Customer Reviews

Fall of a Kingdom (Farsala Trilogy)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Fall of a Kingdom
By: Hilari Bell


*Main Characters - There are three main characters in Fall of a Kingdom, Jiaan, Kavi, and Soraya. Jiaan is a nineteen-year-old boy that has brown, curly hair and brown eyes. He is loyal to his country, Farsala, and is the Chief Commander Merhab's assistant. Kavi is a sixteen-year-old with brown hair and eyes also. He has a hurt right hand and makes a living as a peddler on the road. Soraya is a fifteen-year-old with black hair and brown eyes. She is Commander Merhab's daughter and is usually very spoiled.

*Plot - The land of Farsala is preparing for an attack from the mighty Hrum. But while this is happening, the Farsalan high priests demand a sacrifice of Commander Merhab's daughter, Soraya. Soraya is exscorted out into the mountains and left alone, but there are still Farsalan spies watching her. The Commander sends Jiaan, his son and assistant, to rescue her and hide her.
Once the high priests believed that Soraya was sacrificed, Farsala begins to practice their charge for their battle with the Hrum. But the Hrum have spies that inform them of Farsala's plans. So the Hrum construct lances to kill the charge, then they will try to defeat the Farsalans with their mighty infantry and stronger swords. The fate of Farsala lies in the hands of its leaders' wisdom.

*Setting - The setting is in the land of Farsala. Farsala is a country with deserts, forests, and high mountains. Fall of a Kingdom takes place in what would be medieval times.

*Theme - The theme in the book is "Never Give Up". There are a couple of things that show this. After Farsala is beaten and Jiaan has nothing left, he still gathers up what resources his country has and plans to attack the Hrum. The second example is when Soraya hears that her father is dead, she embarks on a long journey to save her mother and brother from the Hrum. The last example is when Kavi sees the Farsalan slaves, he tries to figure out a way to free them even though he could get killed.

*What I Think - I think this was a five-star book. It contained action, some mystery, politics and military tactics. You could follow the book easily, but it still had you guessing. If you are into fantasy or war, or you're just looking for a good book, this is something you'll want to read.

Probably the best thing that this book did for me is to make me read the sequel. I applaud the way this book is structured because it set the stage for a fast paced, truly inspiring sequel. That being said, on it's own this book is choppy and very puzzling. You must understand that if the sequel had not answered my questions and filled out the characters a bit, this would be a very different review. Kavi is very dislikable, and Jiaan is a goody-two-shoes, but they both evolve in the next book (Thankfully so does Soraya). My advice for all the people reading this book: purchase a copy of the next book and read them together. You will see the reason I am giving this 5 stars.

I had some trouble getting in to this book. I was not particularly thrilled with the main female lead, Soraya. I got the point that she was rich, stuck up, mean, self centered, snob. I did not need to be beaten over the head with this fact.

I'm glad I got over that, because setting Soraya aside for this first book, and the fact that most of the male names and other made up names sound awful (Seriously, if the djinn are gods, why make up a name for them like djinn? Or ghan, deghan, and deghass for the ruling hierarchy?) I really enjoyed this book. It is fast paced, and easy to read. Yet the characters are still vivid, and the plot is not simple or dull, once you get past the initial set up.

I have been a bit disappointed so far with the trilogy (I'm on book two) with the way it incorporates magic. About halfway through the first book, I'm flipping to the back cover going, "it DID say it had magic, didn't it?" I mean, if there's no magical element, what makes it fantasy? It does eventually get to it, but it is never a big part of the first book, and I get the impression it never will be a focus point.

So why a five star if I had some disappointments? Well, anything that I can read for three hours and look up at the clock and go "Holy crap! When did that happen?!" is a five star book in my opinion. So I highly recommend this book to anyone who is not obsessed with showy, unnecessary, grandiose, pompous language and plot, and just enjoys an interesting, fun, captivating, easy read.

this is the best book i have and ever will read. the book is full of action once i got far enough i could NOT put the book down. if you like spying, adventure, history, medievil times, and action this is the book for you. what one character does effects the other characters (exept soraya.)

im 14 and i love fantasy. i usually read urban fantasy. i was at the book store and picked up this bookrandomly. i decided to go out of the box and read it. i would have to sat it was a bit slow but the bookwas beautily written. it is hard to come across a good medevil YA book. this had a unique plot and great strong realistic characters. this is a great toliken stle book that irecomend to all fantasy loving teens.

This trilogy came highly recommended by Tamora Pierce, who is one of my all-time favorite authors, and my brother, who I almost always listen to in the area of books. Tamora Pierce has listed this book on one of her recommended reading lists (and yes, I do stalk those when I'm bored). I was a little hesitant when I read the excerpt because, while I do love fantasy, I don't always enjoy worlds where the author makes up half of the worlds and the culture is just so out there. With all the 'Time's Wheel turning...' and Sorahb business, it raised some eyebrows for me. But I'm glad I decided to go ahead and read this anyway; I was pleasantly surprised. Fall of a Kingdom takes place in the land of Farsala, where the people have more or less prospered in their flawed system for many years. An ancient tale tells that when the land is in danger, an old hero will be reborn to save it. The people have not needed this hero, and the story had become more of a myth than fact. But then comes talk of a new enemy, the Hrum, who have been sweeping through other countries and quickly destroying them. The Hrum are just and fair, giving the common people the same rights as anyone else. The current ruling class in Farsala, the deghans, are the complete opposite. They take what they can, anyway they can, and spit on the peasants who work for them.

