Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis: In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.
As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.
Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.
Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realise that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....
Review: I really enjoyed this book, which surprised me. When I picked it up, the blurb sounded interesting but I wasn't sure I was going to buy into the storyline with all the characters involved. In reality, Morgan Rhodes balanced all the characters and their individual story lines really well and it made the book really unique.
The book has multiple Points of View which I know a lot of people (including myself) are wary of, but it really works here. Each character has their own story and, each time we get their chapter we get to understand their motivations more. A lot of books that use multiple POV favour one character over another but each character has an equal balance of screen time which is actually really refreshing to see.
The characters themselves are all really interesting. They all have strong personalities in some way and the way they behave and think really propels the story along. This book is heavily character driven but I thought it was really interesting to see why each character behaves in the way they do. We see a lot from Magnus and Cleo - the royalty of two of the kingdoms. When I started the book I thought I would hate Cleo and favour Magnus, but in reality, Cleo became one of my favourite characters. To begin with she's self centred and obnoxious but, as the story progresses, you understand that she's been sheltered from hardship her whole life so she is selfish because she's never had reason to be anything else. As we get even further, you see her realise how privileged her life is and she quickly grows and becomes a better character and princess because of it.
Magnus on the other hand, is the most tricky character of the bunch because you're never entirely sure what to make of him. He can be cruel like his father, but he does have a softer side which he often shows to his sister. He reminded me of Sebastian from the Mortal Instruments - following his fathers orders while fighting to protect his sister in his own special way. You can understand his thought process, and his dislike of his father, once you learn his past, but he is definitely one to watch for in the rest of this series.
The world building and the politics of this world was also really well done. Each kingdom is completely different both in environment, economic status, and the beliefs of the population. It was really interesting to see how the conflicting beliefs and values of each kingdom worked with and against the rulers and the power players and made me want to learn more about the world. In terms of the world, it did remind me slightly of the Queen of the Tearling in that, that book was really centred on the world. I think I actually preferred this world though, because we got to see how each kingdom worked whereas in TQoTT we really only focused on the one.
While one or two of the plot points were predictable, they didn't detract from how much I enjoyed this book and I would really recommend it to those of you who enjoy fantasy novels, or who enjoyed TQoTT. Now's the perfect time to read the series as the latest book is being released in the next few weeks!
Image and Synopsis from Goodreads - no Copyright Intended
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