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. Four 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.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
213 of 223 people found the following review helpful.
Brilliantly Executed from Start to Finish
By Amazon Customer
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. It was also significantly less violent in my opinion.It was somewhat like Eragon with the intelligence of Ender's Game with a narration that reminded me of Odd Thomas. But, wait, it wasn't like any of them--it was just itself and it was exceptional.Also, of note, this may be a book in a series, but this book can stand alone. The ending was enough even if I'm anxious to read another book in the series. This book felt complete and not just a portion of a series. That feels like a rare thing these days in YA books.For Parents: there was no profanity, adult situations, or gratuitous violence. As far as violence goes, if you felt comfortable letting your child read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire--this is comparable.
60 of 68 people found the following review helpful.As perfect as could be
By thehydrogenpoptart
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.Right off the bat, The False Prince gets the protagonist's tone dead right. (I was not expecting this, AT ALL. Fantasy, for me, is heavy on the plot and light on the characters.) Sage was probably the best male character I've read in young adult/middle-grade fantasy, ever. He is so amazing, and so believable, and...I'm going to sound stupid, but he would be my best friend if he were real. The supporting characters, so commonly overlooked in this genre, were every bit as believable as Sage. I loved Tobias's, one of the orphans, complete, full circle change, as Roden's, as well. Conner himself is a round antagonist, and so are his supporters-they are not portrayed as your stereotypical fantasy villain, but instead, as compassionate humans.The plot was magnificent as well. One problem I've been noticing a lot lately is that books are either too long or too rushed. The False Prince is neither. It is the perfect length, perfectly paced from start to finish. No one can accuse the author of dragging out the plot, as every page was needed in this book. If you're the person who loves plot twists in fantasy, go out and get this book now. There was a huge twist, totally unique, fresh and original. Moreover, The False Prince had a satisfying ending, not a cliffhanger one (thank goodness). And even though I knew there'd be a happy ending (like in all books), there was still a decent amount of suspense, and every time things went wrong for Sage, I'd find myself breathing or turning the pages a bit faster.This is the type of book that you will need to read in one day or one sitting. I am so happy that I found this book-I would want it to become more popular, but the selfish part of me wants to keep it to myself as a 'hidden gem.' I could spot no flaws in The False Prince. It was as perfect as could be, the most you could ask of any author. Please, do yourself a favor and go borrow this book from the library now. If your library doesn't have it, go buy it yourself. Yes, it's that good.-reviewed by a teenager. (I apologize for any teenagery and/or snarky comments in this review, if they have offended you. I understand they can be very annoying, just like teenagers themselves. In any case, thanks for dealing with them and thanks for reading this review.)PS. Any parent thinking about buying this for their kid, go ahead! There isn't much violence (only a few deaths), and NO PROFANITY AT ALL. That's rare these days. I can tell you from personal experience that both boys and girls will enjoy this title.
45 of 50 people found the following review helpful.Awesome!
By V. Cano
If you don't have this book on your to-buy list, I urge you to add it. I finished it last night and am so thrilled with the whole story that I have to restrain myself from just writing "awesome" in big, bold letters and calling it a day.The first and most important thing in this novel is the protagonist, Sage. He is a perfect example of an unreliable narrator, which is one of my favorite literary devices, and is, generally, one of the most fun protagonists I've read about in a long while. He is a fully-fledged character, with all his flaws and virtues. Sometimes I found myself wanting to throttle him, but that's what makes him such a wonder to read. The rest of the characters are also incredibly amusing, but Sage is the one that grabs and holds on to your attention.The plot is an intricately crafted one, clever and full of edge-of-your-seat moments. It is the kind of book you'll want to read again as soon as you finish it. Trust me on that. The writing is straight forward, allowing Sage's voice to shine through at its fullest.This is one of the best books I've read so far this year, so I highly, highly recommend it.
