Review: The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Review: The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Synopsis:

In a discontent 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.

Before Reading:

It's by pure accident that I found this book. The only reason I was able to come across it was due to the fact that it was part of the daily deal on Amazon for the Kindle. With barely giving much thought to it, I downloaded it. I wasn't sure what to expect but I thought if nothing else it would kill some time and in the worst case I would return it.  

*WARNING*: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!!!!!

My Review:

I have a confession to make. Once I started reading The False Prince I couldn't put it down; I kept telling myself I would read only one more chapter and then I would stop for the night and go to bed. After 51 one more chapters I was able to put the book down. It wasn't hard to be ensnared by Sage's story. Between him and the wonderful plot with all the different twist and turns I never really stood a chance against this book. Nielsen did an amazing job in creating Sage and the world he lives in. Even though I bought the kindle version of this book I plan on buying the paperback sometime in the near future because I need this book on my shelf. 

What I liked:

It's often I can say this but I loved everything about this book. So I will try and keep the gushing to a minimum. Let's start off with the characters.

Nielsen did a brilliant job in creating her characters. I fell in love with Sage thanks to his wit and sharp tongue. Sage made the story both fun and interesting to read. The way Nielsen wrote Sage made you think you had everything figured out about him but just as I was getting comfortable with Sage’s identity *kaboom* a lie becomes a truth and the truth was just a white lie. Everything changed and I had to reevaluate everything I knew about Sage. The boy is a freaking Matryoshka doll. Just when you think you have everything figured out he does something to flip the tables. The ending is a great example of that. 

At first I was weary of Conner but that quickly changed when he tricked the boys and had Latamer killed to prove a point. It wasn’t long before I just out right hated him; every chapter I was waiting for karma to come around and kick him where it hurts.  He’s the perfect villain who everyone loves to hate. The worst part is I slightly understand why he does what he doing but at the same time he’s just a power hungry monster who needs to be stopped.  I won’t lie; I laughed when his plan fell apart and turned on him. It sweetened the ending. 

Roden and Tobias are the other two boys that are pulled into Conner’s scheme to plant a fake prince on the throne. These two boys kept me on my toes throughout the book. There were times where I was rooting for Roden and then other times I was rooting for Tobias. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted Sage to win but I knew he would come out on top since he is the main character but it was just fun watching Roden and Tobias try and impress Conner. Those two were like oversize puppies that couldn’t walk straight thanks to their bodies being bigger than their legs. Tobias would do something to impress Conner and then acted like an idiot when he created notes to overthrow Conner but that plot failed wonderfully. I love him though; he really pulled through at the end. I hope he shows up in the second book.  Roden on the other hand was an alright guy in the beginning but by the time the story was over I was ready to throw him over the cliff. He had his moments when they were at Conner’s estate but as the two week period was coming to an end he started to change. Roden only cared about himself and had no problem in seeing Sage and Tobias killed. I wish Sage had ran him through with his sword in that last fight scene but from what I read in the preview of the second book, Roden still has a part to play. Damn it.

I absolutely loved the plot of the False Prince. Reading the book and trying to figure out what would happen next was like a maze. Just when I thought I understood something a twist would present itself. The idea of trying to make a fake prince for the throne is an interesting concept, using orphans who know nothing about the court, much less how to read or write, is simply brilliant. The way Nielsen weaves all the different threads together to create her world and the story that takes place is fantastic. She also forces the reader to pay attention to the details of what Sage is saying when it comes to his background. It’s so easy to take his words at a face value but in the ending when he revealed everything, I was shocked. All the clues and hints were presented to me but I was never able to connect the dots.  It wasn’t until I read through again, this time really looking for the clues, did I see the neon flashing signs. The False Prince is just laying down the foundation of a great story and I can’t wait to see what she will do in the second book. The possibilities are endless.

What I didn't Care for:
Nada. Nothing. Everything was great.

Overview:

The False Prince is a brilliant first book about an orphan named Sage, who gets pulled into a political take over, and is forced to transform himself into a prince if he wants to live after a 2 week trial. I really enjoyed this book and I have no regrets in spending the money on buying it and since I enjoyed it so much I will buy the paperback because this book needs to be on myself.  I can’t wait for the second one to come out because from what I have read of the preview, Sage’s life is about to become more complex and difficult than ever.  

I give the False Prince 5 stars out 5 because it was freaking amazing.