Series: The Ascendance Series, Book 1
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publisher: Scholastic
US Release Date: April 1, 2012
Genre: Older Middle Grade Fantasy
Content Rating: Teen (brutal violence, minor torture, murder)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Indiebound | B&N | BookDepo | Azon
Summary:
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.
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Series: This is the first book in The Ascendance Series, formerly The Ascendance Trilogy. The series originally had three books, all released and available, but a fourth book is now scheduled to release October 2020.
The False Prince is the intriguing and carefully-worded account of an unreliable narrator's quick ascent from orphan to king by way of a lot of bravado and half-truths. If you know this going in it makes for a thrilling read, and if you don't then it makes for a thrilling second read because by the end you'll want to go back and read it again to catch all the subtle clues.
For the most part the plot is a political intrigue, a genre I typically pass on but here was simple, confined, and engrossing enough to sufficiently invest me. The story is not just sneaking and scheming, though - with its many beatings, minor torture, murder, and threats of much more, it's not for the faint of heart and I was surprised by the Middle Grade label for all the brutal violence. Main character Sage also acts and reads much older and wiser than his young age as he comes to terms with the state of the world and his place in it, although he's still completely relatable for teens as he brazenly fights against the controlling nobleman while quietly working in the shadows to save the lives of his new friends and the nation from sinister plans.
To say much more would spoil the read, so if you'd enjoy a quick fantasy of political intrigue with a delightfully unreliable narrator, lots of snarky wit, and bursts of violence, then I highly recommend you give The False Prince a try. As this book is only the beginning of Sage's story I have since binged the rest of the trilogy, and you can look for my review of Books 2 & 3, The Runaway King and The Shadow Throne, soon.
Scribble Rating:
4.5 of 5 Scribbles
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Great review! I just finished this book maybe about a week ago. I had no idea what to expect going in and was genuinely surprised when I came to discover what was really up.
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