The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen

4 stars
(Trilogy to The Runaway King)

An amazing conclusion to this trilogy!

And it was all done in classic Jaron style! I was rather impressed with how Jaron managed to work his way out of some tough situations, especially with his still injured leg, and how his friends were there for him in his most dire times of need and were extremely loyal.

Jaron is facing several enemies and finds himself quite short of the army he needs in order to face them. What else is there to be done if you're lacking brawn, except to outsmart with brains!

We get to see some fine strategy on Jaron's behalf, and losses too.

Most of all I was touched by the journey of this series. I watched a young rebellious boy go from the streets, to a Prince in an unwelcoming Kingdom, to a King defending his Throne, loyal subjects, and the people he considers family.

It was a delightfully strategic book with plenty of struggle and although I felt that this final book was missing just a touch of Jaron's clever pizzazz, it was still thoroughly enjoyable and I cannot wait for another book from Nielsen.

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

5 stars

(sequel to The False Prince)

My loyalty has been earned.

I was skeptical at first, I'll admit. I liked The False Prince, but as I said in the previous review, I wasn't blown off my feet. Consider me on my ass. Flat.

The Runaway King doesn't pick up too far off from its predecessor, which was a literary relief to start out with. I was nervous that this was going to be like another book I read where after all that pain to get where the main character to a certain point, they find themselves longing for their old life, and begin to feel irritable and unhappy with the life they worked the whole first book to obtain. 

But instead, I found myself reading about a Prince, trying to fill boots that he longs to fill properly, but finds he's a little rough around the edges. He was relate able, fierce, strong, stubborn, and best of all the underdog.

I'm a huge sucker for the underdogs, the people who throw you in for the loop, who fight and fight until they just can't fight anymore, who care for the people around them, sometimes more than they care to let on. Long live the underdogs!

The plot was fast paced, dangerous, and exciting! We get to meet new friends, make stronger bonds with old friendships, and repair old damages done. We get to see Jaron fight for his right to party to the throne, and take risks like never before. Did I mention there is pirates?

That's right, the Prince goes to pirate island in order to gain information, and prove that he should be the rightful King.

There was a nice surprise near the end of the book, further revealing the treachery within the kingdom, and we also get some more development on characters who I felt were somewhat skimmed over like the lovely Princess Amarinda, the betrothed of Prince Jaron. 

I love how clever the women in this series are, both Amarinda and Imogen are extremely clever. I've got to say, I'm honestly torn between Imogen and Amarinda. I have no idea where Nielsen plans to take things when it comes to this complicated little love triangle. I am so excited for the next book!! Bring on the next broken item themed book! Bring on Jaron, and his smart ass comments, and witty humor!!

(My review for The Shadow Throne)

 

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

4 stars

The False Prince was an interesting book. Sage, our main character, was easy to fall into stride with due to his snarky humor and clever ways. 

Sage is whisked away with a four other boys in order to train to become the "lost" King. The royal family is dead and unless the presumed dead Prince Jaron steps up to the throne a relative will take the crown.

A nobleman looking to install a puppet prince, trains these boys. The catch is only one will be Prince Jaron, and the others will not survive. 

Though Sage does have some bad temperament, I found him easier to like more than his competitors within the story. I laughed aloud a few times while reading this book which I appreciated. 

I was honestly torn between 3 to 4 stars since the book didn't exactly blow me off my feet, especially since I found myself torn at times. It was hard to decide on whether or not I liked a character, because as readers were introduced to the different characters we were shown both their good and bad sides, making our impression of them debatable.

In strong favor of the book, I was kept intrigued with the many mysteries that arose but were later explained, and while the book was predictable, it still had some slight surprises to it's credit, near the end. 

When you finally discover more about Sage, you truly come to appreciate his character even more than you had before. Get ready for an intense sequel.

Get ready for The Runaway King.