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The sixth and final installment of Morgan Rhodes’ Falling Kingdoms series “Immortal Reign” was recently released and has been an anticipated read for many fans of the high fantasy series.

But considering it the final book of a series, did it live up to the excitement? Was it a satisfying conclusion?

The Falling Kingdoms series follows the characters Cleo, Magnus, Lucia and Jonas of three separate kingdoms along with memorable side characters as they face a vicious power struggle that quickly escalates to war.

With the threat of the destruction of the world looming overhead and causing the four young people to collide against each other, an ancient magic called elementia appears that could potentially topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.

The fifth novel “Crystal Storm” left off with a painful cliffhanger, leaving heavy anticipation for the final book “Immortal Reign.” The novel was full of action, high-stakes situations and great interactions between characters.

However, although it was an entertaining and overall good read, it felt lacking in a few areas for a conclusion to a story.

This series is frequently described as a less intense and less graphic similarity to “Game of Thrones,” but throughout the series there are many deaths, including popular and relevant characters.

However, even though this novel was the final installment, it only contained one major death. Other deaths were of smaller characters. The stakes were high and there was a lot of danger to the initial conflict of the book, but there weren’t any major deaths as was expected.

Although a happy ending with everyone alive and thriving is pleasant, it felt a bit less realistic (even though the whole series is fantasy).

Another unexpected aspect of the novel was the hinted romance between two characters who have only known each other for two books. It’s not uncommon or any less realistic for characters to develop feelings for each other within a book or two, but other relationships in the series seem to have developed longer and slower.

The two characters hinted to get together in the end just didn’t ever seem like a possibility, considering one had lost a loved one in the previous books and there was a constant switch of POV.

Perhaps there just weren’t many moments between the two to make the hinted romance run casually and smoothly. It felt a bit forced to put them together.

Despite the slight feeling of something lacking, “Immortal Reign” was a pleasing and enjoyable conclusion to a fun fantasy series. The Falling Kingdoms series exhibits forgiveness, second chances, sacrifice, betrayal, great developments of romance and friendships, diversity and responsibility.

It is full of entertaining characters who develop and grow throughout the series, shaping from the brutal realities around them and learning to move on to try to build a better future.

The series may seem long to some, with its six novels, but it is fast-paced and full of numerous adventures and snarky, strong characters. If you’re ever in need of a fun series full of magic, romance, friendship and diversity, the Falling Kingdoms series is a good choice.