3 Minute Review of The False Prince

“I will be your prince, Conner.”

Synopsis of The False Prince

The False Prince, by Jennifer Nielsen, follows the perspective of a 15-year-old orphan boy called Sage. Sage is witty, clever, and sarcastic. He is living in an orphanage in Carthya. While there, a mysterious man named Bevin Conner pays for Sage’s freedom and takes Sage on a new adventure. There, Sage meets Latamer, Tobias, and Roden, three boys who seem to have similar physical features as Sage. They are also the same age as Sage.  Sage wonders what Conner has planned, and as Conner begins to explain to the boys, Sage’s worst suspicious are confirmed: Conner is planning to turn one of the boys into the long lost prince of Carthya.

When Latamer meekly says he would like to opt out, Conner gives an order and Latamer’s death is swiftly carried out. The remaining three boys, Sage, Tobias, and Roden, are stunned. After seeing Latamer’s fate and learning that whoever isn’t chosen as the prince will have the same fate, they all decide to follow Conner’s plan. The three boys are taken to Conner’s home, where they take classes to help them learn how to become the false prince. Since it’s clear that only one of them will make it out of this alive, each tries earnestly to ensure that they will be chosen.

Intended ages according to author/publisher

On Amazon, the recommended ages are 9-12 years old, but I think that readers of all ages can enjoy this exciting fantasy. The False Prince could be a great read aloud, and a story that confident readers will love as well. 

Violence

This is a fantasy book with sword fights. There is a section where the main character gets whipped and then tortured in the dungeon.

Language

No language. There is no foul or course language.

Relationship/Morality

There are no concerning morals or relationships in this story.

Magic or Spiritual Realms

There is no magic in this book.

Intense Scenes

There is an intense scene when Sage refuses to give Conner something that is special to him, and this results in Conner torturing Sage. Sage is brought down to the dungeon and hung by his wrists while he is whipped. Even though this had violence, there was no gore mentioned.

Our Thoughts

I’ve heard good things about this book, and so when I finally listened to the audio book, I was immediately drawn into the story. I loved Sage’s character. He is such a unique and realistic character who is extremely witty and smarter than he seems. The whole story was very well written and when I had finished it, I was blown away. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

 

• Ages 4-6: Not recommended
• Ages 7-8: Not recommended
• Ages 9-10: If the reader isn’t very confident, this would make an excellent read aloud
• Ages 11-12: Recommended
• Ages 13-15: Recommended
• Ages 16-18: Recommended

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