Jennifer Nielsen's suspense-filled trilogy comes to a nail-biting conclusion, as Jaron finds himself--and his kingdom of Carthya--being attacked from all sides.
The first two books will help readers keep track of the players in The Shadow Throne. Fans of the series enter the action precisely where The Runaway King left off. The boy king, Jaron, and Roden (one of the original four orphans), now captain of the guard, fake an argument for the benefit of spies to King Vargan, who still has designs on annexing Carthya to Avenia. If they can get Jaron's betrothed, Princess Amarinda, to safety in her homeland of Bymar, she can convince them to send reinforcements. Imogen, the serving girl who won Jaron's heart and helped ensure his safety in The Runaway King, has been taken hostage. Jaron wants to rescue her; Mott (who trained the orphans in swordsmanship in the first book) insists on taking on that mission so that Jaron can join Roden in the fight against the Gelyn army invading from the North.
It's a chess game of the highest caliber, with kings attempting to outwit one another, and some of the bloodiest battles yet. Nielsen introduces Jaron to his first cannon, pulled by the Mendenwal forces, and how he dispenses with that alone is worth the cover price. This king of Carthya is not afraid to get his hands dirty--or his heart broken. Jaron grows up in this book, and Nielsen fills it with plot twists, setbacks and surprise reunions. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness