Megan’s Must Reads

What if you were offered a chance to be royalty? In The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, we follow an orphan boy named Sage, who has been offered just that. Conner, a nobleman, is seeking to buy orphan boys who look like the long-lost prince of Carthya, in an attempt to take the crown for himself. Sage and three others are bought and taken back to Conner’s home, where they are trained and shaped to fit the exact appearance of Prince Jaron. Although Sage fails miserably at everything Conner throws his way, the other boys might just have a chance at being Conner’s Prince. In this book series, it follows Sage on his journey through lies and deceit, in a chance to become The False Prince.

After reading The False Prince, you’re sure to come back for the sequel. Jennifer Nielsen wrote the first book in the series early 2012, and published the last book in October of 2020. With only four books in the series, The Ascendance Trilogy has gained much praise, and many nominations for awards. The False Prince became The New York Times best seller in April of 2013. The False Prince is also the winner of the 2013 Middle Grade Fiction Award from AML (The Association for Mormon Letters). Paramount Pictures even bought the movie rights to this series only a few months after the first book was published. It’s clear that with this much praise, the book has to be good.

The Los Angeles Times called The False Prince “A swashbuckling origin story. Sage is a quick wit, and Nielsen showcases it with terrific dialogue chock full of alluring details for adventure-loving boys.” The Hollywood Reporter claimed it was “More Harry Potter (minus the magic) than Hunger Games. With authentic characters, a convincing sense of danger and a genuinely high-stakes plot.”

After reading the novel series for myself, I’ve concluded that some of their reviews are right. The False Prince is so well crafted, and so unique in the way that it is similar to other series such as The Maze Runner, and The Hunger Games, but also completely different to them in the way that it’s not the same story again on repeat. Although it is a bit of a reader, with the series being four books and all, once you sit down and read it, it’s impossible to put down.