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The Eternal City
From master of suspense Paula Morris comes a tale of gods and goddesses, thrilling romance, and mystery set in present-day Rome.
Laura Martin is visiting Rome on a class trip, and she's entranced by the majestic Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon. . . . Everything in this city seems magical.
That is, until the magic seems to turn very dark.
Suddenly, statues of Cupid and ancient works of art come to life before her eyes. Earthquakes rumble and a cloud of ash forms in the sky. A dark-eyed boy with wings on his heels appears and gives her a message. Laura soon realizes she is at the center of a brewing battle -- a battle between the gods and goddesses, one that will shake modern-day Rome to its core.
Only she and her group of friends can truly unravel the mystery behind what is happening. As tensions mount and secret identities are revealed, Laura must rely on her own inner strength to face up to what may be a fight for her life.
Acclaimed author Paula Morris brings the ancient world to vivid life in this unstoppable tale of friendship, love, and the power of the past.
Laura Martin is visiting Rome on a class trip, and she's entranced by the majestic Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon. . . . Everything in this city seems magical.
That is, until the magic seems to turn very dark.
Suddenly, statues of Cupid and ancient works of art come to life before her eyes. Earthquakes rumble and a cloud of ash forms in the sky. A dark-eyed boy with wings on his heels appears and gives her a message. Laura soon realizes she is at the center of a brewing battle -- a battle between the gods and goddesses, one that will shake modern-day Rome to its core.
Only she and her group of friends can truly unravel the mystery behind what is happening. As tensions mount and secret identities are revealed, Laura must rely on her own inner strength to face up to what may be a fight for her life.
Acclaimed author Paula Morris brings the ancient world to vivid life in this unstoppable tale of friendship, love, and the power of the past.
295 pages, Hardcover
First published May 26, 2015
21 people are currently reading
1731 people want to read
About the author
Paula Morris
51 books544 followersPaula Morris, a novelist and short story writer of English and Maori descent, was born in New Zealand. For almost a decade she worked in the record business in London and New York. She now lives in New Orleans, where she teaches creative writing at Tulane University.
Paula's first novel, Queen of Beauty, won best first work of fiction at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Hibiscus Coast, a literary thriller set in Auckland and Shanghai, was published in 2005 and has been optioned for film. Her third novel, Trendy But Casual, was published by Penguin New Zealand in 2005.
Paula's first short story collection, Forbidden Cities (2008) was a regional finalist in the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
Ruined, her first YA novel, was published by Scholastic in 2009.
Paula's first novel, Queen of Beauty, won best first work of fiction at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Hibiscus Coast, a literary thriller set in Auckland and Shanghai, was published in 2005 and has been optioned for film. Her third novel, Trendy But Casual, was published by Penguin New Zealand in 2005.
Paula's first short story collection, Forbidden Cities (2008) was a regional finalist in the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
Ruined, her first YA novel, was published by Scholastic in 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
February 26, 2016
Two things stopped me from enjoying this book as much as I wanted to:
1) I did not like Laura, or her friends. Not a single one of them.
2) This book has atmosphere aplenty and that's about it.
There is no common sense to be heard of from these kids. None. Not a single iota. A volcano erupts and instead of staying inside they run around Rome (sometimes with a teacher, most of the time not). Weird shit constantly (and I do mean constantly) happens around our main character Laura and she just sort of freaks out silently, but tells no one.
An entire hostel worth of people are getting deathly ill so Laura and her friends decide to run off into Rome.
Morris describes Rome in wonderful detail (at least insofar as I can see, it sounds like what I see of Rome in pictures and videos) and she sets the mood for this epic war of the Gods...but at the end of the day its all teenage hormones all the time. Laura spent just as much time worrying if Dan (a classmate she sort of finds cute) found her cute as she did about the birds dive bombing her head.
Part of the problem is that I've read so many stories at this point which feature teens/young adults who find out they are an important piece of an age old battle between ancient Gods/Goddesses. I'm not entirely sure what was important about Laura beyond her nifty stone from her grandfather who apparently picked it up after World War II.
Compare her against Percy Jackson or Ashline Wilde or Gwen Frost or ANY of the recent Medusa-related books I've read and quite frankly Laura is lacklustre. She was ineffectual. I thought Maia was more useful and reliable, but she didn't have main character charisma/personality.
Unlike with Ruined, THE ETERNAL CITY doesn't offer me enough to find interesting in the characters as well as the city itself. And that's a damn shame because I had high hopes for this.
1) I did not like Laura, or her friends. Not a single one of them.
2) This book has atmosphere aplenty and that's about it.
There is no common sense to be heard of from these kids. None. Not a single iota. A volcano erupts and instead of staying inside they run around Rome (sometimes with a teacher, most of the time not). Weird shit constantly (and I do mean constantly) happens around our main character Laura and she just sort of freaks out silently, but tells no one.
An entire hostel worth of people are getting deathly ill so Laura and her friends decide to run off into Rome.
Morris describes Rome in wonderful detail (at least insofar as I can see, it sounds like what I see of Rome in pictures and videos) and she sets the mood for this epic war of the Gods...but at the end of the day its all teenage hormones all the time. Laura spent just as much time worrying if Dan (a classmate she sort of finds cute) found her cute as she did about the birds dive bombing her head.
Part of the problem is that I've read so many stories at this point which feature teens/young adults who find out they are an important piece of an age old battle between ancient Gods/Goddesses. I'm not entirely sure what was important about Laura beyond her nifty stone from her grandfather who apparently picked it up after World War II.
Compare her against Percy Jackson or Ashline Wilde or Gwen Frost or ANY of the recent Medusa-related books I've read and quite frankly Laura is lacklustre. She was ineffectual. I thought Maia was more useful and reliable, but she didn't have main character charisma/personality.
Unlike with Ruined, THE ETERNAL CITY doesn't offer me enough to find interesting in the characters as well as the city itself. And that's a damn shame because I had high hopes for this.
December 19, 2015
2.5 Stars
I thought it was a good concept- a school trip in Rome gone wrong, including food poisoning, natural disasters, and even mythological mayhem. The fault is not in the concept or plot, but it was dull. 90% of the book, sure there are weird things happening, but they aren't really connected to anything. Oh look a statue came to life, OMG! Then let's go look for internet. Most of it felt like poorly-paced exposition, and the myth thing only became fully-realized in the last 50 pages or so.
Also, why does a Christian painting in a CHURCH attack the characters, if the Roman gods are behind it? I mean seriously, Rome is full of ancient pagan stuff, plus wouldn't it make more sense for the Roman gods to, I don't know, use ROMAN GOD paintings to attack their enemies?
More later.
I thought it was a good concept- a school trip in Rome gone wrong, including food poisoning, natural disasters, and even mythological mayhem. The fault is not in the concept or plot, but it was dull. 90% of the book, sure there are weird things happening, but they aren't really connected to anything. Oh look a statue came to life, OMG! Then let's go look for internet. Most of it felt like poorly-paced exposition, and the myth thing only became fully-realized in the last 50 pages or so.
Also, why does a Christian painting in a CHURCH attack the characters, if the Roman gods are behind it? I mean seriously, Rome is full of ancient pagan stuff, plus wouldn't it make more sense for the Roman gods to, I don't know, use ROMAN GOD paintings to attack their enemies?
More later.
June 19, 2015
Het was heeeeel anders dan ik me had voorgesteld, het viel tegen. Het deed meer aan als een kinderboek dan een young adult. Er zat helemaal geen reden achter waarom die stenen voor alle drama zorgden, en het was ook niet bepaald spannend.
