The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
I happened to pick up The False Prince at the bookstore, because I am a sucker for anything about princes and princesses. The book looked promising, so I decided to give it a shot.
Four orphan boys have been chosen by a nobleman to impersonate the long-lost son of the King and Queen, who have been murdered. Sage, protagonist and narrator of the book, is one of the boys chosen to compete for the crown.
I loved Sage’s quirky personality and wit, and the trouble he gets himself into when he refuses to be anybody but himself. Sage recognizes the dangers of playing such a dangerous game, but if he doesn’t play the game and win, it may cost him his life. He makes friends (and plenty of enemies) along the way, and I truly enjoyed his story, which became more and more complicated as I read on.
The book was funny and quick, and captured my attention until the last page. In the end, the story line was not as predictable as I’d thought it would be, which was a pleasant surprise. I will definitely be reading books 2 and 3.