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bak8382's review against another edition
3.0
Four children meet seemly by accident on the 29th of December in Rome. They come from different places and have almost nothing in common except for their birth date, February 29th. That night during a blackout the children go exploring and meet a strange man who gives them a suitcase. It's full of random clues that lead them all over Rome.
This is an enjoyable tale reminiscent of The Mysterious Benedict Society (although not quite as long and with almost no adult supervision). It's not super fast paced, but it does become engrossing at times as the children connect the dots between the clues. There are a few moments where the believability of this tale is compromised (for some reason the adults they meet, including a librarian!, trust them and give them other people's keys and personal possessions), but overall it was an interesting read and left enough questions unanswered that I'll probably read the rest of the series.
This is an enjoyable tale reminiscent of The Mysterious Benedict Society (although not quite as long and with almost no adult supervision). It's not super fast paced, but it does become engrossing at times as the children connect the dots between the clues. There are a few moments where the believability of this tale is compromised (for some reason the adults they meet, including a librarian!, trust them and give them other people's keys and personal possessions), but overall it was an interesting read and left enough questions unanswered that I'll probably read the rest of the series.
roshk99's review against another edition
3.0
This book was slightly unique with a map that links the past with the present. Four children have control over the destiny of the century. An interesting mesh of point of views but without sufficient plot twists.
feeltheread's review against another edition
3.0
Good for Children!! The 4 main characters of the story, who are kids appear to be witty, sharp & quick thinkers - too much for 12 yr kids!! Nice story, writing not that impressive though!!
jasmyn9's review against another edition
3.0
Every hundred years four children are selected to take on the task of ...something. Even after finishing the book I'm not entirely sure what that task is. The four children, Elletra, Harvey, Mistral, and Sheng, find themselves thrown together by the oddest of circumstances. It becomes obvious that these circumstances have been set up to place these four key players in the correct position to begin.
And so it does begin...in Rome. The descriptions of the city were quite nice and my version included a few pages of colored photos of some of the points of interest, which was nice since I do not know much about Rome.
The story itself revolves around the action the four children take once they meet and find themselves in possession of several strange articles. We follow their escapades as they try to solve the mystery of what these items mean and the power they must hold, for a killer has been set on their trail that will stop at nothing to have them. the children are likable but there is very little depth or growth to them. Their journey is filled with accidental findings to help them continue when there were no apparent clues to help them. The books ends with an obvious cliff hanger which I feel inclined to add to my wish list, if only to find out what the task set for the children really is.
And so it does begin...in Rome. The descriptions of the city were quite nice and my version included a few pages of colored photos of some of the points of interest, which was nice since I do not know much about Rome.
The story itself revolves around the action the four children take once they meet and find themselves in possession of several strange articles. We follow their escapades as they try to solve the mystery of what these items mean and the power they must hold, for a killer has been set on their trail that will stop at nothing to have them. the children are likable but there is very little depth or growth to them. Their journey is filled with accidental findings to help them continue when there were no apparent clues to help them. The books ends with an obvious cliff hanger which I feel inclined to add to my wish list, if only to find out what the task set for the children really is.
urania's review against another edition
pomimo rażących wad czytanie tej książki to zabawa 12/10, kocham fabułę, bohaterów i wszystko co związane z historią oraz mitologią
+tłumaczenie jest bardzo śmieszne
✨pustelnik diabeł✨
+tłumaczenie jest bardzo śmieszne
✨pustelnik diabeł✨
evilsak's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5
Strong beginning, mostly recommended for middle-grade
Strong beginning, mostly recommended for middle-grade
lara_bookella's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
La cosa più di questo libro è l’ambientazione: tutti i posti menzionati sono realmente esistenti e avrei voluto prendere un aereo e andare a Roma per poterla visitare con questo libro come guida.
Tra un indizio e l’altro, tra una citazione e l’altra, in questo libro ci sono tante piccole perle di cultura: la storia di Nerone, di Aristotele e di Socrate, le leggende su Roma che brucia, sul mitreo e su Kore Kosmou, su una misteriosa cometa che portò dei Magi in Occidente e che forse sta per tornare…
Il ritmo di questo libro è la cosa che lo rende indimenticabile: è così coinvolgente e incalzante che l’ho letto nel giro di tre giorni. In più, pur essendo il primo di una quadrilogia, non ti lascia quell’amaro in bocca che ti fa dire “e quindi? Davvero non mi dai nessuna risposta?”.
Si tratta di un inizio, sì, ma un inizio così ricco che ti sazia a sufficienza da farti desiderare di divorare il secondo con lo stesso appetito!
Tra un indizio e l’altro, tra una citazione e l’altra, in questo libro ci sono tante piccole perle di cultura: la storia di Nerone, di Aristotele e di Socrate, le leggende su Roma che brucia, sul mitreo e su Kore Kosmou, su una misteriosa cometa che portò dei Magi in Occidente e che forse sta per tornare…
Il ritmo di questo libro è la cosa che lo rende indimenticabile: è così coinvolgente e incalzante che l’ho letto nel giro di tre giorni. In più, pur essendo il primo di una quadrilogia, non ti lascia quell’amaro in bocca che ti fa dire “e quindi? Davvero non mi dai nessuna risposta?”.
Si tratta di un inizio, sì, ma un inizio così ricco che ti sazia a sufficienza da farti desiderare di divorare il secondo con lo stesso appetito!
aylisif's review against another edition
4.5
OMG this book was so good! The characters were unique and interesting. The story is very intriguing and I couldn't put the book down! So sad I can't read the next books because I don't have those! Ugh...
giulia_177's review against another edition
4.0
Il libro ideale per avvicinare pre-adolescenti e adolescenti alla lettura. Io stessa sono rimasta ammaliata dalla costruzione della storia, dal wordbuilding, dai dettagli di ambientazioni e personaggi.
Bello bello bello
Bello bello bello