Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer Nielsen

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen is the first book of hers I read, and it remains my absolute favorite. Not only did I LOVE the first book, (Could NOT put it down!) the second and third books were great too!  {Now, how often does it happen that the final book isn't a complete let down?! I'm looking at you Divergent and Hunger Games!}


This is an action-oriented fantasy that revolves around political intrigue in a kingdom far, far away. (No magical creatures in this book.)


I was quickly captivated by the street-smart, clever, semi-criminal main character Sage, and can honestly say, that I didn't see the final plot twist coming (in any of the books) despite the fact that this book was written for an early middle-grade audience. (Booklist says grades 4-7) I also loved how the series ended though I wished it didn't.

I highly, highly recommended these books and wouldn't hesitate to recommend buying them. (If you're the type of person who likes to have books to share, lend, re-read.)
If you have no kids, buy them for yourself. They are really fun to read.


Now, once you've read The Ascendance Trilogy, you are going to want to check out some of Jennifer Nielsen's other books.

I have read
"A Night Divided",
"The Scourge",
and "The Mark of the Thief" trilogy, (though I haven't finished the third book in that series.)

"A Night Divided" is written about 12-year-old Gerta who lives in Berlin when the wall goes up and is cut off from her father and brother. This is a great book for introducing this important historical event, but while "The False Prince" felt like it appealed to me as an adult as much as it would have to me as a kid, "A Night Divided" feels like it is written for 12-13 year olds.
Maybe the plot isn't as deeply developed as I would have wanted or maybe the ending is a little too pat. The point is, it is a great book, and a book I want my kids to read for the historical insight they will gain, but I would have been just as happy to have it from the library.

{Did you ever read the book "So Far From the Bamboo Grove"? I read that as a kid, loved it, thought about it often and re-read and loved it as an adult. It was a book that seeped into my soul. "A Night Divided" is not quite at that level.}

"The Scourge" was a page-turner, but I think I just wasn't overly in love with the ending or the characters. I liked it, but I didn't finish it wishing there was a second book. Doug said he really enjoyed it though, and Max sped right through it with no complaints.

Finally, "The Mark of the Thief" books were good but not as captivating for me as "The False Prince". They take place in ancient Rome and involve, magic, magical creatures, Roman games, Caesar, and the gods Mars and Diana. If you or your kids are Percy Jackson fans, you might really really dig these. I loved the first one, but now that I'm on the third, I'm a tiny bit over the magical battles--which is why I haven't finished it yet. However, Max will probably pick it up and finish it in one sitting.

Hope you've found something to peek your interest. If you've read any of these, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading,
Emily

P.S. This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links. They do not, however, change the price of the books.

Author Intro: Brandon Sanderson

(This post was written and published on my other blog and copied and pasted here later.)
So the other night Doug arranged to take me on a surprise date. 
He got a babysitter and everything.

It was a Wednesday night.

I was sure he was taking me dancing or to a dance class.

I'd used various deductive reasoning techniques to come up with this theory and I was very sure of myself.

I told at least two people we were going dancing.

I put on a swingy dress and my new red heels.

I applied full make-up AND even a tiny bit of perfume.

We got in the car and Doug said, "We are NOT going dancing!"
I said "Yes we are!  ...Aren't we?"
No.  We weren't.

We went into San Diego to "The Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore" for a book signing by
Brandon Sanderson.

And it was AWE.SOME.

Even better than dancing!  The rest of this post will now be addressed to someone else:

Dear Brandon Sanderson,
First, I'd like to start by saying, I'm sorry we walked in to your reading late.  If I had known we were NOT going to a Swing dance class but instead going to hang out with a bunch of fantasy readers, I would have held off on the make-up and heels and we would have been on time.  My bad.  (But also Doug's bad for not telling me sooner.)

However, how AWESOME was it that there were two empty seats for us on the front row?  (Totally awesome.)  I could NOT believe my luck!  And hearing you read Legion was really cool.

Anyway, mostly just wanted to let you know it was a great night.  My husband and I are huge fans!  (And so are our boys because they've been listening to the Audible version of Alcatraz and the Evil Librarian.  So stinkin' funny!)
Also, I'd like to tell you a little about myself:  I am an avid reader.  I have been since first grade when I got hooked on Boxcar Children.  I'm pretty much always reading at least one novel.  At the moment, I'm reading three different books.  (One in the bathroom, one in the car, one by my bed...you get the idea.)  My point is, I read a lot.
And here's the thing:  I think you are HANDS DOWN one of the (if not THE) BEST AUTHOR(s) I've ever read.
Your intelligence is astounding.  Your imagination is awe-inspiring.  Your worlds are incredibly cohesive and believable and awesome and deeply-developed-without-being-overwhelming and awesome...

But of most importance to me, your books have something I learned about in college:  they have Artistic Unity.  In your words, (heard on a pod cast Doug found--if I'm remembering correctly...) "no unkept promises".  (or was it unanswered?)  Anyway...

Every tiny detail in your books is in your books for a reason.  When I finished the Mistborn series, I was sad that it was over, but HAPPY because you had answered all my questions and resolved every introduced issue.  What a freakin' awesome series!

{I'm SO glad you've chosen to continue it in a different time period.  I would be reading my signed copy of The Alloy of Law right now if it weren't for those other three books and the fact that Doug got to it first.}

(An aside:  Once I read "The Historian" and it sucked.  Not because it was about vampires.  Because it lacked cohesion and left MANY questions unanswered.  I'm still bitter I wasted so much time on that book! Just like stupid Lost!!!  I'm still mad at you and your lack of ARTISTIC UNITY Lost!)

Anyway again, just wanted to let you know I'm a big fan.

Come back to Mysterious Galaxy again soon!! We need a better picture!!

Sincerely,
Emily W.

P.S.  My baby's middle name is Brandon.  Not after you, but still...!

P.P.S.  This is my first fan letter.  Did I come on too strong?  Sound too stalker-like?  Sorry.  I swear I'm normal(ish).

POST EDIT:  My blog posts are automatically e-mailed to my mom so her comments come to my e-mail in-box.  This was her response to this post:

Dear Emily,  Great fan letter!  I'll have you know that I borrowed and read (my brother) Brandons  copies of Mistborn!  They were OK.  What shall I try next that's not so far out into ugly and violent cretins?  I didn't like all the good guys expiring.

(Not ALL the good guys expire...!!)

But I love you and Brandon, and I trust your judgement normally.

Love, Mom xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

I had to laugh.  Clearly, Epic Fantasy is NOT for everyone!  :)  Always good to have differing opinions!  

(I told her to try Gail Tsukiyama--an author I read and liked in Japan.)