Parents' Guide to

The Runaway King: The Ascendance Trilogy, Book 2

By Sally Engelfried, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Young king faces pirates, thieves in swashbuckling sequel.

Book Jennifer A. Nielsen Adventure 2013
The Runaway King: The Ascendance Trilogy, Book 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

1EMM
1EMM Parent
February 7, 2020
age 10+

Not as dark as first book.

While some parts of the first book I found to be a little heavy for a children's story (the plight of orphans and memories of their parents and the fact that they were being "bought" to carry out a plan and would be killed if they did not comply", this story, thankfully, is just a fun fighting the pirates tale. Yes, some violence, but without the "dark side" if that makes sense. There is a choice that has to be made between the King choosing the previously- betrothed princess, or the girl he has come to care very much for. And the king has to choose whether to kill his enemy once he finally confronts him. The first book I feel has some pretty major themes that could be discussed with your kids, like how the kids perception of his father's actions differed from the father's. But this one I think was more adventure, and more appropriate for a ten year old.
♦Bookworm♦
♦Bookworm♦ Adult
July 21, 2013
age 10+

A well-written page-turner

The Runaway King was a great addition to the Ascendance Trilogy! It has a wonderful, captivating plot that leaves you eager to see what will happen next. The main flaw was that it was rather annoying how he could literally do everything: challenge pirate kings, climb cliffs with a broken leg, etc. However, it is a fictional book after all.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

After the harrowing events of The False Prince, Jaron is now the title character of THE RUNAWAY KING and the ruler of Carthya. However, the regents who have been ruling in his stead aren't exactly welcoming him to the throne. Nor do they believe him when Jaron insists Carthya is about to be invaded by another country and the pirates who kidnapped him as a child. Against his best friends' advice, Jaron runs off to join the pirates, believing the only way to stop the invasion is from the inside. Rather than infiltrating them, however, he ends up their prisoner and, once again, Jaron must use his sharp wits, along with a little swordplay, to save himself, his friends, and his country.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (12 ):

Readers who enjoyed the action of The False Prince will find more of the same here. Jaron runs headlong from one adventure into the next, barely saving himself from danger before an even worse situation befalls him. He is loyal to his friends to a fault, and with a witty tongue to banter with the various captors who nearly kill him, he can be an appealing hero. However, his arrogance can be grating, and the reasoning behind his reckless schemes is often unclear, so he seems to constantly put himself into needless danger. Still, the pacing of this page-turner will probably carry readers along and allow them to overlook these complaints.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Jaron often makes a decision to do something and then, after it is too late, realizes he made the wrong decision. Has this ever happened to you? What did you do to solve the problem?

  • The fast pace of The Runaway King makes it easy to picture as a movie. Who would you pick to play Jaron? Who would you cast as his friends? Does this book remind you of any movies you've seen?

  • For part of The Runaway King, Jaron must pretend to be someone else. Do you think a king could get away with a scheme like that in today's world, with such easy access to the Internet and social media?

Book Details

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