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Mark of the Thief

(Mark of the Thief #1)

Jennifer A. Nielsen (Goodreads Author)

3.94 · Rating details · 9,740 ratings · 1,346 reviews

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 b ...more

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Kindle Edition, 352 pages

Published February 24th 2015 by Scholastic Press

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The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

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Jan 30, 2014 Camille marked it as to-read

Oooooooooh.... Jennifer Nielsen + Ancient Rome + Magic = Certain Awesomeness.
See? I can be good at math. Cuz that answer is almost definitely RIGHT.
I CANNOT WAIT.

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Jul 01, 2017 Justine rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-read, audiobook, read-with-my-kids

I listened to this as an audiobook with my two kids, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it.

We recently finished listening to the audiobooks of the Ascendance Trilogy and so we moved on Neilson's newest series, Mark of the Thief. This is a fast-paced middle grade fantasy adventure set in Ancient Rome. The story combines historical fiction with light fantasy elements and it works quite beautifully.

However, I think what really made the whole thing so enjoyable for me, and for my kids, was the ex ...more

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Apr 03, 2015 Whitley Birks rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2015

I wasn’t really feeling this one. It had potential, to be sure, but everything about it was too rushed and too fractured to really do it for me.

The first half of the book (at least, possibly more) was just one long series of unfortunate events that knocked the hero hither and yon. A couple of those are fun, sure, but when it’s one after another after another after another? And that point you’re just avoiding the plot. It was impossible to get things actually moving when everyone gets bowled over I wasn’t really feeling this one. It had potential, to be sure, but everything about it was too rushed and too fractured to really do it for me.

The first half of the book (at least, possibly more) was just one long series of unfortunate events that knocked the hero hither and yon. A couple of those are fun, sure, but when it’s one after another after another after another? And that point you’re just avoiding the plot. It was impossible to get things actually moving when everyone gets bowled over before they can even stand up from the last disaster.

Once things do start to happen, it’s very confusing. There’s just not enough description or set-up for the story this book wants to tell. It should be something epic, in an epic setting, with epically…okay, not epically, but still complex shifting loyalties and machinations. Instead we get the bare bones of everything. There’s very little in the way of establishing the setting of Rome, and even if you don’t care about that they rather fail to set up some of the concepts that are crucial to the story. They keep talking about “The Praetor War,” but what is a Praetor? They once define it very broadly as “administrators and the like,” and then ever after that only talk about Praetors as some big, vague, amorphous group hanging out somewhere off page. What do they do? What power do they have? How many are there? Are they all unified? All this and more the book thinks you do not need to know.

There’s lots of instances of things being vaguely defined once and then repeatedly referenced, which left me very confused once people started talking about the loyalties of various major characters. I rarely had any clue what was going on outside of the most basic of movements, and mostly that’s because complex things were reduced to basics in ways that just didn’t make sense to me. Dumbing down something as epic as the Roman political structure actually makes it more confusing, not less.

A lot of the characters were inconsistent at best, cut-outs at worst. Nic in particular seemed to change his mind about everything based on the needs of the scene rather than anything internal. Everyone had a tendency to shout and posture instead of communicate, which is fine sometimes, but in every single conflict? It’s just another stall tactic, like the disasters from earlier. In fact, I feel like the whole book was one long stall tactic until the final battle, which was set up on a plan so flimsy that I’m not even sure why it happened. If the book had spent more time focusing on its own plot and less time trying to blow shit up as a distraction, it could have been very interesting. It’s a good idea. But, alas.

(Final note: there are way! too! many! exclamation! points!)
...more

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Mar 29, 2018 Malia rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, fantasy-sci-fi

Another enjoyable read by this reliably good author. The characters are well developed, the story moved quickly and the setting of ancient Rome was nicely illustrated, lending the book that extra air of intrigue. It's a fairly mild fantasy novel, but I didn't mind, mostly because I thought Nic was a solid character, who was brave but not arrogantly unafraid, and thus a figure I could root easily for. Nielsen, I think, will never produce very grim, twisty fantasy novels in the vein of Holly Black ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Nenia ✨️ I yeet my books back and forth ✨️ Campbell rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-ya-land, magic-and-sparkles-and-shit, historical-fiction

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Buddy read with TL. You can check out her review here.

