The False Prince, by Jenifer A. Neilson is an exciting, fast-paced fantasy novel that I really enjoyed reading this summer. It is suitable for a wide range of ages, and in addition to that, it is extremely suspenseful. You won’t want to put this one down.
The False Prince, set in a land called Carthya, follows the story of a boy named Sage. Sage is a snarky, arrogant orphan boy. He catches the attention of Connor, one of the king’s regents, while stealing a roast from the market. Connor buys him from the orphanage, and he is thrown in a cart with three other orphan boys, Ronan, Tobias, and Latamer.
Later, after eating dinner, Connor announces that they have been chosen for a very secret competition, in which the winner will receive a prize beyond their wildest dreams. When Latamer tells Connor that he isn’t up to being a part of Connor’s secret competition, one of Connor’s servants kills him on the spot. This brings fear to the other three boys. What will happen to the ones that don’t win the competition?
When the three boys arrive at Farthenwood, Connor’s estate, they find out what they will be competing for; the throne.
Recently, the royal family were all killed, leaving no one to take the throne. However, years ago, Prince Jaren, the youngest of the royal family was killed in a tragic accident while at sea, but his body was never found. There’s no evidence that he ever died.
Connor tells all of the boys that they were chosen because of their similarities to Prince Jaren. Connor reveals that his plan is to train each of the boys in a wide range of subjects, over the next week, including history, literature, sword fighting, horseback riding, and even dancing. At the end of the week, one of them will be chosen to appeal to the court as Prince Jaren.
Over the next week, the boys fight hard for their chance to become king of Carthya, while experiencing a whole new life than the one they have lived. For the first time in their lives, they dress like the rich, are waited on by servants, and eat like kings. It’s an amazing experience, but is it worth living a lie for the rest of their lives? As the week goes on, it is revealed that Connor has many secrets, but he is not the only one. Sage the orphan himself, has many of his own secrets that he keeps, even from the reader.
Join Sage as he competes for the throne and risks it all as the stakes get higher. Jaren will have to decide, does he want to live a lie for the rest of his life? Or would he rather be killed? You won’t want to miss out on this exciting novel, The False Prince.
