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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
See complete review on The Bookcase Diaries.
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5
I don't know why this always happens to me. Every so often, when I read a book that completely blows my mind and keeps me reading through the night I don't have the next book in hand!
I want to cry.
This book didn't start out in the best possible way for me. In fact I found it a little difficult to get into because I was annoyed by Jaron's surliness at the beginning. It's hard not to do a double take when you love a character so much but suddenly he starts acting so differently from how you know him. But remembering how amazing the first book was, I held on to the belief that this could only get better. Right around the 100-page mark, things started picking up.
Last night I finally sat down to read the final half of this book and I found I couldn't stop myself from turning the page. When I glanced at the clock and saw it was already half past midnight, I told myself, 'Okay, I'll read one more chapter...' But I kept adding another, and another, until finally I got to the last page. Right about then I turned into that hair-pulling meme with the gigantic WHYYYYYY caption.
From a 3-star start this turned into 4 stars for me. But considering how I simply could not put it down no matter how hard I tried (take note I had had a long tiring day and yet I couldn't sleep without finishing this!), I had to bump it up by a quarter rating. However, my feelings for this second book, you could say, was not as strong as when I first discovered this gem of a series, so I decided against rating it the same as the first book.
As I mentioned, I was very annoyed at this whiny version of Jaron at the beginning of the novel. His attempts at witty commentaries came off as immature to me, and rather than laugh at his usual brand of sarcasm, I found myself wanting to shake him back into character. When Jaron eventually leaves the castle and reverts back to Sage, I begin to see the character I loved so much from the first book. During that time I was set to write on my review something along the lines of, 'I like him better when he's Sage and not Jaron, even though Jaron is the King and Sage is nothing but a thief.' But as the story progressed, I realized that this struggle between Jaron and Sage was quite possibly the main point of this second book.
I think perhaps the author wanted us to see the inner turmoils Jaron was going through as he himself tried to find his identity. He was having a hard time trying to regain a side of him he thought he had lost so long ago. He had survived by living as Sage a street smart thief, and suddenly he is thrust into Jaron-the-Lost-Prince's world. Living in the palace of course is hardly fun or luxurious. Everywhere he turns people are plotting against him, and I suppose if I were in that position, I would be vastly unhappy living as Jaron as well. I would want to go back to being Sage, where life was as simple as figuring out how to swipe food from the market to get by day-by-day. (Yes, that kind of life is far simpler than being part of the Carthyan court!)
By the end of the book, after so much crazy he had to go through again, we finally begin to see Jaron understand his place in the grand scheme of things. I suppose he was broken and confused at the start, when he thought he had to choose one life over the other and permanently forgo his past. We begin to see him embrace his princely side while at the same time acknowledging that the side of him who is the mischievous yet incredibly intelligent Sage is also a necessary part of who he is. The boy is growing up, shedding his insecurities, and getting to know himself a little better in many aspects, including his ability to love. I like this new Jaron a lot.
I'll admit this book is a lot more exciting than the first, given the presence of PIRATES in the story. They kept me on my toes, these pirates. I felt nervous and exhilarated at the same time-- nervous because there was a constant threat on Jaron's life; exhilarated because once again I can admire Jaron's stunts and strong character through how he weasels his way out of sticky situations. The only thing I had a problem with was how quickly the conflict with Roden was resolved. I wonder if there will be a gut-wrenching Roden twist in the final book. (I really hope not because I actually kind of like Roden.) Or maybe it's because the whole story is narrated through Jaron's point of view, thus not giving us any insight as to what is really going on in Roden's mind. Jaron did say a lot of things that could have stirred Roden, reminding him of their past. Perhaps this did change his heart after all. One thing is for sure though, it's much easier to put Roden's and Jaron's relationship in perspective when specific events from the first book are still fresh in your mind. (Sadly I don't remember everything from the first book quite in detail since I read it a while back, but I've a general idea.)
This series has been one of the best I've read so far in the last couple of years, and I can't believe there is only one book left. Jaron remains one of the few fictional characters who has really wiggled his way into my heart. It's like I want to keep watching him grow, get married, have kids... He's well on his way to becoming one of the greatest kings Carthya has ever seen, and all I want to do is give him a big congratulatory bear hug.
But his fight isn't over yet. Have you read the blurb for the last book? Yikes.
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5
I don't know why this always happens to me. Every so often, when I read a book that completely blows my mind and keeps me reading through the night I don't have the next book in hand!
I want to cry.
This book didn't start out in the best possible way for me. In fact I found it a little difficult to get into because I was annoyed by Jaron's surliness at the beginning. It's hard not to do a double take when you love a character so much but suddenly he starts acting so differently from how you know him. But remembering how amazing the first book was, I held on to the belief that this could only get better. Right around the 100-page mark, things started picking up.
Last night I finally sat down to read the final half of this book and I found I couldn't stop myself from turning the page. When I glanced at the clock and saw it was already half past midnight, I told myself, 'Okay, I'll read one more chapter...' But I kept adding another, and another, until finally I got to the last page. Right about then I turned into that hair-pulling meme with the gigantic WHYYYYYY caption.
From a 3-star start this turned into 4 stars for me. But considering how I simply could not put it down no matter how hard I tried (take note I had had a long tiring day and yet I couldn't sleep without finishing this!), I had to bump it up by a quarter rating. However, my feelings for this second book, you could say, was not as strong as when I first discovered this gem of a series, so I decided against rating it the same as the first book.
