THE RUNAWAY KING REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Today I’m SO excited to share THE RUNAWAY KING by Jennifer Nielsen with you! It’s the second book in The Ascendance Trilogy and was released on March 1, 2013. Any of you who followed me last spring know that I’m in love with THE FALSE PRINCE. You can see my interview with Jennifer Nielsen HERE.

I’m thrilled for all the good news Jennifer has had lately. First, I nominated THE FALSE PRINCE for the Cybils and it won! I’m so happy I helped with that. Then, THE FALSE PRINCE made the New York Times Bestseller list in February. And it’s being developed into a movie. Fingers crossed on that.

So, here’s a blurb about THE RUNAWAY KING from Goodreads:

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!


This is a fabulous sequel! Immediately Jaron faces a neighboring kingdom who wants to take over Carthya, his regents who want to usurp his power by appointing a steward, and the pirates who want him dead. And his old friend Roden is his enemy and wants to kill him. He’s only got a few weeks to solve the problem or he’ll lose everything, including his life.

Jennifer did an amazing job plot-wise. Jaron/Sage decides on a crazy scheme to defeat the pirates, which he feels is the key to saving his kingdom. And in doing so, we get to see the lying, loyal, sarcastic, good-hearted Sage that I came to love in THE FALSE PRINCE. And we see his king-like qualities and loyalty to his kingdom as he goes off on an amazing journey to find the pirates.

Sage/Jaron faces problems at every turn and the plot never lags. We see some of our favorite characters Imogen, Mott, and Tobias. I’m glad Imogen plays a bigger role and she really shines as a character in this book. And we meet Fink, a younger kid, and Eric, two thieves Sage meets on his journey to the pirates. It’s amazing watching all of Sage’s plans, the hurdles he faces, and what happens at the end. Wow, wow, wow! It was all such incredible plotting.

I so could not put this book down. One night I woke up at 3:00 am and literally stayed up all night reading. I stopped at the last 50 pages because I wasn’t quite ready to say I finished the book yet. I wanted to savor it a little longer.

I’m going to do a e-book giveaway of THE RUNAWAY KING. I planned to give away my ARC, but someone at the post office stole the ARC that Scholastic sent to me. So I had to read an e-version of it instead. Because postage costs are going up, especially for International deliveries (like about $5.00 more), The Book Depository prices have also gone up about $5.00. So I’m going to start offering more e-books of giveaways when I need to buy the books for giveaways. It’s about $8.00 cheaper and makes it easier to keep the giveaways International. I hope you all understand.

One lucky winner will win an e-book of THE RUNAWAY KING. If you haven’t read THE FALSE PRINCE yet, I’m glad to give you an e-book of that instead if you want. Don’t have an e-reader? It’s not a problem. I used to read Kindle books on my computer all the time until my aunt gave me her old Nook. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on March 30th. I’ll announce the winner on April 1st.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. International entries are welcome.

Here's what's coming up:

Next Monday I'm interviewing debut author Mindee Arnett and giving away an ARC of her urban fantasy THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR. I loved the magical world Mindee created that was also grounded in our world. And there's a mystery to be solved, something I always love.

Next Tuesday Maria Dismondy is sharing a Tuesday tip on how to launch a successful book launch and giving away a copy of THE POTATO CHIP CHAMP, her new picture book.

And next Saturday I'm participating in the Kick Butt Characters Book Giveaway Hop. I have lots of great choices for you.

The following Monday, I’m super excited to have Jenny Lundquist back to share her new middle grade book, PLASTIC POLLY, with an ARC giveaway. It’s a contemporary story about a girl who’s in the popular crowd who wants to find who she’s really is. Jenny so nailed middle grade life and it made me realize how much I love contemporary stories. Like Jennifer Nielsen, Jenny’s become one of my favorite authors.

Then, Thursday that week, I’m interviewing Jessica Shirvington and giving away a copy of EMBLAZE, the third book in her paranormal series. I’m super excited because I learned what an amazing career she’s had as an author in a relatively short period of time while preparing for her interview. It’s really inspiring to hear her story.

And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you on Monday!