Falling Kingdoms
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Contributors
Rhodes, Morgan Author
Berman, Fred Narrator
Published
Dreamscape Media , 2013.
Status
Available from Libby/OverDrive

Available Platforms

Libby/OverDrive
Titles may be read via Libby/OverDrive. Libby/OverDrive is a free app that allows users to borrow and read digital media from their local library, including ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Users can access Libby/OverDrive through the Libby/OverDrive app or online. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.

Description

War brought them together. Love will tear them apart. Princess Cleo of Mytica confronts violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse. Once a privileged royal, Cleo must now summon the strength to survive in this new world and fight for her rightful place as Queen. The King of Limeros’s son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father’s trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying secret about her heritage that will change everything. Rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making. Witches, if found, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.

More Details

Format
eAudiobook
Edition
Unabridged
Street Date
12/03/2013
Language
English
ISBN
9781666591187

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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

From an opening dripping with blood, magic, and betrayal through complex interweaving plots detailing treachery, deceit, and forbidden love, this novel is the first in a projected series that will immediately engage readers and keep them intrigued. When a simple Paelsian wine seller is murdered by an Auranian noble, the delicately balanced peace spanning three related kingdoms is split asunder by greed and entitlement. Four young people Auranian princess Cleo, Paelsian rebel Jonas, Limerian prince Magnus, and his sister, princess Lucia are catalysts, while witches and kings have equal part in courtly machinations leading to all-out war. Skillful world building and descriptive but not flowery prose allow the complex and layered plot, as well as the strong characters, to take center stage of this expansive epic. A quest to find and control the Kindred, four legendary crystals that hold the purest magic, along with a sorceress who can control all the elements, leaves tantalizing threads hanging for the next book. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Rhodes, the popular author of urban fiction, makes her high-fantasy debut here; the novel is being heavily promoted at Comic-Con International and Comic-Con New York.--Osborne, Charli Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Writing under a pseudonym, author Michelle Rowan (the Demon Princess series) launches a planned series with this otherworldly epic about kingdoms on the brink of war. While the corrupt rulers of three realms plot the others' overthrow, key young people-Cleo, the flighty youngest daughter of the Auranian king; Magnus, the bitter son of the cruel king of Limeros; and Jonas, an angry peasant from Palesia whose brother was murdered by an Auranian nobleman-all chafe under the restrictions placed upon them by misguided elders. Relatively few action sequences and heavy dialogue slow the pacing, yet Rhodes maps an evocative and intricate world mythology. Readers will likely relate most to the numerous dysfunctional familial, political, and romantic relationships spawning from the labyrinthine network of kingdoms. Though characters' behaviors can be mechanical at times (Cleo's tears over an arranged marriage come across as perfunctory), the novel's blend of forbidden love, unruly royals, and ancient prophecy should draw in fantasy lovers who don't mind a touch of melodrama. Ages 12-up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-Three kingdoms, Limeros, Auranos, and Paelsia, struggle for riches and sovereignty in this complexly wrought tale of war, rebellion, and magic. A prophecy foretells the birth of a sorceress powerful enough to rival dead goddesses, ancient legend speaks of a ring that provides mastery over the Kindred (embodiments of elemental magic), and duplicitous betrayal leads to an alliance between royalty and commoner. The sorceress emerges in the form of Lucia, the princess of Limeros, while Cleo, the princess of Auranos, obtains the ring. Young Jonas, the son of a Paelsian wineseller, puts aside vengeance and aligns with his enemy to save his homeland. Intimations of romance and sex are interspersed with scenes of brutality and magic in an often-barbaric environment that vaguely echoes George R. R. Martin. The plot is packed with incident, although constantly changing points of view weaken the dramatic arc and interrupt the forward momentum. Characterizations are fairly stock, with little to differentiate them, and the stylized fantasy language occasionally stutters over modern colloquialisms. This first volume of an intended series sets up the backstory that informs and motivates the action to come. While the shifting points of view can be distracting, the result is short, action-driven chapters that may carry readers to the finish and on to the next volume.-Janice M. Del Negro, GSLIS Dominican University, River Forest, IL (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Booklist Reviews

