Release Date: December 3, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill; 416 pages
Love, power, and magic collide with war in the second book of the Falling Kingdoms series
Auranos has fallen and the three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now united as one country called Mytica. But still, magic beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world...
When the evil King 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 events that will forever change the face of this land, forcing Cleo the dethroned princess, Magnus the reluctant heir, Lucia the haunted sorceress, and Jonas the desperate rebel to take steps they never could have imagined.
Warning there will be spoilers from the first book in this series Falling Kingdoms. Proceed with caution if you do not want to be spoiled.
This is the book that I have been waiting for! After finishing the first book Falling Kingdoms back in January this year, I needed Rebel Spring. Not wanted, needed. This world that Morgan Rhodes has created is highly addicting and at time just plain gut wrenchingly good. Before I read Falling Kindoms, I had heard that it was a young adult Game of Thrones. But at the time I hadn't watched the television show, nor read the A Song of Fire and Ice books. Now after watching the television show (still haven't read the books. Do you know how long they are?!?!?) I definitely get the comparisons. But after reading Rebel Spring, I am reminded by how much I love the young adult genre.
This series has everything in a high fantasy series. Death, romance, the struggle for the power to rule, betrayal, fighting, magic, a royal court, arranged marriages, etc. But when you put all of those things in a young adult novel, it makes it easier to read and doesn't have the reader confused. Occasionally when I read adult books, especially those in a fantasy setting, I often find myself having to go back and reread parts because I get confused. I love how this series has four core characters. And as with the first book, these four characters are very different and are easy to follow along with.
When Falling Kingdoms ended, King Gaius of Limeros had succeeded in conquering Auranos and now is known a The King of Blood. He rules over Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia together known as Mytica. Cleo is currently struggling with losing not only her family, but her birthright to the throne. Lucia has been stuck in a coma since the spell she cast caused an explosion that left her unconscious. Jonas is out for revenge against the king, and has set up a rebel army to defeat him. And Magnus is still dealing with his romantic feelings for his adopted sister, while trying decide if his doomed fate is truly what he thinks it is.
While Cleo's pov was my favorite in Falling Kingdoms. Magnus's was mine in Rebel Spring. To see him try to reach back into the light after descending into the dark in the prior book was astonishing. Magnus's transformation is definitely a favorite. But my favorite scenes were definitely any scene between Magnus and Cleo. The relationship between Magnus and Cleo that develops is honestly why I read books. Sometimes people just have chemistry, whether it's a love connection or an extreme loathing or hatred. But other times these feeling can really stretch the line between love and hate. Not gonna lie, I ship them. I ship them hardcore. Their scenes were just so amusing to me, that I was glued to the pages. I remember messaging a friend halfway through reading and telling her that I am shipping two characters, that I probably shouldn't be shipping together. And after I finished the book, I tweeted the author saying, "Not gonna lie I ship Cleo and Magnus hardcore! It felt so wrong while reading it, but just so right at the same time!"
I didn't want to put this book down. I forced myself to stay up and finish reading even though I had work the next morning. Usually the second book in a series is pretty slow for me. But not with this one. The characters are still falling, and still struggling. I wish I had Jonas's fight and determination. I wanted to give Lucia a hug and tell her that everything will be okay. I wanted to go to the Watchers and warn them. And speaking of the Watchers. If I had dreams about someone as handsome as them, I'd never want to wake up! But the point is, I am so invested in all of these characters. I love them so much. And the ones I despise I still love reading about them. I have a bit of a long wait for the next book, but in the meantime I will enjoy spreading the word about this series!
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