(SPOILERS) The Runaway King (False Prince #2) by Jennifer A. Nielsen - Review

Book Synopsis:

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive?

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?

My Review:

5/5 stars. I loved this book just as much as the first one, but for slightly different reasons. The first one really won me over with the huge twist. This one didn't have that, but it still kept me engaged the whole time without one. It had a great opening hook, just like the first one, and was fast-paced and interesting from beginning to end. It also had some really wholesome yet heartbreaking slow-burn relationships, both romantically and with a father-figure. After the cliffhanger ending, I'm reading the third one as soon as I can.

This book gave us Jaron and Imogen. There was already a hint of it in the first one, but this one solidified that they are perfect for each other. But then the author went and broke our hearts along with theirs, continuing the agonizing yet amazing slow burn. There wasn't any romance yet between them, but they are so cute partly because it's such a strong friendship. I was internally screaming, "just kiss already!" The way things ended between them in this book, though, makes me desperate to see how it can eventually work out.

Related to Jaron and Imogen, this book made me realize two small tropes I didn't know I loved so much: one is when the villain hurts the person you love to get to you, and the other is two people fighting over who gets to save the other. They are both so awful for the emotions, but so great for tension so I can't help but love them.

The other great relationship from this book was the father-son relationship between Harlowe and Jaron. I was so happy for him at the beginning when he immediately clicked with Harlowe, so it was so sad to see what happened with them. But then their reconciliation at the end made me so happy. Jaron finally had someone after the unresolved and strained relationship with his father.

Jaron is such a great protagonist. I liked him even more in this book because he was a lot less of a jerk. Still sarcastic, but he had more heart this time. He has just the right amount of wit and charisma to make things go his way most of the time. I also love how, many times throughout this book, he framed things as if they were the most beneficial to the antagonists, but really they were what he wanted.

My only tiny complaint with this book is that, very early on, it felt like there was a bit too much recap of the previous book. It was reviewing things that were major plot points that it's very unlikely the readers would forget. It makes more sense for someone reading the books as they came out, but it still felt a little unnecessary.

Content:

Language: Mentions of characters cursing, but no words said

Sexual Content: Part of the pirates' code is to "not touch the girls", a mention of people sneaking off under the pretense of "romantic reasons", a cheek kiss

Violence/Gore: Lots of fighting, injuries, killing, torture