This book pulls you into a messy, complicated world where grief and politics collide. Admiral Anita isn’t a perfect hero, which makes her story feel real. The sci-fi setting is vivid without overshadowing the emotional core.

This book was amazing. This series is a retelling of Caesar and Cleopatra and Antony and Cleopatra in the far future with some gender bending. In this work we pick up after the Liberators war and carry on until the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra. At stake here is that the last of Caesars assassins is hiding in this universe's equivalent of Persia. Going after him will cause a diplomatic incident. Also, the Octavian character is building up his power. Our protagonist wants to keep the peace, but maybe it's not worth keeping.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved The Archive Undying so much and was super excited for The Sea Eternal, though I admit I did myself a little dirty by not rereading that one before picking this up. The Sea Eternal takes place six months after the Archive Undying, which is a book I read in November 2022. Oops.

Regardless, I really enjoyed Robin’s world and politicking, and while this book is quite dense it’s still very enjoyable. I liked how this felt like a genre-bender, a neat little mix of science fiction, fantasy, and political fiction. I think this was more plot-heavy and focused less on the interority of the characters, which works for the time period being retold (also this book makes me want to go on a history deep dive, so props to Robin for making my little STEM brain want to go explore ancient history!). Robin’s written an impressive book, and while I did find myself getting lost while reading at times, I see myself re-reading this and finding new things to poke at. They’ve done and excellent job at crafting this series and while I do have to work for it a little harder than I’m used to, it’s undoubtedly worth it.

Emery Robin needs to be talked about more.

This is the second book in the Empire Without End duology and it really demands your attention. The first installment, The Stars Undying, was a favorite read of mine. This is not a book to read lightly, the prose is gorgeous and the characters are so very rich and have a lot of depth. The scope of the book is massive as it is a space opera, and for those who may not know, Robin has essentially written this duology as a reimagining of the historical story of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. Think Greek Tragedy, in space, with queer characters, and really cool tech. I loved it.

Following the events of the first book we know Anita and Altagracia explore more of their relationship (professional and romantic) while political unrest and power grabs continue. The story explores what it really means to be immortal, power dynamics, imperialism, and one's identity. I think there is enough mystery and twists to keep readers engaged and the annotators of this world will have a field day with Robin's writing. Looking forward to their future works.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me this advanced reader copy for review.

What a fantastic contunuation and complement to the Stars Undying. Really makes me want to set aside a good week of my time and slowly reread them side by side. Emery Robin has an uncanny talent to talk about matters that are ancient classical history in the wrapper of a sexy scifi opera, but do that in a way that elevates both genres by letting it be both things at the same time. Anita's POV was very different to the dual lens of Cierran and Garcia that narrated the first book - it is both more dashing and more lonesome. It is a fantastic duology overall, very chewy, very poetic and assured in what it is doing, and it's a delight to read. Highly recommend.

I love a good political sci-fi/fantasy book, and this one has a lot of it. It's less science fiction than the cover and genre suggests, but more than the first book had.

A Cosmic Saga of Revenge, Love, and Galactic Intrigue

The Sea Eternal by Emery Robin is a breathtaking and beautifully crafted space opera that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. A stunning mix of political intrigue, rich world-building, and deeply human emotions, this book weaves a complex tapestry of empire, love, and the weight of history.

At the heart of this sprawling story is Anita, a fierce and loyal captain seeking vengeance for the murder of her commander, Matheus Ceirran. Her journey across galaxies and borders is a thrilling blend of revenge and self-discovery, as she uncovers dangerous secrets that could reshape the very fabric of the known universe. Robin’s characterization of Anita is compelling—she’s driven, conflicted, and emotionally raw. Her struggle between duty, love, and her thirst for revenge is the emotional core of the story, and I found myself invested in her journey every step of the way.

Equally fascinating is the rise of Otávio Julhan, the heir to Ceirran’s empire, whose growing power in the capital adds an additional layer of tension to an already volatile political landscape. The dynamics between the characters—Anita’s internal battle, her relationship with Altagracia, and Otávio’s own personal and political struggles—are expertly written and give the book a richness that few space operas can match.

