MMGM: The Shadow Throne, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
I bring you yet another series conclusion for this week's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Shadow Throne, Book 3 in the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen.
This one's particularly hard to sum up without spoilers. In fact, if you haven't read the first book, I don't want to give you any description at all. So here's what I'll do. You get the publisher's description of the first book (The False Prince) now:
THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.
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.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.
This one's particularly hard to sum up without spoilers. In fact, if you haven't read the first book, I don't want to give you any description at all. So here's what I'll do. You get the publisher's description of the first book (The False Prince) now:
THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.
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.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.
So, if you haven't read that book, you should go read it now (obviously)--the write-up is enthusiastic, but it doesn't lie. If for some reason you have read that and The Runaway King (book #2) and you still haven't gotten your hands on Book 3, I'll list some reasons you should read it:
-brilliant twisty-turny plotting
-humor
-excellent pacing and readability
-one of my favorite characters ever, and some wonderfully drawn secondary and tertiary characters
-sweet, but never saccharine, romance, nicely drawn to be intrinsic to the plot without overwhelming it
-and of course there's the plotting, pacing, romance, characters and HUMOR
I absolutely loved the first two books and I can't wait to read this one! There's a long wait for it at my library, so I might have to break down and buy it. Glad to hear it's just as good as the first two.
ReplyDeleteI loved all of these, although the first is definitely my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI loved the first two and really, really want to read the third. I'm like Joanne, there's a long line at my library so I may end up buying it :)
ReplyDeleteI'm always happy to discover a new author and this series sounds wonderful. Thanks you!
ReplyDeleteOoh. I haven't heard of these yet. I'll have to check them out.
ReplyDeleteI just put it on hold at the library. I didn't know the third book was out, so thanks for spotlighting it.
ReplyDelete