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What Members Thought

Loved this edge-of-your seat fantasy, mystery, political intrigue! Many echoes of Megan Whalen Turner. A great choice for kids who've devoured the Harry Potter series, crave action and are ready for political intrigue.
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Sage is a street smart, mouthy and sharp witted orphan who bears an uncanny resemblance to a young prince, Jaron, who was assassinated at age 10 four years ago.
Now, the royal family has been poisoned and to prevent civil war Connor, a Carthyan aristocrat has devised a plan to put a false prince, his puppet, in place in the castle.
Sage promises to be a difficult prince. Still, of the four candidates that Connor purchased(yes purchased from orphanages) we believe that Sage will be the young man ...more
Now, the royal family has been poisoned and to prevent civil war Connor, a Carthyan aristocrat has devised a plan to put a false prince, his puppet, in place in the castle.
Sage promises to be a difficult prince. Still, of the four candidates that Connor purchased(yes purchased from orphanages) we believe that Sage will be the young man ...more

The King, Queen, and Prince of Carthya have been poisoned, a fact that few know, and shortly after an orphan boy named Sage is bought from an orphanage, along with three others, by a Regent named Connor who plans on training the boys so that one of them can step forward as the missing Prince Jarus in a matter of just two weeks. Prince Jarus was a mischievous, badly behaved prince who had been sent away years ago, but was presumed dead when the boat that he was on had been attacked by pirates and
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4.5 stars for this amazing YA adventure story set in the mythical middle ages. 14 year old Sage is plucked from an orphanage by a strange man on an even more mysterious mission. Sage, though, has never been a kid to cooperate and he gives his benefactor/jailer a run for his money. The plot reminded me a bit of "The Man in the Iron Mask". It is wonderfully complex but fast moving and with well written and interesting characters. Highly recommended for grades 5 and up. I could see this being a big
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Loved it!!!!! This is on the Maine Student Book Award for 2013-2014 and I will be recommending it any chance I get. I thought it was wonderful. Sage and 2 other orphans are "rescued" by Connor to be part of his nefarious (I just wanted to use that word) to take over the kingdom. One pf the orphans will assume the role of Jaron the long lost prince. I don't want to give away any of the plot but the book was really great. Hoping they have the sequel at the Scholastic warehouse sale :)
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An absorbing read that captured my imagination from start to finish. The book has everything I like in a story--memorable characters, humor and adventure. Sage is such a fantastic character. I listened to this one, and the audio was excellent. There was even a little extra story on the audio version. We are all set up for the second book. Can't wait.
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Plenty of deceit, lies, and excitement. Sage is an orphan who is bought with three other orphans. One of them will be trained to be King of Carthya. What will happen to the other three? Will the true prince appear? The story is fast paced and will appeal to boys and girls. A few surprises add to the story.

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I really enjoyed this fantastic adventure/suspense book. I loved the twists, turns, and surprises in the book and although I predicted early on the big surprise, I was still totally thrilled to read the revealing chapter towards the end of the book. I heard that this book is a series and actually am excited to read the next book since characters were so well developed and interesting that I can't wait to jump back into that world.
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It took me a while to get into this book but once I did, it was hard to put down. I had most of it figured out before it happened and had hoped for more of a twist at the end. At any rate, it was an enjoyable book and I have an ARC of the 2nd in the trilogy to read. I will be interested to see what the characters take on in this second book.

Tried to listen to this on audio, but the narrator was as boring as all get-out. So much monotone that I couldn't continue. This is a shame, because the story actually seemed to be quite intriguing. Even from those first few chapters I can see why this book has been popular.
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Sep 13, 2012
Melissa
marked it as to-read

Mar 09, 2013
Vicki
marked it as to-read

Aug 07, 2018
Karyn Lewis
marked it as to-read
