Title: The Shadow Throne
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Series: The Ascendance Trilogy
Rating: ★★★★★

The Shadow Throne is the conclusion to a fantastic series. Jaron has spent the last two novels growing from the orphan thief Sage into the king his country needs. Everything about it was wonderful. My heart was in knots the entire book, and after I finished, I had to take a few moments to catch my breath. That’s the best feeling to have after finishing a book.

War has come to Carthya. From every direction, they are under attack. If that wasn’t bad enough, Avenia has kidnapped Imogen, the girl Jaron loves. They know she is his weakness and plan on using her to bring Jaron down. Jaron knows there is no easy path to take. Every choice he makes puts him in danger, but he makes the best choices he can. His wit and quick thinking have been able to save him in the past, but he’s not sure they will be enough to save his kingdom.

I have loved Jaron’s growth across all three novels. To see him come from the hurting, combative, angry boy he was in The False Prince to the boy trying to fill a role he was never meant to play in The Runaway King and now the king trying to save his country and the people he loves. He has grown in so many ways, maturing and finding out who he is as a ruler. He learns to accept friendship and love, something he struggled with before. He sacrifices his strongest desires in order to keep his country safe. He still has his flaws, but he learns how to make them work for the greater good.

The Shadow Throne was the most heart wrenching novel for me to read. I was on the edge of my seat, chewing my fingernails. I couldn’t see how things were going to work out and I couldn’t stop reading until I knew. Nielsen always seems to write only as much as needed before surprising the characters and the readers a few paragraphs or pages later. I love this and all the little surprises I had while reading. Jaron remains a thief, even as king, in how cunning he is. His personality and wits are written on every page.

The Shadow Throne is the perfect ending to this series. It took my emotions on a roller coaster ride. I felt everything while reading this book and wasn’t prepared for it to end. But it did and I couldn’t be happier with it. This is the ending Jaron deserved and I’m so happy he got it. The Shadow Throne is a must read book of a must read series.

If you’d like to purchase The Shadow Throne, you can do so here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.