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Summary
Summary
A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the thrilling sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's New York Times bestselling blockbuster The False Prince !
Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?
The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Series takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!
And don't miss the highly anticipated fourth book in the series, The Captive Kingdom , coming October 2020!
Author Notes
Jennifer A. Nielsen was born in Utah. Her first book, Elliot and the Goblin War, was published in 2010. She is the author of The Underworld Chronicles, The Ascendance Trilogy, and the Praetor War series. She also wrote the sixth book of the Infinity Ring series, Behind Enemy Lines.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this solid sequel to The False Prince (2012), newly crowned King Jaron of Carthya, once a poor orphan known as Sage, must flee the kingdom he has just inherited in order to escape both would-be assassins and the misguided control of his incompetent regents. Although older and supposedly wiser than him, they refuse to believe the evidence that Carthya is about to be attacked by the neighboring kingdom of Avenia, which has made an alliance with the deadly pirates of Tarblade Bay. Jaron, as headstrong and sure of himself as ever (not to mention a terminal smartass), concocts a wild plan to singlehandedly defeat the wicked pirate king Devlin. Unfortunately, by refusing to take advice from anyone, Jaron manages to insult most of the people who are actually loyal to him. As in the earlier book, Nielsen tells an exciting, breakneck tale, and Jaron remains an entertainingly surly antihero; however, while the villains are certainly evil enough, they are perhaps too easily manipulated by the young king. Ages 10-14. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Jaron has only been king of Carthya for a month when an attempted assassination leads his advisors to consider a regency until the boy comes of age. Forced into hiding, Jaron takes the offensive, running away to the borders of his kingdom where he hopes, ultimately, to infiltrate the pirate camp and get to the bottom of things. Once there, he is surprised to find Imogen, the girl he turned away from the castle in The False Prince (rev. 3/12) so that she would not become a pawn because of his affection for her. He is less surprised when Roden, his erstwhile friend and rival, shows up. Through various machinations of the plot, Jaron challenges the pirate king to a duel, emerges victorious, wins back Roden's allegiance, and remains maddeningly uncertain about his feelings for Imogen. Jaron barely has time to race back to the capital and put the regency plan to rest before he is attacked by the neighboring kingdoms. This solid middle volume has its own arc, but still ends with a cliffhanger, an important villain on the loose, and a potential love triangle between Jaron; his betrothed princess, Amarinda; and Imogen, now behind enemy lines. Nielsen's mix of adventure and intrigue with the barest hint of romance once again recalls Megan Whalen Turner and Suzanne Collins but is a great read in its own right. jonathan hunt (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Jaron, aka Sage, is new to his throne and surrounded by intrigue in this follow-up to The False Prince (2012). As jammed with action and violent swordplay as its predecessor, the plot takes the headstrong Jaron into a pirate stronghold where dangers increase steeply as the young king, in disguise, wrestles with saving his kingdom. Needless to say, he is always, almost fatally true to his character stubborn and determined to do things on his own. The ending introduces a cliff-hanger of a new threat and will leave fans clutching their skulls. It's never an easy thing to wait out the writing of a multiple-volume series.--Cruze, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-This sequel (2013) to The False Prince (2012, both Scholastic) continues the saga of Jaron, the young heir to the throne of Carthya, who assumes his crown at a most unfortunate time. His kingdom is ripe for attack by the neighboring country of Avenia and the cutthroat Pirates, and his enemies want him off the throne and replaced by a regent. On the night after the funeral for his entire family, Jaron does the impossible. By sneaking out of the country and reclaiming his former identity as Sage, he pretends to be a young thief and, with the help of Fink, a street urchin, he infiltrates the ranks of the enemy Pirates and gains their trust. Through cunning, sarcasm, and superhuman feats of swordplay, Jaron hopes to defeat the Pirates and weaken the alliance between them and the enemy country of Avenia. Although the adventure is exciting, Jaron is almost too amazingly cunning and strong; he has a broken leg and other injuries but manages to defeat the best swordsman. Charlie McWade narrates this amazing tale adequately; he tends to emphasize vowels and differentiate among male voices very slightly, which can be confusing during tight dialogue. Although the plot seems forced at times, and Jaron is almost too good to be true, the adventure is exciting enough to keep listeners engaged, and ready for the third installment.-MaryAnn Karre, West Middle School, Binghamton, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Acknowledged as Carthya's rightful king in The False Prince (2012), shrewd prince Jaron disappears in a desperate, foolhardy attempt to save his life, his crown and his country in this action-packed second installment of the Ascendance Trilogy. Barely a month into his reign, 15-year-old Jaron faces rival regents, threats of invasion from neighboring Avenia, a betrothal to a complete stranger and a power-hungry captain of the Carthyan guard who longs to replace him. When he's brutally attacked in the castle gardens, Jaron finds he's in a perilous predicament. He must surrender himself to the destructive Avenian pirates within 10 days or they and their ally, King Vargan of Avenia, will destroy Carthya to get him. Rather than comply, Jaron eschews his few trusted friends and disappears from Carthya, intent on infiltrating the pirates, settling a debt with their conniving leader Devlin and converting enemies into allies. Assuming his former identity as orphan thief Sage, Jaron covertly enters Avenia alone, where he's eventually captured, injured and seemingly doomed. Ever flippant, Jaron narrates his story with dark humor. Readers will continue to find this arrogant, fearless, utterly reckless hero intriguing, fascinating and complex as he battles the odds to protect the kingdom and people he now holds dear. High adventure abounds with nail-biting drama. (maps) (Adventure. 8-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
