The False Prince (the Ascendance Series, Book 1)

One of my favorites ever.

I think that this book is so mysterious in away and I can not wait to start reading the others The Run Away King

The False Prince made me want to keep reading it and I didn’t want to put the book down.

This book has one of my all-time favorite characters: Sage. He’s great. Funny, smart, and unpredictable. I LOVE this entire series.

(May contain spoilers). This book had some twist to it. I listened to it, actually, and thought Charlie McWade did a great job narrating. I’ve read the second book as well, but even if I hadnt, I could probably tell you that any situation Sage gets into, he’ll most likely come out on top and win (even if that requires losing). You might say that he’s a little too in control of his circumstances, but that’s not entirely true, I guess. This story may have some objectionable stuff to some people. Know that Sage is kind of a scrapper and thinks like one.

Anyway, I like this story, enough to want to complete the series.

It was amazing because sage has a secret that will bind everything together

Great start of a trilogy for middle schoolers.

I was immediately hooked on this story and couldn’t put it down! The author does a great job developing the characters and making you root for them until the end m . Plus, there’s a great twist that isn’t too easy to figure out. Read this book! You’ll love it.

This is a series I’d heard about off and on. So, when I saw it available at the local virtual library I thought, “what the hey, let’s give it a shot.” It’s got royalty, subterfuge, and some snarky characters, so there’s a lot of potential here.

And … it’s a gender-bent Anastasia.

The Story
I’m not kidding. The story itself is a close play-by-play of the 1997 Don Bluth animated adaptation of Anastasia. You know, the one with Meg Ryan, John Cusack, and Kelsey Grammer? The one with the lovely hit song, “Journey to the Past”? Yeah, that one.

Except with boys.

Sage is a clever orphan who is constantly making trouble. He’s got a good heart though, most of the trouble he gets in helps to get food for other unfortunates like himself. He and three other boys like him are plucked from their orphanages by one of the Regents of Carthya, Sir Bevin Connor, with the goal of making them into Prince Jaron, who went missing after a pirate attack four years earlier.

We spend the majority of the book watching Sage’s antics as Connor tries to teach him how to be a prince only for Sage to outsmart him at every turn. The other boys take these teachings seriously which puts Sage in a tricky position. He suspects that Connor will kill off whoever isn’t chosen, as he already killed one boy who wanted no part of the plan after it was revealed.

Behind the scenes and out of the view of the reader, Sage is ensuring that everything is in order for him to become Prince Jaron. If you’re familiar with the Anastasia story, you know where this is going. We come to a dramatic showdown where everyone gets what they deserve, somewhat.

My Review
I wanted to like this book. There were lots of elements in it that came close to being good, but fell just shy, including the main character. It also could have been that the book is mostly written in the first person, which is a point of view that I find I can’t enjoy as much because it limits what the story can show the reader.

And, I figured out the majority of the plot in the first chapter so nothing really came as a surprise or a stunning big reveal. That is probably more me than most readers (ask the hubby, I’m delightful to watch TV with. Poor plot twists never knew what hit them).

Don’t get me wrong, I was entertained by the book. There was lots of swash-swash-buckle-buckle to keep things interesting, and Sage kept getting his butt handed to him which required people to tend to his various hurts, which I always appreciate. Beyond that, the writing was solid but not breathtaking, the plot interesting but predictable, and the characters rounded but not vibrant.

Recommendations
This book is perfect for younger boys trying to find stories where they can identify themselves in the characters. There’s literally a character for each type of boy, there’s the jock, the nerd, and the clever one who all have both good and bad traits to be likable. The prose is very approachable and the plot straightforward. The recommended reading age is 8-12, which looking back on my earlier remarks makes so much sense. As such, it’s super clean with appropriate levels of anger and violence and some mentions of blood but nothing too graphic.

I give The False Prince 3/5 stars, a solidly entertaining read that I really wanted to be surprised by, and wasn’t.

False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen is a very well-written book. The pacing is crisp, the characters well-defined, the plot intricate and tight, and the prose engaging. It’s one of the most original stories I’ve read in quite some time.

The story follows the misadventures of a miscreant orphan named Sage. His surly, magpie ways get him into one hornet’s nest of trouble after another and it’s usually his fault. It’s as if his day is not complete if he has not broken some rule or put his life in danger. And indeed, soon after the novel begins he starts to learn some very hard lessons about just what his constant disobedience costs him.

The main plot of the novel centers around a plot to pass off a young boy as the prince of the fictional land of Carthya and eventually to place this false prince upon the throne. The actual prince was killed by pirates a few years ago. If the regents do not find some way to pull off this ruse the kingdom will be thrown into civil war. Sage is chosen for his passing resemblance to the deceased prince and also because the lost prince shared some of his surly character.

Sage’s problem is that he’s not the only orphan looking to change from pauper to prince. Three other boys are chosen as possible candidates for this dangerous scheme and it’s clear from early on, that those who do not make the cut will not live past the two weeks of training they have before the chosen one is presented before the court.

The premise is fascinating and yet, the deceptive nature of it at times taints the story. Since nearly everyone involved is complicit in the scheme, at times it is hard to find someone to root for. Sage is likable and sympathetic for the most part, but at times he is little better than the criminals taking advantage of him. One could argue he has little choice in the matter, but that doesn’t mean he always acts in an honorable way.

Another difficulty I had personally with the book is that it was presented to me as a fantasy novel. I’m not sure why I was under that impression, but apart from some fictional countries, there is nothing even vaguely fantastical here. It is a story of royalty and intrigue. A very good one, but not a fantasy story. If that’s what you are looking for (as I mistakenly was), you’ll not find it here.

One last final blemish is the odd way religion is portrayed. Numerous references are given to devils, as if they somehow controlled the fate of humanity. It’s passed off as nothing more than convention, and yet it keeps coming up so that it makes you think about what the author is trying to say, and that is never cleared up. Add in passing references to gods and priests and churches and it’s a rather muddled mess. It’s not a central aspect to the story but it detracts from the otherwise very clear and concise story and world-building.

I may have mentioned quite a few issues, but they don’t detract from the overall quality of the book. This is an extremely interesting, at times fascinating story. The plot has multiple twists and things foreshadowed earlier which turn out to be important later. The ending is especially strong, certainly the best part of an already extremely strong story.

In summary, a great read. It is extremely well told, compelling, and engaging. Pick it up if you’re looking for something original with a great plot and well-crafted characters. Just don’t read it thinking it’s a fantasy and you’ll be in good shape.