The False Prince

I'll admit I was surprised by being surprised by The False Prince.  From the beginning I liked the main character Sage, but I was worried about the plot set up.  It seemed predictable.  Too predictable.  A handful of orphans, an empty throne, greedy men, and a treasonous plan to fool a kingdom - It didn't seem too hard to figure out what would happen.  Here's how I thought things would go down:

1. Rich baddy (Conner) would try his best to beat/intimidate/terrorize orphan boys until they bent to his will.
2. Sage, the rebellious orphan, would rebel and cause mischief.
3. The orphans would become friends and unite in their hatred for Conner.
4. Conner would see that Sage was the best *prince* to take the throne.
5. Conner would somehow use Sage's loyalty to his new friends to manipulate him into pretending to be the prince.
6. Somehow Sage would outwit Conner and save the day and the kingdom.

Some of my predictions were accurate.  Conner was bad.  Sage was a rebel.  I love a good rebel.  And Sage does outwit the evil Conner, but Jennifer Nielsen does a great job of keeping the reader guessing and wondering who to trust.  I stayed up late enjoying Nielsen's plot twists.  I love a good plot twist.  

 

The False Prince is a book about kingdoms and castles, honor and deceit.  There's plenty of mystery and intrigue in the story, but it won't overwhelm adolescent readers.  I recommend it to both Middle Grades and young Young Adult readers looking for an adventure series without vampires, werewolves or cyborgs.  

Blog you later!  ~  Ali B.