What happened in Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes - Recaptains

The basics

Title: Frozen Tides

Author: Morgan Rhodes

Series: Falling Kingdoms #4

- Falling Kingdoms (2012)
- Rebel Spring (2013)
- Gathering Darkness (2014)
- Frozen Tides (2015)
- Crystal Storm (2016)
- Immortal Reign (2017)

Add it: Goodreads

Goodreads Summary:

Rebels, royals, and monsters wage war over the Mytican throne in the shocking fourth book of the Falling Kingdoms series, from New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes.

CLEO: Reeling after a bloody showdown in Limeros ending with Amara’s abduction of the water crystal, and a vacancy in the Mytican throne, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a Queen.

MAGNUS: With the kingdom in chaos, Princess Lucia still missing and quite possibly in danger, and a shocking realization about Cleo, the steely prince is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he’s strong enough to rule his people.

LUCIA: The young sorcercess has had her vengeance after the cruel death of her first and only love. Heartbroken and unable to trust anyone, she allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.

JONAS: After escaping death by the skin of his teeth, the defeated rebel—along with a mysterious stranger–leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to find himself a mere pawn in a dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.

KING GAIUS: Abandoned by Melenia and betrayed by his own children, Gaius flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.

Read a full summary of Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes below. If you can’t remember what happened in Frozen Tides and you need a refresher, then you’re in the right place.

This recap of Frozen Tides was written by White Rabbit

in short

Princess Amara has set sail for the Krashian empire, with the Water Kindred. Felix, King Gauis, and Milo set sail for Krashian to speak with the emperor. Jonas after being near dead is healed by Olivia who agrees to join his rebel group. Lucia and Kyan are in search of a wheel to the sanctuary to kill Timotheus. Timotheus tries to convince Lucia not to help Kyan. Jonas, Cleo, and Magnus all agree to an alliance. Jonas then gives Cleo the Earth Kindred in secret, Jonas tries to find a way to use the Kindred’s power. Lucia and Kyan run into Jonas on his journey and Kyan recognizes Olivia as a watcher and ends up killing Lysandra. In Krashian, Amara and her grandmother are plotting against the emperor. King Gaius proposes that he and the emperor can share their kingdoms and the Kindred, the emperor agrees but King Gaius must marry Amara now. After married Amara kills her father and brothers. Felix joins a rebel alliance, Jonas and Nic are sent to Krashian to help Felix. King Gaius, Amara and a fleet of Guards arrive in Mytica and kidnap Cleo. Cleo escapes and finds Magnus where they finally share their love for one another, but are found by the King Gaius. Gaius tries to kill Magnus and Cleo but falls off a cliff instead. Lucia and Kyan have a falling out, despite Lucia being pregnant and having her powers weakened she is able to defeat Kyan. Jonas and Nic are setting sail to Mytica when they are meet by a very alive Prince Ashur on the ship.

what happened in Frozen Tides?

