False Prince (Ascendance Trilogy, #1)

by Jennifer,A Nielsen

• ISBN13: 9780545284134
• Publish Date: 1 April 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 15 May 2016
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

I won a copy from Jean Book Nerd.


My previous excursions in middle grade books didn’t go well. Not just plots being obvious and stale, but the characters weren’t people, but abstract shadows. None of that is a problem in The False Prince.

In the beginning I was sure of where this was going. It felt so obvious. But as it went on, I was less sure and more confused. What I knew…I doubted. Sage threw me and I don’t know what’s going to happen next. And I can’t wait to find out.

World-building:

Sure, so far it’s not an original high fantasy. The world isn’t explored far. What we do see is the standard several contentious countries, high court in-fighting drama, and economic strife inside Carthya.

I'm not all that excited about this aspect, but it's solid.

Characters:

Sage is a fantastic protagonist. He’s mischievous clever trickster with layers.



I haven't read such a great male YA perspective in a long time. He seems able to manipulate and do it all but I'm sure we'll see more downsides now he's out of his element and seemingly clueless.

He’s unreliable, dramatic, and doesn’t back down from what he thinks is right. He psyched me and everyone else out. Even after his truth is revealed his plan isn’t. I couldn’t stop reading. I had to find out what he was going to do and how he was going to pull it off. His narration MADE this book.

The other boys aren't nearly as great, but they're no slouch in the character department either. I'm really excited actually to see how one of them turns out next.

The Villain had the same type of surprising but *facepalm* obvious reveal that I'm so impressed with. He's not so well done, being so morally repugnant but I like how it illustrates how people justify the terrible to themselves.

There aren't many women or girl characters but what I see so far is good. I'm impressed with The Servant's sneakiness and tactics. The Princess we only meet briefly but I like her fire.



Plot:

It somehow makes the obvious surprising and new. The focus is so tight in The False Prince, I honestly don't know what's coming in the next book.

And I will absolutely be continuing.

[e_rodz_leb]

WOW! Where have you been all my life Ms. Nielsen? I found The False Prince because a blogger friend recommended it for my son B, but I beat him to it. It was awesome! *you can run now and buy a copy*

The False Prince is in essence a fantasy. Sadly, one of the most difficult parts of writing a fantasy is the world building and I feel that it was deficient here. We do know that our characters live in the country of Carthya and that it’s in the brink of civil war. We also get a lesson on the way the country’s government works and the royal family, but that’s it. I fell like a lot more could have been done to build this world.

There are two things that make this book so memorable to me, one is the plot and the second is Sage. The plot is a gem. I cannot tell you that I didn’t suspect the truth, but I couldn’t have predicted anything else that happened. The story is complicated, full of intrigue, politics, a bit of romance, challenges and twists and turns. I think it is supposed to be a middle grade series, but it doesn’t feel like one.

“The saddest thing is there won’t be anyone to miss us when we’re gone. No family, no friends, no one waiting at home.”

“It’s better that way,” I said. “It’ll be easier for me, knowing my death doesn’t add to anyone’s pain.”

“If you can’t give anyone pain, then you can’t give them joy either.”
On to Sage. If you recall, he is the second reason why I adored this book. What an incredible character! Sage is one of the three orphan boys that Conner collects for is evil plan (*insert malevolent laugh here*) Together with Roden and Tobias, he go through the motions of getting trained to be a prince. They get lessons on a lot of things, such as horse riding, sword fighting, reading, history, and manners. Oh, Sage! He is a thief, irreverent, proud, unpredictable, reckless, adventurous, and a master strategist. You cannot appreciate his awesomeness until almost the end.

The characters are so well developed. Roden, and Tobias are competing with Sage (to me there wasn’t really a competition), but Sage offers them protection and friendship. They each have their reasons for wanting to be prince, and for working hard towards that goal, even if they have to sabotage each other. Conner is a despicable man. He is cruel, conceited, and he belief himself to be all-powerful.

“No, my lady. If I cannot look at you as an equal, I will not look at you at all”
The story is told from Sage’s point of view, except for a part towards the end where the ‘truth’ is explained to the reader in the third person. As I was listening to the book, I didn’t find this awkward at all. The writing is genius to go hand in hand with the amazing plot. I already bought The Runaway King, the next book of the series and I hope to start reading it soon. I also saw that the book was purchased for movie, well signed me up!

“Kneel, please,” Conner said. “I wish to study you better.”

Come as close to me as you’d like,” I answered. “Study me here, on my feet.”

“You won’t kneel?”

“Would a prince?”

Conner raised his voice. “You’re not a prince until I say so.”

“I don’t need you to say so, sir.”
About the narration: It’s the first book narrated by Charlie McWade that I’ve listen to before and I really liked it. The voices were distinct from each other as were the accents too. This must have been difficult as most of the characters were male.