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January 30, 2018The Eternal City by Paula Morris is about a girl named Laura who goes to Rome with her class. A bunch of people in her class, including the teachers, start to get sick. Soon they are down to two people from their school. They meet a few others from other schools who join groups. They find out that the gods are at a war with Rome. They are unhappy that Laura has Minerva’s eyes. Minerva wants Laura to keep the eyes. But Laura doesn’t want to cause a lot of pain for the world. Pain and fear come, and Laura must decide her side in the war.
This book was a good book to read because it was different from the other books that I have read before. It was really interesting to see that Ancient Rome is not the same as it was back then compared to what it is today. I can relate to Laura because she has something in her possession that she doesn’t necessarily want in her possession any more. I have a few things that I want to get rid of, but can’t because even though they are mine I can’t just give things like those away. Laura learns that she can get rid of the eyes, but one of them was her grandpas, and she wants to keep a part of him with her. But she ends up getting rid of it so that she doesn’t cause others pain and discomfort. The book was a little hard to get into because I normally don’t read books like this. But once I kept reading it, I got into it. Even though it took a while.
People are not remembered though objects, but by what one will always remember of them. In the book it states, “She thought of her grandfather’s eyes, and his smile-things she’d always carry with her, in her heart, whether she had the stone or not,” (Morris, 281) Laura was really sad about letting the stone go, because her grandfather gave it to her. But she realized that she will always carry him in her heart. The book also states, “She would miss Maia, and her odd, know-it-all capable ways,” (Morris, 289) Laura was saying goodbye to Maia, and no matter how sad she was about it, she knew that Maia would always be in her heart. We should always remember people by what they meant to us, not what they gave us.
This book was a good book to read because it was different from the other books that I have read before. It was really interesting to see that Ancient Rome is not the same as it was back then compared to what it is today. I can relate to Laura because she has something in her possession that she doesn’t necessarily want in her possession any more. I have a few things that I want to get rid of, but can’t because even though they are mine I can’t just give things like those away. Laura learns that she can get rid of the eyes, but one of them was her grandpas, and she wants to keep a part of him with her. But she ends up getting rid of it so that she doesn’t cause others pain and discomfort. The book was a little hard to get into because I normally don’t read books like this. But once I kept reading it, I got into it. Even though it took a while.
People are not remembered though objects, but by what one will always remember of them. In the book it states, “She thought of her grandfather’s eyes, and his smile-things she’d always carry with her, in her heart, whether she had the stone or not,” (Morris, 281) Laura was really sad about letting the stone go, because her grandfather gave it to her. But she realized that she will always carry him in her heart. The book also states, “She would miss Maia, and her odd, know-it-all capable ways,” (Morris, 289) Laura was saying goodbye to Maia, and no matter how sad she was about it, she knew that Maia would always be in her heart. We should always remember people by what they meant to us, not what they gave us.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2017
This was a really nice, fast-paced read. I really liked how Laura's character developed. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a really quick read, that is still action filled with really realistic characters (except for the mythological ones of course).
I would give this book 3.5 stars, but since I can't do that I'll just round it up to four. :)
I would give this book 3.5 stars, but since I can't do that I'll just round it up to four. :)
August 30, 2024
This was a quick and fun read. I was looking for a book set in Italy for a challenge and found this one on a Goodreads list; I had not heard of it before. The cover had me intrigued.
March 21, 2016
This book gave me a split personality. One shout, "Wonderful! Magical! Amazing!" while other scream, "Don't you see all the flaws!"
Two things stop me from loving this book as much as I suppose to.
First, I find it very hard to connect with the character. They are bizarre, if you ask me. Despite the fact that most of them are seniors (except for our protagonist), they act quite silly. Nobody runs around a city with a can-be-erupted-anytime volcano. Well, except for this group of students. No teachers would let their students run around with bruises and constantly earthquakes outside. Well, except for these students' teachers. Also, the author was focusing in the surrounding's details too much, the emotion and feeling of our characters seem...dim. Which, it leads me into a situation where I was surprised and taken back by the actions of our fellow characters because I thought their personalities were different.
Second, book with details is good, book with a lot of details is amazing, but book with too much details is, eh, not so nice anymore. I actually was amazed by how detail The Eternal City is. Never been to Rome myself, I could still imagine how the streets, the stores, or the Pantheon would look like. That is how amazing Paula Morris's writing is. But despite all the amazing things I told you, only 50% of the book are actually about the story. Reading through the first half of the for me is like walking through Rome, and although it seems like a good thing, nothing actually happen that relevant to the plot except for a group of teens walk around Rome with the possibility of erupted volcano, taking pictures of fountains and temples.
Our protagonist, Laura, is a very intelligent girl, or according to other characters, she is. Along with her friends, she experienced an unforgettable adventure in Rome. Although she was described as smart and calm, there is no scene in the book that actually show her intelligence. Her thoughts and actions are so different, I find it hard to fathom her personality.
The book just ended, too quick in my opinion. I'm torn between the pros and cons this book or not, since you can gain a lot of knowledge about Roman gods and goddesses, or the beauty of the this ancient city, Rome, although there are many flaws in these book. I would say this is a fine book, but there are a lot of flaws to begin with. Still, give it a chance, and who knows you might love it.
Check it out on Book Is Glee: The Eternal City by Paula Morris
Two things stop me from loving this book as much as I suppose to.
First, I find it very hard to connect with the character. They are bizarre, if you ask me. Despite the fact that most of them are seniors (except for our protagonist), they act quite silly. Nobody runs around a city with a can-be-erupted-anytime volcano. Well, except for this group of students. No teachers would let their students run around with bruises and constantly earthquakes outside. Well, except for these students' teachers. Also, the author was focusing in the surrounding's details too much, the emotion and feeling of our characters seem...dim. Which, it leads me into a situation where I was surprised and taken back by the actions of our fellow characters because I thought their personalities were different.
Second, book with details is good, book with a lot of details is amazing, but book with too much details is, eh, not so nice anymore. I actually was amazed by how detail The Eternal City is. Never been to Rome myself, I could still imagine how the streets, the stores, or the Pantheon would look like. That is how amazing Paula Morris's writing is. But despite all the amazing things I told you, only 50% of the book are actually about the story. Reading through the first half of the for me is like walking through Rome, and although it seems like a good thing, nothing actually happen that relevant to the plot except for a group of teens walk around Rome with the possibility of erupted volcano, taking pictures of fountains and temples.
Our protagonist, Laura, is a very intelligent girl, or according to other characters, she is. Along with her friends, she experienced an unforgettable adventure in Rome. Although she was described as smart and calm, there is no scene in the book that actually show her intelligence. Her thoughts and actions are so different, I find it hard to fathom her personality.
The book just ended, too quick in my opinion. I'm torn between the pros and cons this book or not, since you can gain a lot of knowledge about Roman gods and goddesses, or the beauty of the this ancient city, Rome, although there are many flaws in these book. I would say this is a fine book, but there are a lot of flaws to begin with. Still, give it a chance, and who knows you might love it.
Check it out on Book Is Glee: The Eternal City by Paula Morris
June 16, 2015
This and other reviews on my blog My Friends Are Fiction
My Thoughts:
This was the first book I’ve read from Paula Morris and so I really didn’t know what to expect. The writing was easy to read and I was excited by the idea of the setting being in Rome. Some part of me, based on a vague recollection of the summary, thought our main character, Lauren, would be traveling back in time. I only briefly read the summary before requesting this one and when it arrived I jumped in without refreshing my memory. I kept waiting for something to drag Lauren back through time but that didn’t occur. Instead, things happened in present day.
Though this book proved to be a fast read it wasn’t overly enjoyable mostly due to my disconnect to the characters. They each felt rather flat to me especially our lead, Lauren. She never felt more than two dimensional. We read about her attachment and past with her grandfather but I never felt it. Sadly, I never felt any of the emotions she was described as feeling. There was a tiny bit of romance and even that felt meh to me.
