Overall rating- 4.5-5/5
Summary (goodreads)- THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.
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.
Well, this book was just way better than I expected. I've been reading a lot of dystopian novels lately, so I just needed a break from it. What better genre is there to read other than fantasy?
I just love this story so much. There are twists and surprises in this story so I'll try not to reveal too much in this review...
I love the characters, they were really unpredictable. At the start, Sage seems arrogant, a little selfish and was pretty much a rebel. It seemed like he doesn't care about the plan at all, and that he's not even trying. However as the story went on, he totally surprised me. Sage actually has incredible secrets of his own, that personally I did not expect. He also turned out to be a smart (not so much in a knowledgeable kind) and very cunning. I don't want to spoil his secret, but I'll just point out that there are clues dropped throughout the book about this secret. When I finished the book, I looked back to this clues and was like... 'Oh~that makes sense now!' :P
Roden and Tobias were kinda like different sides of a coin. Tobias started out being the selfish, annoying character and Roden was the loyal, kind friend. However, that completely changed, and I was genuinely surprised. I can't wait to read more about them in the next book.
Conner was also...hard to figure out. I knew he wasn't a good guy, but I also didn't think he was necessarily evil. This is why I like the characters in this book. You read it halfway and thinks you understand the characters. But then the story flipped and everything changes. It was very surprising and exciting. A lot of things in this book was very unexpected. I also liked the minor characters such as Imogen and Mott. Imogen was a nice and kind girl, but to be honest I don't really know much about her yet. I hope this means that I'll be seeing more of her in the next book. Mott was also a nice character as he was some sort of a protector/guardian for Sage. He was strict, ruthless but kind and incredibly loyal. I just look forward to seeing how much more these characters are going to grow.
The story plot was also exciting and mysterious. There were a lot of blanks at the start so it kept me going. It also made me guess things, and want to find out the answer. It was really fun to read. I was most curious about Conner's plan. Is he really evil? Is he a nice guy that just wants the best for his country? Or is he a mix of both? Yeah it was kinda hard to determine that...
There were also interesting things that were taught to the orphans. Such as, table manners, dancing, horse-riding, sword fights etc. Did you know that when nobles ate soup, they scoop the food away from them not towrds them so that it wouldn't spill. Interesting huh?
At around halfway, I was considering 4 stars but then everything flipped and I went to about 4.5-5 stars. So yeah, I loved it. I'm really looking forward to the next one!! I hope it comes out soon!!
I think that if you enjoy some fantasy/mystery/adventure story then give it a try. There is only a very subtle romance, but the story is definitely worth reading. I hope that you'll give it a try! :]
I adored this book, too, and also wasn't sure I'd like it, but was kind of forced through book club. I'm so glad I did! The protagonist actually reminds me of my eight year old son; he read the book, too. Thoughtful review!
ReplyDeleteReally? Haha that's awesome! I really liked Sage~ :]
DeleteThank you for reviewing!