War brought them together. Love will tear them apart.
Auranos has been conquered and the three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But alluring, dangerous magic still beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world. . . .
- CLEO is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people
- MAGNUS stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister, Lucia
- LUCIA is haunted by the deadly outcome of her breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms
- JONAS watches at the palace gates, a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius
Praise for Falling Kingdoms
“From an opening dripping with blood, magic, and betrayal through complex interweaving plots detailing treachery, deceit, and forbidden love, this novel . . . will immediately engage readers and keep them intrigued.”—Booklist
“[It] will gut you emotionally . . . make you ache, cry, and beg for the sequel as you turn the last page. I absolutely loved it.”—Julie Kagawa, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Queen
“This triple-layered tale of bloodshed, heartbreak, and tangled court intrigue kept me turning pages very late into the night.”—Lesley Livingston, author of Wondrous Strange and Starling
Richelle Mead, bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series, sits down with Morgan Rhodes to talk about Rebel Spring, the much-anticipated second book in her bestselling Falling Kingdoms series.
Richelle Mead: Morgan Rhodes (aka Michelle Rowen) has been my friend for a number of years. We've hung out together at conferences and swooned over each other's books. When she was able to work on Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have someone who was already a fan of the VA world and whose writing I personally loved. I'm just as excited about her Falling Kingdoms series and couldn't resist this chance to ask her some questions about Rebel Spring, the next book in the series!
Morgan Rhodes: I was thrilled for the chance to write the VA Ultimate Guide! I remember Richelle telling me there were plans for the book and I piped up with: “I totally want to write that!” And what fun it was to delve back into a series that I loved (and am still in love with thanks to the wonderful Bloodlines spinoff). I’m counting down the days for the VA movie! Richelle is not only a friend, but one of my very favorite authors, so it’s a real honor to be interviewed by her about Rebel Spring.
RM: So without further ado, let’s start talking about the new book. The world of Falling Kingdoms is so vivid and detail-rich. When it comes to world-building for these novels, where do you get your inspiration?
MR: I get my inspiration from pretty much everywhere, although I’m visually inspired by some of my favorite TV shows and movies, which run the gamut from Lord of the Rings to The Princess Bride to Game of Thrones, to name just a few.
RM: At the end of Falling Kingdoms, things are looking pretty bleak in Mytica. Is it fair to say that Rebel Spring will be quite a bit darker than book 1?
MR: The stakes have been raised and sharpened, for sure. Blood will spill and lives will be lost. But I don’t think I would ever want to write a book that was unrelentingly bleak from beginning to end. I can promise that Rebel Spring contains plenty of comic relief and romance to counterbalance the darker bits.
RM: The Falling Kingdoms books are written from multiple POVs, and each of your narrators has such a unique voice and perspective. How does your experience vary from POV to POV? Are there some characters that are more difficult than others? Do you have a favorite?
MR: It’s been a wonderful and exciting challenge to write in multiple points of view from my diverse cast. I will admit, some POVs are always a joy to write and others prove to be a challenge. I try to put myself in the head of that character and see the world from their eyes, no matter who they are or what their goals are. I get into the heads of a couple different characters in Rebel Spring, including a villain who definitely sees things from a darker angle than anything I’ve written before – which was fun. The characters whose scenes I most look forward to writing since they are very specific personalities and basically take over and make things easier for me are Cleo and Magnus. They tend to surprise me while the other characters usually stick to the outline!
RM: Let’s talk body count. You’re very good at making me fall in love with your characters, but you’re also very good at killing them off when I least expect it. How do you decide the who, how, when, and why when it comes to killing off your characters?
MR: I never knew how much I enjoyed killing characters until I started writing this series. *evil grin* However! I like to think those who get the ax (sometimes, um, literally) are necessary deaths. It’s all for a purpose, to change another character in the face of their shock and grief, to lead them down a path they never would have taken before, and to spark a desire for revolution and vengeance in the hearts of those who might previously have been passive and peaceful. Plus, I always think when things seem a bit too ideal and characters are getting too comfortable, it’s a good time to get a few heads rolling to keep things interesting for readers – and for me as the writer!
RM: What’s going on with Magnus? He seems like kind of a jerk in Falling Kingdoms, but I get the sense he’s got a soft spot.
MR: With a father like King Gaius, whose nickname is the “King of Blood,” it would be pretty hard for a prince to grow up as a nice dude with a sunny disposition! Magnus really came alive on the page for me, more so than any other character in the cast. Initially, he was supposed to be a jerk through and through, but he’s really more of a lost soul whose entire life has been devoted to attempting to gain his cruel and driven father’s love and respect. However, Magnus has begun to learn that he might have a different set of morals than the king, even though he knows following in Daddy’s footsteps would make life easier for him. This isn’t to say that Magnus hasn’t made (and will make) some rather dreadful decisions that will certainly cast a shadow over his future relationships and experiences.
