Title: A Kingdom Falls
Series: The Ravenmaster Trilogy #3
Author: John Owen Theobald
Genre: Historical Fiction Young Adult
Published: November 1st 2017
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Page count: 368 pages
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Page count: 368 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: From the author in exchange of an honest review
Book Summary:
London, 1944. War is raging across Europe and Hitler’s terrifying secret weapons, V2 rockets, transform life into a nightmare. After her mother was killed in an air raid, Anna Cooper was sent to live with her uncle, the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. Now he too is dead, and Anna must seek help from her estranged father to discover her only chance of fighting back. Commandeering a Spitfire, Anna leads a crew of fearless pilots to intercept the deadly rockets. But Hitler has one final secret weapon, against which there is no defense. At the eve of a devastating war, Anna must confront the ghosts of her past and do what she can to survive in a world forever changed.
*The Chef’s Review*
Actual rating: 5/5 stars
I am pleased to announce that I have finished reading The Ravenmaster Trilogy and I loved it! I have to say that I feel a sense of accomplishment because it has been a long while since I’ve been able to finish a series. I have waited for this book for about a year and it was worth it!
This is a quick summary of my own. In this third and final book of The Ravenmaster Trilogy, WWII is still in full force and everyone is working hard to end it. Anna Cooper, the heroine of this story who is an ATA woman pilot, starts this book with the knowledge that V2 Rockets are a threat to her country. She is determined to bring that information to attention to the right authorities and help end the war as soon as possible. She doesn’t have much luck, but Anna (with the help of some friends) will do anything in her power to stop them. Meanwhile, Timothy Squire, Anna’s friend and love interest, is fighting his own battle and struggling to survive the war.
Aaaah! I am so satisfied with how the story developed and came to an end. We get to see how Anna and all of her acquaintances change their way of thinking and adjust to all the changes that are taking place in their society. Most of the characters were already introduced throughout the series, but in A Kingdom Falls, I felt like everyone finally understood the seriousness of the situation and they started to act upon it.
I really enjoyed reading the multiple points of view, it was something that the other two books didn’t have much, but in this third one, almost every chapter changed POV between Anna, Timothy and a few other characters. There were some parts in the story where some of the characters were having a conversation and the chapter changed along with the POV. I thought that was very fun and dynamic because each character was narrating their thoughts and emotions.
Another thing that stood out to me was that even though the situation in which the characters were living was grave, there were still bits of humor that relieved the tension of the story. I specially enjoyed reading about Timothy Squire’s point of view, his thoughts were the most fun to me. Also, Anna Cooper’s friends from ATA (women pilots), were always an entertaining group to hang around with, Bella and Joy in particular.
Final Verdict:
A Kingdom Falls is a gripping historical young adult book full of WWII action, friendship, hard decisions, strong female characters and with a slight touch of humor that will leave you pleased with the outcome of the story. It is one of my favorite historical fiction books that I’ve read so far and I would happily recommend to all readers that like this genre.
Happy reading! — The Chef