The setting was beautifully described and it did seem easy to picture what was happening around Lauren and her friends. I really enjoyed the visuals of a modern day Rome being overrun with statues (did seem a little Jumanji esq.) As for the big mystery about why the mayhem is occurring it wasn’t overly difficult to figure out. Little tips led me easily to predict what was coming which did detract a tiny bit.
Final Thoughts:
Regardless of my disconnect to the characters and the predictability, Paula Morris’ writing was engaging and I had no problem finishing The Eternal City. It wasn’t a book I regretted reading and I felt that I did derive some enjoyment from the story, especially the setting.
My Thoughts:
This was the first book I’ve read from Paula Morris and so I really didn’t know what to expect. The writing was easy to read and I was excited by the idea of the setting being in Rome. Some part of me, based on a vague recollection of the summary, thought our main character, Lauren, would be traveling back in time. I only briefly read the summary before requesting this one and when it arrived I jumped in without refreshing my memory. I kept waiting for something to drag Lauren back through time but that didn’t occur. Instead, things happened in present day.
Though this book proved to be a fast read it wasn’t overly enjoyable mostly due to my disconnect to the characters. They each felt rather flat to me especially our lead, Lauren. She never felt more than two dimensional. We read about her attachment and past with her grandfather but I never felt it. Sadly, I never felt any of the emotions she was described as feeling. There was a tiny bit of romance and even that felt meh to me.
The setting was beautifully described and it did seem easy to picture what was happening around Lauren and her friends. I really enjoyed the visuals of a modern day Rome being overrun with statues (did seem a little Jumanji esq.) As for the big mystery about why the mayhem is occurring it wasn’t overly difficult to figure out. Little tips led me easily to predict what was coming which did detract a tiny bit.
Final Thoughts:
Regardless of my disconnect to the characters and the predictability, Paula Morris’ writing was engaging and I had no problem finishing The Eternal City. It wasn’t a book I regretted reading and I felt that I did derive some enjoyment from the story, especially the setting.
July 22, 2015
This is kind of an odd story. Events seem unrelated and it doesn't feel well explained. Laura seems like a nice girl but what is going on with the star sapphires? The gods decide to fight simply because she brought a star sapphire that her grandfather found years ago to Rome? And why give her the second star sapphire?
Was there a point to the story?
I kind of liked it, but I don't think it makes much sense on the whole.
Was there a point to the story?
I kind of liked it, but I don't think it makes much sense on the whole.
January 6, 2016
I LOVED this book!! Now I really want to go to Rome! Anybody who likes Roman mythology should read it.
March 1, 2021
I really liked the book, I was always suspicious of the way Maia and Sofie acted because they just seemed so out of place with what was happening and they were a little too believing and being calm about what was happening, overall it was a really good book.
October 10, 2017
I tried and tried to read this one but just could not get into it.
June 10, 2015
The Eternal City was my fourth Paula Morris book – I read Ruined, Unbroken and Dark Souls many years ago and really enjoyed them. So when I heard about The Eternal City, I was so excited! Paula Morris + Roman Gods = Need!!!! Though I really enjoyed the setting (Rome!!!) and the mythology, the characters felt flat and hard to connect with and I had a hard time keeping track of all of them. Since I’m used to Morris’s writing style, I expected some of this and it didn’t dampen my desire to read The Eternal City, though it did take longer than expected to get through it.
Morris has a tendency to throw you into the story, head first, without any fluff. I love stories that get right into the action and I loved all the mythology in the prologue; however, I hate to say it, but I was very confused! I had to read the prologue slowly, writing down every God, who they were, what their relation was to the other God’s mentioned, etc. And chapter one was a bit convoluted, with all the characters we met and a small amount of info dump, as well.
Laura didn’t really stand out, as far as main characters go. She sort of went through the motions and that was it. She wasn’t a completely helpless Damsel in Distress, but she needed a lot of protecting and she didn’t demand too many answers, just stumbled on them as she went and as needed. She was likeable enough that I kept reading, but I definitely felt disconnected from her and her story.
I really liked Maia. There was something intriguing about her and I always felt there was more to her than she was letting on. I was a little less trusting of Sofie, though I definitely had a strange feeling about her – but I always thought it was a BAD feeling, until near the end. Maia and Sofie were definitely my favorite characters.
I had so much trouble keeping track of the guys. I think Dan was the only one that I could remember, since he was Laura’s crush. I also kept picturing him as Michael Welch in Twilight (So, like a puppy dog that thinks he has claws, hehe). I liked the slow build between him and Laura (no insta-love here), but I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them.
One thing that really threw me was that Laura’s best friend was almost never around. Usually, in this kind of story, the best friend is around for the whole adventure, despite one or two small (or huge) arguments. But Morgan wasn’t and that made me sad. Overall, I just felt a huge disconnect with all of the characters except Maia and Sofie – and even then, it was hard to trust them enough to truly like them.
The writing was very blunt and to the point, with very little fluff and some info dumping in places. As I mentioned, that’s a bit typical of this author’s writing style, so I knew what to expect, but honestly… if this had been my first Paula Morris book, I don’t think I would have been able to finish it – Or I would have finished it, but given it 3 stars instead of 4 stars. There was just too much of a disconnect with the characters and story.
The mythology in this book is what fascinated me the most. Books with Greek Mythology are like my Book Drug of Choice! Since I haven’t read as many books with Roman mythology, I feel like I learned a lot from this book, which made it fascinating! That, above everything else, kept me reading and is the reason this book still earned 4 stars from me, despite the (many) issues mentioned in my review.
If you haven’t read any of Paula Morris’s books, I ask that you have patience with The Eternal City. It’s hard to connect with the characters and the pace is a bit slow, but the plot is intriguing and the Roman Mythology is epic. I’d also recommend reading Ruined and Unbroken first – I think Morris’s writing was way better in those and they will ease you into her writing style, so you might enjoy The Eternal City more.
But overall, I still really enjoyed it and I hope Paula Morris comes out with another book very, very soon! I really enjoy the worlds she creates and the settings of her books (Rome! New Orleans! York, England!) are always amazing and intriguing!
You can also find more from me on my blog: Pandora's Books
Morris has a tendency to throw you into the story, head first, without any fluff. I love stories that get right into the action and I loved all the mythology in the prologue; however, I hate to say it, but I was very confused! I had to read the prologue slowly, writing down every God, who they were, what their relation was to the other God’s mentioned, etc. And chapter one was a bit convoluted, with all the characters we met and a small amount of info dump, as well.
Laura didn’t really stand out, as far as main characters go. She sort of went through the motions and that was it. She wasn’t a completely helpless Damsel in Distress, but she needed a lot of protecting and she didn’t demand too many answers, just stumbled on them as she went and as needed. She was likeable enough that I kept reading, but I definitely felt disconnected from her and her story.
I really liked Maia. There was something intriguing about her and I always felt there was more to her than she was letting on. I was a little less trusting of Sofie, though I definitely had a strange feeling about her – but I always thought it was a BAD feeling, until near the end. Maia and Sofie were definitely my favorite characters.
I had so much trouble keeping track of the guys. I think Dan was the only one that I could remember, since he was Laura’s crush. I also kept picturing him as Michael Welch in Twilight (So, like a puppy dog that thinks he has claws, hehe). I liked the slow build between him and Laura (no insta-love here), but I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them.
One thing that really threw me was that Laura’s best friend was almost never around. Usually, in this kind of story, the best friend is around for the whole adventure, despite one or two small (or huge) arguments. But Morgan wasn’t and that made me sad. Overall, I just felt a huge disconnect with all of the characters except Maia and Sofie – and even then, it was hard to trust them enough to truly like them.