I recently read and loved THE FALSE PRINCE - it was amazing! TFP was a high-stakes fantasy thriller about a young boy who is competing with several other young boys, Hunger Games-style, to impersonate a long-lost prince & save a kingdom from rebellion. I finished that sucker in a single sitting, blown away by the non-stop action and surprise twists. Immediately, I told myself that I ...more

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May 20, 2015 Rane rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade

Urg, this book has me tied in knots. I never knew how anything was going to played out. Then you get all cozy, safe in your nest then WHAM! Nielsen knocks you out of whatever comfort zone you may have fallen in to and your racing against the clock with Nic as he fights his way out of another jam.

Nic is a young mine slave, working through the dark mines. One day Nic is forced into going into a sealed cavern. Then under a Griffin paw's a bulla that once belong to Julius Caesar, a bulla with lo ...more

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Aug 29, 2019 R.F. Gammon rated it really liked it

This is probably my least favorite Nielsen I've read so far? Which is saying something because I still really really enjoyed it AND she's still one of my favorite authors! That being said:
-Nic was a lot like Sage, with two major exceptions: He NEVER had a plan, and he had a good heart that would put literally anyone else before himself. At one point, he states that even to save himself or the city of Rome, he won't blur the lines of right and wrong. And that made me miss Sage and Kestra, our oth ...more

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May 16, 2018 Sharon rated it liked it

Shelves: and-the-plot-thickens, 3-stars, fantasy, ho-hum, impeccably-creative, who-to-trust

This is the author who has written my favorite children’s book series. Queen of the Plot Twists.

I was, of course, excited to read this series, which I have been holding off for a few years.

Here are some of my thoughts:
• I love the mythology, historical context, and GRIFFINS. Seriously, that griffin, is just the cutest, crankiest thing!
• I like Nic. I also can’t help but compare him to Sage from The False Prince who is my absolute favorite. Sage is one of the must clever and lovable characters ...more

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Jan 26, 2017 TL rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Buddyread with
Nenia :)

Read Nenia's review here

Now, I loved False Prince from this author, it is still one of my favorite books (would make a great movie in my opinion.. hint hint Hollywood!).. the sequel wasn't to my taste but I would still go back to the magic of the first one.
A Night Divided was great as well.
---
That being said, I was excited to finally tackle this one.. even stayed away from most reviews beforehand though I did hear inklings from other people... put that out of my head and ...more

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Nov 29, 2016 Zyra rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, fantasy-dystopian

3.5 stars
i was hoping something along the lines of percy jackson. it has very little fantasy aspect to it, revolves more around Rome's politics. it has a bulla which contains god's magic, a mc that's very bad at controlling it & a griffin that's all you get.
book was slow paced but kept me interested & curious enough. the best part for me was the mystery relating the general randulf. though hinted by the the author earlier, it totally skipped me & i was pleasantly surprised by it. i will definit ...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Amy marked it as to-read

Shelves: new-for-2015

Okay—Ancient Rome, secret magic, and everything epic.
I JUST INTERNALLY COMBUSTED!
Then: Expected publication, 2015

Damn....

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Dec 24, 2015 Faye, la Patata rated it liked it

Kinda like a milder Red Rising... set in Rome, with modern language.

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Mar 12, 2014 Pang ((♥ Book Paradise ♥)) rated it really liked it

Shelves: luve-you-to-die-my-son, no-insta-love-lust-thanks, bad-ass-alpha-hero, snarky-sarcastic-rude-hero, love-hate-relationship, young-adult, favorite-match-made-in-heaven, f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e-romance, enemies-to-lovers, larger-than-life-hero

Come into Roman Empire and watch the fighting of gladiators. No, they don't fight by using spears, they uses magic.

