The Eternal City

by Paula Morris

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545662949
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/26/2015
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Lexile:	870L (what's this?)
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Paula Morris is the author of RUINED, DARK SOULS, UNBROKEN, and several award-winning novels for adults in her native New Zealand. She now lives in England with her husband. Please visit her online at www.paula-morris.com.

Read an Excerpt

From THE ETERNAL CITYThe boy stepped out of the funnel of water and over the low-slung rope, so close that Laura could have touched him. With a shiver of recognition she took in his gray-and-black clothes, the crow-clothes of the boy she'd seen prone and bleeding on the cemetery's grassy verge. This was a different boy, though. He had different features -- was better-looking than the crow-boy she'd seen yesterday. He glanced at her -- his eyes were black -- and there seemed, she thought, to be recognition there. He didn't smile at her, this pale-faced boy, but when there was something calm and knowing about his gaze. Laura may have been open-mouthed, but he didn't look surprised at all. Or wet. His clothes were as dry as hers -- drier, probably, as hers were still drying from the scramble across the piazza. He strode towards the huge main door without attracting any attention at all. Laura looked wildly from side to side: Really, had nobody else seen him fall through the upside-down fountain and land right here? But everyone around her was still pointing, talking, taking pictures, texting, just as they had been before. Laura backed away from the rope and forged an awkward path through the crowd, hurrying to follow the boy. If he was real, if this wasn't some apparition, then she needed to know. How she'd find out, she wasn't sure -- tap him on the shoulder, perhaps? She had to be quick, because he was almost at the door. Someone lumbering sideways, hulking a tripod and camera, bumped into her and Laura stumbled. She didn't dare stick a hand out to break her fallshe'd done enough damage to her hands today. So she half-slithered onto one knee, wincing as bone made contact with marble. And from here, low on the ground, the crowd surging around her, Laura saw something she hadn't noticed before. There on the back of the boy's feet were tiny wings, black feathers on his heels. Something Laura had seen in paintings and on statues, but never in person. Mercury, she tried to say, but nothing came out of her mouth but a bleat.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for RUINED"[A] haunting love letter to New Orleans . . . thoroughly embraces the rich history,occult lore and complex issues of race, ethnicity, class and culture." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review"Fast-paced . . . [an] atmospheric page-turner." —BOOKLIST"Entertaining and unique...straddles the line between ghost story and realistic fictionso well." —VOYA

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
Gr 6 Up—On the last day of Laura Martin's class trip to Rome, all she wants to do is grab her BFF Morgan and soak up the sights in the city that's always enthralled her. Instead, when most of her group members, including Morgan, fall ill, she's stuck with some classmates she barely knows. As they walk around, strange things begin happening: Laura sees a Cupid statue shoot a pigeon, crows are always flying near her, and a sewer cover tries to eat her hand. Then the god Mercury appears, telling Laura that she wields two powerful stones called the Eyes of Minerva and that the gods are going to war over them. As Laura and her classmates traverse an increasingly dangerous city, they have to figure out what to do with the Eyes before Rome—and everyone who lives there—is destroyed. While fans of Rome and Roman mythology will find an enjoyable story, those looking for more may be disappointed. Some disruptions in an otherwise exciting plot stall momentum, though there are still plenty of periods of tension and intensity. Characters come off as two-dimensional and underdeveloped, and while some are intentionally enigmatic, most feel bland. Protagonist Laura ultimately has little agency and seems to rely on others to make decisions and plans for her. Still, readers interested in mythology and looking for action and romance without excessive violence and gore will find something to appreciate. VERDICT For libraries that can't keep myth-based adventures on the shelves.—Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, La Crosse Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

2015-02-16
Teens visiting Rome become embroiled in a battle between ancient gods. Laura loves learning about the ancient world, so her Classics class trip to Rome is a natural for her. But it's even more exciting than she'd expected. Statues and paintings seem to move, and she sees a boy with wings on his feet. Could he be Mercury? Tension mounts when someone tries to steal Laura's bracelet. It holds a star sapphire that her grandfather had found in Rome during World War II. Oddly, she finds in her backpack another stone almost identical to hers. As the story progresses, mayhem develops, starting with a volcanic eruption that blankets the city with ash. Sea gulls attack, while crows seem to be defending the teens. It seems that the ancient Roman gods are still around and still fighting. Laura becomes the epicenter of the battle and soon learns the supernatural importance of her two stones. Morris weaves history and mythology into the story but focuses mostly on action, ratcheting up the violence of the supernatural events. Laura continually comes across as uncertain, finally forcing herself to a snap decision that leads to an exciting battle and the story's climax—but then to a rather anticlimactic ending that doesn't seem to follow through on the novel's potential. A passable supernatural adventure for the summer break. (Paranormal suspense. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews