In a peaceful Carthya, Jaron leads as the Ascendant King with Imogen beside him — but the peace he fought so long for is not destined to last. On a routine sea voyage, Jaron’s ship is brutally attacked, and he is taken hostage. The mysterious captors and their leader, Jane Strick, accuse Jaron of unthinkable acts. They are also in possession of some shocking items — including the crown and sword that belonged to Jaron’s older brother, Darius. The items unearth a past Jaron thought he had put behind him.
Though it seems impossible, Jaron must consider: Could Darius be alive? And what does Strick want from Jaron? Against his will, Jaron will be pulled back into a fight for the throne — and a battle to save his kingdom.
The Good
Janner tries to protect everyone in his life from harm. His friends show him that he can’t do everything on his own and needs help
The Bad
Jaron is taken hostage by pirates. He and Imogen kiss several times, though not in great detail.
Ages
Ages 10+ would be good for this book.
My Take
The Captive Kingdom is a pretty good book, yet it lacks good writing. If it was written better, it would be in my Top Ten List of Favorite Books. Still, I would recommend it because the plot, which is very well done. If you haven’t read the Ascendance Series before, start with the first book. Yet again, Jaron ends up losing everything then somehow wins it back at the very end. I think the first one is the best out of all of them. Heads up with this book, it ends at an awful cliff-hanger! And, as on the date of this writing, there is no book after it. Readers will just have to wait in suspense and hope Jennifer Nielsen will write another.
Story line
Characters
Scary stuff
Romance
Weird Creatures
Overall Rating
Review by Kaitlyn