• Prologue- A flashback of King Gaius and his mother telling him the stories of the Kindred and how he is destined to find them and rule the world.
• Amara is on her way to Krashian with the Water Kindred.
• Magnus, Cleo and Nic make it to the Limeroian castle where Magnus finds Kurtis, a rival of his since boyhood and Grand Kingsliege of Limeros, seated upon his throne. Kurtis refused to give up the throne until Magnus had him removed by guards and set before him to beg for his life.
• Jonas’s wound had gotten much worse and he was unconscious for a period of time. Galyn had tried to help by putting healing mud on the wound.
• Nerissa left a message stating that King Gaius is preparing a ship to leave very soon but does not know where to. Jonas and Lys made a plan to go in disguise to the dock to try and kill the king.
• Cleo and Kurtis had struck up a conversation about her late sister Emilia and how they were in a archery competition before and she had won. Cleo then brought up the idea that she would take archery and Kurtis would be her teacher, he agreed happily.
• After, Cleo sought out Magnus to talk about what had happened at Lady Sophia’s and to send for Nerissa. Magnus and Cleo both still hide their true feelings from each other, saying it was all just foolishness and they were in the moment.
• In Paelsia, Lucia and Kyan were bonding over their hatred for watchers. Kyan told Lucia about Timotheus being the last immortal that can imprison him again and keep his fellow siblings locked away.
• Kyna shared with Lucia how to pray the truth out of people by using her an obedience spell to gather information about the stone wheels.
• While in Auranos, Felix had made it into the castle, but Lord Gareth ordered guards to put him in chains and take him to the dungeon. Felix bargained with the lord telling him he possessed the Sky kindred and must give it to the king.
• The king wanted answer for his lengthy silence and for rescuing rebels. Felix explains about he trying to earn their trust to learn their secrets, and that now he was totally loyal to the Corba clan and the king. He then offered him the kindred.
• Felix was forced to fight Aeson, a fellow member of Cobra turned bad, to pass a test of worth for the king. Aeson was given a sword, but Felix was to use pure skill.
• Aeson had decided to abandon the fight and instead turn to take out the king. He killed the guards in his way and Felix took the sword from their lifeless body and plunged it into Aeson.
• The King was pleased with his decision. He then told Felix about his important journey to Krashian and that Felix would be his bodyguard for the trip.
• Meanwhile, Amara had arrived in Krashian and was greeted by Mikah, a place guard who was sold to her father by his family and who she had grown up with.
• The emperor questioned her about the king and what she had told him.She responded they discussed nothing of importance.
• The emperor grew harsh and asked her why the king was on his way to his empire. The emperor loathed her existence and told her that he wished the drowning would have worked.
• Once in her room Amara found great happiness to find Neela, her grandmother, waiting for her. Amara told her grandmother that she was right Ashur did deceive her when given the chance.
• Amara had to know the truth why she survived the ritual drowning.
• Amara’s mother had known about the drowning and went to a powerful apothecary. She asked for a potion of resurrection and used it on Amara, but she had to give her life in return.
• Her Grandmother told her she had visited there recently to find out that Ashur had also been there recently but not sure why.
• Jonas had made it to Auranaos and was waiting at the dock for the king to show. Him and Lysandra had split up to try and find more information about where he was headed.
• Bruno, Gayln’s father, had spotted Jonas and informs him the king is already gone and that his shoulder was rotting away and he would die soon. Unless he found a good Earth magic Witch.
• Once Lysandra had found out Jonas needed a healer she forced him to find one by confessing her love for him, but Jonas insisted that after they would go to Limeros kill the prince and rescue Cleo.
• Jonas and Lysandra were found by a healer that was able to fully restore Jonas’ arm, and join the rebel group.
• Magnus was sitting in on the council meeting reviewing the financial consequences of the war. When Cleo entered the meeting which the rest of the council thought a woman on a council was preposterous, but this had been Kurtis’ plan when he told her to come.
• Cleo told them the answer to their problem was wine. They needed to hire workers to help produce wine in Paelsia and then import and export the wine to create a large inflow of money.
• Cleo’s archery lessons were less of her skill improving but more of Kurtis telling her everything he thought to be wrong with Magnus on the throne.
• Cleo confided in Nic when she thought she was falling in love with the prince. He helped her see that he was a monster and not to trust him, but Magnus had heard.
• Lucia had walked upon the three of them in the courtyard. She had tried to play nice with Magnus to get the information of where the wheel was by fixing his broken arm, and insisting that she truly loved him.
• Lucia took to another method when it failed she used her power to draw the truth out painfully.
• Once at the wheel Kyan sensed no magic Timotheus had already closed it.
• After getting truth from Cleo about the Water Kindred, Magnus had tried to fight Kyan and failed. That was when Kyan had sent his fire up Magnus’ legs. Lucia grew panicked and set Magnus free, after telling Kyan he was off limits.
• Jonas and the group made it to Limeros. Then Jonas, Cleo, and Magnus agreed to a three way alliance so they would each get their own kingdoms back.
• Jonas then gives Cleo the Earth Kindred. Cleo tells Jonas she needs to find a way to access its power and an exiled watcher would know how.
