About the Book
-
Author:
- Rachel Moore
- Genres:
- Action-Adventure
- Contemporary
- Fantasy
- Voices:
- Cis Girl
- Straight
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: Stone Cold Smooch
BFF Charm: Meh
Talky Talk: Shmindiana Shmones
Bonus Factor: “Archeology”
Relationship Status: Summer Fling
Cover Story: Stone Cold Smooch
While I get the idea of being attracted to statues—some of them are very lifelike—I don’t think I’d want to kiss one. You don’t know where that marble’s been!
The Deal:
Margot Rhodes loves trying new things. Sticking with them, though … She swears this time is different; if she can find the Vase of Venus Aurelia, a famed and elusive artifact from the city of Pompeii that is rumored to bestow favor to whomever pieces it back together, people will love her. Her dad will finally see her.
But the last person to attempt to put the vase back together literally turned to stone. And when Margot stumbles across his journal—then across him—it’ll be a race to the finish to earn Venus’s treasure.
BFF Charm: Meh
Margot is a person who desperately wants to find her “thing,” She’s tried dance, martial arts, even etiquette class, but she never makes it very far into anything before she gives up. She’s seen as being flighty and someone who can’t stick with anything, even by her own father. But Margot wants to be different, and the quest to find the Vase is one that she firmly believes is The One. I feel for her, and I understand the feelings behind quitting, but when we see the thoughts inside her head, she still comes off as overly naive and rash. (If I was the parent of a teenager who ran off to Italy and proceeded to skirt the rules, break the law, and completely disregard authority, I’d be apoplectic.) I wish her all the best, but that doesn’t include a BFF charm from me.
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Margot’s half in love with Van (the aforementioned dude who turned into a statue) before she ever meets him through reading his journal—the impetus for her wild quest. When they do meet, she’s surprised to learn that his personality doesn’t quite match up with the one she knows. At least, at first. He’s standoffish and rude and wants nothing to do with Margot, even though he might want to take her offer of help given that the last time he breathed air was 1932. Regardless, the two enter into a tentative partnership that turns into something more. But does it feel real? To me, it all happens much too quickly.
Talky Talk: Shmindiana Shmones
Margot’s adventures in Italy read a bit like an Indiana Jones plot. She’s visiting tombs, solving puzzles, avoiding statues that come to life, all while making googly eyes at a dashing young man wearing suspenders. Moore’s first acknowledgement in her author’s note is to thank Brendan Frasier (which, yes), so it’s clear that she was inspired by the adventurous architechture quest stories of yore.
“You know, he kind of reminds me of that guy you wrote your application essay about, Margot.”
Her whole body froze. A thin laugh peeled out. She didn’t dare sneak a glance at Van, observing on the sidelines. “What? No way.”
“Actually, I totally see it,” Suki chimed. “He’s got that Rick O’Connell thing going for him.”
Rex scoffed. “No one but you watches those old movies, Suki.”
Reader, I died a bit at Rex’s comment. But he’s a doofus, so I was able to get past the blow to my ego pretty quickly.
Ed. note: I pulled this quote from an advanced review copy; the final text might be different.
Bonus Factor: “Archeology”
Although Margot’s admittedly not great at the actual practice of archeology, and spends much of the book traipsing through ruins without much care for the pricelessness of the places—and then there’s the fact that statues come to life and crash about the places, too—there’s a love of the ancient that shines through the story. And much like Indiana Jones, who also has a relative disregard for the actual practices of archeology/study of ancient civilizations, there’s a level of destruction that inherently comes with treasure hunting.
Relationship Status: Summer Fling
Our adventure together in Italy was memorable, Book, but it won’t be going down in in the history books. Was it fun while it lasted? Sure. But, much like the ruins we desecrated, it’ll quickly become ancient history.
Literary Matchmaking
Caitlin Schneiderhan’s Medici Heist is an adventure novel set in Italy, but this time in the 1500s.
Colleen Gleason’s The Clockwork Scarab is another “adventure with ancient artifacts” book.
And if you want more gods and goddesses from your mythology, try Rachel Smythe’s Lore: Olympus.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Us in Ruins is available now.