The writing was very blunt and to the point, with very little fluff and some info dumping in places. As I mentioned, that’s a bit typical of this author’s writing style, so I knew what to expect, but honestly… if this had been my first Paula Morris book, I don’t think I would have been able to finish it – Or I would have finished it, but given it 3 stars instead of 4 stars. There was just too much of a disconnect with the characters and story.
The mythology in this book is what fascinated me the most. Books with Greek Mythology are like my Book Drug of Choice! Since I haven’t read as many books with Roman mythology, I feel like I learned a lot from this book, which made it fascinating! That, above everything else, kept me reading and is the reason this book still earned 4 stars from me, despite the (many) issues mentioned in my review.
If you haven’t read any of Paula Morris’s books, I ask that you have patience with The Eternal City. It’s hard to connect with the characters and the pace is a bit slow, but the plot is intriguing and the Roman Mythology is epic. I’d also recommend reading Ruined and Unbroken first – I think Morris’s writing was way better in those and they will ease you into her writing style, so you might enjoy The Eternal City more.
But overall, I still really enjoyed it and I hope Paula Morris comes out with another book very, very soon! I really enjoy the worlds she creates and the settings of her books (Rome! New Orleans! York, England!) are always amazing and intriguing!
You can also find more from me on my blog: Pandora's Books
June 7, 2015
I think my biggest problem with The Eternal City, is the fact that this is a book that is completely predicated around the idea of things happening to Laura, the main character.
When we first meet Laura, she's traveling around Rome on a class trip. It's typical teenaged shenanigans, until an attempted mugging results in Laura being in possession of two gems, the eyes of Minerva. From that point on, it's full-blown chaos as the city begins falling apart and ancient gods come to life, as they begin battle for Laura's right to hold onto the sacred gems.
On paper, the synopsis of this book sounds awesome, right? A beautiful foreign city! Roman gods battling for the rights of a human girl! A city on the verge of destruction! It's basically how the most intriguing action-adventure books begin, and Paula Morris has set herself up with a plethora of material to draw upon.
But in practice, very little of Morris's rich foundation pans out. Yes, the Roman setting sounds absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. As someone who has never been to Rome, I immediately found myself transported into historical Rome vis-a-vis Morris's detailed writing, even as the city starts crumbling around Laura and her classmates.
Other than that, the story quickly devolves into something that is happening to Laura, verses something that Laura makes the choice to actively participate in. As the volcano erupts and Laura discovers the eyes of Minerva, she quickly becomes someone who blindly goes along with whatever she's told, verses showing any initiative or curiosity for herself.
E.g. Rather than investigate the gems and why they appear to be causing her bad luck, Laura's primary aim is to be freaked out by the bad luck, but also blindly accept the fact that she's apparently being protected, because a mysterious figure tells her as much. And instead of doing the intelligent thing and remaining in the hostel as Rome rapidly empties due to volcanic activity and illness, Morris has Laura and her friends wandering around and getting into danger, because... plot convenience?
(For some weird reason, all I could think was that Laura really reminded me of Bella Swan while reading.)
Even as she begins to learn more about the mythological elements battling it out for her, Laura continues to just accept everything she's being told. There's no "Ok, so what do I now, moment?" or "How can I help?" Instead, her actions continue to largely revolve around being instructed on how to act by relative strangers, and occasionally wondering whether her classmate finds her cute or not.
I don't know about you guys, but if Mercury - a Roman God - showed up and told me that a bunch of ancient gods were battling it out on my behalf, you can darn well bet I would not be thinking about whether my classmate found me cute or not.
While Morris makes a valiant effort to amp up the action in the final twenty-five percent of the book, it's definitely a case of too little, too late. Because Laura has been too passive of a character throughout the book to merit reader investment, it's hard to care as she and her friends finally try to save the day. Moreover, her efforts are still completely dependent on being instructed by others rather than taking the charge, so it ultimately feels like a muted victory.
***
Final verdict:
I wanted to love The Eternal City, but I had too much trouble getting over the lack of character development and story progression. While Paula Morris does a great job of setting up the foundations of an intriguing and potentially epic tale, Laura's journey ultimately goes nowhere.
However, I would tentatively recommend this book for younger readers who are looking to dip a toe into travel and mythology fiction for the first time. This is a great way to learn about Rome and Roman gods, and will likely spark younger readers to dig deeper into those interests.
When we first meet Laura, she's traveling around Rome on a class trip. It's typical teenaged shenanigans, until an attempted mugging results in Laura being in possession of two gems, the eyes of Minerva. From that point on, it's full-blown chaos as the city begins falling apart and ancient gods come to life, as they begin battle for Laura's right to hold onto the sacred gems.
On paper, the synopsis of this book sounds awesome, right? A beautiful foreign city! Roman gods battling for the rights of a human girl! A city on the verge of destruction! It's basically how the most intriguing action-adventure books begin, and Paula Morris has set herself up with a plethora of material to draw upon.
But in practice, very little of Morris's rich foundation pans out. Yes, the Roman setting sounds absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. As someone who has never been to Rome, I immediately found myself transported into historical Rome vis-a-vis Morris's detailed writing, even as the city starts crumbling around Laura and her classmates.
Other than that, the story quickly devolves into something that is happening to Laura, verses something that Laura makes the choice to actively participate in. As the volcano erupts and Laura discovers the eyes of Minerva, she quickly becomes someone who blindly goes along with whatever she's told, verses showing any initiative or curiosity for herself.
E.g. Rather than investigate the gems and why they appear to be causing her bad luck, Laura's primary aim is to be freaked out by the bad luck, but also blindly accept the fact that she's apparently being protected, because a mysterious figure tells her as much. And instead of doing the intelligent thing and remaining in the hostel as Rome rapidly empties due to volcanic activity and illness, Morris has Laura and her friends wandering around and getting into danger, because... plot convenience?
(For some weird reason, all I could think was that Laura really reminded me of Bella Swan while reading.)
Even as she begins to learn more about the mythological elements battling it out for her, Laura continues to just accept everything she's being told. There's no "Ok, so what do I now, moment?" or "How can I help?" Instead, her actions continue to largely revolve around being instructed on how to act by relative strangers, and occasionally wondering whether her classmate finds her cute or not.
I don't know about you guys, but if Mercury - a Roman God - showed up and told me that a bunch of ancient gods were battling it out on my behalf, you can darn well bet I would not be thinking about whether my classmate found me cute or not.
While Morris makes a valiant effort to amp up the action in the final twenty-five percent of the book, it's definitely a case of too little, too late. Because Laura has been too passive of a character throughout the book to merit reader investment, it's hard to care as she and her friends finally try to save the day. Moreover, her efforts are still completely dependent on being instructed by others rather than taking the charge, so it ultimately feels like a muted victory.
***
Final verdict:
I wanted to love The Eternal City, but I had too much trouble getting over the lack of character development and story progression. While Paula Morris does a great job of setting up the foundations of an intriguing and potentially epic tale, Laura's journey ultimately goes nowhere.
However, I would tentatively recommend this book for younger readers who are looking to dip a toe into travel and mythology fiction for the first time. This is a great way to learn about Rome and Roman gods, and will likely spark younger readers to dig deeper into those interests.
December 1, 2015
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A trip to Rome goes wrong when everyone but a handful of schoolkids are left to survive a war with the gods!
Opening Sentence: Laura Martin wasn’t even meant to be in Rome that June.
The Review:
This book is aimed at the younger adults and would be great for someone looking for an adventure story mixed with magic, myths and legends.
The combination of mysterious characters in The Eternal City intertwined with the legends of the gods was intriguing. My favourite God was Mercury, probably because the others weren’t as prominent in the story and had less interaction with the humans than Mercury did. And part of my fascination with him was because I could sense an attraction between him and Laura so I expected something more to happen; unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
The storyline was fairly predictable, which I would expect given the target audience, but there were parts that surprised me. For example, I expected one of the teachers to be secretly involved in the whole war of the gods thing (Percy Jackson springs to mind) but again that didn’t happen. The poor kids were literally stuck to fend for themselves in a foreign country, caught in a war between the Roman Gods! I guess if the teachers were involved and the teenagers had some sort of protection, then I would have compared it to Percy Jackson and assumed the author lacked originality.
