The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy, #2)

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The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy #2)

by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Goodreads Author)

4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 · rating details · 2,202 ratings · 557 reviews

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 feel...more

Hardcover, 331 pages

Published March 1st 2013 by Scholastic Press

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Mar 13, 2013 Monica :) marked it as to-read

I need this novel like ...now! I absolutely loved Book 1, The False Prince, and after that whole thing I'm pretty sure THINGS WILL GO DOWN. Jennifer? Please write faster!!

Update:
Woah! There's a cover? Wait. Hold up. "Flee the throne to keep the crown?" WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

It's released:
The fact that it's out and I haven't gotten my hands on it. COME TO MMEEEEE.

19 likes · like · see review

Apr 09, 2013 Mandy is currently reading it

This is why I hate starting brilliant series that are in the making. Now I'm stuck here, depressed at how far April of 2013 is.

**EDIT**

I HAS THE BOOK IN MEH HANDS. Now I have to find time to actually read it lol

13 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2013 Experiment BL626 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, netgalley, reviewed

After the awesomeness that was book 1 — read my review for book here, I held high expectation for book 2. Woah did I regret doing that. Book 2 exercised my suspension of disbelief hard. Immediately, there were signs portending disappointment. Towards the ending, they bloomed like prickly weeds, and I was left with a rather bitter taste as if I literally ate a weed.

+ the protagonist
Jaron bugged me. He was rude to the people who didn’t deserve it. No, I did not care it was intended to distance and...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Annie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-release, fantasy, high-fantasy, shelf-of-honor, 2nd-in-series, exceeded-expectations, male-pov, underhyped, so-much-fun

Flashback to 2012: The False Prince was coming out, and I really, really wanted to read it. It had been a long time since I'd been so excited for the release of a non-sequel book. And when I finally read it, it was awesome. Not five-stars awesome, but pretty close.

And then this book happened. It's rare for a sequel to improve on its predecessor, but Jennifer Nielson pulled it off. I applaud her for that. At this rate, the finale of this series will be utterly fabulous.

This book is just so much...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Madison ♡ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: proreview

Curse you Jennifer A. Nielsen. Curse you for ripping out my heart and stepping on it and making me die a sad, bookless death. Ugh.
Anyyyway, OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK WAS PERFECTION.
Like, seriously.
Okay, let's start with characters. Roden actually showed dimension! We didn't see much of Tobias, but I liked him when I read about him. Let's just say this: WHY DO ALL MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS BECOME EVIL OR DIE? Good thing my favorite character decided to be awesome in the end.
Now, in my review for The...more Curse you Jennifer A. Nielsen. Curse you for ripping out my heart and stepping on it and making me die a sad, bookless death. Ugh.
Anyyyway, OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK WAS PERFECTION.
Like, seriously.
Okay, let's start with characters. Roden actually showed dimension! We didn't see much of Tobias, but I liked him when I read about him. Let's just say this: WHY DO ALL MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS BECOME EVIL OR DIE? Good thing my favorite character decided to be awesome in the end.
Now, in my review for The False Prince, I said I was nervous about the love triangle thing that would happen in this book. I am so glad to say that I had nothing to worry about. The romance was minimal. Small spoiler, though it is sort of obvious... [spoilers removed].
Anyway, not much romance. Mostly just action and awesome and sweet glory. We don't see much of Amarinda, but I love reading it when she's in there. The nice friendship between Jaron and Amarinda is amazing, especially since they are meant to be married to each other. They both have small reasons to not love each other, but come to a mutual agreement, and I LOVE THEM.
But seriously, this book isn't about who should end up with who.
I actually liked this book more than The False Prince, which is saying something. Most of the time, second books aren't better than first. In my opinion, this was. Because there were [spoilers removed].
Okay, so, I probably shouldn't say this, but I feel like a love triangle will actually be prominent in the third book, just because the ending hints at it a lot.
I really like Amarinda and Imogen. Two of the most amazing female characters ever. Imogen does do what most typical YA female characters do (which is do the opposite of what they're told to do), but she actually apologizes for her mistakes. AND she actually had a reason to go against Jaron's orders. Sigh. Imogen and Amarinda are so perfect.
Roden was awesome. I was surprised at how much he changed from the first book. Luckily common sense stole him. Good, because he's awesome.
Jaron is amazing, as always. I love--LOVE--his sarcastic tone. He goes through a LOT in this book, but he always keeps that sarcasm. He thinks things through, but doesn't hint at thinking them through, if that makes sense.
So yeah. This book, The Runaway King, is amazing and flawless. Not much trouble with pacing at all. Seriously, this series stole my soul. I have to wait over a year to get the third book and this book left off with such an awful cliffhanger! I was scared to finish the book because I knew a cliffhanger would happen and it did.
So curse you Jennifer A. Nielsen. Curse you for writing such an amazing book. And curse you for making me wait to read the next installment. Curse you for making me read this book instead of doing homework. And lastly, curse you for making me fall in love with yet another fictional character.
Thanks for writing an awesome book. Can't wait for the next one.
Now it's time to hibernate until the next book comes out.(less)

