The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Book 3 of The Ascendance Trilogy. Scholastic Inc. February 23, 2014. 9780545284172. (Finished copy courtesy of the publisher.)
Jaron, our reluctant king,finds himself between a rock and a hard place when Carthya is surrounded by hostile kingdoms led by Vargan, the King of Avenia. Will Jaron's lying, cheating ways help or harm his hopelessly outnumbered forces?
When Imogen is kidnapped, Jaron realizes that Vargan will use Jaron's friends to get to him so he sends Amarinda and Tobias away. Mott insists on attempting to rescue Imogen and is captured as well. So, it is up to Jaron to infiltrate Vargan's camp to rescue them both. Along the way, he calls in a favor from the pirates, but he is unsure of where their allegiance lies. The only person he can count on is himself.
Jaron shows increasing maturity in this installment, but he still possesses the ability to infuriate. There's plenty of action and suspense as Jaron finds himself in increasingly dire predicaments. The body count is high and some deaths are shocking. Betrayals are inevitable.
A totally satisfying end to a spectacular saga. I'm going to miss Jaron and his friends as well as the kingdom of Carthya. Ms. Nielsen succeeded in constructing a beguiling world and Jaron is a character that I won't soon forget.
There are plenty of fans at my school panting for this one.
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