Nick is a young slave in the mine outside of Rome. He is forced to steal Julius Caesar's bulla *the one you saw on the cover*, the ancient powerful bulla which contain the magic from a Goddess and give it to a General of Roman Empire. Finally, Nick winds up keep it himself instead and then the adventure begins.

description

I haven't read much of YA book in Roman period so it's quite interesting ...more

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Dec 09, 2014 Benjamin Thomas rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-general, advanced-reading-copy, young-adult

I have not read the author’s previous YA series, the “Ascendance” series but I have heard of its success and so I came to this one with fairly high expectations. Unfortunately, those expectations may have backfired on me. I really wanted to like this one. After all, how can you go wrong with a plot involving a young escaped slave in the later Roman era, treasures of Julius Caesar, Roman gladiator-style action, political backstabbing-intrigue, and a griffon companion?

For most readers to really ge I have not read the author’s previous YA series, the “Ascendance” series but I have heard of its success and so I came to this one with fairly high expectations. Unfortunately, those expectations may have backfired on me. I really wanted to like this one. After all, how can you go wrong with a plot involving a young escaped slave in the later Roman era, treasures of Julius Caesar, Roman gladiator-style action, political backstabbing-intrigue, and a griffon companion?

For most readers to really get into a novel, they must truly empathize with the main character(s), particularly in a first person POV narrative such as this. So for me, the style of interaction among the characters was an instant problem. At first I thought this author was one of those who over uses the exclamation point! It seemed as if fully one third of all dialogue ended with “!” and so it seemed that the main characters were always shouting at one another! But then I realized that they actually were almost always in arguments and so perhaps that particular form of punctuation was appropriate! It can be difficult to be sympathetic towards your teenage narrator when he is always angry or unable to accept an apology (while at the same time never apologizes for his own boorish behavior).

The main plot of this one proved to be pretty well thought out, with several climactic moments but, unfortunately, it unfolded in a somewhat clunky manner. There are quite a few plot points that seemed crammed in, with some getting too much focus and others hardly touched upon. One scene for example, depicted a father discovering the identity of his daughter almost 20 years after he had thought she had died shortly after birth. That got about four sentences. And these were both major characters in the novel. Several surprise reveals occurred as well with no warning, enough so that I grew hardened against further contrivances. The really big one at the end, therefore, had little impact on me. Additionally, there is quite a bit of high-level political shenanigans transpiring among the praetors but the effort to decide which faction was worth our hero supporting proved too complicated to deduce. By the end of the novel, I didn’t really care. It was not a good sign when I found myself reading the words of this novel but thinking more about which book I wanted to read next.

Perhaps I suffer from having read so many wonderful fantasy novels by talented authors but it really bugs me when I come across a novel that makes constant use of powerful magic but has no explanation for it or how it works. In this book, the main character can use magic after discovering the lost bulla (amulet) of Julius Caesar and being marked on his shoulder. Great. He seems to be able to use his new magic powers by…get this…concentrating on what he wants to accomplish. His use of the magic is clumsy at first but after a couple of days of good hard practice, he was able to take on the most powerful user of magic known to exist.

This is a first novel in a series and I feel certain the author may well address some of these items as she fleshes out the story. For instance, we may get much more about how the magic works or even why it exists (I need more than that it is “a gift from the gods”). We may also get more from our main characters and the protagonist might mature a little more and not be so angry all the time. Or perhaps not. Time will tell. I was sufficiently underwhelmed with this one to the extent that I’m not certain I will be willing to invest the time to discover these things for myself.
...more

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Apr 05, 2014 Bookworm007 marked it as waiting-for-more · review of another edition

Just finished reading the amazingly spectacular The False Prince and it has most definitely guaranteed the wonderful Jennifer Nielsen as a writer on my Forever Fave list. ...more

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Oct 09, 2014 Andrea C rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-2015

it was a fun adventure through roman times! i look forward to the next one in the series.

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Nov 26, 2017 m a r y l i z rated it liked it · review of another edition

OKAY SO I HAD A MINOR INTERRUPTION. This book was due back at the library and I just got it back today. Thanks, library. :P

Honestly, I had hoped for more from this book but it was just kind of "meh." I liked Nic and Aurelia okay, but they really didn't stand out to me a whole lot. The setting wasn't my favorite since I'm not really big on Roman history. The writing also felt sub-par compared to her other books...but maybe that's just me being biased. I DON'T KNOW. xD

My one major concern was all ...more

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Jan 19, 2016 Colleen Houck added it

Shelves: magic, villain, aristocracy, historical, immortal, gods-goddesses, military, warrior, griffins, rome

If Gladiator had magic and was YA then you'd have Mark of the Thief. This one is for all you history geeks who love ancient Rome. Love the griffin and the way the magic is imbued on the hero. Favorite scene was the final battle in the Colosseum. ...more

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Feb 15, 2017 Avery (ThePagemaster) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own-and-read, fantasy, favorites-other-than-hp-or-pj, middle-grade

4.75 our of 5 Stars!

