The Ascendance Series by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Books 1-3) Review

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Age Range: 12 and up

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reviewed by Katherine

The Ascendance Series books 1-3 (The False Prince, The Runaway King, & The Shadow Throne) follows Sage as he takes on daring risks and challenges to fight for his life and those he cares about.

Summary of The False Prince

The royal family is dead. Now who will sit on Carthya’s throne? With the possibility of civil war, Bevin Conner, a nobleman, comes up with a plan that involves placing an imposter on the throne.

“If I had to do it all over again, I would not have chosen this life.”

Sage, a lonely orphan, is chosen by Conner to compete with other orphans as to who will impersonate the lost prince of Carthya. If Sage doesn’t follow through Conner’s plan, he will lose his life.

“My choice was clear. Become the prince, or he’d kill me.”

But should Carthya have to bow to a false prince?

My Thoughts on the Story

This series was amazing to read and pure genius. I love the motivating, in-depth characters and the intriguing plots that made my heart race. I also love that Nielsen creates her world down to the tiniest detail so that it feels real and believable. Nielsen creates Sage’s voice so well that it feels like he actually exists out there in the world.

Sage is no perfect character, but he is one that we can often relate to. Even though it seems as if Sage only cares about himself, we come to realize that he truly cares about everyone else. I love the fact that “time is never on his side,” yet he won’t ever give up.

I like that instead of using curse words Nielsen just states that the character cursed, making this series a clean read. Nielsen does, however, make mentions of the “devils” (e.g. “I managed to hold on only because it entertained the devils to help me do it”) more than she does the “saints.”

I love reading stories with royalty involved and this series used it in a different and exciting way. Once being drawn into the story, I didn’t want to leave the world. Carthya will forevermore remain alive in my heart. I highly recommend The Ascendance Series to anyone who loves big secrets and the need to keep turning the page.