The False Prince

I had never heard of The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen until Amy brought it home for me one day from a book fair at her school. Since I have been itching to get lost in a good fictional book for a while, I was eager to dig in. This book did NOT disappoint!

Sadly, I can't say too much about the book without spoiling the genius of it. The basic idea is that four orphans are rounded up by a nobleman named Conner, one of the kingdom's twenty regents. They are informed that the royal family has died and the kingdom will most likely erupt in civil war, which will create an opportune time for the surrounding enemy kingdoms to strike. Conner's plan is to train the four orphans to impersonate a long-lost prince of the kingdom whose ship had been attacked by pirates four years previous.

The book is about Sage, who really hates the idea. He considers it treason, and he hates the idea of living a lie for the rest of his life. He is constantly defiant to Conner, who can barely contain his patience with the boy. But Sage's rebellious attitude begins to unravel even more deceit. In the end, only one of the boys will be chosen. The others? Well, they know too much. Can Sage get to the heart of the matter, save himself, and perhaps the other boys with him? You'll have to read the book to find out!

I strongly recommend this book for a quick, fun read. It really engaged me as a reader, and I loved each twist in the story. This one will not disappoint.