Reviewed by nitzan_schwarz on
It's been a long time coming, but I finally set down and read the book. I've explained what happened with this series and me in my The False Prince review so I won't go into details again, but short recap; IT'S TOTALLY MY FAULT I DIDN'T READ IT SOONER, AND I REGRET IT, OKAY?
Phew, now that we've gotten the deep, shameful regret out of the way, let's talk THE RUNAWAY KING.
So... the titular king. That's Jaron. I love Jaron. Did I mention before that I love Jaron? I feel like I did, once or twice. But just in case I didn't... I love Jaron. Like, so freaking much. This boy gives me life, okay?
I want to punch all those dumb people who deem him unfit to be king solely based on his actions as a young prince. They think him to be wild and reckless. And, granted, they're not wrong, but that's not all he is. Because all those wild and reckless actions are taken for other people's sakes. Jaron doesn't have a selfish, self-interested bone in his body. Have you ever met a selfless prideful man? It's very rare. All he does... he does for his country. That's his top--and almost only--priority. He has practically erased the word "self-preservation" from his vocabulary, or at the very least made it into a curse, in order to always put his country first.
HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE IT? HOW CAN YOU FAULT HIM FOR THAT? HOW CAN YOU DO ANYTHING BUT FOLLOW HIM!? I'm really unclear on all these.
Except... I'm not. Because this book is all about how Jaron wins over his people and assembles his court. How he changes their perception of him not by using words, but by using actions. And it is so extremely satisfying. My favorite book in The Queen's Thief series (I haven't read the latest yet) is [b:The King of Attolia|40159|The King of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, #3)|Megan Whalen Turner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1293505327s/40159.jpg|847545] for exactly that reason.
There is something so gratifying about seeing this smart, precious, clever boy surprise, overpower and generally prove people wrong about him. It's incredibly inspiring to watch all these men and women, young or old, who have sneered in his face before, come to respect, follow and swear their loyalty to him.
Jaron really is a wonderful character. He makes this series, and he makes it great. Nielsen manages to make him a person you, as the reader, would like to follow. You are awed at his smartness. You are shocked by his bravery. You are wowed by his wit and humor, especially in the face of danger. And most of all, you are heartened by all he is willing to do for his people.
He proves himself to be the great leader no one ever thought he could be.
Now, there is only one thing I would like to request. For god's sake, PLEASE STOP HURTING MY BABY!! Just... just let some good things happen to him once in a while, okay?? why is that so much to ask??
For some reason, I have a feeling things are going to get worse before they get better. Which is going to be painful to read of. So... wish me luck. I'm going to need it if I want to finish this series without killing some of the bad guys myself for hurting my precious child, you monsters!
Speaking of, the villain really sucked in this one. Which, I guess, makes sense. This book really wasn't about that, after all. Still, he kind of felt disposable. And he was. Oh well.
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Original Thoughts
This book was so good!
I just love Jaron so freakin' much, and I want to punch all those dumb people who think he's unfit to be a king because he's too wild and reckless. Yes, he is those things, but he never does anything for himself. Jaron doesn't have a selfish, self-interested bone in his body, despite being a prideful man. This is a very rare thing. Everything he does is for his country. From day one, that's his only priority. And honestly, the word "self-preservation" is probably a curse word for this boy.
What I love the most about these books is watching Jaron winning over people and assembling his court. There is just something so gratifying about watching this boy surprise, empower and prove people wrong. It's so great watching all these men and women, regardless of their ages, come to respect, follow, and swear loyalty to him, especially since they usually start out sneering in his face.
It's the same thing that I love about [b:The Thief|448873|The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1)|Megan Whalen Turner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427740839s/448873.jpg|1069505] series, which is one of my all-time favorites.
Jaron is really a wonderful character. I absolutely love him! And he is so incredibly smart. I can see why people would end up following him because he proves himself without a shadow of a doubt.
That being said, dear Nielsen, can you please stop hurting my sweet baby??? Just let some good things to happen to him! Is that so much to ask?? *tears*
Anyways, I am super excited for the conclusion of this series now that Jaron has assembled his court. And I want to find out how the romance is resolved at the end of the day.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 15 January, 2018: Finished reading
- 15 January, 2018: Reviewed