The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
A poor orphan boy was running for his life. He stole a roast from an angry butcher who was chasing him with a cleaver. A wealthy man stopped the butcher from killing off the boy when he was sure to die. The wealthy man, Sir Conner, payed the butcher for the roast and turned to the orphan. The orphan introduced himself as Sage. Sir Conner took Sage and two other orphan boys. He planned to train all three of them to impersonate Prince Jaron, prince of Carthya. Prince Jaron was rumored to have died in a shipwreck, and his parents and brother were all poisoned so searching for the lost prince was the last hope Carthya had. Conner gave the three orphan boys two weeks to educate themselves, learn manners, and ride a horse. He would choose one of the three and pass him off as Prince Jaron, while the other two boys would be killed for security reasons. There was Tobias, the smart and polite orphan who had no skill in battle. The second orphan was named Roden. He was strong and was an excellent listener. Sage was not smart or polite. He was strong and knew how to be a rebel, just like what Prince Jaron was famous for. The three boys competed hard to keep their lives.
The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is one of my personal favorites. It has suspense, drama, action, a bit of romance, etc. I love all of the characters' personalities and their motives. Conner's wicked schemes, Tobias's inner strength, Mott's kindness, Sage's cunning personality and Imogen's story all are examples of things in the story that I enjoyed and what I thought was inspiring. The story plot is incredible and only a creative genius would be able to create such story. I recommend this story highly to young and old teens and adults. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series and I hope you read this and maybe consider reading the book. :)
Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 9
Glendale Central Library
Comments
The False Prince is a very solid fantasy story. The stakes feel as real for the reader as they do for the characters, and Sage's caustic, cunning personality is a refreshing point of view for a protagonist. Sage is incredibly smart, and the author keeps some of his actions even hidden from the reader, but not in a way that feels forced. While the ending of the book is somewhat cliché, it fits well with thee rest of the story and sets up a series of books very well. Even the background characters have their own stories and motivations, and overall each character develops throughout the story very well. I can easily recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy, and thought it is not the most unique story, it does have many good elements and is a captivating read regardless.
Reviewed by William L., Grade 12
Glendale Central Library