Wow, I can’t believe I’m on the last book. Five months ago I reviewed The False Prince with the plan of reviewing one of Jennifer A. Neilsen’s books a month, and here we are. Thanks for sticking with me this long.
(P.S. Need to catch up? Start with this review, then move on to The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne, and finally The Captive Kingdom, then come back here. :))
May I present the final review in this long series…
The Shattered Castle 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’. )
If I’m honest, The Shattered Castle was really good, but probably my least favorite of the series. Some of it seemed a little rushed, and I wasn’t as into the plot as I have been. That being said, the ending was splendorific and totally made up for anything I disliked. XD
King Jaron has outwitted the Prozarians and returned to his own kingdom with one secret in his pocket that not even his friends know about. He’s hoping that secret will help him finally bring stability to Carthya.
But a surprise attack on his own land — on the castle itself — reminds Jaron that nothing is easy. The Prozarian Monarch threatens to crumble Jaron’s entire kingdom. And that’s not the only thing in danger: With old enemies and new rumors circling around him, even Jaron’s relationship with Imogen is uncertain.
This former False Prince will need his best tricks and many allies at his side to hold Carthya together.
(Ok, let’s just admit it. Nielsen got the SWAGGIEST covers EVER. XD)
Star Rating
4.5 out of 5 stars
Content
Pros:
Sexual–a couple engaged characters kiss before they get married. There’s an instance where one certain character steals all of a man’s clothes while he’s in the bathroom. It’s later mentioned that the man ran around in a blanket yelling for his clothes. That’s it, tho.
Violence–so mild it’s almost unmentionable. XD
Drinking/drugs/smoking/etc–none.
Cons:
Spiritual–yet again, there are multiple mentions of the devils and saints.
Neutral:
Cursing–I know this is going to shock y’all so bad, but Jaron is still cursing. *fp* And guess what? This time he’s got Fink on it too, something Imogen highly disapproves of. There are a few teasing mentions of how cursing is bad. Once again, no actual words are ever mentioned.
Magic–there is a “curse” that some characters believe in, and some don’t. *shugs* Judge for yourself.
Messages
Pros:
Let others help you, ’cause sometimes you can’t do it all yourself. (Psalm 30:2)
Unity. The entire book of Ephesians XD (Psalm 133:1)
Trust others (those who are trustworthy, that is). (Exodus 18:21)
Be truthful with others. (Proverbs 12:19)
All humans are equal. (Psalm 55:13)
Greed is destructive. (Proverbs 1:19, 15:27)
Life and love are precious things, more so than wealth, power, or knowledge. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
Cons:
A tiny hint of “believe in yourself”. (Proverbs 3:5,7)
Morals
Pros:
Patience (Levi)
Honesty (Levi and, surprisingly, Jaron at times)
Loyalty (Tobias and others)
Keeping her word (Imogen)
Valuing life (Jaron – though the way in which he saves lives is questionable, as we’ll see in the next section.)
Cons:
Stealing from enemies (Jaron)
Selfishness (as a mask) (Jaron)
Arrogance/cockiness (Jaron – go figure XD)
Gray Area:
Lying to all, including those close to him, in order to save lives. Regret is felt later on (Jaron – bet you didn’t guess that XD)
Technicalities
…
I forgot to write anything down about technical stuff and now I don’t remember what was there. XD I’m guessing it was consistent with all her other books, so go ahead and read the other reviews if you’re that curious. ;P
FAvorite Quotes
(A bit of explanation: there’s this one character in this book that is known for his wisdom (I think his name was Levi…?). So I swiped lots of quotes from him. XD)
“No one begins to obtain wisdom until they admit they lack knowledge.”
“Fear of a leader may be the most powerful reason to betray a leader.”
“A good gardener is impossible to replace.” (*cough* Samwise Gamgee *cough cough*)
“The king is no better than those he serves. If he understands that, his country will prosper.”
“There are many ways of being strong. Fighting is the lowest form of strength.”
Wrap Up
*wipes forehead* There you have it! The entire Ascendance Series is now reviewed by yours truly. What are your thoughts? Have you read this before? What did you like and dislike? Who was your favorite character? Favorite book? Favorite cover? XD
Until next time,
Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!!
~Joelle
(P.S. I now have a review request form! Check it out here. :))
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