• Jonas, his group, and Nic set out in the end of night to find an exiled watcher in Paelsia.
• Lucia and Kyan had found four wheels by now but still none held any magic.
• Timotheus reaches Lucia in her dream and warns her about Kyan misleading her and that he can see visions of the future.
• Back in Krashian the king had arrived promising emperor that if he dared try to get near his kingdom his sorceress daughter would annihilate them all and that he possessed all four of the Kindred.
• The king proposed a deal that is they shared the Krashian and Mytica, the king would share the Kindred and their power. While waiting for the emperor to respond Felix had been warming Amara’s bed.
• Lucia and Jonas crossed paths while they were both in Paelsia. Once Jonas’ friends had gathered around him and Lysandra had a bow pointed at Lucia’s face, she took action and turned her bow to dust.
• Kyan soon arrived and noticed Olivia and exposed her for the Watcher that she was. Once the group was circled by flames of rage, Jonas turned to Olivia to ask for help but she had none to give. She transformed and flew away.
• Kyan shot a flaming arrow of rage at Jonas. Lysandra acted faster and pushed him out of the way but took the blow instead. Jonas held her as her breathing got heavier. Lucia told Nic to grab Jonas and leave she did not mean for this to happen.
• Lysandra’s last words before she began screaming in agony and then shattered into blue glass of light, were I love you to Jonas. He knew then she was the one for him, but it was too late.
• Felix had ran into Mikah and Taran, another member of Cobra gone rogue, while he was checking on the ship to make sure it was ready if they ever needed to make a quick getaway.
• Mikah is a rebel and convenience Felix to join them but first he had to get word to Magnus.
• Once Jonas and Nic had returned Magnus had sent them to the dungeon to question why his new allies had left without notice. Nic claimed they had been in search of a present for Cleo’s birthday.
• Magnus asked where the others were, but got no reply from Jonas. Nic told him how she had been killed. Magnus gave his condolences but reminded Jonas he still had a mission to do.
• Once in the throne room Magnus had received the letter from Felix that told his father had offered Mytica and the Kindred to the emperor as if they were nothing. Attached inside the envelope was a piece of forearm skin with the cobra clan tattoo marked on it.
• Magnus decided to send Jonas to meet Felix in Krashian to help, but Nic had his own vengeance in mind as he said he would accompany him.
• After much thought the emperor accepted the terms and the deal was final but the king must now marry Amara to keep the empire in the emperor’s bloodline.
• Once married Amara said she would fetch some Paelsian wine she stored in her room.
• The emperor, Amara’s two brothers and her drank the wine as a toast to the marriage, but Amara spit hers back into her cup just as her father and brothers poison set in.
  Amara announced that rebels had snuck in and killed her family.
• Amara had sought out Felix even though he thought they should not continue their private meetings due to the marriage. But she took him to the main hall and ordered his arrest for being a rebel.
• She had no claim to this she was just starting to fall in love with Felix and Grandmother had always said love is weakness so she had to get rid of it. The king no longer had use for him so he did not care.
• Once Jonas and Nic had arrived in Krashian they did not see Felix but instead were met by Mikah who informed them that Felix was in the dungeon and probably executed by now, but Jonas had hope.
• Jonas went to talk to Olivia who tried to apologize for not helping. Timotheus had sent her to watch over Jonas for he had visions of him.
• Jonas had refused her and said he would do nothing more unless she agreed to not only watch him but his friends. She hated it but she agreed to his terms. Still Jonas did not forgive her for Lysandra’s death.
• Felix had been tortured so bad his back from the whipping was nothing but raw meat, one of his eyes lay on the floor staring at him. The guard who love hear his screams had to step away for a minute.
• Just when he returned and Felix was begging for the end to be near. He felt the whole ground shake and the ceiling started to fall. The clash of metal was heard and when all seem quite and he thought he had been forgotten.
• Jonas was at the door carrying him out of the dungeon and into the light of life again. Felix had to ask many times if this was real and that he was sorry for what he did.
  Olivia was able to heal all the wounds and they did not even scare. Yet his eye would never return.
• Felix informed them about the new Empress of Krashian and her husband King Gaius along with a fleet of guards had already set sail for Limeros and would be arriving soon
• Jonas told Olivia to fly as fast as she could to deliver the news to Magnus.
• Lucia had been growing annoyed with Kyans behavior and had started having more fights. After Kyan had killed and tortured every mortal he came across. Lucia need space so she went on without and told him to find her later.
• That night Lucia was once again pulled in a dream by Timotheus, who told her about Eva and how she never gave up even at her weakest and how Lucia could not even hold a candle to her power.
• Lucia asked if she was so powerful how could she be defeated. He told her about when she fell in and with a mortal she was also pregnant with a half-mortal child which weakened her power. Melenia took notice and decided that was when she would attack.
• Lucia awoke from her dream feeling sick as she had for the past couple of day in the morning. She ran to the bathroom just in time and waited on the floor of the second wave of vomit to come up.