I finished this book, literally, minutes after midnight and as much as I wanted to talk about this book, I needed to sleep on this book. Now, with a cup of coffee, I'm ready to talk about Mark of the Thief.

So the book starts off with Nic, and for the past five years, he's been a slave, in a mine, in search or Ceasar's bulla--what you see on the cover, an amulet of sorts. Life's not good to him; the only family he has is his sister. That is, until it is Nic who discovers the b 4.75 our of 5 Stars!

I finished this book, literally, minutes after midnight and as much as I wanted to talk about this book, I needed to sleep on this book. Now, with a cup of coffee, I'm ready to talk about Mark of the Thief.

So the book starts off with Nic, and for the past five years, he's been a slave, in a mine, in search or Ceasar's bulla--what you see on the cover, an amulet of sorts. Life's not good to him; the only family he has is his sister. That is, until it is Nic who discovers the bulla, and a mythical companion, where the story picks up.

What I like about Nic's character is that he isn't a son of a royal or even a farm boy who wants more to his life. No, he's a slave that just wants to get his sister and get the hell out of Rome(which is at the brink of war) and he sees this bulla as an opportunity. Every person he stumbles upon, he doesn't really trust, and if he does, it's with a grain of salt. In comes Aurelia, who is basically a girl version of Nic: a "street rat" of sorts who is just as stubborn and tough and scared...but is good with a bow and arrow.

Their friendships starts as the two butting heads, but as the book progresses, they slowly see more to each other more than "a bounty" and "a stupid girl". It's a fantasy novel that is very character driven and Nic seems to carry the book. Nearing the end of this book, you see into his psychology; he may be out of the mines, but Nic still sees himself as a slave--no matter who he talks to or who he encounters.

Fucking Radulf. That is all.

Despite the first book not going too much into depth when it comes to the magic, there is more magic lore, which keeps the book interesting to read. Hopefully the next installments go more in depth. But other than that, this book was a breeze. An inhale read from start to finish, as is all of Jennifer A. Nielsen's books. It's fun, the characters are great with their banter and their gradual progression and the ending did not do anything good for me with this twist you DON'T expect. ...more

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Jun 02, 2014 Adrianna [SypherLily] rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Rome, ancient magic, gods... what can go wrong?!

I feel like if I explained all that this book is about, you'd raise your eyebrow at me and think I'm silly for not loving this.

This is action packed! You're thrust onto this adventure with Nic, a slave who has lived in the mines for most of his life.

There's a griffin - a beast of the gods, an amulet - a bulla hidden among Caesar's treasure that is rumored to bestow magical power, and an impending war - one that can only be stopped with before ment ...more

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Dec 04, 2014 Izzy rated it it was amazing

it was a great book and the last word was just horrible it makes you want the secound book right away we were lucky though we were the first to see the book and one of the first to ever get it its a fantastic read

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Dec 21, 2014 Susan rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, adventure, tranistional-reader

And Jennifer Nielsen does it again! Another fast paced, page turning first book in a new trilogy that middle grade readers are going to love!

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Sep 19, 2017 zane deann rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads, 2017-four-star

3.5 stars. Although I absolutely loved the Ascendance Trilogy by the same author, Mark of the Thief, although enjoyable, fell a little flat for me. There was some annoying info-dumping going on, and, overall, the writing wasn't as good. Still a fun, quick read, and I want the next book now. That cliffhanger though. ;) ...more

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Feb 08, 2015 Burn rated it really liked it

Shelves: cool-powers, cool-beings, magic, 2015-reads, fantasy-there, fav-2015

Cool action!
BEAUTIFUL COVER!

Again, Jennifer Nielsen wrote an amusing, full of action and witty book just like The False Prince. I wouldn’t say that The Mark of the Thief was very similar to the other books the author had written. On one point, this book wasn’t as humorous as False Prince nor had a too cunning character and surprising turn of events.

