Name: Runaway king, The
ISBN: 9780545284158

Just weeks after taking the throne, an assassination attempt forces Jaron into a deadly situation. Rumors of impending war force him to flee Carthya and form unlikely alliances

Book 2 of the Ascendance Trilogy

Runaway king, The

Liz Hunsaker

Kirsten Simkiss

You know, I wasn't as thrilled with this book as I was with the first. Granted, there could be no grand reveal at the end of the book like the first book, seeing as you already knew who everyone was. However, I still thought the characters were less loveable in this book. The main character in particular seemed ridiculously annoying, constantly making harebrained decisions and then, shock and awe, regretting them later. His reckless nature was fun in the first book, honestly, but in this one? Not so much. It was mostly just rude, honestly. And most of the plot hinged on him being lucky and reckless. It didn't have the intellect of the first book.

I also had a gripe about the pirates. Half the fun of pirates is being out to sea and capturing merchant or enemy ships to add to your fleet. However, this whole story is centered on pirates and not one instant is spent out at sea. I was very disappointed in it.

Also they keep pushing this love triangle that has precisely zero chemistry. I like Imogen - I do. But girl, you could do better than him.

Still, the book is not without merit. It's still a fun little read, even if it pales in comparison to the first book. It brings back characters you may have liked in the first book again, reprising their continuing role in the story line and trying to grow despite what they began as. I particularly liked Roden's redemption, although it seemed a little absurd at times. Things were almost too melodramatic for me sometimes. But bad? Nah.

If you're going to read this book, be advised that the first book is a necessary prerequisite.

Mary Horton

This book was mind-blowingly brilliant. After reading The False Prince not long ago, I was in love with both the world and characters Jennifer Neilsen has created. Just...wow. This series is basically the best. <3

There was so much suspense and action that it took all the willpower I could muster to put this book down. Seriously. I'm pretty sure Sage permanently stressed me out with his reckless behavior. XD *wipes away nervous sweat* 

BUT CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT SAGE FOR A MINUTE? Good grief, I thought it impossible to love him more than I already did, but the sequel proved me wrong. EEP. His sass = goals. In one sense, he hasn't changed much from the first book: everyone still wanted to kill him. ;P But in another way, he has totally been transformed for the better. His character arc was impressive, and I loved the different layers of his personality that we could see in this book.

Of course, there was also Mott and Tobias and asldslajsldj all the characters. <3 AND I LAUGHED OUT LOUD A LOT IN THIS BOOK. The humor was on point.

Not to mention the fact that there are pirates, which are basically as awesome as flying squirrels.

The one thing I did not like at all about this book was the ending. UGH. There was a scene tagged on the end that felt rushed and unnaturally suspenseful, like the author was so worried we weren't going to want to read the next book that she had to throw in some last-minute cliffhanger. Um...no. WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK WITHOUT THAT SCENE. (*whispers* Because Sage and pirates and sass.) I just felt like that scene was totally unnecessary in this book and could have been saved for book three. Annnnd there was also a ship of mine that the author cruelly sank at the end so. D':

Despite my grievances about the ending, this book was phenomenal. 4.5 stars for the mind-blowingness of it all.

Now...if only my library had book three. *sighs*

Jenna T.

I mentioned this in my review for the first book in this series (
  The False Prince
), but I really do think that this series was heavily inspired by Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series... Not to say that anyone has, like, a copyright over the concept of a king enacting daring and occasionally stupid (yet brilliant) plots, but I just couldn't help comparing the two as I read and.... honestly, I think Turner did it first and did it better!
That said, I really liked The False Prince, and I found myself enjoying this book even more than the last. It was difficult in the first book to get a proper handle on Jaron's character, simply because in order to preserve the surprise of his identity until the right moment, it was necessary to hide a lot of who he was. Now that that card's been played, it felt a lot easier to understand his character, and we got to enjoy more time really in his head. He still hides things from the reader, which, again, is necessary for the sake of the plot twists, but not in such a way that he himself is a total mystery.
I also enjoyed the ways the cast is expanded and explored a bit more deeply in this instalment. There was some of that in the first book, but because of the limited setting, there were fewer characters to get to know. This time, the story moves around, there's more world to see and explore, and there are more people to meet and interact with. So big ups on the worldbuilding and cast development here!
Pirates and the ocean were my die-hard obsession as a kid, and I still go a bit weak at the knees at the mere mention of pirates, so I was excited to see that they were a major plot point in this story. Color me a tad disappointed, however, that the pirates were just a gang, really, and there were no sea adventures to be had. No one even sets foot on a boat in this story! ;_; Maybe next time.
Overall a fun and entertaining story; I especially liked Jaron and Roden's arc and the sideplot involving Harlow. But I think some of the world and plot devices could have used just a teensy bit more polish. Just being a little nitpicky. Looking forward to the rest!

Cindy Lee

More of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.

Rating: A+ / Ari Approved

- My review of The False Prince

Ever since I read the False Prince, I've been pining for this book. I've fallen in love with the adventure and characters of this book so much! 

Jaron is definitely the highlight of this whole series. He's a calculating and funny kid. I like the way his mind works, always thinking ahead of the enemy. He's loyal to his friends and would do anything to protect them. Just listing a few likable characteristics here :) Jaron never fails to make a serious situation funny either with his witty quips. He's just the best :3

Jaron aside, the adventure is awesome! Nielsen is rocking the plot! There was never a dull moment in the book and I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. Was it worth reading until 3 AM even though I have to go to school at 8? Definitely. Jaron's plans were foolish but nonetheless enjoyable. That kid is tough.

In this book we got to meet the pirates! Argh! Even though they were the bad guys, they were still awesome. Meeting them for the first time brought me the chills. I was like, "Uh.. Jaron. Dude, I'm doubting your ability to take them down." I'm just like, how's a kid gonna take on those scary pirates? Do you even know what's hiding in their beards? *shudders*

Last thing I love about this book is the lightness of their banter no matter how the serious the situation is. One moment I'm gritting my teeth, the next I'm laughing because Jaron just said something funny to the pirate even though his head will probably get chopped off the next second.

I can't list all the ways I love this book! There is nothing negative I have; only the positive things! This series rocked my socks off!

Chelsea Breher

Overall its a good book, lot's of action, deception, and shenanigans. I'm enjoying this series so far.

Runaway king, The Book 2 of the Ascendance Trilogy

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