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Mar 15, 2013 Bethany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s, childrens, fantasy, young-adult

Sage/Jaron is incredibly good at planning ahead and getting out of trouble by the skin of his nose--or even getting into trouble on purpose to fulfill some unrevealed purpose. I really liked "The False Prince" because I had to guess what was going to happen next for the entire book. The audience only gets to see the surface, or what Sage wants the audience to see; it's only at the end that his entire plan comes to fruition and everything (mostly) is revealed!

Unfortunately, the aforementioned qu...more Sage/Jaron is incredibly good at planning ahead and getting out of trouble by the skin of his nose--or even getting into trouble on purpose to fulfill some unrevealed purpose. I really liked "The False Prince" because I had to guess what was going to happen next for the entire book. The audience only gets to see the surface, or what Sage wants the audience to see; it's only at the end that his entire plan comes to fruition and everything (mostly) is revealed!

Unfortunately, the aforementioned quality of is not as strong in "The Runaway King." Of course, there wasn't much of a chance that there could be much of that mystery, anyway; we already know that Sage is Jaron. That was, is, and probably always will be the biggest surprise of this series.

Nevertheless, Jaron is still a brilliant mastermind in The Runaway King; I always wonder what he will do next. However, in this book, he is...a little more restrained than in The False Prince. He is still as impetuous as ever, but he pretty much has an entourage of people who are wise to his ways. In some ways, that is nice because he isn't so lonely; on the other hand, he rarely achieves a single-handed victory. He is often dependent on his friends (or frenemies?), indicating that he has matured to the point of being able to participate in teamwork...sometimes. Of course, he has a lot to learn about trust.

I don't mean to undermine Nielsen's characterization, though; I still love reading about Jaron and his crazy schemes. No matter what, he always steals the show.

Oh, and I also love that there is no kissing, bad language (other than frequent invocations of 'devils'), or anything really bad. The violence could be a problem for really young readers, but I love that the series is designed for a wide age group.

All the same, it's a really great read. I finished it in 2-3 hours, and now I'm mad that it will take another YEAR to read the next one!

NOTE: For the fans of Megan Whalen Turner's series about Eugenedes (The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings), this is a series very much like that one. Jaron is, in fact, almost identical in character to Gen! It's not like Nielsen has plagiarized, but her protagonist is genuinely likable and shares a lot of those characteristics. (less)

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Jun 27, 2012 Melody marked it as to-read

I for real need to read this book. I have no doubts it'll do the first justice and even surpass The False Prince.

