The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen, meets and exceeds all expectations–and after the first book, The False Prince, they are high!  While many second installments in a trilogy are merely place-holders, The Runaway King holds its own as a swashbuckling tale in its own right.  The characters (familiar and new) are vivid, the dialogue is witty and intelligent, the action is so brisk the reader can hardly keep up.  Nielsen writes in a no-nonsense fashion that is unusual and refreshing in its lack of detail.  The subtleties of language and character interaction more than make up for extraneous descriptive details.  Granted, the reader is left wishing for more, especially in the romantic aspect of the story; this could be seen as either a positive or negative trait.  The nonstop action, subtle wordplay, budding love triangle and cliff-hanger ending leave the reader anxious for the next book, yet closing the cover with a satisfied smile. 
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Scholastic

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  An assassination attempt, threats, various swordfights, punches, kicks, hits, slashes, injuries without detail; mock swordfight; a character dies from undescribed attack; a burglary and threats with a knife; a character is forced underwater; a duel; a character is stabbed and killed; a character’s leg is smashed and broken; a duel on broken leg, brief description of setting the leg.

Sex/Nudity:  Two characters hold hands briefly.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death, Pirates, Duels.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

A character is given sleeping powder.