Review by Booklist Review
Following the successful The False Prince (2012) and its sequels, Nielsen launches a new series, set this time in ancient Rome and featuring another orphan boy with a family mystery. Nic is a slave working in the mines until he is sent down into Julius Caesar's sealed cavern of treasures to retrieve a magical relic, the bulla. There he finds the bulla but tangles with a protective griffin that is guarding the treasures. So the adventure begins, and in ensuing chapters, Nic is either on the run from or being held captive by those who want both the bulla and Nic's untapped magic in order to fight for control of Rome. The dialogue, character development, and plotting are not as sure in this outing as in Nielsen's previous series titles, but the humor remains solid, and the finale includes a memorable showdown. There are two more magical relics to unearth in the coming sequels, while the future of Rome and family relations are decided. Fans of Jaron, Percy, Harry, and Eugenides may be excited by this offering. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Nielsen's Ascendance trilogy spent considerable time on the New York Times best-seller list, so the start of a new series is big news for her many fans.--Dobrez, Cindy Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In vivid first-person narrative, Nielsen (the Ascendance Trilogy) sketches a slave's-eye view of the Roman Empire. Five years of hard labor in the mines haven't quelled Nic's will to survive. Neither naïve nor a fool, his main weakness is lack of experience. Thus his story is as much about his education in the deviousness of human behavior as it is about Nic's magical fate. Dropped down a mine shaft to search for a possible buried trove, Nic emerges with a griffin, a scar, and a golden bulla, a magical amulet that once belonged to Julius Caesar. Freedom is within reach, but Nic won't abandon his younger sister. Instead, he and the griffin are turned over to Rome, where Nic becomes a pawn of schemers struggling to control the city-or destroy it. Set during the reign of Tacitus, the story is true to the political and social culture of the time without committing too closely to its political history. This maximizes Nielsen's scope for creating page-turning twists while evoking a milieu that retains its appeal for history buffs. Ages 10-14. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-A fantastical alternate history set in ancient Rome. Nicolas Calva and his sister are slaves in the mines outside of Rome. When Nic is forced to retrieve treasure from Julius Caesar's cave, he assumes he is going to his death. But inside the cave he finds a bulla, a magical amulet thought to have given Caesar great power, and takes it for himself. Suddenly, Nic is the most wanted fugitive in Rome. The emperor and a powerful general are after the amulet and they will kill Nic to get it. His only help is Aurelia, a plebian girl who is searching for her own family. With no one to trust and nowhere to hide, the protagonist must decide how he is going to save his sister and get out with his life. He doesn't want the bulla or the responsibility of the magic it contains, but if the magical object gets into the wrong hands, Rome will be at war and Nic will be at the center of it all. Fans of Nielsen's "Ascendance" trilogy (Scholastic) will be clamoring for this new series. This genre mash-up of history, fantasy, and action/adventure is fast-paced and explores themes such as class struggles, familial ties, and the immorality of slavery. Readers will have lots to digest as they quickly flip through the pages to see how Nic will escape his enemies to become a free man.-Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When Roman slave Nic finds an amulet that once belonged to Julius Caesar, he develops magical powers that allow him to trade his dismal life in the mines for the pleasures of Rome. Unfortunately, his new powers also entangle him in imperial politics and land him in the gladiator's ring. The premise is a stretch, but this fast-paced historical fantasy will draw in readers. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Compelled by an ambitious general to retrieve an amulet from Julius Caesar's treasure, long hidden in a mine outside Rome, Nica slave with attitudemore than succeeds, upending his life and escalating conflict among the power brokers of imperial Rome.Caesar's bulla (a good-luck amulet given to boys in wealthy families), a gift from his ancestress the goddess Venus, is especially powerful. So is the terrifying but beautiful griffin guarding it, whom Nic names Caela. The two escape the cave only to be recaptured and sent to Rome as players in the city's brutal blood sports. With the bulla's help, they survive the gamesbarely. Caela's wounded, and Nic flees into the sewers, where he must beg for help from the girl he's angered. There's more to Nic than meets the eyeeffervescent, hot-tempered, irreverent and funny, he's a bracing antidote to jaded teen heroes commenting ironically from the sidelines. Getting out of, then right back into, tight situations without losing sight of his goalreuniting with his enslaved sisterNic seizes each day with gusto, knowing his future will be short unless he can evade the power brokerssenators, Praetors, general, emperordetermined to make him their pawn. The fast-paced, ingenious plot, charismatic hero and highly diverse cast of charactersincluding the ancient, eternal city itselfmake this series opener a captivating joy ride. (Historical fantasy. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