RM: Jonas has a lot of axes to grind by the end of book 1. What can we expect from him in Rebel Spring?
MR: I think the main thing with Jonas is that beneath his thirst for vengeance (focused on both the murderer of his brother Aron and King Gaius) is that he really does mean well. He cares about the people of downtrodden Paelsia, and he’s someone, unlike his fellow countrymen, who doesn’t believe his future is ruled by uncontrollable fate. In Rebel Spring, Jonas has been thrust into the position of rebel leader, which will be a challenge for him on many levels.
RM: Okay, ultimate personality test: Are you a Cleo or a Lucia?
MR: Both are princesses from vastly different kingdoms and upbringings – Cleo is a girl who has favored parties and frivolity in the past, while Lucia prefers learning and solitude. Cleo is stubborn and sometimes reckless, and Lucia is more measured and controlled, but may be considered naïve in many ways. I wouldn’t say I’m much like either princess, really, although I am blond like Cleo and I love books like Lucia. :)
RM: Lastly, can you talk a little bit about your writing process?
MR: It would be next to impossible to undertake a large tapestry of a series like Falling Kingdoms if I didn’t plan a lot of it ahead of time. I work from a detailed outline and map out character goals and conflicts and relationship arcs, but I’m still surprised by some of the things my characters say and do that can take me in a direction different from what was meticulously planned. So far, it’s been a lot of fun to explore these unexpected paths to see where they lead.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
There's a thin line between love and hate with the characters in this book! But no hatred at all from me about this series!
By Step Into Fiction
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!Reviewed by Sana @ Step Into Fiction
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Better than the first but not great.
By TheStoryGoes
Let me start off by saying Rebel Spring was definitely better than Falling Kingdoms but there were still things that annoyed and irritated me about this book.Plot wise this book was solid for the most part. I love the world in this series, I love the magic, the elementia, and the battle between the lands. I even like that unlike al lot of books like it in this one it's not about stopping a king from invading, that already happened in the first book in less than 100 pages, but now it's about taking the kingdom back and I like that more, though again it did make the first one feel more like a prologue. The problem with this book is the same as with Falling Kingdoms, and that's the characters.Characters -Cleo - Cleo gets better in this book and I like her more and I feel I understand her more but the main thing that annoys me is she spends a lot of time in the beginning of the book basically feeling sorry for herself and while get why she does some of the things she does in this book it still annoys me that for most of it she sits back and does nothing. On top of that Theon is barely mentioned, and when he is Cleo will cry but it doesn't feel real, I still don't believe she ever loved this guy and then for a very brief period it seems like she likes Jonas and then maybe she likes Magnus? This is a theme throughout the whole book it's like the author wants all the characters to be in love with each other at one point or another and it's pointless and annoying and leaves you feeling like it wasn't real at all, because she doesn't spend enough time on any of it to make it seem as if these two characters actually love each other. It's like they hate/tolerate each other then bam! Insta love and then bam! they "love" someone else, I think? Because you're never quite sure what any of them actually feel about each other.Jonas - Jonas remains my favorite character because he is still the strongest, you know this character, you know what he wants and you know he will actually go after it, you always know what this character is feeling and you don't have to guess every step of the way. But again with the whole "romance" aspect. I really enjoyed it when he was falling for Cleo but you never quite know if he actually likes her and then towards the end it seems like he randomly releases he "loves" Lysandra(another rebel) which is stupid and like you can only use the randomly realizing this character loves this other character thing so many times in one book series! I liked it much better when Brion(another rebel and Jonas' best friend) was in "love" with Lysandra, why did you have to go and mess that up!Magnus - Oh, I feel so bad for Magnus. He thinks he's evil, he thinks he's just like his father, and so he acts that way, but he's not! I do feel for Magnus but I also feel I would have liked him more if he started thinking for himself before the very end of the book and even then you don't know if he has finally figured out that he is better than his father or not and it's like I just want to slap him and tell him to snap out of it already! I do like that he seems to grow in this book, at least where it concerns Lucia but still mainly his character just frustrates me. One thing I will say for Magnus is he is the most unique and interesting character even is it makes me want beat him.Lucia - I don't feel like she was in the book enough. I feel like I still have no clue who she is, maybe even more now. I don't really have anything I specifically don't like about her but again I don't think you get to know her character at all in this book, it's like she's multiple people and I was looking forward to seeing her kinda come into her own in this book, but that never happened.The Watchers - I loved that the watchers were in this one more and they actually had a part in this book but it was all kinda vague and I get that it's supposed to be mysterious but there is a deference between mysterious and confusing and this book definitely walks that line. I do like all the myth about the watchers but as for when they actually come into the book, and you see things from their POV I feel like it was unnecessary, I think it would have been mysterious to not have those parts beyond the dreams that some of the characters have