Jennifer A. Nielsen

When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds himself in possession of an ancient amulet filled with magic once reserved for the Gods, and becomes the center of a conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and destroy Rome.

Mark of the Thief

Jennifer A. Nielsen's electrifying tale of greed and power, magic and destiny, and one boy's courage at the heart of it all. 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. But instead, he finds himself at the center of a ruthless conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and spark the Praetor War, a battle to destroy Rome from within. Traitors and spies lurk at every turn, each more desperate than the next to use Nic's newfound powers for their own dark purposes. In a quest to stop the rebellion, save Rome, and secure his own freedom, Nic must harness the magic within himself and defeat the empire's most powerful and savage leaders.

jess

I liked The False Prince so much more. I feel like Nic had the same voice as Jaron, which was really frustrating because they come from completely different backgrounds.

Hope Brockway

3.5 stars

I've read The Ascendence Series, Jennifer Nielsen's previous series, multiple times. I am in love with those books. And, because of this, I high-key compared Mark of the Thief to The False Prince. Sorry, friends, but that's what happened. 

At the start, there were many parallels and I wasn't sure how to feel about that. I mean, Nic and Sage are fairly similar (except Nic does show some restraint; spoiler alert, but Sage has no chill). They're a bit inclined to cause trouble, have a bit of a sharp tongue, and definitely get injured a lot. Like an insane amount. 

But, despite these similarities, these are fairly different stories. Once I hit the 10% mark, The Mark of the Thief becomes a vastly different story. I enjoyed seeing both the story and the characters flesh out. I enjoyed watching Nic come into his own and learn about his new powers. I enjoyed seeing his relationship with Aurelia grow. I also really liked his friend (I legit forgot this man's name but it starts with a C and it's a super generic Roman name. I'm sorry, friend whose name I cannot remember. You're better than this). 

It was also filled with Nic struggling with seeing himself as more than a slave which I loved seeing. 

I do have to say that I enjoyed The False Prince more. Yeah, sorry friends. Those books captivated me in a way that this, unfortunately, didn't. I mean, this was a great book. It was filled with adventure and sass and I had a great time, but I loved Sage's journey more. 

If you're going to read any Neilsen book, then totally give The False Prince a try. But this book is also great in its own right. It's funny and filled with adventure and magic. Plus, it has an interesting perspective on slavery and ancient Rome, which was super interesting. 

I should name this review "In which Hope compares The Mark of the Thief to The False Prince and finds it lacking for 5 minutes". That's basically what happened.

Mahdis Riazikhah

Heather Anne

mack_n_cheese

Sarah Wakefield 

For use in schools and libraries only. 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. But instead, he finds himself at the center of a ruthless conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and spark the Praetor War, a battle to destroy Rome from within. Traitors and spies lurk at every turn, each more desperate than the next to use Nic's newfound powers for their own dark purposes. In a quest to stop the rebellion, save Rome, and secure his own freedom, Nic must harness the magic within himself and defeat the empire's most powerful and savage leaders.

Mark of the Thief

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