Finished The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I received a copy of this from the publisher at BEA.
Sage is an orphan and he’s just been recruited (along with a couple of other boys) for a mysterious plot. Conner has picked these orphans for a very specific reason: he wants one of them to pretend to be the prince (who has been presumed dead for years). The real royal family is all dead (but no one knows it yet) and so if Prince Jaren shows up with an explanation for where he’s been, then he can rule the country (with Conner conveniently nearby to assist). Sage isn’t the smartest of the boys and he isn’t the best fighter, but he does have the same attitude as the prince. (Oh, another unfortunate tidbit—the boys who aren’t picked are going to die. Because dead men—or dead kids—can’t ruin schemes.)
This is the first book in a trilogy and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I love Sage (complete handful, overly pugnacious Sage) and I really want to know exactly how far this scheme can go. This book reminded me a lot of The Prince and the Pauper, especially in the beginning, but with a new spin.
This is one of those books where you keep planning to put the book down after one more chapter so you can actually do something else, like say, run errands. So you say, okay, one more chapter and then I’ll go to the store or one more chapter and then I’ll put the clothes in the washer. And the next thing you know, you have no food and it’s still laundry day so you can’t go get more food. (Is this only me that things like this happen to?)
This is such an incredibly fun book, full of twists and turns and surprises. (You may call them; I did not.) I cannot wait for the second book. I hope it comes out soon.
