Jennifer A. Nielsen, though she has a name that I literally cannot spell correctly the first time, ever, has written a great followup to The False Prince.

In this one, Sage runs off to join the pirates for sort of tenuous reasons, but I’ll allow it because I love Sage. The pirates are mean and vicious and dirty, but through extraordinary acts of bravery and strong will, Sage of course outsmarts everyone. And again, the way he does it is kind of far-fetched, but it makes such a good story that I don’t even care. I just cannot gush enough about these books. I bet my middle nephew, Guest Dork Sammy, would like them.

I just adore that Sage is STILL an unreliable narrator! He always has far-reaching plans, but he never shares them with the reader until they play out, and then you’re left wondering just how long he’s been planning whatever happened. I will admit that I am not sure that some of his plots would hold up to scrutiny on a reread, but it’s very entertaining.

My review of Ascendance #1 – The False Prince