Review: Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3) by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Gathering Darkness

Series: Falling Kingdoms #3
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: December 9, 2014
Pages: 407
Genres: Young adult, Fantasy
Source: Ebook

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In GATHERING DARKNESS, book three of the New York Times bestselling Falling Kingdoms series, the stakes have never been higher as three teams push forward on a race to find the Kindred, the four elemental crystals possessing ancient all-powerful magic, first:

Prince Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during the bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces. Now he must choose between family and justice as his father, the cruel King Gaius, sets out to conquer all of Mytica. All Gaius needs now are the Kindred - the four elemental crystals that give godlike powers to their owner. But the King of Blood is not the only one hunting for this ancient, storied magic...

• THE KRAESHIANS join the hunt. Ashur and Amara, the royal siblings from the wealthy kingdom across the Silver Sea, charm and manipulate their way to the Kindred, proving to be more ruthless than perhaps even the King of Blood himself.

• THE REBELS forge ahead. Princess Cleo and vengeful Jonas lead them, slaying with sweetness, skill, and a secret that can control Lucia's overpowering magic - all so they can use the Kindred to win back their fallen kingdoms.

• THE WATCHERS follow Melenia out of the Sanctuary. They ally in the flesh with King Gaius, who vows to use Lucia's powers to unveil the Kindred.

The only certainty in the dark times is that whoever finds the magic first will control the fate of Mytica... but fate can be fickle when magic is involved.

MY REVIEW

This review MAY contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

OMG, this book! Holy moly, so much has happened since the first book of this series and so much more is revealed in Gathering Darkness. I couldn't put this book down for a minute!

The plot has been one of the most incredible things about this series, and it only gets better in book three! The way that Rhodes weaves such a captivating plot is remarkable. You never know who is going to die, who is going to kiss who, who is going to deceive who, where anyone's loyalties truly lie, or what anyone's true agenda is. This book will have you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out the answer to all of these questions. The plot certainly thickens in this book as so many things come to light about certain aspects of the story and about certain characters. Some very unexpected things happen at the end of the book and I am still reeling from them!

Reading these books you cannot help but become a little obsessed with these characters. I admit that I have already google searched fanart of these characters because I just can't seem to get my fill of them. It is so very thrilling to follow along with each character's storyline and watch so many of them intersect. I love that the side characters and the newly introduced characters add so much to the story and that it doesn't lie completely on the main characters heads. It brings so much more to the story. I love the evolution of these characters. Some have come so far from the first book. Some characters have some very impactful realizations and some of them change their allegiances, so you know that book four will be unpredictable!

There was a tad bit more romance in this book than the first two books in the series. I still would have liked to see more since it's hardly touched upon. There are a couple of fleeting moments between three different couples, but the moments were short. I needed more! At least the chemistry is excellent and we can see a gradual love forming. 

I loved the author's writing style. Lots of details and vivid imagery. This book was very fast-paced, but not in a bad way at all. To be frank, I normally detest fast-paced books because they usually lack so much detail and are filled with nothing but dialogue. That is not the case in this series. All of the books are fast-paced, but Rhodes works such magic by adding vivid details about the world and characters. The world building is truly enchanting. 

Overall, I am over the moon with this series! As soon as I finish up this review I will be starting on the next book in this series, Frozen Tides. This series has fast become one of my all-time favorite series! Morgan Rhodes has gained a lifelong fan. I can't recommend this book and this series enough to all that love fantasy!

This series contains some of my all-time favorite book covers. What are some of your most recent favorite book covers?