A review by acaciathorn
Ascendance Trilogy: The False Prince, the Runaway King, the Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen

4.0

At first glance this series has a lot in common with other YA fantasy adventure novels, especially in terms of setting, themes, and overall tone. What distinguishes it from the pack is the main character. He's a thief, a rogue, and a liar...who also happens to be a royal. He's insanely reckless, always walking the knife's edge between brilliance and complete and utter ruin. One of the coolest aspects of the series is the fact that he lies to and withholds information from the reader. Even though the story is told in 1st person, he rarely reveals the full picture, making him a compellingly unreliable narrator. It was jarring at first, but once I accepted that even his inner monologue could be deceptive, it became a fun game of trying to figure out what was real and what was only partially real. Really upped the suspense.


If I had one critique of the series, it'd be that the cast is overwhelmingly male. I mean, there are one or two ladies who stand out as important core characters, but numerically speaking, it's a total sausage-fest. I would've liked to have seen a little more diversity in the lineup.