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 13, 2013 Noelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-fairy-tale, royalty

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. OH. MY. GOSH.
How could she do this to us? How could she end it at such a terrible cliffhanger? I know, I know, she needs to get us to read the next book, but really, if you enjoyed the book at all, you would probably read the next one anyway, and if you hated it, you wouldn't bother, no matter how it ended. But seriously??? That was downright cruel. Now that I'm done ranting, my actual review.
1. I have to admit, I got a little bored when (Sage, Jaron, whatever)was with the thieves. Maybe it was...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Ascendance trilogy by Nielsen. I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The False Prince, and was really looking forward to reading The Runaway King. This is an absolutely wonderful book. It starts a bit slower than The False Prince, but in the end I loved it almost as much.

Jaron has only been on the throne a few weeks when the first assassination attempt happens. He is forced into a difficult situation where his regents want him to install someone to rule...more
This is the second book in the Ascendance trilogy by Nielsen. I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The False Prince, and was really looking forward to reading The Runaway King. This is an absolutely wonderful book. It starts a bit slower than The False Prince, but in the end I loved it almost as much.

Jaron has only been on the throne a few weeks when the first assassination attempt happens. He is forced into a difficult situation where his regents want him to install someone to rule for him until he comes of age. Given the complicated politics going on Jaron decides the best way to save his kingdom is to leave it and take things into his own hands.

I thought the beginning of this book was a bit weaker than The False Prince. I think mainly this is because Jaron really seems out of his element in the castle as King, he isn’t doing a good job of being King and he knows this. He’s loath to give up and run away, but finally makes the rash and strangely mature decision to do just that to save his kingdom at the cost of his pride.

Jaron is pretty much what makes this book. He is hilariously snarky, brilliant, and heart stoppingly rash at times. He takes huge risks and is resourceful enough to make them work in his favor. I really enjoyed him as a character. He is incredibly entertaining, engaging, and completely unpredictable.

The support characters are all very well done as well. Imogen does an excellent job of supporting Jaron in her own subtle and sneaky way; she doesn’t have the flash and dash of a lot of heroines out there, but she is effective and persistent.

Jaron is an incredibly difficult person to deal with throughout the novels, still somehow he manages to surround himself with good and loyal people. A number of new characters are introduced through the course of this novel, they are all very interesting and engaging characters that really add to the story.

The plot has a ton of twists and turns and lots of interesting intrigue. Jaron ends up immersed in pirate culture and dealing with pirate codes, which you have to admit is pretty darn cool. The story is action packed and full of daring escapes, amazing feats of thievery, and even wonderfully orchestrated duels. The pace is well done and the book is engaging.

Overall this was a wonderful continuation of this series. Jaron is an awesome character and many new and interesting characters are introduced into the story. The story is action packed, full of twists and turns, and all in all just very well done. I didn’t like this book quite as much as the first one, it started a bit slow, but I still really really enjoyed it. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of fantasy. Appropriate for middle grade and older readers.(less)

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Feb 08, 2013 Daphne marked it as to-read

Shelves: kickass-heroines-heros, must-reads

My reaction when I was accepted by Netgalley:

photo tumblr_mh3m8c7JlD1rn7wkmo1_400_zpsc9a57973.gif

The first novel in the Ascendance Trilogy, The False Prince, literally changed my life forever. Every time I was caught in a sticky situation, I immediately asked myself, "What would Sage do?" In fact, I was surprised that I even had the ability to talk coherently or function like a normal human being after I finished it. Jennifer Nielsen is that good! So when I saw that the sequel already had a epic name and donned a simple yet intriguing cover, I w...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult, own-it, paranormal-fantasy

There are books that you just have to read in one sitting, and this is one of them. I found that with the first book, The False Prince, it was hard to put down for long as well. I really was a bit nervous about the second book because Jaron was now King and I hoped it would not be lacking in excitement. I love political intrigue, but I need action as well. My thoughts were quickly put at ease, as we find Jaron fleeing from the castle to keep himself safe from assassination.

Of course, nothing is...more There are books that you just have to read in one sitting, and this is one of them. I found that with the first book, The False Prince, it was hard to put down for long as well. I really was a bit nervous about the second book because Jaron was now King and I hoped it would not be lacking in excitement. I love political intrigue, but I need action as well. My thoughts were quickly put at ease, as we find Jaron fleeing from the castle to keep himself safe from assassination.

