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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
I really liked this book! It was a good continuation of the first book and I liked it.
Jaron finds himself at odds with the other advisors after an assassination attempt. With threats of a steward, he decides to go to the pirates and try to defeat Delvin, the one who killed his family and possibly behind his assassination attempts. He gets a lot more than he bargained for, and may not be able to make it back alive. Can he figure out how to make the pirates no more of a threat, or will he be found out?
Jaron finds himself at odds with the other advisors after an assassination attempt. With threats of a steward, he decides to go to the pirates and try to defeat Delvin, the one who killed his family and possibly behind his assassination attempts. He gets a lot more than he bargained for, and may not be able to make it back alive. Can he figure out how to make the pirates no more of a threat, or will he be found out?
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Good middle grade book. The pacing was a little slow for me in the middle, so much so that I wasn’t sure I was interested enough to keep going into the next book but then there was a bomb dropped at the end with a cliffhanger that’s making me want to stay invested.
Romantic Content: None
Romantic Content: None
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
relaxing
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
Really good, but the reason I have it four stars was because Jaron drove me a little bit crazy. He acted so independent and made decisions himself without consulting in anyone. Also somehow he was able to beat multiple trained swordsmen, and one time he did it with a broken leg. I mean he’s awesome, but that might be going a bit too far. Other than that it was a really good read and is highly recommended by me.
I had an idea of where this book was headed when I was a couple chapters in. That said, Jennifer did a fabulous job of spinning the happenings of the books so I was still surprised on how the results came about. And as always I love her characters! A few more choice people joined in on this adventure with Sage, and the additional characters all bore perfect weight in the plot and were all individual enough that I never got any of them mixed up, forgot who they were, etc. Which I think is always an important note in books with expanding character groups.
I'm so excited for the next book and really glad that this wasn't just another mediocre sequel. But man, the ending was so good and happy then ya had to throw in that cliff hanger. Didn't Ya?
I'm so excited for the next book and really glad that this wasn't just another mediocre sequel. But man, the ending was so good and happy then ya had to throw in that cliff hanger. Didn't Ya?
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I highly recommend reading [b:The False Prince|12432220|The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy, #1)|Jennifer A. Nielsen|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333227435s/12432220.jpg|16221764] before reading this book. Not because the story cannot stand on its own; because the "big reveal" in the first book is ruined if you read this one first.
In this book, Sage is now king and nothing is going right. You'd think that winning the throne and convincing everyone he is the lost prince Jaron would be the end of the battle, but no. His troubles have only begun.
Sage is a wonderful character; [a:Jennifer A. Nielsen|3267859|Jennifer A. Nielsen|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1304970313p2/3267859.jpg] has done an amazing job of of crafting him. Although I didn't always agree with his choices (sometimes I wanted to reach into the pages and shake him), I always understood his motivations. Supporting characters are well-done too. We don't see their motivations as clearly, but that's because we are seeing everything from Sage's point of view. There is one character who switches side without enough motivation in my opinion, and Sage trusts him, which I wouldn't do if I were him.
The plot isn't too predictable, although the ending isn't quite as much of a surprise as the first book was. But really, what is?
In this book, Sage is now king and nothing is going right. You'd think that winning the throne and convincing everyone he is the lost prince Jaron would be the end of the battle, but no. His troubles have only begun.
Sage is a wonderful character; [a:Jennifer A. Nielsen|3267859|Jennifer A. Nielsen|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1304970313p2/3267859.jpg] has done an amazing job of of crafting him. Although I didn't always agree with his choices (sometimes I wanted to reach into the pages and shake him), I always understood his motivations. Supporting characters are well-done too. We don't see their motivations as clearly, but that's because we are seeing everything from Sage's point of view. There is one character who switches side without enough motivation in my opinion, and Sage trusts him, which I wouldn't do if I were him.
The plot isn't too predictable, although the ending isn't quite as much of a surprise as the first book was. But really, what is?
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
3.8 stars :P
This short review contains spoilers for book 1!
This was a great ride, but I couldn't help feeling that Imogen's primary role seemed to be being a damsel in distress, which made me a bit uncomfortable. Jaron is constantly having to save her or do things to keep her from harm. When Imogen does get to do things herself, she's nursing Jaron's injuries. Who is she outside of her relationship to Jaron? Why does she even like Jaron? WHO KNOWS. I guess I just hope she has a bit more agency in the next book.
BUT the politics in these novels are great and the plots are always so clever! Jaron is a compelling narrator. Overall, a very fun read!
This short review contains spoilers for book 1!
This was a great ride, but I couldn't help feeling that Imogen's primary role seemed to be being a damsel in distress, which made me a bit uncomfortable. Jaron is constantly having to save her or do things to keep her from harm. When Imogen does get to do things herself, she's nursing Jaron's injuries. Who is she outside of her relationship to Jaron? Why does she even like Jaron? WHO KNOWS. I guess I just hope she has a bit more agency in the next book.
BUT the politics in these novels are great and the plots are always so clever! Jaron is a compelling narrator. Overall, a very fun read!