Novella Reviews: Falling Kingdom Stories

Reviewer Note: This is only the second time I've attempted reviews like this. Since there's no bind-up edition of these stories and since they're so short there's not enough substance to do a full review so these reviews will be similar to the anthology and omnibus reviews I've done previously, with the reviews consisting of shorter reviews that aren't in my traditional categorized format. I hope you enjoy! P.S. While I think you can read these stories at any point in the series, for the most part, there are some fairly heavy implications at twists in the series later one, and I would recommend reading Obsidian Blade prior to Immortal Reign, as elements from that story do come into play in that book.

Release Date: August 12, 2016
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Length: 21 pages
Source: FREE Kindle Book

Crimson Dagger is the story Falling Kingdoms fans have been waiting for!

In this prequel short story, set before the events of Falling Kingdoms, Prince Magnus is awoken by an unexpected visitor—in his bed. One look into her fierce, hateful eyes, and Magnus knows exactly who it is: Kara Stolo.

Ten years ago, as a scared little boy, he told a lie that irreparably changed Kara’s life. As a result, her father was wrongfully imprisoned, chained in the dark dungeon underneath the palace, where he was to remain until his death. Now, Kara is back to avenge her father's punishment, and there's more. Kara believes he's still alive, and she needs Magnus to help free him . . . or else.

    

Review:

So, in all honesty, while we do see some of where Magnus's character development over the course of the Falling Kingdoms series originated in this short story, it doesn't really have much of an impact, if any to be honest, on the core series. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, while short I felt it really showed a full and well-written story with a beginning, middle, and end, whereas some other short stories I've read for series, see my reviews of the Wrath and the Dawn short stories, felt more like deleted chapters than actual stories. In this story, we see Magnus and how the choices he made when he was younger affected him when he grows up. There's not a lot that connects this and the main series, and as far as I know, and can remember, this incident isn't brought up at all in the main series, but it's still a fun and exciting story that fleshes out Magnus's character even more.

Rating:

I didn't need this to have a huge tie to the rest of the series, nor did I go into it thinking there would be, and since it does tell a complete and new story it was a lot of fun to read and I wish Rhodes would write more short stories set in this world than the two that she did.


Release Date: November 15, 2016
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Length: 54 pages
Source: Kindle Book

Magnus from Falling Kingdoms and Maddox from A Book of Spirits and Thieves are on an epic quest through time in this series-bridging novella.

In a garden of ancient ruins on the cliffs of Limeros, Prince Magnus comes face-to-face with a witch. The old woman incapacitates him with a spell, presses a single object into his hand—an obsidian blade—and tells him to bring it to a woman named Samara before the sun sets and his portal home closes forever.

A flash of dark magic transports Magnus back in time to a Mytica he’s only heard about in storybooks. Lost in this foreign land, Magnus sets out to find Samara. But a chance encounter with the rumored Witch Boy derails his journey. Magnus saves Maddox from a beating, but the cruel Livius is now on their tail. The sun is starting to set. Time is running out. Both boys must fight for their lives.

Follow legendary bad boy Magnus and the enigmatic Maddox as their worlds collide in this high-stakes adventure.

    

Review:

This story is much more substantial than the last. In this tale, Magnus is sent on a journey against his will by a mysterious witch, who sends him back in time to when Mytica is ruled by two goddesses and Maddox Corso is in the employ of his guardian Livius. When I first heard of this story, a little over a year ago, I thought it was just going to be a fairly insignificant story where you get to see Magnus and Maddox meet and interact, and in a lot of ways it is. However, when I began reading Immortal Reign, I discovered that this story has much more of an impact on the main series than I thought as the titular Obsidian Blade appears in the prologue of Immortal Reign. Much like with Crimson Dagger, the main aspects of the story don't have a huge impact on the main series as both Magnus and the people he comes across in the past will forget their encounters, but there's a lot of little call outs, implications, and easter eggs in this story that relates both to the Falling Kingdoms series and the Spirits and Thieves trilogy.

Rating:

Again, this was a very enjoyable story, even though it doesn't hold TOO much of a bearing on the main series. It reads almost like a side quest to the main series where it was fun, exciting, and full of a lot of the things I love about both series, but short and for the most part fairly irrelevant, still I would highly recommend it for any Falling Kingdoms fan.

