Mark of the Thief Trilogy

I started reading this series because the first book, Mark of the Thief, was one of the SCJBA nominees for the 2017-2018 school year.  This series is like a can of Pringles:  once you start, you just can’t stop.

Overall, it’s very much like Percy Jackson.  For example, this series is set in Ancient Rome, so the characters know and refer to the Roman gods frequently (just like Percy Jackson).  The hero—Nicolas Calva—is seemingly a nobody, but by strength, honor, and determination, he turns into one of the most famous and most powerful people in the city (just like Percy Jackson).  Nic shows a fierce loyalty to his sister, mother, and his friends, and he frequently puts himself in danger to save them (just like Percy Jackson).  Part of Nic’s journey seems impossible—he’s tasked with finding powerful objects from the gods that could involve Rome in a war against each other—and over and over he slips out of impossible situations (just like Percy Jackson).  He even has a friend, Aurelia, who at first despises him but later turns into his love interest (just like Percy Jackson).

Most middle school kids I know will love this series.  By the end of the second book, the whole “I have to make an impossible choice to save myself or my friends” gets a little old, in my opinion.  Personally, I enjoyed Jennifer A. Nielsen’s other trilogy—The False Prince—better than this one.  It has much of the same action but is set in a fictional medieval world.  I guess I just didn’t care for all the tedious ancient Roman names and ceremonies. If your only purpose for reading is lots of quick action with some heroic characters, then this would be a book for you.