![]() ![]() Jaron’s inadequacies as a ruler are on full display here, as he decides that the best way to save his country from war is to walk into the hostile neighboring country of Avenia and get himself captured. The author constantly expects readers to buy into the idea that a nation worshipfully supports a boy who makes bad decisions and only succeeds in his efforts half the time because he is lucky–not because he is smart. Plus, Nielsen’s grasp of politics has always seemed tenuous and a bit naive. ![]() Believing that boyish tricks can save a nation and win a war is a little harder to swallow. Believing that Sage fooled one pompous nobleman and a handful of servants who never met him is easy. ![]() Personally, I still think that book one, The False Prince, is the strongest in this series because Sages’s–and Nielsen’s–gifts tend to shine brighter on a smaller scale. Readers who made it this far will likely find this adventure satisfying. The plot at times strains belief, but that has been true of both the previous installments, as well. The stakes are higher than ever before as Carthya goes to war with three neighboring nations, Imogen is kidnapped by the Avenian king, and Jaron must use all his wits to save his kingdom and rescue his love–all without getting captured or killed himself. The Shadow Throne reunites the cast of the previous two books in what was originally meant to be the grand finale to this trilogy. ![]()
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