Bloodtide

Ex Romana, Book 2

The fate of the empire hangs in the balance in the second installment of the genre-bending Ex Romana trilogy

Perfect for fans of Saara El-Arifi and C. L. Clark and stories with strong, queer voices, this is a speculative imagining of a world on the brink of revolution. Here, Rome never fell, but the apocalypse is coming—if it hasn't arrived already

Cracks are forming in the empire’s facade.

In the wake of startling revelations and personal betrayals, Tair finds herself the Iveroa Stone's new custodian as she embarks on a battle for Luxana's streets. As the fallout of the fighting pit massacre leads to a rise in legionary crackdowns and vigilante justice, Tair is determined to find a better path forward for Sargassa’s future. Up in the Imperial Archives, meanwhile, Selah tries to make sense of her family’s tangled history within the Imperium's shadowed beginnings.

Elsewhere, in the far-flung reaches of Roma Sargassa's badlands, Arran and Theo undertake a covert mission for the Revenants, one that could tip the scales between victory and defeat in Griff's upcoming war. But long-laid plans and careful maneuvering are nothing compared to the forces of nature, and Sargassa's future might just be determined by the coming storm.

©2025 Sophie Burnham (P)2025 Recorded Books

Good historical fiction

I really like how the characters are well developed and how they are interconnected. It’s a thick read with topics of gender, classism, caste system, oppression and revolution. Would recommend if you like historical context, the oppressed fighting for freedom and a little bit of love stories sprinkled in.