• That was when Lucia thought about it. She was Pregnant, with Alexius baby, a half mortal half watcher child.
• Cleo went to her room to find Magnus had found the Earth Kindred. When she went to see him see seen the letter Olivia had delivered. Magnus becomes enraged and blames Cleo for all his misjudgments.
• He throws the Earth Kindred thinking to break it but is causes a massive earthquake and cracks the floor. Then forces Cleo away.
• While at sea Amara keeps having visions of her brother Ashur. She also tries to hint at the king he should end Magnus.
• The king says he will do as his mother did. Once the king was in love with a free spirited girl, but love is weakness. His mother told him to forget her or she would kill her.
  She moved on and found another man to love and marry and bare children to.
• Magnus went to a bar to drink away his worries. When he returned to the castle he heard Cleo give a speech telling the truth about their forced marriage.
• She made a point that Magnus is kind and caring and would be a great king. The people cheered Magnus’ name to be king.
• The Krashian guards started to round up people and force them to surrender or die.
• Magnus seen he was wrong about Cleo and he had to find her before they did.
• He comes across Kurtis who grabs and slaps Cleo. He then tells a guard to knock her out and take her away.
• Before Magnus can reach her a guard attacks him but Magnus is able to get free, kill him and take his sword.
• Kurtis tells Magnus the king wanted Cleo to kill her finally. Magnus cuts off the hand Kurtis slapped Cleo with before he could finish killing him. Krashian guards had distracted him and Kurtis got away.
• Magnus come to realize he loved Cleo and he had to find her no matter what before it was too late.
• Meanwhile Lucia was still hiding it from Kyan that she was pregnant and they found Sera, the granddaughter of the exiled watcher from the first book, who told them about the forbidden mountains.
• Kyan and Lucia headed toward the forbidden mountains.
  When Cleo finally awakes she is in a room she does not know with a locked door and one window. Then she is visited by Amara who says if Cleo joins her side then she will spare her life.
• Cleo knocks out Amara and see a trellis out the window and climbs down. Once down she knows out a guard takes his cloak, bow, arrows and ran.
• Magnus was trying to get to Cleo as fast as he could. He stole a horse but the horse bucked him off in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night.
• Magnus managed to make it to a patch of woods and spotted a cottage. He went inside to find it empty. He went to gather firewood and noticed the dead body of a guard with an arrow through his throat.
• Magnus goes back to the cottage opens the door and is attacked by a cloaked figure. He fights away the weapon and pulls the hood back to find Cleo.
• Once claimed down Magnus tells her how sorry he was for always being so cruel and mean to her. He admits that he does in fact love her and begs for her forgiveness.
• Cleo kissed him and he kissed back. Then she started to take off his cloak. Magnus admitted Cleo was his light. His goddess and tonight he would worship her.
• Once at the Forbidden Mountains Kyan melts the wheel they find to reveal a monolith. He tell Lucia his true plan to burn the world start a new one where he rules then free his fellow Kindred.
• Lucis regrets not listening to Timotheus and says she will not help him. Kyan shows her his true form and attacks Lucia.
• Eva’s ring protects her and cast the fire back to Kyan and she thinks it destroys him.
• When Lucia woke in a beautiful green grass field and in the distance she seen a city of pure white beauty. She was in the sanctuary
• When Cleo woke to Magnus sleeping beside her she was filled with joy until he woke and she noticed it was day and they had slept all night without putting any ground between them and the king.
• They would head to the docks and sail to Auranos where Cleo would get Lords still loyal to her father to help them, but the king was waiting at the door.
• The king took them to a cliff and told Magnus to kill Cleo or he would. Magnus said he would do it but then he turned on his father.
• Once Magnus was laying on the ground with a sword at this throat, Cleo pulled out the Earth Kindred and told the king she would throw it if he touched them.
• The king told them that he knew who to unlock their power for his mother was a witch and told him all the secrets.
• The king tells them the secret to unlocking the Kindred is Lucia’s blood and the blood of an immortal.
• He walked toward her and agreed to let them go if she gave it to him. Cleo threw it off the cliff, as the king started to walk toward her, the earthquake hit.
• The king fell off the cliff and as Cleo was about to fall as well Magnus grabbed her and pulled her to safety
• The guards, Magnus, and Cleo went to see if the king had survived the fall. He did and when he grabbed Cleo he looked at her and confused her for his lost love Elena and told her how sorry he was.
• Magnus was questioning who Elena was, when Cleo revealed the Elena was her dead mother.
• Jonas, Felix, and Nic were about to set sail for Mytica. They were being seen off by Mikah who said Taran Ranus waited to meet them.
• Nic noticed his face and pointed out that his twin brother was Theon. Taran said that he wanted to see them again someday soon.
• Nic broke the new that his father died due to an accident, but Theon was murdered by prince Magnus himself. Taran said he had to go with them to avenge his brother’s death.
  Mikah told him he understood so Taran went to get some belongings for the trip.
• Nic and Jonas were conversing about why Nic had told him that. When his gaze drifted beyond him in a state of shock.
• Jonas followed his gaze to see a tall Krashian with shoulder-length hair tied back. When asked who he was. Nic told him.
• That is Prince Ashur Cortas.

