The Shadow Throne, the third and final book in the False Prince trilogy, starts off with a bang: Carthya is officially at war. Its neighbors – led by King Vargan of Avenia – are sending armies to attack, and it looks like its allies are few and far between. Jaron must become a war strategist, using a combination of trickery, fast talking, and military prowess to fight back.

And then the situation gets even worse: Imogen is kidnapped. By Vargan and the Avenians. Jaron knows they plan to leverage her against him in some way, but he can’t bear to leave her to the Avenians and whatever tortures they devise. He mounts a rescue. He falls into a trap. All within the first few pages. This is an exciting, action-packed book, and much like in the first two installments, Jaron isn’t completely forthright with the reader about his plans – which just makes everything all the more fun when those plans are fully revealed.

While I enjoyed this volume, it has some of the same problems present in the second book. Specifically, there’s a couple of loyalty shifts near the end, spurred by Jaron’s behavior, that feel too quick and too easy. It makes character development seem sloppy. This happened in book two with Roden, and it happens in a similar way, at a most convenient moment, in this third book with two other characters. It feels a bit lazy, and more than a little unbelievable. It makes not only that particular event seem off, but – since it takes place near the end of the book – the conclusion to the entire series seem a bit off, too.

It’s not a huge problem, though for me personally, it did mar an otherwise very good book. While this seems to be a weakness of Nielsen’s, her strengths are all here too: fast-paced and exciting plotting, humor, suspense, trickery. Jaron is so well-drawn, it’s a pity that not all ancillary characters are as well.

Jaron’s growth is very evident here. At times, it seems like he is too wise to be believed, but then Nielsen will have him do or say something that makes it patently clear he is still a teenager – a child. The amount of responsibility he shoulders is immense. As an adult reading it, it was at times difficult to believe that a child would be permitted such responsibility – but this is middle grade, and this is typical for middle grade high fantasy. Such books’ heroes and heroines are not sheltered children; they risk, they go on adventures without adult chaperones, and they frequently learn to lead and inspire the respect of people much older than them. It can be very empowering for its readers.

This is a worthy conclusion, though it’s not as strong as the first book, which had a hook and a twist that simply can’t be beat. It may be unfair to compare its sequels to it.

Review copy provided by the publisher. The Shadow Throne will be published February 25.