The Runaway King
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Published: March 1, 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: eBook (352 pages)
Source: Purchased
A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE! Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation . . .
Spoiler free even if you haven’t read the first book in this series.
I read The Runaway King in one day mainly because I love the main character, Sage. I was able to guess pretty well what was going to happen plot-wise, but Sage’s unexpected wit and sarcasm are hugely entertaining. He even did a few things that suprised me on the way. I read this right after the first book, but there is a very well done recap at the beginning if it’s been a while since you’ve read the first book in this series (I love it when author’s do that!).
Sage is annoying, stubborn and sometimes just plain foolish but I can’t help admiring him. Way to go to the author for pulling that off. And I loved seeing the double meaning of the things Sage would say this time around and understanding it. Sage is honest to a fault, but he’s terribly smart. In fact, Sage’s character reminds me a lot in this book of the Dread Pirate Roberts from Princess Bride. Here’s one of my favorite examples of Sage’s humor.
[Erick] tried again. “Take this sword.”
“I want the one I came here with.” [said Sage]
“Why that one?”
“The stones in the handle match my eyes.”
-Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Runaway King (p. 161)
Overall, this was just a delightful as the first book with a ton of wit and sarcasm that was so fun to read. A page-turner that I couldn’t put down.
Content Rating: Mild, for very mild fight scenes.
About Jennifer A. Nielsen
Jennifer lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a naughty puppy. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. She is a former speech teacher, theater director, and enjoyed a brief but disastrous career as a door-to-door pollster. In her spare time, Jennifer tends to panic, wondering what she has forgotten to do that has allowed her any spare time.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
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