The story switches between the stories of Jiaan- the illegitimate child of deghan who is treated like a peasant, Kavi-a traveling tradesman who finds himself helping the Hrum and the deghans, and Soraya- a young noble woman with enough spirit to take on the whole Hrum army herself. The characters are so well done that I think they may have been my favorite part of this whole book. They are not static or flat in anyway. I could see their motivations, insecurities, and flaws which were very believable. Jiaan I connected with quickly; the only thing he wants is to be accepted by his father, to be shown a hint of pride or emotion from him. He follows his father everywhere like a poor little puppy, begging for affection. He definately touched my heartstrings. Soraya was the fiery deghass, who didn't make excuses for herself and did what she had to do to survive. Her perspective of the story is always filled with peasant-hating comments that made her more realistic, as we are told throughout the whole story that deghans are stuck-up jerks. I was thrown back in forth between hating and loving her, which is where I think I was supposed to be. I may have I ended up loving her the most by the end of the first book, and I'm not even done with the series! Her story shows the promise of growth, which is very exciting. Kavi was complex as well because he wants the best for the common people, the everyday people like him, and he is constantly torn between who would be better as caretakers for them: the Hrum or deghans. He is a simple man, who doesn't know much about politics, and like most peasants is kept in the dark about such things. His hesistation about what was the right thing made me confused about what the right thing to do was as well. There is no clear cut choice between the Hrum and the deghans.

The beginning dragged a little. The action to a while took awhile to completely set itself up. We have a faux-kidnapping, but it wasn't that exciting. Also, there is no dictionary to explain the words, and the reader is just thrust into this world without any explanation. I was extrememly confused when I started reading as to what a 'djinn' was and who ranked higher, a gahn or a deghan/deghass. Eventually that all worked itself out, and from then on the story flowed well. The action was tense and exciting, with just the right amount of pause when the perspective was switched. It didn't feel choppy to have three different main characters.

If you're looking for another great trilogy to read, this is it. It's clean, doesn't slow down, and has great characters. A must read.

This book starts off slow as the characters develop, but as the plot unfolds it really pulls you in especially at the point of the Hrum invasion forward. This book is a must before the second book "Rise of a Hero", which I couldn't put down. I also enjoyed the back story of their religion/history concerning who Sorahb was.

This was a really good book! I think its best attribute is that the good and bad sides are not necessarily black and white. In most books (especially for young adults) the protagonist is the good guy and his enemy is the bad guy, and there is no in-between. But in Flame, you get to know characters on both sides of the struggle. You get to see why they chose the side they did, and you realize that the people in this book are doing what they think is best - best for their country, best for their families, and best for their honor. Really a multi-dimensional work. Can't wait for the sequal!

I have to admit that I am a fan of fantasy books that take place in desert settings. I've yet to read one that I don't like, and Fall of a Kingdom is no exception. The book is decent, but I had some issues with it. First, the characters. Soraya is basically a spoiled daddy's girl, until she strikes out on her own and one event makes her completely change. I found her transformation sudden and a bit unbelievable. Jiaan, the illegitamate son of a king is treated very well for his position and is probably the strongest character in the book. He has flaws, but he is honorable in general, and that makes him the most complex character in the story. Kavi, much like Soraya, completely changes his personality after one small incident. Again, unrealistic, sudden, and strange. My complaint is that the characters are flat, driven by actions, and don't seem to have any complexity. I understand that this book is intended for young readers, but that is not an excuse to not have strong, multifaceted, realistic characters. My second issue is the kingdom of Farsala itself. It really seems like the invading empire would be a much better place than Farsala. I liked, and sympathized with, the invading army much more than the home team. I don't know if the author wanted this to happen, but since our main characters are fighting for their homeland, I really think we are supposed to side with them. Not agreeing with the main characters will pose a big problem for me if I continue the series, but for now it's just a minor issue. My third issue was the pace. For being a fairly simple and straightforward book, sections of Fall of a Kingdom are very tedious and slow moving. I can understand, forgive, and even enjoy slow moving passages in a deep, well thought out, complex novel, but not here.

On the other hand, there were things I enjoyed about Fall of a Kingdom. I feel that the kingdoms were well thought out and portrayed. I understood why the noble class acted the way they did, and I understood the leaders' actions. Soraya's transformation and training was interesting and enjoyable as well. The book served it's purpose as an introduction, even if the ending felt a bit rushed. I wouldn't mind continuing the series, and that is a good outcome for a first book in a trilogy. Hopefully the second book isn't slow, as many middle books in trilogies are. If the characters grow and become less shallow, then this series could be very good indeed.