The False Prince

When my roommate suggested I read The False Prince, I did not expect to be drawn in and read the entire 5 book series in a week. What’s a sleep schedule?

Sage is the kind of character that can keep everyone guessing…including the reader, even though you are reading from his point of view. He is guarded and defiant. As he is being sculpted to be what someone else wants him to be, he remains spitefully himself, even when it might mean his demise. He might not technically be a spy, but he embodies everything I love about the… show more.

This is a middle grade fantasy where several boys are chosen to attempt to impersonate a missing prince. Only one of them is going to win the spot as false prince and take the throne, which is the perfect stage for all of them to hate each other and then become friends. It’s also the perfect way for them to start to wonder why they’re supposed to be impersonating a prince anyway. They’re going to have to work together (and sometimes fight each other as well as their own aspirations and pride) to beat the real bad guy.

What I love about these books is the tongue-in-cheek narration and the snappy dialogue. What my twelve-year-old likes best is the MC’s fearlessness and the pop-off-the-page settings (see mansions with secret rooms and salt-crusted pirate ships). It’s a fun fantasy series that has recently ballooned from three books to five (or more?).

If you like stories that keep you guessing, then Jennifer Nielsen’s Ascendance series was written for you. Featuring a clever, likable protagonist (Sage, a thief from the streets, recruited into a plot to impersonate the dead Prince Jaron and steal the throne), the first book, The False Prince, is a slow burn of secrets, lies, and conspiracies—and totally worth the price of admission on its own. 

If you’ve read Kingdom of Secrets, you know I love a story with rich political intrigue, in which the characters are so complex and nuanced that it’s impossible to pin them down as simply “good” or “bad.” In The False Prince, Nielsen keeps us in suspense until the very end as to the motives and intentions of her characters, which results in several big, shocking reveals.