“Jack was right,” Dan muttered to Laura. “This is the worst school trip ever. If our parents knew we’d be fighting random seagulls and statues, they’d sue the Department of Education.”
My main disappointment was the character of Megan. She had so much potential to begin with but it sort of disappeared when she became one of the students that fell ill. I can understand why the author chose to remove her from the main storyline; if Megan was still there no one would give Laura a second thought. It’s a sad reality but some people have stronger personalities than others. It was clear that Laura was Megan’s shadow, so to speak. The author tried to bring more spark to Laura but there’s only so much you can do to a natural vanilla!
A plus point to this read is that there were a lot of action and drama filled scenes. I liked the contrast between fighting to survive in one scene and teenage issues like ego clashes, cliques and crushes in the next. The story is centred around an odd but interesting mix of school kids and it was pretty obvious that Dan would like Laura but I still found their mini romance sort of sweet. Especially when Dan becomes jealous of the attention Laura receives from other guys. A war might be going on but boys will be boys.
Overall, a fun light read, great for the younger adult.
Notable Scene:
The trouble was, Laura thought, that dangers seemed to lurk everywhere. A dart wielding cherub on a tomb. The Mouth of Truth. The walls of a fresco. The woman at the Trevi Fountain, and the man here at the Fountain of Tortoises. Stone horses that moved, painted snakes that slithered, bronze tortoises that crawled and snapped and bared their teeth. Rome was alive with danger, seen and unseen, real and artificial. How could she believe anyone when they told her not to be afraid?
FTC Advisory: Point/Scholastic provided me with a copy of The Eternal City. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A trip to Rome goes wrong when everyone but a handful of schoolkids are left to survive a war with the gods!
Opening Sentence: Laura Martin wasn’t even meant to be in Rome that June.
The Review:
This book is aimed at the younger adults and would be great for someone looking for an adventure story mixed with magic, myths and legends.
The combination of mysterious characters in The Eternal City intertwined with the legends of the gods was intriguing. My favourite God was Mercury, probably because the others weren’t as prominent in the story and had less interaction with the humans than Mercury did. And part of my fascination with him was because I could sense an attraction between him and Laura so I expected something more to happen; unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
The storyline was fairly predictable, which I would expect given the target audience, but there were parts that surprised me. For example, I expected one of the teachers to be secretly involved in the whole war of the gods thing (Percy Jackson springs to mind) but again that didn’t happen. The poor kids were literally stuck to fend for themselves in a foreign country, caught in a war between the Roman Gods! I guess if the teachers were involved and the teenagers had some sort of protection, then I would have compared it to Percy Jackson and assumed the author lacked originality.
“Jack was right,” Dan muttered to Laura. “This is the worst school trip ever. If our parents knew we’d be fighting random seagulls and statues, they’d sue the Department of Education.”
My main disappointment was the character of Megan. She had so much potential to begin with but it sort of disappeared when she became one of the students that fell ill. I can understand why the author chose to remove her from the main storyline; if Megan was still there no one would give Laura a second thought. It’s a sad reality but some people have stronger personalities than others. It was clear that Laura was Megan’s shadow, so to speak. The author tried to bring more spark to Laura but there’s only so much you can do to a natural vanilla!
A plus point to this read is that there were a lot of action and drama filled scenes. I liked the contrast between fighting to survive in one scene and teenage issues like ego clashes, cliques and crushes in the next. The story is centred around an odd but interesting mix of school kids and it was pretty obvious that Dan would like Laura but I still found their mini romance sort of sweet. Especially when Dan becomes jealous of the attention Laura receives from other guys. A war might be going on but boys will be boys.
Overall, a fun light read, great for the younger adult.
Notable Scene:
The trouble was, Laura thought, that dangers seemed to lurk everywhere. A dart wielding cherub on a tomb. The Mouth of Truth. The walls of a fresco. The woman at the Trevi Fountain, and the man here at the Fountain of Tortoises. Stone horses that moved, painted snakes that slithered, bronze tortoises that crawled and snapped and bared their teeth. Rome was alive with danger, seen and unseen, real and artificial. How could she believe anyone when they told her not to be afraid?
FTC Advisory: Point/Scholastic provided me with a copy of The Eternal City. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
August 14, 2015
A solid premise for a book. I totally loved the concept and idea for the book. Laura Martin was a character who I came to like. Her friends as well seemed a little bit more interesting. This was a book that definitely was interesting.
Things I liked about it:
1. The Main Characters Growth
Laura is a character that at first I didn’t connect with. It took me some time to get to know her and what her motivations were. After two chapters, I saw that this was a young woman who needs to be in Rome for a very specific reason. Plus we learn that she is going to play a big part in what is going on with the Gods. She has a gem stone that may cause her more harm and doesn’t realize. I also love how Laura starts to take control of more situations later on in the book.
2. Greek Gods
I love books where there are Greek Gods around. The Gods have reasons for doing things but they often use mortals. Mortals are sometimes their champions or representatives and send omens. Of course there is a fight brewing among the Gods. None of our characters really know this. Some of them are seeing things that the other ones can’t. I kind of like how Mercury only shows up to Laura. Some of the characters see things coming out of statues. So we never know what they are going to do.
3. Mystery/No Adult Supervision
Of course this leads to things being asked about things that normally they wouldn’t be. Of course all the adults are sick during the school trip which leads our teenagers to have more freedom. I often like when characters have freedom to explore and learn things that they might not. I felt like also the characters can argue and express themselves a lot.
Things I didn’t like
1. No Romance
I was kind of disappointed that there was no romance. Sometimes the romance is what I’m expecting. Especially when a book is supposed to take place in Rome, which is said to be one of the most romantic places in the world. I guess you can’t have everything
2. Dragging at times. Stupid fights
The pacing could have been a little bit better in my opinion. There were of course going to be fights/arguments with the teenagers. At times I felt that some of the fights were stupid and served no purpose. They took the pacing down a notch or two. I don’t mind arguments/fights in books if they are interesting and enhance the story, but at times it felt weird.
Overall a good book with some flaws in it. I think that their might be room for a sequel. Think that there’s potential for a sequel.
Rating:
Four Hearts
Things I liked about it:
1. The Main Characters Growth
Laura is a character that at first I didn’t connect with. It took me some time to get to know her and what her motivations were. After two chapters, I saw that this was a young woman who needs to be in Rome for a very specific reason. Plus we learn that she is going to play a big part in what is going on with the Gods. She has a gem stone that may cause her more harm and doesn’t realize. I also love how Laura starts to take control of more situations later on in the book.
2. Greek Gods
I love books where there are Greek Gods around. The Gods have reasons for doing things but they often use mortals. Mortals are sometimes their champions or representatives and send omens. Of course there is a fight brewing among the Gods. None of our characters really know this. Some of them are seeing things that the other ones can’t. I kind of like how Mercury only shows up to Laura. Some of the characters see things coming out of statues. So we never know what they are going to do.
3. Mystery/No Adult Supervision
Of course this leads to things being asked about things that normally they wouldn’t be. Of course all the adults are sick during the school trip which leads our teenagers to have more freedom. I often like when characters have freedom to explore and learn things that they might not. I felt like also the characters can argue and express themselves a lot.