As I mentioned, I was very annoyed at this whiny version of Jaron at the beginning of the novel. His attempts at witty commentaries came off as immature to me, and rather than laugh at his usual brand of sarcasm, I found myself wanting to shake him back into character. When Jaron eventually leaves the castle and reverts back to Sage, I begin to see the character I loved so much from the first book. During that time I was set to write on my review something along the lines of, 'I like him better when he's Sage and not Jaron, even though Jaron is the King and Sage is nothing but a thief.' But as the story progressed, I realized that this struggle between Jaron and Sage was quite possibly the main point of this second book.
I think perhaps the author wanted us to see the inner turmoils Jaron was going through as he himself tried to find his identity. He was having a hard time trying to regain a side of him he thought he had lost so long ago. He had survived by living as Sage a street smart thief, and suddenly he is thrust into Jaron-the-Lost-Prince's world. Living in the palace of course is hardly fun or luxurious. Everywhere he turns people are plotting against him, and I suppose if I were in that position, I would be vastly unhappy living as Jaron as well. I would want to go back to being Sage, where life was as simple as figuring out how to swipe food from the market to get by day-by-day. (Yes, that kind of life is far simpler than being part of the Carthyan court!)
By the end of the book, after so much crazy he had to go through again, we finally begin to see Jaron understand his place in the grand scheme of things. I suppose he was broken and confused at the start, when he thought he had to choose one life over the other and permanently forgo his past. We begin to see him embrace his princely side while at the same time acknowledging that the side of him who is the mischievous yet incredibly intelligent Sage is also a necessary part of who he is. The boy is growing up, shedding his insecurities, and getting to know himself a little better in many aspects, including his ability to love. I like this new Jaron a lot.
I'll admit this book is a lot more exciting than the first, given the presence of PIRATES in the story. They kept me on my toes, these pirates. I felt nervous and exhilarated at the same time-- nervous because there was a constant threat on Jaron's life; exhilarated because once again I can admire Jaron's stunts and strong character through how he weasels his way out of sticky situations. The only thing I had a problem with was how quickly the conflict with Roden was resolved. I wonder if there will be a gut-wrenching Roden twist in the final book. (I really hope not because I actually kind of like Roden.) Or maybe it's because the whole story is narrated through Jaron's point of view, thus not giving us any insight as to what is really going on in Roden's mind. Jaron did say a lot of things that could have stirred Roden, reminding him of their past. Perhaps this did change his heart after all. One thing is for sure though, it's much easier to put Roden's and Jaron's relationship in perspective when specific events from the first book are still fresh in your mind. (Sadly I don't remember everything from the first book quite in detail since I read it a while back, but I've a general idea.)
This series has been one of the best I've read so far in the last couple of years, and I can't believe there is only one book left. Jaron remains one of the few fictional characters who has really wiggled his way into my heart. It's like I want to keep watching him grow, get married, have kids... He's well on his way to becoming one of the greatest kings Carthya has ever seen, and all I want to do is give him a big congratulatory bear hug.
But his fight isn't over yet. Have you read the blurb for the last book? Yikes.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's almost midnight here in NYC and I'm waiting on the E train to get home but I wasn't planning on finishing this book but I did, now I don't know what to do with myself. It ended with a freaking cliffhanger and I just want to read the last book right this instant. With that being said, it was a great sequel. The thing I like most about these books is the fact that they aren't high fantasy type of books. They are just chilled with no unnecessary plots or characters, it was just laid back. But it didn't take from being a great book. I think I've enjoyed this one more than the first one.
Sage/Jaron is still the same reckless, witty character we met in the first installment. He somewhat reminds me so much of Percy Jackson from the Percy Jackson and the olympians series. He is so loyal and he will do anything to protect the ones he loves. And just like Percy, loyalty is his fatal flaw. The supporting characters are as great without them I don't think Jaron would have made it this far. Nielsen also introduced new characters and my new favorite is Fink. He's such a child but I feel like he will play a bigger role in the next book.
I've got nothing but praise for The Runaway Prince. Everything from the plot to the characters was entertaining. There was never a dull moment. It wasn't a over the top, sit at the end of your chair type of book but it was still well done. I definitely recommend this trilogy. There are better books out there but this trilogy is one of the good ones.
Better review to come when I get home lol
Sage/Jaron is still the same reckless, witty character we met in the first installment. He somewhat reminds me so much of Percy Jackson from the Percy Jackson and the olympians series. He is so loyal and he will do anything to protect the ones he loves. And just like Percy, loyalty is his fatal flaw. The supporting characters are as great without them I don't think Jaron would have made it this far. Nielsen also introduced new characters and my new favorite is Fink. He's such a child but I feel like he will play a bigger role in the next book.
I've got nothing but praise for The Runaway Prince. Everything from the plot to the characters was entertaining. There was never a dull moment. It wasn't a over the top, sit at the end of your chair type of book but it was still well done. I definitely recommend this trilogy. There are better books out there but this trilogy is one of the good ones.
Better review to come when I get home lol
Not sure how I feel about this one. So many absurdities and ridiculous plot points yet some really interesting and likable characters. I liked Fink a lot and Imogen is a fabulous character too. Hmm...
I love this series so much! I relish in the moments when you don't realize Sage/Jaron is about to do something amazing. You find out when everyone else finds out.
I want to be him! I want to live in his kingdom!
Read this series! Now!
I want to be him! I want to live in his kingdom!
Read this series! Now!
So, what can I say? This was a good sequel, indeed. I think the best thing about this book was, that when I thought I could see what was coming - it twists around and I find myself wondering once again what was coming.
Aye, that is a job well done!
Aye, that is a job well done!