with the watchers.Besides the character flaws honestly there wasn't much bad about this book. It keeps a nice steady pace so that you don't get bored and loss interest and the overall story is solid, I love the premise of these books it's just characters are what makes a book, and great relatable engaging characters and relationships are what these books lack. I will say even with the frustrating "love" octagon thing the author is really good at making you want whoever it is at the moment who are in "love" to be together, she can make you fall in love with them but then it's all pointless because five chapters later those characters are in "love" with someone else(that was a slight exaggeration, but still). I honestly rather there be no "love" or "romance" element in this book besides the "love" the author describes isn't love it's lust.In conclusion -This book definitely has more action than Falling Kingdoms and some character growth but honestly it's still not great. I hate that I feel like if only the characters were a little more relatable and the "love" and romance wasn't all over the place, I would love this series. I understand why the author has written the characters the way she has, but I just find them annoying and if I don't like the characters then I don't like the book. The overall plot is great, I love the idea behind these books, I love everything about the war and about the magic and the watchers but the lack of great characters is what brings this book so far down in my opinion.Do I recommend this book? Yes. If you like this kind of fantasy book then I say it doesn't hurt to try it, I know a lot of people that love it but personally I don't relate to the characters and at parts I hate them, but if you like the premise then you may as well try the first book, just maybe borrow it.Will I read the next ones? I will, because I really hope that they will continue to get better and despite all the problems I find with these books they are far from the worst thing I have ever read and they do leave me wanting to know what happens next, which proves if nothing else that the author is a good writer.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.Your Heart Will Break A Thousand Times Over...
By Mother/Gamer/Writer
This Review Contains Slight Spoilers…FML…I tried, really I did, to hold off on reading Rebel Spring until Gathering Darkness was available. Never has a series left me in such distress, with major anxiety, and a severe book hangover. Like Shatter Me and Throne of Glass, the Falling Kingdoms Series is utterly addictive. Morgan Rhodes writing is lyrically seductive. I could bathe in her words, fall asleep in her world. *sigh* Now that I have to wait for Gathering Darkness my body is going through withdrawal. Someone should have warned me about this series! Since no one did, I’m warning you dear reader…only proceed if you can handle an extraordinary epic fantasy. Because if you’re anything like me waiting for the next book in the series will be agonizing. The horror…For fans of Game of Thrones who like political scandals, lots of betrayal, pandemonium, death, and different forms of love (even in places you least expect it), the Falling Kingdoms series is for you. Picking up where Falling Kingdoms left off Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia are in chaos and dealing with the aftermath of King Gaius, the Blood King’s, takeover. Gaius manipulated his way to the throne and now has control over all the kingdoms and has even combined them into one, Mytica. But not all is peaches and roses for the king, there are forces greater than he could even imagine waiting to take him down.Cleo, heir to the Auranos throne and last surviving member of the Bellos family, is at the mercy of King Gaius and forced to marry his son, a coldhearted prince Mangus. To them, this is a match made in hell. Both carry torches for someone else and cannot stand to be around each other for more than a solid minute. I loved watching their story develop. As a reader I knew if they could just move past their difference they would be an unstoppable force. So many times I wanted to go through my headphones and shake some sense into them. Even though I knew how I wanted their story to unfold, Rhodes spun it into a totally different direction and made me crave something else! I love an author who can make me root for one thing and then turn around and make me root for the total opposite! Never have I been so confused…There are several other characters of note in this series: Jonas, Lucia, The Watches, Nic, Aron, and a few other minor characters. Lucia, the *spoiler* adopted sister of prince Magnus, remains comatose after using the fire magic at the end of Falling Kingdoms that essentially gave her father the victory of Auranos. After she wakes, I enjoyed watching her interact with Cleo. Both girls have sharp tongues and aren’t afraid to match insult for insult while keeping themselves as poise and princess like as possible. Cleo is by far my favorite character. Her bold cleverness never ceases to amaze me. Just check out how she answers the infamous King of Blood…King Gaius - “I’m watching you princess.”Cleo - “As I am watching you.”LOL who says that to someone who just murdered your family and forced you into marriage? Cleo rocks so hard. She’s fierce and doesn’t hide who she is or what she believes. Unlike Lucia who seems more fragile and easily influenced Cleo knows when to speak, when to be illusive, and when to assert her authority. Love her to pieces I tell ya…little bitty bits and pieces!Overall, I could rant and rave over Rebel Spring all day and still not convey how awesome the novel is and worthy of a spot on every book nerds bookshelf. If you haven’t, you must read Falling Kingdoms first (it’s da bomb folks) and then immediately pick up this one. I highly recommend the series to anyone looking for a vast world with a legion of characters and stellar mythology that will leave you gasping, aching, out of breath, sometimes without the ability to speak, and so in love with a story your heart may break a thousand times over.Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/WriterRating: 5 Controllers, Crown Rating/Royalty AwardReviewer: Me