Of course, nothing is simple with Jaron and we find him quickly diverting back to his Sage character, deciding that he needs to solve his problems at the source. Why wait for the pirates to come kill him, when he can go to them and hopefully things will turn out for the best. And to do that, he must ditch his company and travel on his own, so that he can single-handedly squelch the problem.

I really love Jaron, especially when he reverts back to a more Sage-like character. It truly is a part of him and I love his brash attitude and no holds barred mannerisms. What else do I love about these books? Strong female characters! We have Imogen, the one who Jaron truly cares for and ends up saving his butt even after Jaron cruelly makes her leave (for her own safety, of course…).

Fink was my newest favorite character, a young boy who joins with the pirates with Jaron who was part of the group of thieves. He just reacts in such a funny way to all the things "Sage" is doing and he really grew on me to the point I was really hoping nothing bad would happen to him.

The real charm of these books is the humor written within. I just love the characters in these books and cannot wait to find out what will happen next. If I'm going to be honest, the only flaw was some of the fighting was a bit.. over the top and exaggerated. There's a part also where Sage has a broken leg and still picks a fight – which sort of works with his personality, but he should have been in a LOT more pain.

Final Verdict:

A fairly solid middle novel with a couple of flaws, but overall, great characters and a nicely paced plot.

Will I read the next installment?

Definitely! I'm not sure where the last book will take us and I'm looking forward to seeing how Jaron fares during his next adventure.(less)

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May 02, 2013 Hazel West rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, great-summer-reads

Thoughts on the Overall Book: After reading the first book in the series, I had a couple problems with the way the story was brought out and the plot was revealed, but I had hoped that the second one wouldn't have any of that in it. As it turned out, it didn't at all, and the author has progressed brilliantly in plotting (though writer to writer, the plot of the first book was kind of tricky, so I understand where the problems originated). This one however I really didn't have any complaints on...more Thoughts on the Overall Book: After reading the first book in the series, I had a couple problems with the way the story was brought out and the plot was revealed, but I had hoped that the second one wouldn't have any of that in it. As it turned out, it didn't at all, and the author has progressed brilliantly in plotting (though writer to writer, the plot of the first book was kind of tricky, so I understand where the problems originated). This one however I really didn't have any complaints on it, and since nothing threw me like it did in the first book, I was able to just sit back and enjoy it far more.

Cover--Yea or Nay: I really like the covers for this series. They are simple, but neat. I love the font of the title and really I love swords on covers. That's a thing of mine.

Characters: Sage/Jaron (though I'll always call him Sage) is who sold me in the first book despite my couple complaints, and I really wanted to read more about him. I loved how in this book, he stayed the same in character, but yet, you can tell he has also matured a lot since the first book. That showed in the sacrifices he had to make in the series and the very hard decisions and even betrayals he had to make to keep people he loved safe. I continued to like Imogen, she's just the kind of female character I like reading about. I would have liked to see more of Tobias, but I have a feeling we'll get to see more of him in the next book.

There were a couple new characters I enjoyed meeting too. Fink, the urchin boy, is a new favorite of mine, and I love how he kind of treats Sage as an older brother and vise versa. Erick too, was kind of an interesting character because you were never sure whether he would be good or bad. Another favorite addition was Harlowe, even though he wasn't in the story all that much. I just adored the little father-son relationship between him and Sage.

The Romance: There's not a lot of time for romance, but you can kind of tell there is definitely something between Sage and Imogen (view spoiler)

Writing Style: As I said earlier, I think that, in ways of flow, "The Runaway King" is much improved over "The False Prince" which is exactly what I had hoped. The writing and dialogue and everything in the first book was good, it was just the few flow issues that I complained about. But this one flowed very well and I was gripped through the whole thing. It's definitely one of those books that grabs you. Also, extra points because Jennifer A Nielsen can write pirates that don't come across as the lame cliché pirates that usually get thrown into books these days. They were actually like real pirates to me, and making them mercenaries to the highest bidder was also a good turn. Also, I appreciate, like I did in the first book, that wounds are actually mentioned in this story. People who follow my reviews (and who have read my own books) probably know that I hate it when a character is wounded pretty badly and two minutes later they are running and fighting the baddie. The fight Sage has when his leg is broken is pretty accurate. It's like a 'I need to do this no matter the fact that I have a broken leg' than the usual "oh, I only have a broken leg". It was his determination that kept him going.