how did Frozen Tides end?

In the end Lucia learns that after Timotheus is death Kyans true plan to burn the entire world and start a new one, a perfect one where he would be the ruler. Then he would free his siblings from their cages. Lucia regrets not believing Timotheus warnings about helping Kyan and how he was evil. Lucia told him she would not help him any longer. Kyan became enraged and showed her his true form, he attacked Lucia by blasting her with fire but Eva’s ring protected her and her unborn child from the blast of fire and sent it back at Kyan. He disappeared into a million pieces of blasting bright light. When Lucia woke she was in the Sanctuary. Meanwhile the King had Cleo on her knees at the side of a cliff and told Magnus he had to kill her, did not matter how he did it, but he had to in order to be pardoned. Magnus agreed that he would do it and took the sword. Then Magnus turned to his father, but he was ready with a blade of his own. The king got the upper hand and Magnus’ was laying on his back with a blade to his throat, when Cleo pulled out the Earth Kindred and said she would throw it off the cliff to the frozen waterfall if he touched them. The King then told them that he could harness their power and use it for his mother was a witch and told him everything. The king told them the key was blood, Lucia’s and an Immortals. When he got close to Cleo and the edge she threw the Kindred down the cliff. The king turned to kill her, but then the earth shook and the crack ran up the side of the cliff and the ground below them broke. The king fell to the bottom of the cliff, Cleo was about to do the same but Magnus grabbed her. When they all went down to check on the king there was already a pull of blood. Cleo bent down to check his pulse but the king hand grabbed her and he looked at her and told Elena that he was sorry for everything he had done to her then let go. Magnus then checked the pulse to find the king was still alive. Magnus started to question who Elena was when Cleo said it was her dead mother. The guards then turned to Magnus for orders due to the kings dying state, they claimed they only took order from him not Amara. They then had a war plan. Back in Krashian Jonas, Felix, and Nic were waiting to see Taran who wanted to see them off along with Mikah. Nic noticed his face and pointed out his family name is Ranus. He told them it was and Theon was his twin brother and how he wanted to see his family again. Nic informed him that the king had murdered Theon and his father died to an accident. Taran said he must come with them to avenge his brothers death, then left to gather his things. Jonas was questioning Nic about why he told him the prince was responsible, when he noticed Nic gaze float past him and a look of shock on his face. He then seen a tall Krashian man with shoulder length hair tied back. When he asked Nic who the man was, Nic told him that it was none other than prince Ashur Cortas.

anything else

Elementia: the magic of the elements (air, earth, fire, and water)

The Kindred: four stones containing the essence of elementia and able to grant the owner great power

Watchers: immortal beings who live in another realm called The Sanctuary and can enter the dreams of mortals or travel to the mortal world in the form of a hawk

Krashian women- they were seen as nothing more than a pretty plaything, they held no value.

Ritual Drowning- If your wife bares you an unwanted daughter you have one chance to drown the child if it is successful then you rid yourself of her if it fails you can no longer attempt to take her life or it will anger the gods.

Kingdoms of Mytica- Paelsia, Limeros, Auranos

Krashian- is a Kingdom across the Silver Sea

This is a full plot summary of what happened in Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes. Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us

Other recaps for this series:

• Crystal Storm (Falling Kingdoms #5)
• Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)
• Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2)
• Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)