The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Goodreads Blurb

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

So you guys know, I'm not usually an MG (Middle Grade) person, but I have to say, I think I've changed my mind about that! You'll probably find me raiding the library for some more soon enough! It reminded me what kind of books I LOVED before getting addicted to YA. Better start reading this stuff again!

The False Prince was unbelievably amazing and there's just something about MG that makes you realize how different it is from YA! There's no insta-love worries, there's no romance taking away from the plot, and there are no ridiculous things going on--it's just wonderful writing, amazing plot, action packed adventure, a crown to be fought for, and conspiracies of the best. Or wait. Is that just The False Prince?

Because this book had all of that and so much more!

This was so fun to read! Immediately, we get a sense for just how troublesome Sage is and he's a character you'll immediately like! He's clever,an absolute troublemaker, and he's just an amazing character who makes every boring thing something of interest! Not to say that the other 2 boys were less interesting! Not at all! they're all so completely different that there's no way you can fully hate one. Tobias is educated and smart, but not as strong or willful as Roden, but Roden, in turn, is pretty hard headed and a bit thick. If we're talking stereotypes, Tobias would be the nerd, Roden the jock, and Sage? He's somewhere in between all that. I think his only flaw, really, was that he never knew when to quit or when things were to dangerous. He was strong-willed and COMPLETELY stubborn and I'd love him less if he weren't!

The plot is by far the best thing about The False Prince! It can seem pretty slow at first, but when you get used to the pace, you'll love how the plot just slowly unfurls, throwing twists and turns at  you along the way (I, for one, COULD NOT believe that ending!). It's a captivating read that'll please everyone, no matter what the age or gender!

The False Prince is a book that's hard to dislike and easy to love! Fit for literally everyone and anyone, I'd recommend it to anyone who's getting tired of reading the same old over and over again!

Pages: 342
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade
Series: Ascendance Trilogy #1
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: April 1, 2012
Rating: 5 stars