Problems/What bothered me: I really didn't have anything to complain about in this one.

Conclusion: 5 stars I enjoyed it a lot, I'm just sad I have to wait for the next book after that evil cliff hanger at the end! I have a feeling the third book is going to be pretty awesome. For a middle trilogy book, this book was awesome in itself. So many times, the middle books are kind of blah.

Recommended Audience: Fans of the first one, Ranger's Apprentice fans would enjoy this as well, 12 and up.
(less)

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Jan 13, 2013 Veronica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advance-reader-books

This has to be one of my favorite sequels. Runaway King does not disappoint. Jaron faces opposition from his regents, making it difficult to accomplish anything. He doesn't have their respect and they see him as no more than a child, not fit to rule. His captain of the guard doesn't even trust his decisions. Thus Jaron is left with no choice after an assassination attempt, he must leave the castle and leave the ruling of his kingdom to a steward.

Jaron has no interest in sitting by and letting s...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Carlos rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-covers, reviewed

«Todos se asustan a veces. Son sólo los tontos los que no lo admiten.»

The False Prince fue una de mis mejores lecturas del 2012. Fue una historia emocionante, entretenida y llena de excelentes personajes. Así que a penas lo terminé, esperé con ansias la secuela, a pesar de que sentí que el primer libro concluyó una historia de una buena manera.

Las diferencias entre The Runaway King y el primer libro son inmensas. Jaron, parece una persona totalmente diferente. Me provocaba meterme dentro...more

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May 16, 2013 Chris C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Runaway King was everything I would have wanted out of a second book to this trilogy. For once, I feel like this book actually started on its own, instead of basically reminding the reader of all the characters and retelling what the first book was about. The Runaway King had a nice quick start because of this, and was interesting from the beginning to the end. Once again, I felt like I could never quite guess what would happen and become of Sage next. Examples were some of Roden's actions.

T...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

Warning: THE FALSE PRINCE has a bit of a twist, and I'll try to avoid it, but be wary of reading this review if you haven't read the first book.

Jaron is now the king of Carthya. War is imminent. There are few people that he can trust - even fewer in positions of power. He must marry Amarinda, but he neither knows nor loves her. She's not very excited about it either considering the fact she cared for his deceased older brother. When the pirates threaten Jaron, his regents decide he must go into...more Warning: THE FALSE PRINCE has a bit of a twist, and I'll try to avoid it, but be wary of reading this review if you haven't read the first book.

Jaron is now the king of Carthya. War is imminent. There are few people that he can trust - even fewer in positions of power. He must marry Amarinda, but he neither knows nor loves her. She's not very excited about it either considering the fact she cared for his deceased older brother. When the pirates threaten Jaron, his regents decide he must go into hiding. Jaron decides to go into hiding with the pirates themselves to take them apart from the inside.

THE RUNAWAY KING has more action than THE FALSE PRINCE. THE FALSE PRINCE had quite the finale, but most of the book was a tense build-up to the climax. The structure of THE RUNAWAY KING is entirely different. Most of the familiar characters are back, though many of them are far less important than they were in the first book. This, the middle book in the trilogy, is really Jaron's show. He's making his bid for power and he'll only keep the crown if he can pull it off. Also, it's his show because he's too dumb to trust his real friends. (Luckily, they trust him.)

My favorite part of the novel was when Jaron fell in with an Avenian thieves' camp. Jennifer A. Nielsen did a wonderful job of developing Carthya in the first book and she used the second book to give a glimpse of the Avenian perspective. It's not very nuanced since this is a middle grade series, but I appreciated that not all of the Avenians were terrible, irredeemable people.