What I truly loved about The Sea Eternal is how Robin blends mythology with political drama in a way that feels both timeless and relevant. The secrets that Anita uncovers aren’t just threats to individual lives but to entire empires, making the stakes feel so much higher. The writing is lush, atmospheric, and immersive. Whether you’re sailing through space or navigating the intricacies of power, the world-building is so vivid that you can practically feel the weight of the stars above you.

Robin’s exploration of love, especially in a setting so fraught with political tension, is beautifully handled. Anita and Altagracia’s love affair feels real and earned, adding depth to a narrative already brimming with emotional stakes. This is a space opera that doesn’t just focus on explosions and political coups—it centers on what drives people: love, loss, and the constant search for meaning in a world on the edge of war.

The Sea Eternal is an unforgettable journey that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. This book is everything fans of sweeping, epic science fiction could hope for—and then some.

Thank you to NetGalley and Emery Robin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

After reading book one, I must admit that I was rather giddy to jump straight into this one. It felt a bit harder to get into - possibly due to it truly feeling like a political fantasy moreso than scifi. I loved the first book for its complexity and how interesting the characters worked together, and just the beauty of being able to see how Gracia and Ana ended up. This book seemed to focus much more on the other stuff - chaos, fighting, and the list goes on.

I never felt the connection that I had in Book #1, this one bored me and was so much harder to get through. I was really disappointed as I expected a different story than the one that this turned out to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a highly anticipated sequel for me after reading The Stars Undying a few years ago, and I feel about the same about this book as I did for the first book. They're both very strong 4 stars. It did take me a few chapters to be excited about the POV we were following because it was different that the first book, and I think that really lowered my enjoyment of this. I reread the first book in anticipation of this and I grew attached the the character(s) we followed in that book and I was pretty disappointed that we were following new character(s), but I think that was just a personal thing and not a fault of the book. This book is also definitely much more politic heavy than the first book! That has always been a complaint of mine so I was happy to learn more about the politics, the worlds, and how the pearl works! While I was still invested in the story, it felt like it dragged a little bit in the middle and I was struggling with the ambition to pick it up. Overall, I had a great time and I would absolutely read more from this author in the future!

The Sea Eternal picks up roughly six months after the end of 'The Stars Undying' following the assassination of Matheus Cierran. Anita Decretan and Matheus's heir Otavio have divided the empire between them after hunting down Matheus's assassins. Anita spends her time romancing Queen Altagracia Caviro of Szayet and ignoring the power shifts happening at home. She is forced to fight a new war when she discovers a horrible secret regarding the quicksilver pearl while on a mission to kill the last of Matheus's assassins. What will happen to the Ceian empire and the galaxy should this secret get out?

I have to say that this book was an immense improvement on the previous installment. Anita made for a much more interesting POV character as her struggles are so much more compelling. (And she's just entertaining? Like oh shit what is she going to do now?!) That being said, I do think the book would have benefited from still having Gracia's POV chapters. As much as I loved the introduction of the Virgil character and her romance with Gracia's sister, Gracia is such an important part of the story and Anita's character arc that we needed to see more of her.

Additionally, the mechanics of quicksilver pearl should have been expanded upon further in the first book in order to set up the events of this book. It almost seemed like the introduction of the 'Terrestrial Intelligence' came out of nowhere particularly as there was no previous indication that the Kutayeti empire had any claim on Alekso and his work with quicksilver pearl. Even within "The Sea Eternal' I felt that the science involving the quicksilver pearl and the Black Maw were not explained well enough for the events of the plot to make sense. (Again I feel like I missed something from the first book as when did we get any background on the Black Maw and its time altering effects? It felt like a random addition to make the plot happen).

That being said, I did really enjoy this book and how it was constructed. Robin does play with time and the order of events happening very well. The various notes and letters between the chapters hinting at what is going to happen was brilliant. Even though I know how the story ends as its based on events in our world, I still felt a profound sense of sadness with the final events of the book. Robin managed to get me to deeply feel for these characters (particularly Anita) and it did break my heart a little to see them lose everything. Although this was Anita's story. I do wish we had gotten more of Virgillia and the reflections on losing touch with your culture and your people.

I would definitely read more of Emery Robin as I can only see their writing getting better and better.

Reviews going live on Goodreads/Storygraph/Fable, Amazon/B&N and Tiktok on 3/21.

