somebody interrupt? Amara interfered with Cleo and Magnus and Felix interrupted Jonas and Lysandra's. Ugh. I will say I have warmed up to Cleo a bit because she is actually quite smart and cunning. Love her.
Who trusted the Kraeshians? Not gonna lie I kinda did. Well correction I trusted Ashur but not for a second did I trust Amara. Honestly I kinda Shipped Nic and Ashur and when Amara killed her own brother I was furious. So many people died in this book, including Alexius who I actually didn't really care for. But I did not expect Melenia to die I mean she's a Watcher!
Those were only SOME of my thoughts on Gathering Darkness. The build up for the ending was perfectly done and made for an epic finale, cannot wait to get my hands on Frozen Tides.