Lit Analysis #1

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Falling Kingdoms is a book about a medieval and magical period of time. In the book there are three main kingdoms that rule over the land. The northern-most kingdom is a cold and gloomy place, much like the kingdoms leader, King Gaius. The southern-most kingdom is a warm and prosperous place ruled by a naïve king who doesn’t realize the troubles growing in his own kingdom and the others around him. The middle kingdom is a very poor place and the land is slowly dying off along with the people. This kingdom is ruled by a “god-like” chief that no one has ever seen, Chief Basilius. The conflict starts when a young noble goes to the middle kingdom to buy wine and ends up murdering the son of a famous winemaker. After King Gaius hears news of the murder he plots a way to take all three kingdoms for himself. To do this he gains the trust of Chief Basilius and combines forces against the southern kingdom. Once the southern kingdom is taken King Gaius kills Chief Basilius and is then the only leader in the land.

I found that the theme of the book is to not take things by force because in the end no one really wins. Even though this is the first book in a series I feel that the daughter of King Corvin will get her revenge on King Gaius for killing her father.

The tone is one of vengeance and retribution. In the beginning when the winemakers son is murdered his brother wants to kill the noble, Aaron, for killing his older brother in an already tough time. King Gaius’s son, Magnus, is seeking revenge on his own father for his brutality to him when he was young. Princess Cleo wants to kill King Gaius for killing her own father.

Princess Cleo is a character who goes through a number of struggles with the other characters. Through these struggles the reader can see her for who the author really wants her to be. When Aaron kills the winemaker’s son she gasps and this shows her compassion for others. During the attack on her palace she is trapped inside with no escape but she knows her home and is constantly trying to find a different way out past the constant waves of enemy troops storming her palace. This shows her willingness to survive even under the most severe circumstances.

Cleo changes from a more innocent girl in the beginning of the book to a more vengeful and quick witted character in the end. She also has a number of character traits that include kindness, bravery, and compassion. Her compassion really shines through when her older sister is dying literally of a broken heart and Cleo goes back to the middle kingdom to try and find a supposed witch to try and save her sister.

I feel as though I have actually met Cleo mostly because of the large part she played in the book but also because she was so vividly described as a character. The author had used enough details in describing the characters and what was happening that it made me feel as if I was actually in the book next to them witnessing the events taking place.