The Captive Kingdom by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Fantasy. 384 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
Jennifer A. Nielsen returns to the world of The False Prince in this fourth book of the Ascendance Series!
In a peaceful Carthya, Jaron leads as the Ascendant King with Imogen beside him — but the peace he fought so long for is not destined to last.
On a routine sea voyage, Jaron’s ship is brutally attacked, and he is taken hostage. The mysterious captors and their leader, Jane Strick, accuse Jaron of unthinkable acts. They are also in possession of some shocking items — including the crown and sword that belonged to Jaron’s older brother, Darius. The items unearth a past Jaron thought he had put behind him.
Though it seems impossible, Jaron must consider: Could Darius be alive? And what does Strick want from Jaron? Against his will, Jaron will be pulled back into a fight for the throne — and a battle to save his kingdom.
My Review:
GOSH DANGIT NIELSEN!
Okay, so, I fell in love with the original Ascendance trilogy. In. Love. The books are amazing and Nielsen is a clever, clever girl! When I heard that she was writing more books in the series, I was stoked!!! No joke! Bought the book as soon as it came out in the nearest bookstore!
The book sat on my shelf for a few months with it’s gorgeous cover because life has been busy–and because a small part of me wondered what kind of trouble I was in for. Having read the first three, I knew Nielsen didn’t play around. Part of me wondered if this new book simply wouldn’t live up to the amazingness of the original trilogy; and I certainly didn’t want to taint my love of the series. But I chose to trust Nielsen and dive in.
G.U.Y.S. She did not disappoint! This book took me on a whole new adventure! I was intrigued by the sea journey from the blurb and I’m so glad we got to see Jaron on a ship and with the pirates. We even got to see a new land and interact with new cultures, which was a ton of fun! The world expanded naturally and because of Jaron’s time as an orphan, his stories felt plausible. The book truly felt like it could have been part of the plan all along. Seamless.
In fact, what is really unique and cool about this book is how it completely and entirely alters your perspective on the first books. The story of the original trilogy is turned 110% upside down in this one! And, I tell you what, there are things I can’t unread. I’m still not sure if I’m happy about that or not! I could have continued on in ignorant bliss and just loved the original trilogy as they were and I honestly would have been perfectly happy with that. There are some way unexpected twists in this one. My jaw hit the floor once or twice and I was very upset with a few chapter reveals. (You can ask my sister and best friend. They asked if I needed an EMT cause I was absolutely railing via text at one point. XD)
Honestly, I was terrified everything would go horribly wrong–much like I now realize I felt when reading the original books. There was one surprise character that I was very unsure how he was going to go and that worried me greatly. I really, really wanted him to be a good guy, but for a little while, I didn’t know what he would do. The emotional punches this book sends and the sheer amount of yelling I did at multiple characters–but a fair bit of it was at Jaron, let’s be real–has my head spinning. I mean, I started second guessing how the original trilogy resolved in so many ways and praying I could still somehow reach that ending by the end of this book–with no certainty. Nielsen has this knack for double entendre and hidden meanings that made me wonder what exactly the third book had said.
We watched characters old and new join a whole new journey that was somehow the same as the original story all along. Jaron was spunky as ever, but really struggled and grew through this story, which was a true pleasure to watch. New setting and lands to explore! Stakes higher than ever before and the threat of losing it all that you can’t help but pray is nothing more than a threat. And some seriously head-spinning, heart-thumping twists along the way. This comeback has it all!
Nielsen delivered, guys. And that stinkin’ cliff hanger!! What was that?! Needless to say, I am definitely going to be following up with the fifth book when it comes out.
Content: no foul language, very little & mild romance, and some swashbuckling, non-graphic violence. Middle-grade fiction. Suitable for preteens.
More:
Book 1 in the Ascendance Trilogy is The False Prince (5 Stars)
Book 2 is The Runaway King (5 Stars)
Book 3 is The Shadow Throne (5 Stars)
Book 5 is The Shattered Castle (5 Stars)
I have reviewed the above on Goodreads. Follow the links to find more info on the books and then scroll down to see the reviews. Mine is among them. Stay tuned for my thoughts on the latest book when it releases!
This series must be read in order.
ON GRACEBOUGHT
If you missed it, check out my thoughts on the original trilogy here!