The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen [Review]

5 out of 5 Robots!

 

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Series: The Ascendance Trilogy #1  
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release: April 1, 2012

Hardcover: 342 Pages

Publisher: Scholastic Books

My Copy: Purchased

Reviewer: Shannon

Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:
THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats. (Courtesy of the Publisher)

 
Shannon's Thoughts:

Oh my gosh!  By the end of first chapter, I knew I liked the book.  But by the end of the book I was completely in love with it!  The hard part though, is writing a review without giving everything away! This book kept me on my toes the entire time as I tried to riddle out how the story was going to unfold.  I never knew how it was going to play out as alliances were made and broken, motives were never as they seem and the truth came out in a slow, but urgent pace.  It was intense and exciting the whole way through.  And the ending was so perfect that it makes me want to reread it to pick up all the threads that I missed along the way. 

Sage is an incredibly charming narrator with quick wit, super powers of observation and a self-deprecating humor.  He is always four steps ahead of everyone else, including the reader!  I also think this book bridges a gap between a younger audience (Middle School - Early High School) and an older audience.  I think this is a tricky feat to accomplish.  It is not easy to write a book that both audiences will find thought-provoking, exciting, and challenging enough.  Fans of Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief will also appreciate this book.  It has some of the same intrigue and the main characters are two peas in a pod.  But really, I truly can’t say enough good things about this book and I hope you love it as much as I did!

The second book, The Runaway King, is due out in April.  I can't wait!!