The False Prince - Jennifer A. Nielsen The Runaway King - Jennifer A. Nielsen The Shadow Throne - Jennifer A. Nielsen

The Ascendance Trilogy wasn't everything I hoped it would be.

 

I was hoping for an exciting Middle Grade story with well-written characters and a strong plot.  What I got was a moderately fun Middle Grade story with boring, flat characters and a predictable, forced plot.

 

The first book was by far the best.  Had it stayed a stand-alone, I think I would have enjoyed it much more.  Unfortunately, book one was followed by books two and three where the characters didn't change and plot got worse.

 

It's like a coming of age story, but no one came of age.

 

I'm sure the target audience of 10 to 12 years olds will be much more forgiving that I am, and the basic story was a lot of fun.  I'll be sharing it with my kids, but for anyone else looking for a kings-and-swords Middle Grade story, I'll send them to Brandon Mull's Beyonders before give them The False Prince.

 

Happy Reading!

 

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