Rise of the Wolf by Jennifer A. Nielsen, 2016

Update 2/1/16: Interested in Rise of the Wolf? Click here to enter my giveaway and try to win an ARC!

Warning: This is a review of the second book in the "Mark of the Thief" series, and there may be spoilers for the first book. You can read my review of Mark of the Thief here, or check it out on Goodreads here.

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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.
When the Praetors capture Nic's mother, Nic knows he must do anything to save her. He challenges the Praetors to a chariot race. If he wins, they will release his mother. But if he loses, he must hand over a magic that will certainly destroy Rome and end his own life. Can Nic once again harness his magic and gather the strength to defeat his enemies? Or will he lose his mother and bear witness to Rome's destruction?

(352 pages)

First things first: isn't the cover absolutely gorgeous? I swear, Nielsen's books get the best cover artists ever. I used to say the Ascendance trilogy books were the prettiest ones on my shelf, but I don't think that's true anymore - honestly, those turquoise shades are even more breathtaking in person! And the silver armband really pops (Caela looks like she's sticking her snout of the picture at me!), and the spine is the most amazing light blue, and . . . sorry, I think I'm rambling now.

Anyway, I can't say I'm enjoying the Mark of the Thief series as much as I did Nielsen's Ascendance trilogy, but in all fairness that was a pretty insanely high bar to hit again. I think the trouble is that Nic isn't quite as clever as Sage. He's powerful, sure - much more powerful, in a physical sense, than Sage ever was - but Nic doesn't have Sage's powerful intellect or objective way of looking at things. Nic stumbled into this world of treachery and deceit, and he's stumbling around inside it trying to save the people he loves. He doesn't really want any of the power or strength that has been dropped onto his lap, and he is pretty much a sitting duck for any manipulative baddy who comes his way and makes a swipe at him.

On the other hand, what Nic lacks in drive he makes up for in motivation. He genuinely cares about the people who are close to him, and he is doing his very best to protect them. He's not lazy by any stretch of the imagination; he's not purposefully making sloppy choices. It's just that every alley is blocked for him, and he's flailing around as best he can in an attempt to find a safe way out. Do I agree with all of his choices (or the way he makes those decisions)? No, I do not. But I have a hard time being too mad at him when I know how hard he's trying to do the right thing.

My favorite addition to this second novel is one that does at times feel rather forced, but which is just such a fingernail-biting dilemma that I can't hold anything against it. Nielsen seems to be a fan of playing with forced marriages (first in The Shadow Throne with Jaron and Amarinda, and now here in Rise of the Wolf). I think that's pretty dang awesome, because I've always loved those sorts of conundrums. I don't want to say anything else about this part of the story because I'd hate to spoil it for you, but it definitely adds a whole new angle to Nic's internal conflict.

I can't say this is my all-time favorite of Nielsen's books but I did still enjoy it and I'm glad I read it. This is a great series for young fans of Ancient Rome, and I can definitely see it bridging the gap for kids who've finished Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson novels but aren't quite ready for Megan Whalen Turner's "The Queen's Thief" books.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to go sit and stare at that gorgeous cover for like an hour.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen, 2015

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. 
(352 pages)

I have been reading/loving Nielsen's Ascendance Trilogy books for a couple of years now (click here to read my review of the first book in that series, The False Prince). When the last book, The Shadow Throne, was coming out I participated desperately in every giveaway the author offered but didn't win. Not one to let failure stop me, I ordered it from Amazon instead and read it within twenty-four hours of its release.

This is why I find it particularly cool that I won a giveaway of Mark of the Thief, the first book in a new series by Nielsen. Not only do I now have her autograph (squeal!), I got to read her new book two months before its release date.

And let me just say, how amazing it was to be able to read this wonderful book early! I went into it with a large amount of hope for the new series but not a little fear as well - what if it wasn't any good? What if it was just a cliche rehash of other books I've read? I was worried, because The False Prince borrowed a lot in terms of plot from other books/series. While Nielsen totally pulled it off then, and I adore the book to pieces, I was worried she would wind up pulling from the same bag of tricks for this series. And in the first few chapters, I thought my fears were confirmed: Nic seemed like a rehash of the cocky-but-brilliant Sage  (but where Sage was witty and fantastic, Nic seemed to just have an inflated ego for a slave). I sensed some sort of family secret a long way off, and the insta-hate between Nic and Aurelia just screamed "romance."

However, as I was sucked farther and farther into the complicated world of deceit, treason, and mixed motives that was Ancient Rome, the more I realized what a different story Nielsen had created. While Nic may have shared similarities with Sage on the surface, once the book gets going it's clear to see that he has a different personality than Sage. This is most clear when you compare the ways Sage was always planning three steps ahead and laying out elaborate plots to get people to do what he wanted. Nic is not a plotter and a planner like Sage was; his brainpower is used attempt to figure out who is on his side and how he can manage not to be killed.

As for the family secret and the insta-hate with Aurelia (by the way, love the name!), at the risk of spoilers all I can say is that the "family secret" aspect plays a rather minimal role in the book and isn't really that huge of a shock (especially when compared with The False Prince). It has potential to make the next book pretty interesting, though. And the insta-hate/inevitable-romance thread actually straightens itself out very nicely. Aurelia is probably already more fleshed out than Amarinda ever was, and I'm looking forward to watching what she does next - both with Nic, and on her own. She's a complex, interesting character instead of the cliche "two-dimensional warrior girl with some sort of grudge against the main character" that I thought she was the first time I saw her. I can't wait to see her in the next book!


The setting is phenomenal, the plot complicated (Who are the bad guys here? Who wants Nic dead?) but never convoluted or confusing, and the characterization solid with lots of room for additions later. While I still love The False Prince better (let's be honest, I don't think anything can surpass that book on my favorites list!), I still spent several enjoyable hours reading this book and look forward to reading it again. If you think it looks at all interesting, or are a fan of the author because of the Ascendance trilogy, then by all means read this book! For those of you who are interested in getting it from the library or buying it, it comes out February 24. And if you do read it, please post below to tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book through a giveaway offered by the author. She did not ask me to review it, and the opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.