All About Middle Grade Review: The Runaway King

The Runaway King (Ascendance, 2) by Jennifer A. Nielsen, March 1, 2013. 331 pages. Published by Scholastic. Source: Won.

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

First Sentence:

I had arrived early for my own assassination.

Note: If you have not read The False Prince, you may want to wait on reading my review of The Runaway King due to potential spoilers of book one.

I did not think it was possible, but Jennifer Nielsen out did herself in the second installment of the Ascendance trilogy and blew me away in the process. While I'm always nervous starting on the next book in a series, especially when I loved the first book, I quickly found myself drawn back into the world and characters lives.

The Runaway King was unbelievably exceptional! Jennifer Nielsen again amazed me with her writing and ability to capture the voices of Jaron, as well, as all the characters. One of the things I've enjoyed about reading Ascendance books, thus far, is that the character keep on evolving and, as a reader, you are presented with all these new facets that slowly emerge to show you what they are capable of. And as a reader, I have enjoyed being surprised time and after time by the new strengths of Jaron, Imogen, and Mott and any number of of the characters.

From the first page to the last, I was just glued to my copy of The Runaway King. Through his run in with his would be assassin, to fighting pirates, all the way to when Jaron squared off with Roden yet again. There are just so many parts of this book I would love nothing more than to tell y'all about, but I'm sipping my lips so you can enjoy seeing all the twists and turns for yourself. Trust me, you will not regret picking up this series because it will pull you in.

To name just one thing I enjoyed above all others in The Runaway King, well, that would be quite hard but I shall endeavor to achieve putting my finger on what I liked (somewhat) more than the entirety of the book. Okay, so, one of the things I have enjoyed the most about the first two books (see, I'm already cheating on this part) is the strength of Jaron's personality and how he refuses to give up even when the odds are stacked against him.
    Truly, I have loved watching him take on and fight for the his country and those he loves. Seriously though, when you take away the fantasy story aspect and just look at most of his actions, minus those of the thief, you see a pretty stand up guy; one who goes beyond the call of duty and these are just of the reasons I enjoyed reading about him.

If there is one thing missing from The Runaway King it would have to be the second book slump. You know, where the first books is so incredible that the second book falls flat compared to it. Well, you may rest assured that the second installment in Jennifer Nielsen's Ascendance trilogy is every bit, if not better, than its predecessor. You will not be disappointed one bit!

Sorry if I rambled on. I just loved this book so much...and it took me days to find the words to write this up.

Final Verdict: The Runaway King- This book was breathtaking with action and interwoven with the sacrifices that true friends make for those they care deeply about.

The Runaway King earns 5 out of 5 griffins