Book Review: The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May

Synopsis:

She’s on borrowed time…and she has only one chance to set things right.

Find life.

Deep in a forest, Aileana Kameron claws her way out of the earth. Back from the dead with no memory of who she is or what has happened to her, the Falconer now possesses even greater otherworldly powers and a ruthless instinct to kill—and the one piece of knowledge that can change everything.

Find Kiaran.

Two fae monarchs, Aithinne and Kadamach, stand on the brink of war, and according to an ancient curse, one must die at the hand of the other or all the worlds will perish. Once, Kadamach was known as Kiaran, and he was mentor, protector, and lover to Aileana. Now, under the grip of the curse, his better nature seems lost forever.

Find the book.

Aileana’s only hope lies in the legendary Book of Remembrance, a book of spells so powerful that it can break the fae curse and even turn back time. But the book has been lost for centuries, and many are looking for it, including its creator, the Morrigan—a faery of terrifying malevolence and cruelty.

Sacrifice everything.

To obtain the book and defeat the Morrigan, Aileana must form an unthinkable alliance, one that challenges every vow she has made to herself—even as the powers that brought her to life are slowly but surely killing her.

Pretty much everything. I loved this series from start to finish, though I felt the second and third book were far stronger than the first. I adore Kiaran and Aileana’s relationship (although we did veer a teensy bit into Twilight territory with Kiaran feeding on Aileana at one point), and I was so glad they were together for a majority of this book. I liked seeing Kiaran fighting with his Unseelie side, since usually the Unseelie court is associated with cruelty/evil/nefarious etc. I also loved seeing his relationship with Aithinne, rocky and strained as it was. The addition of Sorcha’s back story was awesome, even though I still don’t like her. It was nice to see how she ended up the way she was, and what her obsession with Kiaran was all about.

Aileana, Kiaran, Aithinne, and Sorcha going after the Morrigan was a wild ride, and honestly, I never wanted this book to end. We got loads of romance, tons of action, fighting, and magic. The fact that Aileana was scarred from the second book also added a nice layer. She’s not a helpless damsel in distress, but she struggled. But then again, who in this book didn’t struggle? I think that’s part of what made it so great. The entire cast had to go through hell and it was interesting and exciting (and heartbreaking) to see who made it back alive.

Honestly, pretty much nothing. All hail Elizabeth May! This series ended in a beautiful place here, but I would read another sequel.