However, The Mark of the Thief is very creative, exciting and interesting.

The story was set in at the time of the Roman Empire. At what BC or A ...more

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Mar 15, 2015 Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) rated it liked it

Shelves: historical, magic, supernatural, disappointing, fantasy, young-adult

This author's Ascendance Trilogy beginning with The False Prince is a favorite of mine - loved all three books and thus I bought this newly released book. I wanted to love it but just did not. It was an action packed interesting take on Roman times post Caesar with a fiction twist thrown in - Magic! Nic is a young slave in the mines, and this is his story. It's a story of escape, court intrigue, and one escapade after another as he finds him self with a mark on his shoulder and an ancient Bulla ...more

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Nov 08, 2014 Bang Bang Books rated it liked it

Overview

Nic is a slave in Ancient Rome and on a mission to raid Julius Caesar’s tomb, he finds Caeser’s bulla. After he puts the bulla around his neck, he gains world ending powers that are coveted by the good and the bad.

Dang, That Was Good
•Neilsen’s writing style is similar to the Ascendence Trilogy. ◾Strong, quick witted male protagonist.
◾Underdogs
◾Non-stop action
◾Just enough middle grade appropriate sexual tension.
◾Unpredictable plot twists

•It’s set in Ancient Rome and it’s pretty historical ...more

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Jul 03, 2014 Stacey rated it liked it

Shelves: started-series, ya-fantasy, reviewed

3 1/2 I loved Ms Nielsen's False Prince trilogy, it completely took my by surprise and I loved every minute of reading all three books. I was eager to read her follow up "Mark of the Thief". I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as I did the previous series. The book was a quick read and it did entertain but I never felt the connection to slave turned into magic user Nic. I loved the griffin and the parts of the novel which deal with the events in the stadium. I didn't connect with some oth ...more

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Jan 30, 2019 Tracey Dyck rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads

So this was pretty cool. Not as good as The False Prince, but still entertaining. I liked how Ancient Rome was fused with fantasy, incorporating Roman mythology and even some history.

Where this book fell short for me was in character motivations. Nicolas seemed to care about his friends and family only when it was convenient to the plot. And when other interesting things were happening? Well, he completely forgot about them.

(MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)

I mean, if I feared for my little sister’s safety— ...more

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Dec 28, 2015 Julie rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-since-august-2006, fantasy-sf, read-in-2015

Some of the worst characterization I've seen in a book in a long time. No one is remotely consistent (well, except that the female characters are weak idiots who are trusting under really stupid circumstances), no one is plausible, no one is human. They are paper cutouts in various shapes being shoved around a set. ...more

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Mar 31, 2019 Bridget rated it really liked it

Shelves: khs-books

I have been meaning to read this for ages and have just bought the sequel as the students have been recommending it. I grabbed a copy as it was returned and read it in a day at the weekend. It is so exciting and action filled that I can see why the students are recommending it to each other.

Within the first chapter, Nic has been sent to what might be his demise down into an underground cavern where there awaits a griffin which is trying to kill him, in search of a bulla which belonged to Julius ...more

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Mark of The Thief: is it worth continuing to the sequal?	5	22	Dec 15, 2017 07:08PM
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About Jennifer A. Nielsen

Jennifer A. Nielsen

5,898 followers

Jennifer lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a naughty puppy. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. She is a former speech teacher, theater director, and enjoyed a brief but disastrous career as a door-to-door pollster. In her spare time, Jennifer tends to panic, wondering what she has f ...more

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Quotes from Mark of the Thief

“The world will judge you based on what you think of yourself. "

"“Not every chain is made of metal,” I told her. “The worst are made of comfort and false promises. You’re no more free here than you were in the mines.” — 4 likes

“If I was going to fight this beast — regardless of how poor my chances were — I needed the use of both hands, so I put the bulla around my neck.

A wind swirled up around me when I did. “It isn’t yours,” the wind seemed to say. “It will curse you.”

The threat didn’t bother me — my present situation was worse than any curse from a dusty amulet. My bigger concern was that the wind spoke to me at all.” — 3 likes

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