The Eternal City by Paula Morris

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. 

The main thing I liked about The Eternal City was the setting. I've always dreamed of going to Rome so it was a special treat for me to live vicariously through this story. I actually don't know a lot about Roman mythology even though I am a huge fan of mythology in fiction, but luckily I didn't really feel like it was a big deal to know exactly who was who since it was mostly explained in the story. The writing had a simplicity to it that helped me not feel too overwhelmed during all the craziness in the city and the constant battles. 

I understand that this book is aimed more toward a young audience so I tried to keep that in mind but I still think there could have been a little more romance. I appreciated that the romance that was there developed slowly and wasn't  wham bam instant love. But I really didn't feel the chemistry either so that was a bit disappointing. I actually would've liked the story much more if there was maybe a love connection between the main character and Mercury but that didn't even seem an option here. The story behind the gems and the link to Minerva was a nice touch and something I would have liked to see more thoroughly explored.  

Lastly the characters really didn't seem all that likable until close to the end but I did find them interesting enough if there was to ever be a sequel or spin off I'd like to see where they end up ( although I'm pretty sure this one will remain a standalone ). All in all I did like the book I just didn't love it. It is a quick read and would probably be entertaining to those who enjoy YA novels based on mythology. 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. April