Jennifer A. Nielsen Books in Order (The Ascendance, Iceberg…)
All of Jennifer A. Nielsen’s Books in Order!
Who is Jennifer A. Nielsen?
Jennifer Anne Nielsen is an American author known primarily for young adult fiction published by Scholastic. At first, she was interested in writing characters from adult romantic suspense, but she started to think about young adult and children’s fantasy characters, and that led her to her first published book.
Her professional writing career started in 2010 with the Underworld Chronicles, the story of young Elliot in a fantasy world.
After that trilogy, Nielsen started writing The Ascendance series, a YA fantasy series, then The Mark of the Thief series, the Traitor’s Game Series, and standalone historical novels for young readers.
How to read Jennifer A. Nielsen Books in Order?
The Underworld Chronicles
On Halloween night, Elliot Penster intervenes to stop three bullies from hitting a girl who was dressed as a brownie, but she wasn’t wearing a costume. And goblins, not bullies, were her attackers! What Elliot initially believed to be a straightforward act of bravery sets the stage for a journey beyond anything he could have ever imagined. By the time he turns eleven, Elliott will have been crowned King of the Brownies, started a war with the goblins, and found himself all by himself in the Underworld on a mission to Demon Territory. Be a part of Elliot’s epic quest through the terrifyingly captivating Underworld.
- Elliot and the Goblin War (2010)
- Elliot and the Pixie Plot (2011)
- Elliot and the Last Underworld War (2012)
For more information about the books in The Underworld Chronicles, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:
Elliot and the Goblin War – For most kids, accidentally starting an interspecies war would be the biggest event of their lives. But for Elliot Penster, it was only the beginning. When the Brownies, who are on the hopelessly losing end of that war against the Goblins, make Elliot their King, there’s one Brownie who isn’t celebrating. And he’s just made a deal with the Goblins to get rid of Elliot.
Elliot and the Pixie Plot – The mischievous Pixies kidnap Elliot to the Underworld in a plot to ransom Grissel the Goblin from the Brownie prison. Things go from bad to catastrophic when in his escape, Elliot accidentally awakens Kovol the Demon, who now plans to destroy the human race. If that wasn’t bad enough, Elliot hasn’t finished his science project yet.
Elliot and the Last Underworld War – As King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon named Kovol. But now, Kovol has escaped and he’s ready for revenge – by destroying planet earth! Elliot will face a challenge unlike anything he’s seen before. Because the magic he receives from the Pixies is tricky and unreliable. And the “great wizard” who defeated Kovol in the first war was really only a goat herder who got lucky. Luck won’t be enough for Elliot this time. He will need to unite all Underworld creatures and find a strength inside himself greater than ever. The Last Underworld War is about to begin.
The Ascendance Series
The Ascendance Series centers around Sage, an orphan child with a propensity for mischief and a sharp mind. Sage is selected by Conner, a nobleman, to pose as the long-lost prince of Carthya in a kingdom on the verge of war. Sage will be trained by Conner to become a plausible replacement for the prince, who is assumed dead. To prove who is the most qualified to assume the identity of the prince, Sage competes against other orphan boys.
- The False Prince (2012)
- The Runaway King (2013)
- The Shadow Throne (2014)
- The Captive Kingdom (2020)
- The Shattered Castle (2021)
For more information about the books in The Ascendance Series by Jennifer A Nielsen, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:
The False Prince – In a discontented kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed.
The Runaway King – Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it.
The Shadow Throne – 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.
The Captive Kingdom – 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.
The Shattered Castle – King Jaron has outwitted the Prozarians and returned to his own kingdom with one secret in his pocket that not even his friends know about. He’s hoping that secret will help him finally bring stability to Carthya. But a surprise attack on his own land — on the castle itself — reminds Jaron that nothing is easy.
The Traitor’s Game Series
For more information about the books in The Traitor’s Game Series by Jennifer A Nielsen, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:
The Traitor’s Game – Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won’t stop her from being drawn back into her father’s palace politics. He’s second-in-command to the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this — and they snatch Kestra from her carriage as she reluctantly travels home. The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected.
The Deceiver’s Heart – Kestra Dallisor has finally gained possession of the Olden Blade. With the dagger in her control, she attempts to destroy the tyrannical Lord Endrick. But when Kestra fails, the king strips her of her memory, and leaves her weak and uncertain, bound to obey him. Heartbroken, Simon is desperate to return Kestra to the rebel she was, but refuses to use magic to heal her.
The Warrior’s Curse – Simon and Kestra are hurtling down paths ever farther from each other as the battle for control of Antora rages. Simon, newly king of the Halderians, is pressed on all sides by royal duties. Harlyn Mindell is his betrothed and intended queen, but Simon can’t give up hope for a life with Kestra. Kestra, exiled, feels her magic growing — and despite everyone’s warnings, she knows she must embrace it. That power is the key to the kingdom’s future. Both still strive to defeat the evil Lord Endrick, but danger awaits them on the murky road forward.
The Mark of the Thief Series
The Mark of the Thief series is set in ancient Rome and centers on Nic, a teenage slave who works in the Roman mines. Nic finds a bulla while working in the mines, a supernatural amulet that gives him godly power and makes him a target for several groups trying to control the amulet’s power.