Things I didn’t like
1. No Romance
I was kind of disappointed that there was no romance. Sometimes the romance is what I’m expecting. Especially when a book is supposed to take place in Rome, which is said to be one of the most romantic places in the world. I guess you can’t have everything
2. Dragging at times. Stupid fights
The pacing could have been a little bit better in my opinion. There were of course going to be fights/arguments with the teenagers. At times I felt that some of the fights were stupid and served no purpose. They took the pacing down a notch or two. I don’t mind arguments/fights in books if they are interesting and enhance the story, but at times it felt weird.
Overall a good book with some flaws in it. I think that their might be room for a sequel. Think that there’s potential for a sequel.
Rating:
Four Hearts
February 25, 2018
I can't really decide between 2 or 3. Give it a 2 1/2..
I had really, really high hopes for this. The blurb looked interesting, the prologue was interesting and whilst I knew I was setting myself up for 'another school trip that goes wrong and kid finds themselves in the middle of supernatural warefare' - I was the kind of mood when that seemed like a perfect read. The problem?? Characters were bland and nothing happened.
Kasper seemed really interesting at first. Especially with the dropped hints about the seven sisters and other mythological elements I was waiting for him to turn out to be Norse related. Nope. He just happened to have Odin's pendant of safety. Did that help him? Nope. Only brought up once. He was kinda helpful but seemed mainly to serve as someone for Dan to be jealous about and cause there to be a love triangle. Oh and someone to have his handsome looks discussed over and over again (why?? Maybe Laura should have fallen in love with him. His hair was described more than Dan was even mentioned.) and for being there to hit stuff.
Speaking of.. Dan. He was my least favourite. His defining characteristic seemed to be his looks (and we're only ever really told he's handsome - it's never discussed in detail what he actually looks like) and the ability to suddenly be infatuated with Laura. Other than that he's a rich, bratty kid who complains a lot and says sarcastic-or-what's-trying-to-be-sarcasm-but-failing remarks.
Jack. I think he's cool - but can't be certain because he's barely in it. Like... for some reason he doesn't fall sick but gets injured during an earthquake and spends the rest of the book in the motel drinking soup.
Sofie. Well... she goes between annoying and overdramatic to pretty useful. Didn't think much of her.
Maia was pretty awesome because she was really the only person who did anything. Organising? Check. Plan of attack? Check. Fighting? Check. Saving the day? Check. She wasn't particularly charming - but that was revealed to be because of who she is and I never found it a problem. In fact it was nice, because despite her always chiming in and being a know-it-all there was somethign about her that still made you like her.
And finally..... Laura. Oh boy. Weak protagonist strikes again. But this time, it wasn't because she was a Mary-Sue or did too much - she didn't do anything. She spends the entirety of the book wondering what she should do next - but never actually does anything and the only reason she survives is cause her friends do. She wanders round with her head in the clouds and thinking she's meek and I don't even know... I mean. The whole context of the book is that Minerva thinks she'd be a great handmaiden... but from what I've read - Laura's the last person the goddess of wisdom and strategy and war should enlist. She shows no special characteristics and is rather weak and floppy when it come to making decisions. She's supposed to be incredibly 'nerdy' and 'smart' - someone who geeks over Classics in her free time... but then can't remember what Minerva's animal is or other pretty basic stuff.
Should I go on?
The love triangle between Kasper, Dan and Laura - if you can even call it that - is weak and seems incredibly contrived. I mean, like yeah.. From the start there are hints that Laura likes Dan but never once does she talk about why. It's mentioned that he's aloof and good looking. And that's it. I know that we're playing on teenage girl syndrome here but seriously? If she really does have a major crush at least gush over him. But no. All she does is be sad over losing her grandpa's gift. Think that Kasper might be flirting but 'not sure because she doesn't notice that sort of thing' and then oh look!! She and Dan are kissing. Because of course he's liked her since the beginning of the trip but was too scared to tell her (? - I can only assume as it's never mentioned).
Part of me thinks that Paula Morris read an online pinterest checklist for what should go in YA novels:
- Love triangle with two goodlooking guys
- Nerdy girl who doesn't feel like she's good enough to be a heroine
- Romance between Nerdy girl and popular boy who's snarky and cool
- Conflict between overwhelming, out of this world forces and teenager who has power to stop it
- Supernaturalness
- A helpful and convenient lack of adults
- lots of rude snark that adult authors seem to think is 'relatable'
- Inner protagonist angst
- A 'compelling' and incredibly indepth revelation that whatever protagonist ahs been holding onto is inconsequential and irrelevant.
- A mid-battle decision where meek, nerdy girl decides she can be strong and heroic.
There's also an overwhelming gap of plot. I suppose that yes. Stuff DOES happen - but really. All the teenagers do is go exploring parts of Rome and hope that Mercury will show them the way and very slowly try to work out what's happening. Even the climax- the gripping crescendo of the book, the final battle between forces.... was ... flat. Boring. No heroics. No ... anything. Laura's friends come up with the plans on getting to Nero's palace. Mercury tells her that the sisters are protecting her. They go to sleep (but first! That much anticipated and built up kiss (Yeah right)) and the next day her friends lead and fight their way to the Pantheon where Laura sits down till 'oh no. I forgot seagulls had wings. We are going to be attacked' and then the friends come up with more plans and Laura decides to be important and then... helps take down a harpy. She then gives the stars to Mercury (after coming to the stunning and hearttorn decision that after all. She doesn't need the bracelet to remember old gramps) who flies away. End of Story.
Then there are the plot holes. Like why does the battle cease immediately when the eyes are returned? Shouldn't gods still be angry? Why do a lot of people fall sick? (I think that this is to put adults and irrelevant friends out of the picture) And then why does not everyone fall sick? (like policemen, tourists, Dan, Jack, Kasper) Why does it take until Laura's third day in Rome for events to start unfolding? And why are people not more worried about the whole 'extinct - very dormant' volcano exploding?
Having said all that... there are some redeemable bits. The atmosphere's pretty good. I love the setting of Rome and Morris cleverly incorporates both Tourist features and small features (like lions on doorknobs) to help create the war. I especially love the idea of all the statuary and mosaics coming to live because that's an exhilarating idea that is tingly and fantastical and sets it apart from other 'mythology today' stories. My favourite bit was quite probably when they're walking through the graveyard and Cupid suddenly comes to life. There's a 'quaint' mystical quality to that that's a lot of fun. Unfortunately I feel like Morris spoils this with her characters and lack of plot. To be honest, I would have been quite content with simply reading about the underground lives of the Roman gods and the battles that are fought without us realising. There's a story in that.
If still indecisive about whether reading this book, after all's said and done - is relatively engaging and perfect for a light read, do it for Mercury. He's pretty fabulous.
I had really, really high hopes for this. The blurb looked interesting, the prologue was interesting and whilst I knew I was setting myself up for 'another school trip that goes wrong and kid finds themselves in the middle of supernatural warefare' - I was the kind of mood when that seemed like a perfect read. The problem?? Characters were bland and nothing happened.
Kasper seemed really interesting at first. Especially with the dropped hints about the seven sisters and other mythological elements I was waiting for him to turn out to be Norse related. Nope. He just happened to have Odin's pendant of safety. Did that help him? Nope. Only brought up once. He was kinda helpful but seemed mainly to serve as someone for Dan to be jealous about and cause there to be a love triangle. Oh and someone to have his handsome looks discussed over and over again (why?? Maybe Laura should have fallen in love with him. His hair was described more than Dan was even mentioned.) and for being there to hit stuff.
Speaking of.. Dan. He was my least favourite. His defining characteristic seemed to be his looks (and we're only ever really told he's handsome - it's never discussed in detail what he actually looks like) and the ability to suddenly be infatuated with Laura. Other than that he's a rich, bratty kid who complains a lot and says sarcastic-or-what's-trying-to-be-sarcasm-but-failing remarks.
Jack. I think he's cool - but can't be certain because he's barely in it. Like... for some reason he doesn't fall sick but gets injured during an earthquake and spends the rest of the book in the motel drinking soup.
