Mark of the Thief had everything I was looking for in a book: ancient Rome, a scrappy hero, magic, and mythical beasts. However, I found the story tedious. Nic, a Roman slave, is forced to work in the mines, while trying to protect his younger sister. One day he is "chosen" by a general named Radulf to go deep in the mines to find a mysterious treasure. Once down there, he finds a griffin guarding a treasure horde, and he steals a "bulla" once belonging to Julius Caesar . A magical symbol appear on his back when the griffin scratches him. He learns that the bulla is guarded by the goddess Diana, which gives him magical powers. After escaping the mines he realizes many people want the bulla he stole, including the emperor and various senators of Rome. Nic doesn't know who he can trust. He makes bargains with too many people while on the run and they betray him, and he gets captured. Many times. Rinse, lather, repeat.
My eyes actually started to glaze over at one point, and the very end of the story was rushed. A few characters get killed off in about two seconds, and we get a "family legacy" story in about a page. I felt that some of this could have been explored in the second book (which it might, in more detail. We will find out). I didn't fall in love with Nic the way I did with Jaron in Nielsen's The False Prince, but I'm hoping the second books improves with the characterization and pacing.
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