For an audience of young adults, this is the first book of a series; a captivating piece of fantasy and historical fiction about Nic, a young slave whose chief concern is to keep his sister safe, who is forced to enter a sealed mine to retrieve Cesar’s treasures but, due to difficulties beyond his control that involve a menacing griffin and a collapsing cave, finds himself escaping with, rather than returning with, Cesar’s coveted bulla. We read on in hopes that Nic avoids recapture and figures out who to trust and how to use his newly discovered powers to keep his sister . . . and Rome, safe. (Well-read by MacLeod Andrews) ( )

Meh. I think our kids will enjoy this series. It's super fast paced, has lots of battles, magic, and betrayals, with a solid cast of characters. Definitely a good readalike for Percy Jackson fans or kids who might want a page turner. For me, I didn't love the way the girls in the story only really had actions as they related to motivating the main character (a boy). It all fell a bit too neatly into tropes of protecting your sister's virtue, rescuing the love interest who trusted the wrong person, etc. Easy choice for a booktalk though, and it helps that multiple books in the series are out. ( )

This is great - loved the first book - brought me back to the excitement of The False Prince! But this time with mythical beasts and Roman Empires. ( )

Nic, a slave working the mines in ancient Rome, predicts trouble when a general forces him to go down a sealed cavern, supposedly filled with Julius Caesar’s treasure. Then, Nic snatches a bulla, an amulet filled with magic given by the gods, to free him & his sister. Now, he’s the most wanted fugitive in Rome.

In the beginning the main character ,Nic is stuck in the mines of Rome as slave. His master is called Sal and he treats Nic worse then dirt. When Radulf arrives at the mines he sends Nic into a cave that is rumored to hold Ceaser's bulla. This bulla is known to hold legendary powers that only some people can wield. After being lowered down into the cave Nic finds more gold than he could ever imagine- and a griffin. The griffin scratches Nic as he tries to get the bulla. The scratch turns into the Divine Star witch allows Nic to harness the powers of the bulla. Nic flies away on the grifin and soon most of Rome is after him to try and get the bulla back.

I enjoyed this book because it combined mythology and it showed you how slaves were treated in Rome. It also showed some culture of the Romans and the Gauls. This book was as informing as a history book and was as entertaining as a sci-fi book. I gave the book this rating because anyone could read it and most people would like it. Also because the mythology was interesting and taught me some things I didn't know. ( )