Sofie. Well... she goes between annoying and overdramatic to pretty useful. Didn't think much of her.
Maia was pretty awesome because she was really the only person who did anything. Organising? Check. Plan of attack? Check. Fighting? Check. Saving the day? Check. She wasn't particularly charming - but that was revealed to be because of who she is and I never found it a problem. In fact it was nice, because despite her always chiming in and being a know-it-all there was somethign about her that still made you like her.
And finally..... Laura. Oh boy. Weak protagonist strikes again. But this time, it wasn't because she was a Mary-Sue or did too much - she didn't do anything. She spends the entirety of the book wondering what she should do next - but never actually does anything and the only reason she survives is cause her friends do. She wanders round with her head in the clouds and thinking she's meek and I don't even know... I mean. The whole context of the book is that Minerva thinks she'd be a great handmaiden... but from what I've read - Laura's the last person the goddess of wisdom and strategy and war should enlist. She shows no special characteristics and is rather weak and floppy when it come to making decisions. She's supposed to be incredibly 'nerdy' and 'smart' - someone who geeks over Classics in her free time... but then can't remember what Minerva's animal is or other pretty basic stuff.
Should I go on?
The love triangle between Kasper, Dan and Laura - if you can even call it that - is weak and seems incredibly contrived. I mean, like yeah.. From the start there are hints that Laura likes Dan but never once does she talk about why. It's mentioned that he's aloof and good looking. And that's it. I know that we're playing on teenage girl syndrome here but seriously? If she really does have a major crush at least gush over him. But no. All she does is be sad over losing her grandpa's gift. Think that Kasper might be flirting but 'not sure because she doesn't notice that sort of thing' and then oh look!! She and Dan are kissing. Because of course he's liked her since the beginning of the trip but was too scared to tell her (? - I can only assume as it's never mentioned).
Part of me thinks that Paula Morris read an online pinterest checklist for what should go in YA novels:
- Love triangle with two goodlooking guys
- Nerdy girl who doesn't feel like she's good enough to be a heroine
- Romance between Nerdy girl and popular boy who's snarky and cool
- Conflict between overwhelming, out of this world forces and teenager who has power to stop it
- Supernaturalness
- A helpful and convenient lack of adults
- lots of rude snark that adult authors seem to think is 'relatable'
- Inner protagonist angst
- A 'compelling' and incredibly indepth revelation that whatever protagonist ahs been holding onto is inconsequential and irrelevant.
- A mid-battle decision where meek, nerdy girl decides she can be strong and heroic.
There's also an overwhelming gap of plot. I suppose that yes. Stuff DOES happen - but really. All the teenagers do is go exploring parts of Rome and hope that Mercury will show them the way and very slowly try to work out what's happening. Even the climax- the gripping crescendo of the book, the final battle between forces.... was ... flat. Boring. No heroics. No ... anything. Laura's friends come up with the plans on getting to Nero's palace. Mercury tells her that the sisters are protecting her. They go to sleep (but first! That much anticipated and built up kiss (Yeah right)) and the next day her friends lead and fight their way to the Pantheon where Laura sits down till 'oh no. I forgot seagulls had wings. We are going to be attacked' and then the friends come up with more plans and Laura decides to be important and then... helps take down a harpy. She then gives the stars to Mercury (after coming to the stunning and hearttorn decision that after all. She doesn't need the bracelet to remember old gramps) who flies away. End of Story.
Then there are the plot holes. Like why does the battle cease immediately when the eyes are returned? Shouldn't gods still be angry? Why do a lot of people fall sick? (I think that this is to put adults and irrelevant friends out of the picture) And then why does not everyone fall sick? (like policemen, tourists, Dan, Jack, Kasper) Why does it take until Laura's third day in Rome for events to start unfolding? And why are people not more worried about the whole 'extinct - very dormant' volcano exploding?
Having said all that... there are some redeemable bits. The atmosphere's pretty good. I love the setting of Rome and Morris cleverly incorporates both Tourist features and small features (like lions on doorknobs) to help create the war. I especially love the idea of all the statuary and mosaics coming to live because that's an exhilarating idea that is tingly and fantastical and sets it apart from other 'mythology today' stories. My favourite bit was quite probably when they're walking through the graveyard and Cupid suddenly comes to life. There's a 'quaint' mystical quality to that that's a lot of fun. Unfortunately I feel like Morris spoils this with her characters and lack of plot. To be honest, I would have been quite content with simply reading about the underground lives of the Roman gods and the battles that are fought without us realising. There's a story in that.
If still indecisive about whether reading this book, after all's said and done - is relatively engaging and perfect for a light read, do it for Mercury. He's pretty fabulous.
July 8, 2015
Find this and other reviews at Ramblings of a Daydreamer.
The synopsis for The Eternal City immediately piqued my interest, mostly because when I first heard about it I was just months away from my first visit to Rome, plus I love books with foreign settings. While the synopsis sounds exciting and different, and I liked the premise of the book, the execution was lacking. The story felt like a series of random events and strange things happening to the main character, Laura, but the characters were completely flat and the attempt at romance seemed like an after thought.
Laura is on a school trip to Rome, the Eternal City, a beautiful city rich in history. The vivid descriptions of Rome are pretty much the only reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 2. It was easy to picture the places Laura visited, and I really liked that. So Laura's trip is moving along nicely until Laura is almost mugged at the Trevi Fountain, and then odd things begin happening, all of which seem to be centred around her for some reason. We come to find out that she’s in possession of the Eyes of Minerva, and ancient gods are battling to retrieve them. As I said, the premise was good, but there were a lot of things that didn’t quite make sense. It didn’t help that the characters were completely one-dimensional, so there was nothing to connect to. I usually prefer character-driven books, or if the books have a lot of action and fantasy elements, I want to at least get a sense of who the characters are, what drives them, what they’re like outside the events that are happening, and I never got that from The Eternal City. The action scenes were good, but they weren’t enough to carry the story on their own. The romance was just sort of thrown in and wasn’t believable. They had no chemistry and didn’t get to know each other at all - they were just thrown together by circumstances.
Overall, The Eternal City wasn’t what I was hoping for. It had a beautiful setting, but the characters and story itself were lacking and fell flat. Despite not really enjoying this one, I bought Morris’s Ruined awhile ago and I’m still eager to read it.
The synopsis for The Eternal City immediately piqued my interest, mostly because when I first heard about it I was just months away from my first visit to Rome, plus I love books with foreign settings. While the synopsis sounds exciting and different, and I liked the premise of the book, the execution was lacking. The story felt like a series of random events and strange things happening to the main character, Laura, but the characters were completely flat and the attempt at romance seemed like an after thought.
Laura is on a school trip to Rome, the Eternal City, a beautiful city rich in history. The vivid descriptions of Rome are pretty much the only reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 2. It was easy to picture the places Laura visited, and I really liked that. So Laura's trip is moving along nicely until Laura is almost mugged at the Trevi Fountain, and then odd things begin happening, all of which seem to be centred around her for some reason. We come to find out that she’s in possession of the Eyes of Minerva, and ancient gods are battling to retrieve them. As I said, the premise was good, but there were a lot of things that didn’t quite make sense. It didn’t help that the characters were completely one-dimensional, so there was nothing to connect to. I usually prefer character-driven books, or if the books have a lot of action and fantasy elements, I want to at least get a sense of who the characters are, what drives them, what they’re like outside the events that are happening, and I never got that from The Eternal City. The action scenes were good, but they weren’t enough to carry the story on their own. The romance was just sort of thrown in and wasn’t believable. They had no chemistry and didn’t get to know each other at all - they were just thrown together by circumstances.
