After years of making my way through an extensive list of books I wanted to read, I’m surprised to come to the realization that one of the first series I’ve read is the one that has stuck with me the most. In fifth grade, my older brother recommended I read The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen, the first novel of five in the Ascendence Series. I consumed the story rapidly, and from there I felt a constant need to keep finding books that would keep me as hooked as this one did. Once I had finished all five books, there was no looking back—well, except for recently, when I decided to go back to my roots and do a rerun of the entire series in an attempt to end my ongoing reading slump. I’ve kept this series in my memory like a time capsule, remembering it as the most glorious and page-turning piece of literature I’ve ever set eyes on. However, this time around, I wondered if it would be as outstanding as I recall, or if I had simply been impressed because I had read it when I was ten years old.
Perhaps not much has changed about my reading taste, because after finishing The False Prince for a second time, I can still confidently say it stands as one of my favorite reads to this day. Other than the main plot twist, I didn’t remember very many details of the book, which added to the fun of rereading. Additionally, I realized what stands out about this series isn’t that it has incredible writing, or an intensely complicated plot–it’s just simple. Jennifer Nielsen managed to create a quick and easy page-turner by using only a handful of interesting characters, a singular setting (for the majority of the book), and a fast-paced storyline that keeps you wanting more. It’s definitely average, as most children’s books are, but sometimes average books are the most exciting and easy to breeze through.
The story starts off with the main character, Sage, a crafty and defiant boy who has been living as an orphan. One morning, when he gets caught stealing food on the streets, a nobleman named Conner saves him from punishment by purchasing him from the orphanage. He joins two other boys that the nobleman has purchased, and they soon learn they will be forced into a competition to become Jaron, the long-lost prince of the kingdom they live in. As the story progresses, the tension rises between the boys, and Sage fights from behind to pass as royalty, all the while having a secret up his sleeve.
This book series will always be special to me, and I will never stop recommending it to others because it’s criminally underrated. It may be meant for children, but I believe it’s suited for anyone, no matter their taste in books. Years after my initial read, I still yearn for the chance to read it for the first time again, so I could experience the exhilaration I felt when I first picked it up.