Introduction
This is the start to a loooong series, people – one that will stretch on for five months, to be precise. I recently read Jennifer A. Neilsen’s Ascendance Series, and OH. BOY. They are SO GOOOOOOD!!!!!!!! I could fangirl over these all day, but that’s not what I’m here for. I reviewed each of these five books in my handy-dandy little notebook and plan on releasing a review of one of the books every month.
Never read them?
GO READ THEM.
And then you can come back and read the review. 😛
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Neilsen
(As a warning, there might be spoilers in here. So beware. I’ll try to make sure the spoilers are alerted, but just sayin’. 😉)
I had heard a lot about The False Prince before I finally got my hands on a copy of it. People mentioned it throughout the blogosphere. I saw it in libraries from time to time. Friends discussed it. But I was never that interested… until I saw the cover and read the blurb.
In a discontented 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.
See? I was hooked. 😛 But my notebook is absolutely full of notes on this story, so I’d better stop rambling and get to the actual review. XD
Content
Pros:
Magic–none that I noticed!
Sexual–we find out that one character was sold to another because he was interested in marrying her, but the marriage ended up being cancelled due to the male losing interest in the girl. There are also a few mild sexual comments here and there. However, there is nothing explicit at all.
Violence–there, but very mild. We don’t get too much blood, and descriptions of wounds/fights are kept at a minimum. Think Wingfeather Saga style. 🙂
Cons:
Spiritual–throughout the story, we see several mentions of “the devils” and “the saints” and even “gods”. Sage mentally taunts/requests things from the devils, believing that they are the cause of all the trouble he gets into. Most of his interactions with them are half-joking, more of a way to make fun of somebody than actual worship. There are also a few mentions of how churches were left untouched during raids, as if out of respect. A priest plays a key role in people’s backstories. There is at least one mention of the “Book of Faith”. There is a joke about church and a nobleman gives to charity to buy forgiveness for sins. Sabbath is mentioned. Someone mentions that “the stars are shining for you tonight.” None of this is portrayed negatively – other than the devils, who seem more like mischievous imps than powerful beings.
Neutral:
Language–Sage does not have a clean mouth, as we learn throughout the series. Most of the characters don’t. They “swear” and “curse” throughout the series, although the actual words they use are NEVER shown – or even hinted at. Some characters disapprove of the cursing, though I don’t remember of you see that in this book or future ones. 😛
Messages
As a quick side note, Neilsen’s stories can be hard to find the messages in. I found as I read the series that I tend to be unable to find her theme in the beginning, but it shows itself in all of its splendor at the end, tying together things from the beginning that I didn’t even guess were part of the theme. I. LOVED. THAT.
Pros:
Be yourself.
Be careful what you say, and face the consequences. (James 3:5-6)
Be humble. (Proverbs 16:18)
Be brave. (Joshua 1:9)
Tell the truth (this is a VERY strong theme). (Exodus 20:16)
Freedom is important. (Galatians 5:1)
Fight for yourself/against evil. (Ephesians 6:10-12)
Cons:
None that I saw. (Yay!)
Neutral:
Someone mentions that wearing a dress doesn’t make you a woman. I don’t see much wrong with that statement, but it might raise some people’s hackles, so I thought it was worth a mention. 😛
Morals
Pros:
Loyalty–Mott is about as loyal as they come, in contrast to most everyone else’s selfishness.
Sacrifice–(SPOILER ALERT!!) Eckbert may seem like a selfish, wimpy king at first, but later we learn that he hid his son – almost abandoned his son – to protect him. To keep him safe. Eckbert sacrificed something he loved (Jaron) in order to protect that him and his kingdom. (SPOILER END!!)
Trust–It takes a bit, but (SPOILER ALERT!!) Tobias and Sage eventually come to trust one another. (SPOILER END!!) They aren’t hasty about it, nor are they overwhelmingly slow, which was just about the perfect pace.
Humility–Sage is introduced as quite proud – or, he appears to be. (SPOILER ALERT!!) In the end, we find out that all Sage’s bragging is actually true. He can do the things he claims to do, no matter how arrogantly he says it. (SPOILER END!!) We have hope as the book ends that his pride is being worked on.
Selflessness–Sage is introduced as quite selfish as well – but once again, that’s only what he appears to be. (SPOILER ALERT!!) Again, in the end, we discover that what we thought he was doing for himself, he actually for other people. (SPOILER END!!) He’s actually not that selfish. XD
Kindness–Despite Sage’s… independence and sharp tongue, Imogen shows a surprising amount of kindness – and patience – towards him. She counters his sharpness with sharpness of her own, but her actions are kind and compassionate.
Ambition–Sage dreams big – big enough to get him into trouble, although he’s somehow always able to get himself out of scrapes. His ambition might cross the line into arrogance at times, but he seems to set realistic goals, despite how lofty they are.
Cons:
Defiance–Sage is very defiant, even though he’s not stupid. He hardly respects his authorities and treats others with contempt. Following rules is not his strong point. (SPOILER ALERT!!) In fact, his rebelliousness is what got him sent away from Drylliad to begin with. (SPOILER END!!)
Swearing–As I already mentioned in the Content: Language section, Sage doesn’t have a clean mouth. His cussing is shown in a negative light and no words are actually used, but he isn’t a great role model in this area.
Gray Area:
Deception–Sage is a liar. That’s a crucial part of the story. However, his lies are not shown as good – rather, honesty is slowly being worked into him.
Technicalities
Pros:
Prose–Y’all. I. Love. Neilsen’s. Prose. Somehow she manages to weave humor, originality, and simplicity into each sentence, moving the plot and showcasing the characters in the best possible way. It’s captivating, not distracting – a feat that’s becoming rarer and rarer the more I read.
Characters–Once again, Neilsen outdoes herself with her characters. They are deep and memorable, each unique and with their own special voices. She did something I rarely see and made Sage the MC – a snarky, defiant boy that usually takes the spotlight as a side character. This was brilliant, and makes me want a sarcastic protagonist of my own… 😛
Plot–If you guys are looking for a book to keep you on your toes, look no farther. So. Many. Plot. Twists. I only predicted a couple of the smaller ones, and the larger ones had me saying, “WHAT?!” out loud and alarming my family. XD Everything makes sense, and the climax ties up all the loose ends with seeming ease. This is one of the best plots I’ve ever read, and couple that with some amazing characters and hilarious prose, and you have a marvelous book on your hands.
Theme–As I said in the Messages section, Neilsen’s themes can be hard to snag, especially in the beginning. But once she brings them out into the light, they. are. glorious. ‘Nuff said.
Worldbuilding–Carthya was well-rounded and developed, though there wasn’t much unique in terms of plants/animals/weapons/etc. Her geography was consistent, her politics clear, and her timeline teetering somewhere on the edge of medieval times and the Renaissance/Reformation here on Earth. It was very intriguing, but not overdone to the point of distracting the reader from the story.
Typos/Grammatical Errors–None that I caught.
Cons:
POV (point-of-view)–I did catch a couple of headjumping moments, but other than that, Neilsen did an excellent job. 🙂
Favorite Quotes
“If Eckbert noticed his son’s breaking heart, he didn’t acknowledge it.” (ahhh this makes me hurt so baaaaaaad XD)
“Would that be so bad, just to be who you are?” -Imogen
Wrap Up
There you have it: my take on the first book of the Ascendance Series. In case you can’t tell or are a skimmer, I LOVED it. Go read it! Have you ever read The False Prince? Are you interested? If not, maybe watch the trailer and then you will be. XD
Disclaimer: all opinions expressed are my own. I was in no way pressured to write a positive review.
Until the next post,
Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!
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