Overall, The Eternal City wasn’t what I was hoping for. It had a beautiful setting, but the characters and story itself were lacking and fell flat. Despite not really enjoying this one, I bought Morris’s Ruined awhile ago and I’m still eager to read it.
September 7, 2016
This book started out with Laura going to Rome with her class, and she gets two star sapphires. All of the sudden, everyone starts feeling sick, and a volcano explodes, releasing an ash cloud. Laura is one of the few not sick, she goes to see the Mouth of Truth, and it attacks her. They go see the church with all the torture frescoes, and Sofia stands really close to one. The painted man jumps out and grabs Sofia. He tries to drag her into the painting. Laura and Maia try to pull her out. Kasper punches the wall and they rescued Sofia. They go to an internet shop and pay so that they can email their families. There is an earthquake. Kasper steels the star sapphires and runs away to the Golden House to try and make things right. There is a second, bigger earthquake when Laura, Maia, and Sofia travel to the Golden House. They are thrown into a battle with harpies, and they come out with a victory. Mercury takes the star sapphires to Olympus, where they will be safe. The ash cloud lifts, and everyone is finally able to go home.
One of the characters, Maia, is a mysterious Russian girl. She has dark hair, and almost never raises her voice. She is very smart and seems to know everything. She started out as a shy, mysterious kid who would only talk to teachers. Throughout the story, she warms up to everyone, and becomes a big helper. She helps save multiple lives. She ends up being pretty talkative, and is a great leader.
The one thing I didn't like about this book is that the beginning isn't as entertaining, but if you make it through that, it's defiantly worth reading. I liked how it's a little mysterious, and I also like how it has to with Rome and ancient Gods. I also appreciate how it is similar to Percy Jackson.
One of the characters, Maia, is a mysterious Russian girl. She has dark hair, and almost never raises her voice. She is very smart and seems to know everything. She started out as a shy, mysterious kid who would only talk to teachers. Throughout the story, she warms up to everyone, and becomes a big helper. She helps save multiple lives. She ends up being pretty talkative, and is a great leader.
The one thing I didn't like about this book is that the beginning isn't as entertaining, but if you make it through that, it's defiantly worth reading. I liked how it's a little mysterious, and I also like how it has to with Rome and ancient Gods. I also appreciate how it is similar to Percy Jackson.
November 19, 2014
Having been to Rome really enhanced the story for me. I could picture so many of the fountains, piazzas, and Roman ruins that are featured. I wish I had a better handle on the gods and goddesses that are important to the story.
July 7, 2015
A fun adventure with ancient gods in modern day Rome. It's got danger, myth, magic and just a touch of romance. I'd actually recommend this to younger teen readers who are transitioning out of Middle Grade into YA. Full review to come.
November 1, 2015
I didn't like this book at all bc I think the author could do a little more research on the roman history bc she kept talking about Greek mythology and not roman. And all the characters were all very annoying.
May 6, 2015
Reviewed by Emily on Reading Teen
January 26, 2016
Barely even finished this, I skimmed the last 50 pages or so, because it's very bland and boring. Not worth the read.
January 27, 2021
I really didn't get this book. The idea was interesting, but the execution was.... pointless? The whole story is one big circle, with Laura ending up at the exact same point where she started. Nothing happens with the gods (honestly, the whole conflict with the gods and Athena's eyes makes no sense), because Laura gets to say "no" at the end... and that's cool? So after days of weird shit happening, and her getting attacked (while romping around Rome), and everyone around her falling incredibly ill, she... gets to go home...? Oh, but now Dan, the cute boy from her school, likes her, so... victory!?
They say it's not about the destination, but the journey that matters, but neither seemed to matter here so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
They say it's not about the destination, but the journey that matters, but neither seemed to matter here so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
November 26, 2021
I found this book so incredibly boring. It is already a stretch for me to read anything that is fantasy with statues coming to life, but it wasn't just that. The characters are so on the surface. There is no real character development and I couldn't relate to anyone. Even the relationship, if it can be called that, between Dan and Laura comes out of nowhere and feels so forced and superficial -- too on the surface. The concept is good -- the story line -- but the execution of that with such little to no character development made this an incredibly boring read. I kept reading hoping it would improve. It didn't. The whole story felt forced, flat, and dull. No characters with heart or depth. I would not read again and would not recommend.
October 13, 2016
wow, this is all things dumb. apparently, there is a massive war in rome, amongst the gods who want two stones from a mosaic cuz they can cause earthquakes and stuff. actually, it never says what they can do.
then this girl gets them and so a bunch of birds dive bomb her- sometimes even drawing blood.
yup- the gods want something enough to destroy rome via volcano and yet the most the can do is give a mortal girl a couple of beak marks.
of course, there is the hot god who comes and gives her a message: we are protecting you.
1 why did he have to warn her? couldn't he just protect her?
2 why did he meet up with her three times to tell her that he would protect her and the stones are really important? why couldn't he just tell her at once?
3 if he's a god, why is he like a lame mortal with feathers on his feet?
4 why doesn't zues/ Jupiter just come, smash everyone, take the useless stones and go back to mount Olympus?
5 why is the foreshadowing basically written in a bold font with sparkles all around it? 'the crow beats the eagle' wow is that enigmatic.
6 what was with the ending? "oh, i don't want the stones!" "ok, mortal. whatever you say. stakes are kinda high here but if you just go to the pantheon, all problems will be solved." what?
7 again, why was the conclusion of this war a scene of a couple teenagers fending off the god's wrath- in the form of fowl- with their backpacks? gimme a break.
basically, I prefer Percy Jackson.
then this girl gets them and so a bunch of birds dive bomb her- sometimes even drawing blood.
yup- the gods want something enough to destroy rome via volcano and yet the most the can do is give a mortal girl a couple of beak marks.
of course, there is the hot god who comes and gives her a message: we are protecting you.
1 why did he have to warn her? couldn't he just protect her?
2 why did he meet up with her three times to tell her that he would protect her and the stones are really important? why couldn't he just tell her at once?
3 if he's a god, why is he like a lame mortal with feathers on his feet?
4 why doesn't zues/ Jupiter just come, smash everyone, take the useless stones and go back to mount Olympus?
5 why is the foreshadowing basically written in a bold font with sparkles all around it? 'the crow beats the eagle' wow is that enigmatic.
6 what was with the ending? "oh, i don't want the stones!" "ok, mortal. whatever you say. stakes are kinda high here but if you just go to the pantheon, all problems will be solved." what?
7 again, why was the conclusion of this war a scene of a couple teenagers fending off the god's wrath- in the form of fowl- with their backpacks? gimme a break.
basically, I prefer Percy Jackson.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2022
It wasn't the worst thing I've read but if I didn't have an emotional connection from who gave it to me I would not keep it on my shelves. For a book about roman gods and goddesses there should have been more about them and the war not just seagulls and crows and moving paintings that involve a religion that has nothing to do with the roman pantheon attacking a "friend" and moving statues. As for the main character and her friends she felt pretty bland and not fully carved out and she barely even knew the kids she was going on these adventures with.
November 25, 2025
This was a very typical YA novel. The pace was high, the characters did not always do the smartest thing, there was a lot of adventure and there was a lot of running around. There were also a lot of irresponsible adults here, but fine. It was a fun, entertaining and quick read though. I flew through it in about two days and I did enjoy the old Roman Gods walking around in the modern city of Rome. Personally, I would have loved to see some more of those Gods, but I'm not the target audience to begin with.
July 3, 2017
Laura Martin is enjoying the final day of her class trip to Rome when strange things begin to happen. Most of her classmates are struck with a mysterious illness. Statues come to life and she soon learns the ancient gods of Rome are at war. Laura soon realizes she may be the cause of the war. Morris crafts a clever story about a modern girl surprised to find that the gods aren't myths. The writing is fast-paced and entertaining.
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