Review | The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

2013-09-27 · by ·
The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy, #2)

Jaron has just taken the throne of Carthya and is trying to settle into his role as King. But before he can even take a deep breath, someone attempts to assassinate him and rumors of war are threatening his kingdom. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Jaron is no stranger to the challenges of life, nor is he afraid of doing what he thinks he must.

Jaron soon believes there is only way to save himself and his kingdom: to run right into the arms of the enemy. It doesn’t take long for Jaron to question if his plan is a good one. Who can he really trust to help him? Has he gone too far and gotten himself into a situation he can’t wiggle his way out of this time?

The Runaway King: Book 2 of the Ascendance Trilogy, is a fairly strong follow-up to Nielsen’s first book, The False Prince. It took me a few chapters to become invested in Jaron’s new adventure, but eventually the story grabbed me and kept me turning pages.

I definitely think this is a great series for boys. There is tons of action and adventure. Jaron is a strong male character who throws himself at life and holds very little back. He’s a definitely a good guy, but he’s still fairly rough around the edges and sometimes makes somewhat reckless choices that he seems to learn from. He’s also mischievous and smart. Jaron has a handful of characteristics that I think boys can relate to and appreciate.

I look forward to seeing how Nielsen will tie The Ascendance Trilogy up. She is an author that can certainly create surprises in her stories, and I have no doubt that she’ll be trying to take readers through a series of twists and turns in the final book of the series.

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Overall Rating:   3 of 5 stars false

Parent’s guide:

  • Sex: none
  • Violence: lots of sword fights, a woman dies from wounds sustained in an attack by marauders, multiple injuries are sustained by various characters
  • Language: mild, no direct swear words

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Comments

  1. lisenminetti says
    2013-09-27 at 12:01 PM

    Thanks so much for the ping! I loved the first book and definitely had the same feelings on book two 🙂

  2. Keith Seegmiller says
    2013-09-27 at 2:00 PM

    Once in a while we read the same books. Its fun to check my ratings against others to make sure I’m not out in left field. As you might expect (being a boy at heart) I rated it higher than you did (not being a boy at heart). It’s a 4.53/5.00 and comes in at #18 on my list of 99 YA books read in last seven years. When you read as much as we do, plot surprise becomes a rare and important element in our evaluations (yes?).

    • Daniel says
      2013-10-01 at 1:09 PM

      Keith, hearing that The Lost Prince and The Runaway King rank so high in your esteem makes me want to read them myself. Britt’s novels usually tend to the more feminine, but with your endorsement, I’ll have to think twice.

  3. Jessica B (@BooksATrueStory) says
    2013-10-01 at 8:56 AM

    Jaron and his character was definitely my favorite thing about this series too 🙂 It was nice to read about a reckless and smart character. He kind of reminded me of Han Solo.

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