Rebel Spring

Rebel Spring

By: Morgan Rhodes

Auranos has fallen and the three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now united as one country called Mytica. But still, magic beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world...When the evil King Gaius announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains, formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of events that will forever change the face of this land, forcing Cleo the dethroned princess, Magnus the reluctant heir, Lucia the haunted sorceress, and Jonas the desperate rebel to take steps they never could have imagined.

Okay. So I had some problems with the first book in this series, but I thought it was pretty good. While some of those problems didn't completely go away, it showed noticeable improvement and the plot was so interesting that I soon forgot about most of them.

Characters:
Cleo: Even more development from her character. I still didn't agree with a good portion of the things she did, I still appreciated that she was actively making decisions to try and protect her kingdom. She suffered even further losses in this book, but she is managing to hold herself together. That's impressive in her situation. I'm thoroughly interested to see how her and Lucia's friendship develops in the next books.
Magnus: Dang it. This little jerk is the most confusing of the bunch. He's uncomfortable with most things that his father does even when he won't stand against it. This makes him nearly as bad as his father, but puts him in a particularly great place for some character development. His relationship with Cleo is not something I anticipated at all, but the dynamic is so interesting. And I'm so glad to see that the whole situation between Magnus and Lucia is rocky now, it was too gross when it was... let's say "friendlier" between them. The thing is, I want him to see him change and be a force for good instead of going along with his father's actions.
Lucia: Another direction that I did not see the story taking. I can honestly say that now I don't know where any of this is heading, especially Lucia's storyline. But as I said, I am excited at the connection between the two girls and what they can do to help each other.
Jonas: Poor Jonas. His story is still ramping up, but everything seems to be going wrong for him. This brings me to an interesting point. I think this book is great because it shows what a rebel movement would more likely go, unintentional deaths and failed attempts.
King Gaius: I think another thing setting this series apart is the convincing villain.I think often in books the villain stays hidden in shadows until the final battle, but King Gaius is ever-present throughout the series. You can see his cruelty and blood-lust. It's horrifying as well as convincing. And every series is improved by a convincing villain.
Lysandra: She took some warming up to, but I quite enjoy her presence. I think she's more what Jonas needs to keep him on track in the rebellion and keep his plans from getting too risky.

Plot:
CRAZINESS. Utter insanity, in a great way. The plot of the first book was interesting, but this flouted it in terms of action and plot twists. Everything is coming together in the strangest and best ways. The characters are all meeting and interacting and I love it. I want to know what the deal with The Watchers is. They're intriguing. I want to know exactly what their plan is for the world.

Writing:
Now to the problems. In my review of Falling Kingdoms I said that my problems were the frequency of errors and the dialogue. These were noticeably better in this book. The dialogue was still stinted and redundant in places, it seemed to be trying too hard to sound like high language rather than just being it. There were fewer errors, but quite a few to be seen.
 
I didn't think I was all that invested in this series. After this book I can say that I am thoroughly invested now. I cannot wait to get my hands the next book.

Quotes:

“Evil is a choice one makes, not a natural state of being."

“Darkness will always try to extinguish the light. The light will always try to repress the darkness.”  

 “I believe we make our own destinies, every last one of us.”