The False Prince Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B007QHY2JA | Format: EPUB
The False Prince Description
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. Three 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.
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 8 hours and 14 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Scholastic Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: April 1, 2012
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B007QHY2JA
I keep searching for the words to describe how the layers carefully crafted in this book came together. Earlier today, I bought this book after seeing it compared to both Hunger Games and Harry Potter. A lofty and impossible comparison I thought. No way. Then, I heard from one of my daughter's friends that it was a---maz--ing. (The word had more than three syllables, I kid you not. Possibly seven syllables.)
So, I thought that I'd just check it out before passing it on to my daughter, but I couldn't put it down. I just finished it after reading it in one straight sitting.
The layer-upon-layer build in this book was brilliant. Every little detail felt like it was leading somewhere to something. The author used an unreliable narrator--you knew that the first person narration was hiding more than he was revealing. Every so often, you'd catch a hint of this and it would drag you breathless through more pages as you waited for the reveal that was building and building.
I thought there was no way it could live up to the internal hype I was creating. Telling me a book is like either Harry Potter or Hunger Games is dooming me to disappointment--I thought. This book delivered on this promise. I liked how it kept me guessing because I knew there was something that I didn't know...some big secret that all these smaller secrets and hints were leading to. I kept mentally guessing...and I was completely wrong and the ending blew me away.
It's not really like Harry Potter--though Sage is clever, young (14 or 15), and wonderfully imperfect and the writing is equally as brilliant.
It's not quite like Hunger Games, but it kept me reading with the same anxious anticipation. It was more hopeful and the end of this first book more satisfying.
First Sentences: If I had to do it all over again, I would not have chosen this life. Then again, I'm not sure I ever had a choice.
How I Acquired the Book: I reserved this one from my town's library. It took forever to arrive, with 3 others placing a hold on it and whatnot.
The Review: I'm going to say it up front: this book completely blew me away. It's been a long time since a book last did that to me, and I certainly didn't expect this book to achieve that feat. I went into it with very low expectations and even a bit of hesitation, since Scholastic had been promoting it heavily. (Okay, I'm sorry, I'm totally biased against Scholastic as a publisher, because other than Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, what good stuff have they published? For me, HarperCollins is the way to go.) Furthermore, I was under the impression that this would be a middle-grade, and not young adult read, and that I'd be reading something that was not intended to be read for teenagers. Not only that, but Scholastic made the plot sound boring.
What finally got me to read the book, I'm ashamed to admit, was the enticing blue cover, cool lettering, and the crown. As soon as I read the blurb on the book (which was much better than Scholastic's description, thank you very much), I couldn't wait to start it.
The premise of The False Prince is this: In a faraway land, a prince has been lost for years. The king and queen have just been murdered, but no one knows yet. A nobleman named Conner hatches a plot to find an orphan boy to impersonate the long-lost prince, so he can gain power. Conner kidnaps four orphans, and forces them to compete to be the prince. In two weeks, one will be selected to be the prince. The other three will face a not-so-great fate.
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