The Shadow Throne (The Ascendance Trilogy #3) by Jennifer A. Nelson

The Shadow Throne (The Ascendance Trilogy #3) by Jennifer A. Nelson

Goodreads Synopsis
One war.
Too many deadly battles.
Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?

War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does.

His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighbouring lands. In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne?

Rousing and affecting, Jaron's adventures have thrilled and moved readers in The False Prince and The Runaway King. Journey once again with the Ascendant King of Carthya, as New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen brings his story to a stunning conclusion with The Shadow Throne.

I thought this was a good conclusion to the series. I rated the entire series 4/5 stars and I wasn't disappointed with how the story ended, so that's always a good sign. 

I liked a lot of what happened but in all honesty I wasn't a fan of how easy it felt. I like when my fantasy has a bit more dilemmas and death but overall it was pretty good. I liked the tie ins from the first book to the last one though. I thought that was pretty clever. 

I did not like how reckless Jaron was in this one though. He took it to a whole other level with how badly he behaved in order to suit his own needs. At least in TFP and TRK he was acting on behalf of the entire Kingdom but in this one he just wants to save Imogen because he loves her. And sorry but that does not make you a good King. 

Overall: 4/5 stars. I wish there had been more world building overall and that there was more explanation of why certain things happened but I wasn't too deterred from the story because of this.