Book Review: The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Book Review  

THE RUNAWAY KING by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Summary from Goodreads

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's 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 Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!


My review

I read Book 1 THE FALSE PRINCE last year after receiving from Scholastic at BEA. It was a fantastic read. I loved Sage's character. He was smart, funny, and mischevious. He has an authentic voice and he makes mistakes that he owns up to. There are consequences to actions that he makes. All of the awesomeness of Book 1 continues in Book 2, THE RUNAWAY KING. It picks up a few weeks after Book 1, which I appreciated (no time lag). Jaron is forced to run away from his country in order to prevent war. He easily slips back into his former self "Sage" as he attempts to find the pirates who tried to kill him four years earlier. **No spoilers** I really liked how Jaron/Sage grew in the story and became more sure of himself and learned what kind of king he wanted to be. He sees how situations in his country are the result of his father's inattention and I believe he'll try to change those things in Book 3. I love his relationship with Mott and Tobias. Friends that will lay down their lives for you are rare, as Jaron discovers. I appreciate that there isn't any foul language or inappropriate situations in the book. (There is some violence but it's in good taste.) I would recommend this book to those who like action/adventure stories, coming-of-age stories, medieval-ish times. I was provided an e-ARC by Scholastic for free for the purpose of reviewing the book. All commentaries/thoughts are my own.