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A dandy series with characters that grow and become more complex with each book. ( )

Honestly this series is just going downhill... Why am I still reading this? I don't know. Am I going to keep reading this? Yes, I most certainly am. It's just... really hard to put down.

But yeah, these books are just weirdly enjoyable, but like... They're completely unoriginal, and I like two characters. TWO.

The world is your fairly typical fantasy world. I mean, the watchers are cool, but they're still not exactly unique, nor do they make up for the blandness of the world overall.

The plot is... pretty stereotypical fantasy plot... I don't have details filled in, and I'm sure there will be more threads added, but I have a basic idea how everything's going to play out.
The plot in this one WAS slightly more interesting than the earlier books. There were some interesting plot threads introduced, particularly one specific one at the end there. I definitely want to see where it goes.

Also everybody dies, and it's getting on my nerves. Most of them feel unnecessary, and I just don't even care anymore. A secondary character is introduced? Oh, they're going to die, no need to get attached.

And as for the characters...

I really like Lysandra, because she's amazing and badass and sassy, and I honestly love her so much (Can she please not die? She's the only character whose death would actually sadden me.).

And Cleo is also tolerable likeable. I don't love her, but I like her well enough, and I'm invested in her wellbeing. So that's something I guess.

Then there's the others...

Jonas isn't absolutely awful. I just feel completely indifferent to him. (Edit: Actually no, never mind, I've just remembered why I didn't like him as much in this one. He was sort of sexist. HE wasn't outright sexist, but that other dude (Felix?) said a lot of really sexist things, and Jonas just laughed at them. So no, Jonas IS absolutely awful.)

Lucia was a decent character, but she started going slowly downhill in this book.

And then there's Magnus. Everybody loves Magnus. There's so much hype around Magnus. I don't get the hype around Magnus. I think Magnus is a complete jerk.
Like look, I actually can quite enjoy the Bad Boy With a Tragic Past Trope. Some of my favourite characters fit in it. But you know what? There's a difference between being sort of rude, and just being an awful jerk. I can excuse rudeness, but Magnus isn't just rude. He's a complete and utter jerk. Sure, he's had a hard life, and I do feel bad for him, but that doesn't excuse the fact that he's a jerk, and I simply can't make myself like him. I understand why people do like him, but I never will.

So yeah, there isn't a lot to like about these books, but something about the writing makes them enjoyable and compelling enough that I'm going to finish the series. ( )

What I love about this series is the characters. The multiple main focuses allows you to watch the complicated story unfold from different perspectives, really diving into the unique backgrounds and personalities of each of them.

What I don't like about this series is the characters. Asides from the main four - Cleo, Magnus, Lucia, and Jonas - most of the side characters live for less than a book before they die. It's not that the minor characters - guards, rebel allies, lovers - are not developed. Rather, it is quite the opposite. Many of them I came to love and their place in the story, only to find that they died abruptly.

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First off, I would just like to say that I really love the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes and I'll continue to read it for as long as she writes it (even the upcoming spin-off). However, I had a couple of problems with Gathering Darkness that wasn't present in Falling Kingdoms or Rebel Springs:

1.) It felt a bit rushed - When it comes to big series' that's wildly popular, some authors may feel pressured by readers/publishers to publish the book at a time when it isn't perfect. Other times, authors may become bored with the story and then it can also feel a bit meh in comparison to the previous books. Whatever the reason may be, I feel that Morgan Rhodes rushed to finish off this book. It doesn't make it a bad read, just felt somewhat ... rushed.

2.) Not enough King Gaius - The guy is the ultimate power-hungry a-hole king-ish villain, and yet we didn't read as much about him as I would have liked. Yes, there were moments where he pulled another OMG moment, but Morgan Rhodes could've given us a bit more of King Gaius in my opinion. His character growth - from pious to greedy - is mentioned, but it could have been more explored.

Besides the above problems that I had, I can't really complain about Gathering Darkness. Princess Cleo's growth and scheming is wonderful. I'm so glad that Prince Magnus is getting over his obsession/incestuous feelings for Lucia. As for Lucia ... poor girl.

Morgan Rhodes also introduced quite a few new characters in Gathering Darkness, which ups the conflict and makes it an excellent read.

I can't wait for the next installment!

Review originally posted at:
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