FABULOUS FINISH: Rise of the Wolf

Rise of the Wolf
By Jennifer A. Nielsen
Scholastic Press, 2016. 340 p.

This is the sequel to The Mark of the Thief, and Nic tends to be in as much trouble in this book (if not more) than he was in the first book. Nic is living with his grandfather, Radulf…who Nic doesn’t trust. Radulf wants Nic and his magic so that he can destroy the Roman Empire. But now the Praetor’s want Nic and his magic so they can start a war that would destroy all of the gods. And all Nic wants it to save his friends and his family. The problem is…there are too many people wanting too many things of Nic—all of which will probably kill Nic.

This is a fast-paced sequel full of chariot races and magic. Those young readers who like Roman mythology will enjoy reading about Nic and how he is trying to figure out everything that has to do with Jupiter, Diana, Mars, or the other Roman gods. And of course…there is quite the ending. The end of the book starts with the biggest of all chariot races and ends with an enormous cliff-hanger that will leave readers clambering for the next book in this series (which isn’t out yet). But if you need a read that is worthy of racing to the end just to find out how Nic fares, this is a great choice.

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