Book Review: “The False Prince” by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The current project I’m working on is titled ‘The False Princess’, so when I saw The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen pop up on my feed in Audible, I had to check it out. Firstly, to make sure I wasn’t copying plot, and secondly, because I was intrigued.

The story begins with a nobleman grabbing a boy off the streets, named Sage, and taking him along with several others off to train for the role of the missing prince. The nobleman intends to set one of the boys up as a puppet prince, securing what he sees as best for the kingdom.

I noticed as I read, and had confirmed for me later by my wife, that The False Prince had echoes of The Thief by Megan Whelan Turner, one of my all time favorites, and was recommended for anyone who enjoyed Turner’s series. (If you haven’t read the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whelan Turner, you should).

I enjoy books that have more going on than first meets the eye, and I enjoyed the sense throughout this book of discovering more and more layers to each character and to the story as it went on. Every character, from the nobleman to the other boys competing with Sage, is in a life-or-death situation, and that does not always bring out the best in people.

I think it was interesting to see Sage grapple with a lot of the unforeseen or unintended consequences of his actions. In attempting to make things better, he can sometimes cause worse issues that he didn’t anticipate. Part of his growing up is learning to look at the bigger picture, and it is rewarding to see that take shape in his character.

Part of the reason I enjoy this part so much is that it harkens back to some of the early roots of my reading journey. When I was younger I studied a lot of Anglo-Saxon and Nordic Sagas, where unintended consequences, both good and bad, are a huge theme, and its fun to see that further explored.

This was a fun book for me, and I enjoyed it. The twists and turns were well laid out and well prepared, so that they made sense, instead of feeling like the author had just turned the story on its head for a little more drama. 

Fortunately for me, there didn’t seem to be a lot of plot overlap with the story I’m currently writing, but you can always learn from other writers, and I really admired the way that Nielsen foreshadowed and built up events in her book. In my opinion, my favorite reaction to twists is “I’m shocked, but that makes so much sense!”, followed closely by “I knew it!”. When a reader sees a twist coming, I believe it can indicate that the author has built a coherent, logical world and displayed the events and causes clearly, so that the reader is able to make accurate predictions.

Of course, lazy writing can create an eye-rolling “I saw that coming”, but it is possible to enjoy even that. At the end of the day, as a writer, my focus is on creating a coherent story that is also intricate and nuanced, surprising readers with depth of story rather than suddenness of redirection. 

If you’re in the mood for some impersonation, hidden identity tropes with a hint of political maneuvering thrown in, you might enjoy this one. The characters are fun and engaging, and you’ll enjoy getting to see how they change and evolve as the nobleman tries to mold them into his puppets.  

If this book sounds interesting to you, and you’d like to help support me, you can check it out via the amazon affiliate link below. It’s no extra cost to you, and I get a small advertising fee from Amazon for helping you find a new book.