I think fans of THE FALSE PRINCE will be very satisfied with THE RUNAWAY KING and eager to read the third and final book in the Ascendance Trilogy. Nielsen keeps the pages turning. THE RUNAWAY KING is full of danger, Jaron staying alive through a combination of his cleverness and his more physical abilities. And just when it seems like he'll be triumphant, things boil over.

Nielsen's classic style of fantasy appeals to me now just as much as it would have when I was younger. The Ascendance trilogy is perfect for fans of Megan Whalen Turner (though it does skew a little younger). It has derring-do, suspense, epic battles, and a touch of romance and friendship. It's full of action, but it's action driven by the memorable characters. (less)

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May 09, 2013 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I know this series gets compared to Queen's Thief a lot, but as a reader of both I'm going to have to mention my thoughts on this. After all, I found the first book because I saw it was recommended to Megan Whalen Turner fans.

I have to say this: the Ascendance Trilogy lacks the finesse of Turner's prose. I think this is partly due to the first person viewpoint compared to the later Queen's Thief 3rd person and 1st person observer viewpoints. It's difficult to write in 1st person from the perspe...more

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May 06, 2013 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: juv-fiction, pirates, royalty

The sequel to The False Prince is action-packed and full of twists. Jaron takes his life in his hands when he leaves Carthya to attempt to join the pirates that threaten his kingdom. He accomplishes his task, but must prove himself in battles and each takes its toll on his mind and body.

The main character is the best part about this series. He's easy to root for and full of charm. He makes quick decisions and shows a lot of strength and bravery. His risk-taking tendencies make this series exciti...more

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May 05, 2013 bjneary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, favorites

The second book in the Trilogy was awesome!!! Sage/Jaron has been accepted as the long lost prince and has become the King of Carthya. Jaron is not out of the woods yet because there are still those (the pirates, Devlin and even some of the regents in his court) who want him out and replaced with a steward until he reaches the proper age. As we all know what Jaron is capable of; he listens to no one and sets out to kill the pirates so that there will be no war in his kingdom. Jaron will not list...more

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May 03, 2013 Miriam Matthews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kiwireviews

Phew! What can I say... A much faster paced book than The False Prince was, due to the onslaught of new characters and being thrown even further into the world of Carthya and the newly crowned King Jaron.

I grabbed this off my shelf to read, having gotten it to review, and straight away you are drawn into the book with the starting line of "I was early for my own assassination". Not long after this we meet foes from the previous book, meet new people where Jaron must figure out who is really a fr...more

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May 01, 2013 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, bullies, community, death, families, friendship, ncbla2014, travel, war

Just as compelling as its predecessor, The False Prince, this title follows King Jaron as he tries to save his kingdom. With threats of war looming and treachery on every side, he disguises himself, leaves his royal position, and looks for a way to infiltrate the pirates. Because he can't simply leave the kingdom without a king, he enlists the services of a friend who acts as king and stays hidden in his rooms. Jaron's big heart and his street skills serve him well as he goes from adventure to a...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Unlike most series (which I avoid), I actually looked forward to reading this one. I was a bit worried that I'd be let down, but it was okay. It had some great intensity and Jaron is as strong a character as before. Not everything is pleasant. Overall, it delivers, fitting in well with book 1 and progressing the plot. By now, we also expect Jaron's first person narrative not to explain everything on his mind. So, it didn't disappoint from that perspective.

On the other hand, so much is wrong here...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Rachel Mikkay rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was probably a mistake to read this book so soon after rereading Megan Whalen Turner's series. But the comparisons are inevitable, and as much as I wish I could take Sage on his own terms, I can't. I also have a hard time calling him Jaron because "Sage" is so much cooler, and because he makes a much better "thief" than a royal--he's infinitely more enjoyable to read as such.

