As good as, or maybe even better than the first installment, Rebel Spring focuses on the prolonged search for the Kindred, magical relics that have the power to either destroy the world, or save it.
In this sequel to Falling Kingdoms (review here), rebel groups form, stabby deaths occur, unlikely relationships / alliances start to form, and an evil king comes closer and closer to ruling the world.
‣ Morgan Rhodes was not afraid to kill characters off and make heart-wrenching sacrifices.
No one is safe! While this may not be something that everyone is into as a reader, I can't help but love when a book truly causes me to worry about the characters and the outcome! This did that for me. I was worried whenever people started to get killed off because that was just a reminder to me that none of the characters in this series are safe! Morgan Rhodes is not afraid to kill off the characters you love in order to make the story more authentic and heart-breaking. LOVE IT.
‣ The plot is so interesting, unique and complex that it's hard not to fall in love with the story.
While there may be lots of stories about Evil Kings and Quests for Lost Magical Relics, etc. I still think this is a unique take on those types of cliches. I can't always predict correctly what is going to happen, which is great because I love being surprised by unpredictable story outcomes and I feel like that's what the next installments in this series will give me.
"A gown does not make a bride, just as a few empty threats do not make a rebel."
‣ None of the characters are flat; all are complicated and three-dimensional.
When writing from the perspective of multiple different characters in one book, it's often hard to get every character to seem interesting and to have a whole, three-dimensional persona. But Morgan Rhodes does a fantastic job with this. I know a lot about the characters, what makes them tick, what they're passionate about, what they hate, and all of their little character developments. All the characters are complex and I am very impressed because that's hard to do in a novel when writing form so many character POVs!
‣ You can see Magnus' inner battle waging within himself about who he wants to be as a person.
Despite the fact that Rhodes seems to rush with romance, creating insta love in almost every relationship, I'm so glad that she's taking time with Magnus and his character development. He's probably the most complex character in the story dealing with death, his evil father, the sister he was in love with, being betrothed to someone he hates, and having a childhood that has caused him to become almost as cold and unfeeling as his father. So it's very cool to see his character develop and change throughout the story. And the fact that Rhodes is making him develop and change at such a slow pace only makes his character development / change more real and authentic.
‣ Lucia still annoys me and gets on my nerves (and for no reason whatsoever).
I really cannot stand Lucia's character. She's jealous over her brother Magnus whenever he decides to care for other people besides her, even when she's stated multiple times that she wants him to care for other people and get over her?? She has a scary dark side to her that is going to become really dangerous and heartless. She complains a lot and just acts really stuck up and stubborn. I just don't like her at all.
‣ No matter what happens, it can't seem to get away from the insta-love.
While the insta-love wasn't as clear to me back in 2016 when I first read this series, it is crystal clear to me now. Every single relationship in this entire series is insta love. Except for maybe one. I can't remember the books very well since I last read the first four of the series 2 years ago (I haven't read books number 5 and 6 at all), but I'm really hoping that at least that ONE single relationship that hasn't exhibited much insta love yet will be able to be slow and truly form. And then it would make it so at least one romance out of the entire series would've formed at a normal pace.
“But even the coldest hate can shift into something warmer if given enough time, just as an ugly caterpillar can turn into a beautiful butterfly.”
‣ Other than lots of deaths, not much happened to advance the plot any further.
Second-book syndrome, I'm telling you. This book was entertaining, but it didn't do much to advance the plot. I think it was more about the rebel groups forming and about establishing relationships, polishing up on world-building, and mounting rising tensions. So while nothing monumental happened in this novel, I feel like it was setting up for something monumental to happen in the third installment of the series. And that, I look forward to.
Concluding Thoughts
I overall enjoyed this novel, but I am definitely expecting more to come from the future installments of this series. I really hope to get more emotionally involved in the story and to see the characters grow and change into who they need to be to do what needs to be done to save their countries.
Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
401 Pages / Paperback
Published November 27th, 2013
Publisher / Razorbill
Rate / ★★★★☆
The road to power... is paved with blood and magic.
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 outcome of the breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms.
Jonas watched at the palace gates a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius.
After a bloody siege, Auranos has been defeated, its young queen orphaned and dethroned. The three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But the allure of ancient, dangerous magic beckons still, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the whole world over...
At the heart of the fray are four brave young people grappling for that magic and the power it promises. For Cleo, the magic would enable her to reclaim her royal seat. In Jonas's hands, it frees his nation, and in Lucia's, it fulfills the ancient prophecy of her destiny. And if the magic were Magnus's, he would finally prove his worth in the eyes of his cruel and scheming father, King Gaius, who rules Mytica with a punishing hand.
When Gaius begins to build a road into the Forbidden Mountains to physically link all of Mytica, he sparks a long-smoking fire in the hearts of the people that will forever change the face of this land. For Gaius's road is paved with blood, and its construction will have cosmic consequences.
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