From an opening dripping with blood, magic, and betrayal through complex interweaving plots detailing treachery, deceit, and forbidden love, this novel is the first in a projected series that will immediately engage readers and keep them intrigued. When a simple Paelsian wine seller is murdered by an Auranian noble, the delicately balanced peace spanning three related kingdoms is split asunder by greed and entitlement. Four young people—Auranian princess Cleo, Paelsian rebel Jonas, Limerian prince Magnus, and his sister, princess Lucia—are catalysts, while witches and kings have equal part in courtly machinations leading to all-out war. Skillful world building and descriptive but not flowery prose allow the complex and layered plot, as well as the strong characters, to take center stage of this expansive epic. A quest to find and control the Kindred, four legendary crystals that hold the purest magic, along with a sorceress who can control all the elements, leaves tantalizing threads hanging for the next book. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Rhodes, the popular author of urban fiction, makes her high-fantasy debut here; the novel is being heavily promoted at Comic-Con International and Comic-Con New York. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

Writing under a pseudonym, author Michelle Rowan (the Demon Princess series) launches a planned series with this otherworldly epic about kingdoms on the brink of war. While the corrupt rulers of three realms plot the others' overthrow, key young peopleâ??Cleo, the flighty youngest daughter of the Auranian king; Magnus, the bitter son of the cruel king of Limeros; and Jonas, an angry peasant from Palesia whose brother was murdered by an Auranian noblemanâ??all chafe under the restrictions placed upon them by misguided elders. Relatively few action sequences and heavy dialogue slow the pacing, yet Rhodes maps an evocative and intricate world mythology. Readers will likely relate most to the numerous dysfunctional familial, political, and romantic relationships spawning from the labyrinthine network of kingdoms. Though characters' behaviors can be mechanical at times (Cleo's tears over an arranged marriage come across as perfunctory), the novel's blend of forbidden love, unruly royals, and ancient prophecy should draw in fantasy lovers who don't mind a touch of melodrama. Ages 12â??up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Dec.)

[Page ]. Copyright 2012 PWxyz LLC

Copyright 2012 PWxyz LLC
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PW Annex Reviews

Writing under a pseudonym, author Michelle Rowan (the Demon Princess series) launches a planned series with this otherworldly epic about kingdoms on the brink of war. While the corrupt rulers of three realms plot the others' overthrow, key young peopleâ??Cleo, the flighty youngest daughter of the Auranian king; Magnus, the bitter son of the cruel king of Limeros; and Jonas, an angry peasant from Palesia whose brother was murdered by an Auranian noblemanâ??all chafe under the restrictions placed upon them by misguided elders. Relatively few action sequences and heavy dialogue slow the pacing, yet Rhodes maps an evocative and intricate world mythology. Readers will likely relate most to the numerous dysfunctional familial, political, and romantic relationships spawning from the labyrinthine network of kingdoms. Though characters' behaviors can be mechanical at times (Cleo's tears over an arranged marriage come across as perfunctory), the novel's blend of forbidden love, unruly royals, and ancient prophecy should draw in fantasy lovers who don't mind a touch of melodrama. Ages 12â??up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Dec.)

[Page ]. Copyright 2012 PWxyz LLC

Copyright 2012 PWxyz LLC
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School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Three kingdoms, Limeros, Auranos, and Paelsia, struggle for riches and sovereignty in this complexly wrought tale of war, rebellion, and magic. A prophecy foretells the birth of a sorceress powerful enough to rival dead goddesses, ancient legend speaks of a ring that provides mastery over the Kindred (embodiments of elemental magic), and duplicitous betrayal leads to an alliance between royalty and commoner. The sorceress emerges in the form of Lucia, the princess of Limeros, while Cleo, the princess of Auranos, obtains the ring. Young Jonas, the son of a Paelsian wineseller, puts aside vengeance and aligns with his enemy to save his homeland. Intimations of romance and sex are interspersed with scenes of brutality and magic in an often-barbaric environment that vaguely echoes George R. R. Martin. The plot is packed with incident, although constantly changing points of view weaken the dramatic arc and interrupt the forward momentum. Characterizations are fairly stock, with little to differentiate them, and the stylized fantasy language occasionally stutters over modern colloquialisms. This first volume of an intended series sets up the backstory that informs and motivates the action to come. While the shifting points of view can be distracting, the result is short, action-driven chapters that may carry readers to the finish and on to the next volume.—Janice M. Del Negro, GSLIS Dominican University, River Forest, IL

[Page 172]. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Rhodes, M., & Berman, F. (2013). Falling Kingdoms (Unabridged). Dreamscape Media.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Rhodes, Morgan and Fred Berman. 2013. Falling Kingdoms. Dreamscape Media.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Rhodes, Morgan and Fred Berman. Falling Kingdoms Dreamscape Media, 2013.

Harvard Citation (style guide)

Rhodes, M. and Berman, F. (2013). Falling kingdoms. Unabridged Dreamscape Media.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Rhodes, Morgan, and Fred Berman. Falling Kingdoms Unabridged, Dreamscape Media, 2013.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

Copy Details

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Libby110

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