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Thursday, March 15, 2018
Series Review: Mark of the Thief Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen
8:59 AM

The first installment, Mark of the Thief, introduces Nicolas "Nic" Cava, a slave who works in the mines south of Rome. With his fevered desire for freedom, he's never been a favorite of the cruel overseer. Thus, Nic is chosen to risk his life by entering a cursed cavern in search of a vast treasure rumored to belong to Julius Caesar. What he discovers is wealth beyond his wildest imagination. Despite a warning not to remove anything, Nic takes a bulla—an amulet that's been infused with the power of the gods. With its magic thrumming through his veins, Nic finally has the power to free himself as well as his mother and sister.

With lots of action to keep readers immersed, Mark of the Thief offers an exciting story that moves along at a fast clip. Plot twists are fairly predictable as are the characters, who definitely need more development. Still, Nic is an admirable hero whose loyalty, honor, and compassion keep him root-worthy. While I didn't love the novel, I liked it enough to want to know what would happen in the next book.
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
As in its predecessor, Rise of the Wolf races along with plenty of life-or-death action and adventure to keep readers turning pages. With non-stop derring-do, this installment is by far my favorite of the three. It still lacks in character development, but the story kept me enraptured. I cared about the race's outcome, even though I knew how it would end. By the end of the book, I wanted more and was more than ready to see what would happen in the series finale.
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Rome's major players are salivating over three mystical objects—Julius Caesar's bulla, the Malice of Mars, and the Jupiter Stone. With only certain people able to harness the items' power, Nic continues to be a pawn, pulled this way and that by a host of dangerous enemies. Not all of which are human. Exhausted by the constant battle that has become his life, Nic wants only to end it. He'll do what he must to save the Empire, keep those he loves safe, and secure his own freedom. Even if it means sacrificing his own life.


Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Wrath of the Storm from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!
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At least it got you reading about something you don’t usually enjoy? Too bad the last book was redundant. Sometimes I feel like authors are pushed into writing a series rather than a stand-a-lone and this is the result.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. It was definitely a different genre for me. And I really do wonder if the third book felt so redundant because I binge-read the series so quickly. Who knows?
DeleteI'm glad you liked the trilogy, even if they weren't your favorite. I want to read them. I think I'll like them more than you did. I think.
ReplyDeleteYou probably would. MG magic/fantasy books really aren't my thing.
Delete