Novella Reviews: The Wrath and The Dawn Novellas

Reviewer's Note: I've never done something like this before. I've reviewed novella compilations before, but since these stories are so short, and since there isn't a compilation of these stories, I've decided to review all three in one post. Also, please note that all three of these novellas should probably be read after The Wrath and the Dawn as they do spoil a few things that are revealed in the first book. I will be reviewing these stories like I do novella compilations, with short 1-2 paragraph reviews on each one. I hope you enjoy!

Release Date: March 22, 2016
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Length: 26 pages
Source: Library E-Book

It started as playful, if barbed, banter before rising to a fateful wager with a most notorious rake—the Captain of the Guard, Jalal al-Khoury—who may have finally met his match in a lovely, if haughty, handmaiden, Despina. But she, too, seems to have met her match in the handsome Jalal. What begins as a tempestuous battle of will and wit in short order becomes a passionate affair spurred on by tragedy of the worst kind.

    

Review:

I loved Despina in the first book as was excited to see more from her in this novella, as well as her relationship with Jalal. This story is perfect for those wanting to know more about how they met and their personal chemistry. However, this is also a story of Despina soon after she becomes the handmaiden to the calipha and her brief interactions with Ava. There isn't much to say more than that. I love these characters and their interactions are so well written and spark with electric chemistry. It was fun reading about these characters before the series starts, but it doesn't seem to have anything necessary shown, more like a deleted scene (or several) that helps to fill out the story a bit more.

Rating:

Even though this didn't have anything necessary in its text and it was rather short, it was a fun story that helped deepen a couple fan favorite characters. If you love Despina and Jalal, this story is for you!

Release Date: March 1, 2016

Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Length: 18 pages

Source: Free E-Book

Seventy-one days and seventy-one nights had come and gone since Khalid began killing his brides. This dawn, Khalid would mark the loss of the seventy-second girl, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. Khalid didn’t know how many more of these dawns he could take. And there was something about this latest girl that piqued his interest. Not only had she volunteered to marry him, but at their wedding ceremony, she had seemed not the least bit afraid. In fact, what he had seen in her eyes was nothing short of pure hatred. She was about to lose her life. Why wasn’t she afraid? Why did she hate him so? He had never before gone to his wife’s chambers before her death at dawn. Tonight would be different.

    

Review:

Honestly, there's only one point to this short story, to see how Khalid reacted to Shazi prior to TWATD. On the whole, I enjoyed what was pretty much a deleted scene from the first book, in all honesty, it could have been slid into the beginning of TWATD  without changing much of anything. I don't think anything was spoiled and it's so short that nothing really happens, so if you're a fan of Khalid and want to know his first thoughts of Shazi this one's for you!

Rating:

If this was marketed as a deleted scene or a bonus scene from a special edition, I wouldn't have batted an eye and it probably would have gotten five stars since it's a rather interesting scene, but since it was marketed as a short story, and there isn't all that much story here, I had to knock off a star.

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Length: 11 pages

Source: Free E-Book

The city of Rey is burning. With smoke billowing, fires blazing and his people fleeing, Khalid races back to defend his city, and protect his queen. But Khalid is too late to do either. He and his men arrive to find the city in ruins, nothing but a maze of destruction, and Shahrzad is gone. But who could have wrought such devastation? Khalid fears he may already know the answer, the price of choosing love over the people of Rey all too evident.

    

Review:

Did you ever want to know the reason Khalid didn't saddle up his horse and ride out after Shazi at the end of TWATD? Well, this is the deleted scene for you. I'm sorry, but I refuse to call it a short story. This scene shows Khalid learning of his city on fire and racing to find the people he loves among the chaos of the city. All in all, it was an interesting chapter, showing some of what happened in Rey after Shazi left, but like the other extra stories in this world, it doesn't add any necessary details.

Rating:

Much like with The Crown and the Arrow, this would have probably gotten five stars if marketed correctly. I mean, it is a free deleted scene which is great, since it's extremely short. I did really enjoy this scene as I do feel it fills out the story a bit.