Nielsen, Jennifer The Runaway King (Ascendance #2), 352 pgs. Scholastic Press, March 2013. Content -- PG
Jaron now sits on the throne of Carthya, but war is eminent and his advisors are still ignoring the danger that is headed their way. Jaron realizes that as king he can do nothing, but as Sage he may be able to save his kingdom.
I was excited for The Runaway King because I enjoyed The False Prince. If your students enjoyed the first of the series, then this is an essential purchase to continue the story. Sadly, on it's own merits, this book was disappointing.
From the beginning when Jaron leaves the castle to go in search of the pirates, I thought he had some master plan in play. I kept waiting for surprises and twists in the plot...but they never came. It seemed he had a plan in finding the pirates, but in conquering the pirates, it was all just luck. No plan. No surprises. Just luck. And achieving his goal is disappointing when it's luck that got him there.
Also, the plot meandered. I wondered at times if there actually was a plot. The characters were annoying. Many of the characters Jaron meets in his meandering travels were two-dimensional and too trusting. Most of the adults were just dumb. And I started to doubt Jaron's intelligence as well.
Overall, disappointing.
EL, MS, HS -- ADVISABLE Rebekah, public librarian
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