Still, I enjoyed it, even if the plot was predictable. Really, if the CAPTAIN OF YOUR GUARD has to ask where you've bee...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Grace rated it 2 of 5 stars

It wasn't a good sign when I hit a scene a few pages into the book and actually put it down to sigh in disappointment. After really loving the False Prince, how could I be so disenchanted with the Runaway King?

In the first book, Sage is interesting because he has some sort of secret agenda that crops up in weird actions and inexplicable skill sets. It's great, and I was hooked. But here? Here he is just rude and stupid. He does dumb things supposedly with a master plan in mind, and I think it's...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Carol Owen rated it 4 of 5 stars

On the evening of his family's funeral an assassination attempt is made on Jaron, King of Carthya. The attempt is by none other than Roden, one of the two boys he had trained with under Conner, the man who killed his family. After being beaten out of the thrown by Jaron, Roden has joined forces with the Pirates of Avenian, a group of cutthroats who have unfinished business with Jaron - business to kill him as they thought they had years ago. Roden spares Jaron his life, but not without a price....more On the evening of his family's funeral an assassination attempt is made on Jaron, King of Carthya. The attempt is by none other than Roden, one of the two boys he had trained with under Conner, the man who killed his family. After being beaten out of the thrown by Jaron, Roden has joined forces with the Pirates of Avenian, a group of cutthroats who have unfinished business with Jaron - business to kill him as they thought they had years ago. Roden spares Jaron his life, but not without a price. He is to turn himself over to the pirates or harm will come to someone Jaron holds dear. Jaron quickly understands that to be Imogen, the servant girl that has helped him since his days with Conner. He also knows that denying the pirates' wish will lead to a certain war with Avenian.

In the meantime his own kingdom is in upheaval. Jaron is certain that Conner did not act alone to kill his parents, but he lacks the proof he needs to condemn any other of his regents. He also is aware that his regents want to put a steward on the throne until he is of age, and that would most certainly be Gregor, Jaron's captain of the guard, but a man he did not trust. Knowing no other recourse, Jaron runs away. Or does he? Has Jaron ever run away from trouble? Taking his trusted friends Mott and Tobias with him he heads out to save his kingdom, but will his plan cost him all that he has, including his life?

I found this book to be action packed and suspenseful, but there was one flaw that keeps me from giving it 5 stars. I'm always annoyed when sequels to other books feel a constant need to remind readers who characters are from an earlier book, and interrupts the flow of the story to do so. I found this happened a lot in this story, even close to the end, and it just got annoying. I kept thinking, "For heaven's sake, if the reader doesn't know the first book they shouldn't be reading this one!" I know it's probably necessary to do this, I just wish there was a way that would avoid hindering the movement of the present story.(less)

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Mar 19, 2013 Joanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, 4-liked-it-most-enjoyable, fiction

I thought this book was a good sequal to the false prince. It had all the same characters, and the same daring mystery that the first one had. If you are looking for a enjoyable and quick read series, this is deffinatly worth your time.

I just have a few complaints: And yes, they are the same complaints as the first book... I know she is trying to write to a younger audience, but really, he can't be just 15ish years old. I know at 15, I thought I was really awesome and could do anything, but he s...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Barb Middleton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, courage, friendship

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A plain 'o rip-roaring adventure ye won't wanna put down with crazy plot twists and turns, nonstop action and tension, and terrific characters. Jaron or Sage is back with his smart aleck bad boy ways where he can be quite unpredictable with actions, predictable with the girls (they react unpredictably toward him), and charming if he has to talk his way out of a tangle. Like Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow or Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Sage is a character that is charming, cranky, good, and vuln...more A plain 'o rip-roaring adventure ye won't wanna put down with crazy plot twists and turns, nonstop action and tension, and terrific characters. Jaron or Sage is back with his smart aleck bad boy ways where he can be quite unpredictable with actions, predictable with the girls (they react unpredictably toward him), and charming if he has to talk his way out of a tangle. Like Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow or Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Sage is a character that is charming, cranky, good, and vulnerable; he sweeps you along with the storyline and you'll like him so much ye won't care about some of the unbelievable things he does because he'll spit out some funny line in a tight spot or use his wits when ye don't expect it. Add some strong supporting characters and some nasty 'ole pirates and ye got yerself a whole lotta fun! And don't worry, there is no pirate talk. I just couldn't resist having a little fun meself spicing up me review.

