Rebel Spring Review

Book: Rebel Spring

Author: Morgan Rhodes

Series: Falling Kingdoms

Status: Book 2 (ongoing)

POV: 3rd person by Cleo, Jonas, Magnus and Lucia, past tense

Setting: Mytica

Genre: YA fantasy

Source: Physical Copy

Publisher: RazorBill

Pages: 401

Release: December 3rd, 2013

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. (Goodreads)

                           ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭

An utterly fantastic sequel that will leave you questioning what you thought you knew, and what is to come!

Rebel Spring picks up a few weeks after the concluding events of Falling Kingdoms. King Gaius has seized control of Auranos, and is planning to unite the entire kingdom of Mytica by building a road that connects all of Mytica with the Forbidden Forest. But not everything is as it seems, and for Cleo, Jonas, Magnus, and Lucia, they will have to determine where exactly they stand.

Unlike the last book which focused on Cleo and Magnus, I found that this book focused more on Jonas and Magnus. Jonas, since he has a lot to make up for, and Magnus, since he needs the most time to transition into a proper "good guy." But regardless, we still got a bit of everyone and their character developments. We also begin to see how everything and everyone will be tied together...

Cleo was a little frustrating for me in this book, mainly because she was so suspicious of Jonas. But I completely understand where she was coming from. Having been dethroned by King Gaius, she must act with extreme caution. It's obvious to the readers that Jonas is a good guy, but not that obvious to Cleo. I was practically shouting at her to go with Jonas, but like I said, Cleo needs a good reason to trust him after what he's done. I had slight issues with her ending in this book, because I felt it was a little too sudden and rushed, but that didn't really take away from her character.

"You thought to barge into my chambers, wait for me in the dark, and expect me to be drooling at the very idea of working together to defeat the king? You may underestimate yourself, but you vastly overestimate yourself."

I liked Jonas a considerable amount more than in the last book, when he was blinded by vengeance. Jonas has a lot to deal with in this book. He realizes that he was supporting the wrong side of the war, and now is rallying up a group of rebels, trying to dethrone King Gaius. He makes numerous plans to face off against King Gaius, and has very human reactions to both his wins and loses. I can't wait to see what other schemes he has planned next!

"We shall cut King Gaius where he's sure to bleed buckets...and we will have our victory."

Magnus, try as he might, cannot completely harden his heart like his father. As I predicted from the last book, Magnus begins to question the motives of his father, ultimately revealing his true heart. I really enjoyed Magnus' perspective, and there was a moment when I physically put the book down and cheered for him. I absolutely loved his slow change of heart as he begins to reach terrible conclusions about his father. I'm looking forward to seeing his heart continue to change!

"You have a kind heart, Magnus. And there's nothing you can do to change that."

Lucia we don't get that much of. But what little we do get is very important. After the devastation she caused in the last book, Lucia is trying--and failing--to come to terms with her magic. But as we discover, magic is not something that is easy to control, and being as powerful as Lucia is, it's a lot easier to just let magic control her. Lucia is now struggling with the magic inside her, which will make for an interesting character arc in the next books...

"They tell me it's not evil. It doesn't feel evil, really. But there is a darkness taking hold...as if the night itself wraps me in an embrace that grows tighter every moment."

This book had me questioning everyone. It also doesn't help that there's a bit of backstabbing in this book. We're introduced to some new characters such as Prince Ashur and Melenia, both whose motives remain unknown. Who is working with who? Who is trying to recruit who? What exactly is everyone's goals? Why is Gaius's road so important? What does he hope to accomplish? This world isn't merely black and white anymore; there are third, even fourth parties, and everyone's motives remain shadowed. This world continues to develop in complexity, and you can't help but feel like there are going to be some uneasy truces in the future.

This book ultimately will leave you grasping at theories over who's a good guy, who's a bad guy, and what sides people will end up on for the final battle (because I'm really hoping there will be a final epic battle). You do not want to miss this book out after Falling Kingdoms!