A fantasy adventure trilogy beginning with The False Prince, following orphan thief Sage as he's forced to impersonate a missing prince in a deadly competition. The books chronicle Sage's true identity revelation, his fight to protect his kingdom from multiple threats, and his growth from reluctant fraud to genuine leader, all driven by Nielsen's trademark plot twists and Sage's sharp wit.
Orphan thief Sage is chosen by a nobleman to be trained as an impersonator of the missing prince, competing with two other boys for the role—and if he fails, he will be killed as a threat. A brilliantly plotted, twist-filled adventure that subverts every expectation the reader brings to it; the ending is a genuine and satisfying shock. One of the best middle-grade political thrillers published in decades.
Newly revealed as the true king, Jaron must go undercover among a band of pirates to stop a conspiracy against his life and throne before he is assassinated or before his kingdom falls. An action-packed sequel that keeps the first book's momentum while developing Jaron's character and his complicated relationships with those around him.
Jaron leads Carthya into a war it cannot win against a coalition of neighboring kingdoms, and must use every bit of cleverness and reckless courage he has to prevent the destruction of everything and everyone he loves. The concluding volume of the original Ascendance trilogy is emotionally intense and action-packed, with genuine costs paid for victory.
Years after the events of the original trilogy, Jaron's ship is seized by a mysterious enemy who wants him to give up something precious, and Jaron must use his wits to protect his kingdom from a threat that seems to come from his own past. A welcome return to Jaron's voice and scheming intelligence.