Jaron is trying to run his kingdom, but war is looming from his greedy neighbors who want the lush forests and natural springs that adorn the Carthya landscape. Except the pirates to the west. They don't care about the land. They want Jaron dead. Their failure to kill him four years ago plagues the Pirate King's ego. When Jaron's authority is undermined by his captain of the guard, who wants the regents to install a steward, Jaron is forced to flee and deal with his enemies himself. This impossible task teaches him that he must learn to trust others and find the meaning of true friendship. (He's working on the true love part, but we are not sure how that will go.)

I appreciate that the author pretty much wraps up all the loose ends, saving a few tidbits for the next sequel. The character, Jaron, uses his wits (loved the plague trick) as well as athletic skills; the girls are strong-willed; and Fink and Erick are a nice addition to the mix. The pirate Devlin is one-dimensional, but Roden isn't, which makes for an interesting character study even if his quick change of heart at the end was somewhat unbelievable. But hey, boys will be boys. Except these boys were awfully brutal to each other. And speaking of crazy, never mind that Jaron can climb a cliff with a broken leg and sword fight right after on one leg with the best sword fighter in the country. Like other archetypical heroes and their unbelievable feats, Jaron is typical of the well-loved monomyth.

So 'matey, while this book is a little more predictable in spots than the first, and unbelievable in others, it is still a fun read that won't disappoint fans of the first book. (less)

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Mar 10, 2013 Barb Terpstra rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review actually covers both "The False Prince" and "The Runaway King", books one and two of The Ascendance Trilogy. I learned about the series from a friend of mine whose middle school son had recently read Book One and declared it good.

If you have children or students who love adventure, pirates, fighting and intrigue, this is a great series to get them started on. I read both books back to back and now I am so frustrated that I have to wait for Book 3. I want to know what happens next! (I...more

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Mar 09, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, favorite-characters

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

Young Jaron - Sage that was - has ascended to the throne and accepted his rightful place as the ruler of Carthya. On the day of his family's funeral, Jaron, sick of his preening and power-hungry regents, decides to skip the services and instead takes to his gardens for time to reflect, alone. Unfortunately for Jaron, he is ambushed by an assassination attempt from none other than Roden, the former friend alongside whom Jaron trained as one of nobleman Bev...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Mrs. S rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-books, read-in-2013

It's tricky to review a second-book-in-a-trilogy like this one. I will say that I think Jennifer Nielsen has deftly avoided the dreaded Second Book Syndrome--this book has its own story, its own objectives, and its own enemies to defeat. It actually would work pretty well as a standalone story, I think.

The big change from the first book of this series to the second is in tone, I think. In the first book, it was each boy for himself. In this book, suddenly there are all the Regents to consider,...more

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About Jennifer A. Nielsen

Jennifer lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a naughty puppy. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. She is a former speech teacher, theater director, and enjoyed a brief but disastrous career as a door-to-door pollster. In her spare time, Jennifer tends to panic, wondering what she has f...more

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Books by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy, #1)

Elliot and the Goblin War (Underworld Chronicles #1)

Elliot and the Pixie Plot (Underworld Chronicles #2)

Elliot and the Last Underworld War (Underworld Chronicles, #3)

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“Above all else, I think that you are a compulsive liar."
My laughter was tense, but sincere. "Hardly. In fact, I consider myself a compulsive truth teller. It's only that everyone else seems compelled to misunderstand me.” — 20 people liked it

“You wouldn't want to be king of my country," I said.
"Why is that?"
"Well, you're rather fat. I doubt you'd fit onto my throne.” — 18 people liked it

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The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy #2)

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