The Shadow Throne: A Review

Goodreads (description):

One war.
Too many deadly battles.
Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?

War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does.

His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighbouring lands. In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne?

Rousing and affecting, Jaron's adventures have thrilled and moved readers in The False Prince and The Runaway King. Journey once again with the Ascendant King of Carthya, as New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen brings his story to a stunning conclusion withThe Shadow Throne.

My Review:

I must say, that this series is one of the best that I have read in a very long time. I love how it focuses on the adventure and not so much on the romance. Actually, there's hardly any romance until the very end of this book. And frankly, I needed that. So many books are all lovely dovey these days and I needed a real, promising adventure and this series gave me one.

Jaron is absolutely amazing. I swear that everything that could go wrong, goes wrong and yet he still rises above the difficulties. He may be terrified, but he never runs away! He somehow always find a solution through the hardest trails you could imagine.

In this book, everyone is fighting against the kingdom of Carthya. Jaron only has one ally and they are hard to access, meaning one must cross enemy territory to get help. So all seems hopeless. In fact, I thought the same. I had no idea how Jaron was going to accomplish anything in this novel. I had no clue what his next step would be. The only thing I did know, was that his plans were so crazy that they always worked.

And they did!

Jaron is clever and he cares deeply for those around him. Through much hardship he has learned to love as fiercely as he used to hate. Seeing this transformation in him made him seem all the more stronger. He really grew up from the time he was an orphaned thief under Bevin Conner at Farthenwood.

He wasn't the only one who grew up though.

So did Roden and Tobias. I know I haven't talked much about them before, but they really did grow substantially also.

Roden's confidence grew until he was one of the best leaders I've read about in a long time (for his young age, anyway). Tobias is a freaking genius when it comes to secret compartments and medicine. I love how they ended up being Jaron's best friends despite how they first met.

Imogen was really cool too. I love how stubborn she was. She wasn't weak in the slightest. She is awesome. If I had to be a character in this series, I would be her.

I stayed up to 2:35 am to finish this book. I could't put it down. Every page held a tragedy and I could not for the life of me figure out how this book was going to end happy.

And yet...

It DID!!

I also give this book a FIVE OUT OF FIVE! This whole series was a fantastic success and I highly recommend it to those who love adventure and cunning boys who can get out of the trickiest situations that seem hopeless. It is written beautifully. Jennifer A. Nielson has a definite talent for writing. I would not hesitate to pick up another book written by her!