Nic finds himself entangled in a labyrinth of political intrigue, power battles, and mythological secrets as his unexpected skills come to light. He becomes involved with Rome’s ruthless and powerful rulers, such as Julius Caesar and the Emperor himself. Nic sets off on a voyage with his buddies Aurelia and Crispus to learn the bulla’s secrets and stop its power from vanishing.
- Mark of the Thief (2015)
- Rise of the Wolf (2016)
- Wrath of the Storm (2017)
For more information about the books in The Mark of the Thief Series by Jennifer A Nielsen, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:
Mark of the Thief – When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing the lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds much more than gold and gemstones: He discovers an ancient bulla, an amulet that belonged to the great Caesar and is filled with a magic once reserved for the Gods — magic some Romans would kill for. Now, with the deadly power of the bulla pulsing through his veins, Nic is determined to become free.
Rise of the Wolf – Nic may have escaped enslavement in the mines outside of Rome, but his troubles are far from over. The Praetor War — the battle to destroy Rome from within — is in full force, and Nic is caught in the crossfire. The secretive Praetors are determined to unlock a powerful amulet — one sure to bring the empire to its knees. Worse, the Praetors believe Nic holds the key to finding this amulet, and they will stop at nothing to steal it, even if that means harming the people Nic holds most dear.
Wrath of the Storm – Trouble has a way of seeking out Nicolas Calva, and it’s not likely to leave him alone any time soon. With Caesar’s magic bulla, the Malice of Mars, and the possibility of a Jupiter Stone in play, all the powers of Rome are circling Nic. He’ll have to maneuver his way through scheming government officials and reawakened magical beasts to save the Empire. Can he manage to keep his friends and family safe, claim his own freedom once and for all, and rescue the Empire — before the magic gets the better of him?
Jennifer A Nielsen’s Contributions to other series
Behind Enemy Lines (2013) from the Infinity Ring series. World War II is raging across Europe, and the Axis and Allied powers are in a stalemate. Dak, Sera, and Riq can tip the scales in the Allies’ favor… if they can pull off the most daring spy mission of all time. But even if they succeed, are they playing into the SQ’s hands?
Deadzone (2017) from the Horizon series. The survivors have made it out of the jungle, but they may be sorry they ever left when they stumble upon a whole new ecosystem, populated with entirely new threats. And the greatest threat of all may come from within. Because one of the kids is changing…
Other Jennifer A. Nielsen’s standalone novels
Jennifer A. Nielsen also regularly published standalone novels, young adult stories exploring dark times of History:
- A Night Divided (2015)
- The Scourge (2016)
- Resistance (2018)
- Words on Fire (2019)
- Rescue (2021)
- Lines of Courage (2022)
- Iceberg (2023)
A Night Divided (2015) – With the rise of the Berlin Wall, Gerta finds her family suddenly divided. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, yet she can’t help herself. One day on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Gerta concludes that her father wants her and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted.
The Scourge (2016) – As a lethal plague sweeps through the land, Ani Mells is shocked when she is unexpectedly captured by the governor’s wardens and forced to submit to a test for the deadly Scourge. She is even more surprised when the test results come back positive, and she is sent to Attic Island, a former prison turned refuge — and quarantine colony — for the ill. The Scourge’s victims, Ani now among them, can only expect to live out short, painful lives there. However, Ani quickly discovers that she doesn’t know the whole truth about the Scourge or the Colony. She’s been caught in a devious plot, and, with the help of her best friend, Weevil, Ani means to uncover just what is actually going on.
Resistance (2018) – Chaya Lindner is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Poland. Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people. Soon Chaya joins a resistance cell that runs raids on the Nazis’ supplies. But after a mission goes terribly wrong, Chaya’s network shatters. She is alone and unsure of where to go, until Esther, a member of her cell, finds her and delivers a message that chills Chaya to her core, and sends her on a journey toward an even larger uprising in the works — in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Words on Fire (2019) – Danger is never far from Audra’s family farm in Lithuania. She always avoids the occupying Russian Cossack soldiers, who insist that everyone must become Russian. But Audra knows her parents are involved in something secret and perilous. In June 1893, when Cossacks arrive abruptly at their door, Audra’s parents insist that she flee, taking with her an important package and instructions for where to deliver it. But escape means abandoning her parents to a terrible fate. As Audra embarks on a journey to deliver the mysterious package, she faces unimaginable risks, and soon she becomes caught up in a growing resistance movement.
Rescue (2021) – Six hundred and fifty-seven days ago, Meg Kenyon’s father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time Meg saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis. All she has left of him are the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, an affectionate game the two of them shared. But the codes are running low, and soon there’ll be nothing left of Papa for Meg to hold on to at all. Suddenly, an impossible chance to save her father falls into Meg’s lap.
Lines of Courage (2022) – World War I stretches its cruel fingers across Europe, where five young people, each from different backgrounds and nations, face the terror of battle, the deprivations of hunger, and all the awful challenges of war. None of them will find exactly what they want. But the winds of fate may cross their paths to give each of them just what they need.
Iceberg (2023) – Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet. But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic’s maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that mother didn’t send her with enough money for a ticket, she decides she must stow away onboard the storied ship.
What should you read if you like Jennifer A. Nielsen’s novels?
If you like reading the stories written by Jennifer A. Nielsen, you may be interested in the Percy Jackson series, The Seven Wonders series by Peter Lerangis, or Brandon Mull’s Books.
Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.