The Sea Eternal is the final book in the Empire Without End duology. This book picks up immediately after the events of The Stars Undying. This series has very interesting political dynamics. The characters are complex and often flawed. I really enjoyed The Stars Undying and was looking forward to reading this book. I do wish I would have had the chance to reread the first book because I did find myself slightly confused in some places. I plan on doing a reread of the full duology soon on audio. Emery Robin is such an interesting writer and I look forward to seeing what they do next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Matheus Ceirran is dead. Factions have devastated parts of Ceiao politically, and Anita, the once proud admiral spends her nights drinking and sleeping with Altagracia, queen of Szayet, and former lover of Ceirran. In some ways, The Sea Eternal feels like it is picking up exactly where The Stars Undying left off, with dangerous political alliances and even more dangerous liaisons. And yet, the book took interesting turns I wasn't expecting, making it somehow more poignant and less emotional at the same time. Emery Robin is playing with concepts of memory and immortality, continuing with those threads from their first book, but taking it further, and adding fractured timelines and split narratives. The Stars Undying is dual POV from Ceirran and Altagracia's perspectives. The Sea Eternal is single POV from Anita/Ann's perspective, but told within a frame story by the poet V.

I really enjoyed this duology a lot. I think The Sea Eternal is a book I could love more on a second read. Robin has layered such complexity to this story, characters, and worldbuilding that even while fascinated by the book, I felt I missed a lot on this first read. The structure of the novel worked really well for me - I'm a sucker for a good frame story. That said, to anyone listening to the book, while V's commentary uses a different narrator, the transitions were conceptually difficult to place occasionally, until I figured out Robin's approach.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. The Sea Eternal was an absolutely amazing follow up to The Stars Undying. The politics are just handled SO well, and the parallels drawn to real events were completed flawlessly. I love the authors use of description, and character development, and can't wait to get my hands on the finished copy of this one!

I'm glad I was able to read the books back to back. That helped a little bit, but I felt like the historical references went right over my head due to my lack of historical knowledge. Sometimes the writing was hard to follow, and maybe that's what made this book feel a little too long.

I wanted to like it but there was just a total disconnect. I couldn't understand what was going on or the characters.

For me, this entry in the series lost a bit of its magic.

Where The Stars Undying was very character-driven, with so much soul and charm because of it, The Sea Eternal seems to get lost in its own plot a bit. There's nothing wrong with a sweeping, ambitious plot -- especially for a second-in-series entry -- but when it's this confusing, and this far removed from its emotional stakes... it just doesn't work.

This is especially true when we're shifting between first-person perspectives -- there needs to be an emotional connection between that character and the plot. This felt like the plot was railroading everything. Leaving no room for the characters to breathe, react to the things that were happening, be changed by them or each other. What we did get of this seemed really disconnected from the rest of the narrative -- like those moments were just being accounted for, to exist, instead of working as one with the plot and greater themes.

That lack of chemistry between the critical parts of the narrative left me feeling more frustrated than anything, and a bit exhausted. I kept trying to give it the benefit of the doubt that it would come full circle, but it just didn't stick the landing, for me.

I adored The Stars Undying back in 2022, and I’ve eagerly been awaiting the sequel! As soon as I saw this ARC up for request, I dropped everything to do a reread of the first book before diving into this one. The Sea Eternal was altogether a very different beast of a book from its predecessor, but altogether an enjoyable read.

This review contains spoilers for book one.

If you didn’t know, The Stars Undying is a retelling of Cleopatra (Gracia) and Julius Caesar (Matheus) in space. The Sea Eternal continues the story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony (Ana) — but honestly focuses much much more on Ana’s character. The first book was this complex character-driven story that switched between two different points-of-view, both of them unreliable narrators. It made for such an engrossing story, how you know both characters are more trying to convince you of their side of a story rather than telling you what happened. That’s mainly why I loved the first book so much: the writing and the way it compels you from start to finish.

This sequel is much more plot-driven and mainly follows Ana’s point-of-view, with interspersed chapters written by a historian in the near future who is piecing together this story of political balances and betrayal. The plot also goes hard on the science fiction of it all, in a way that I was not really expecting and not completely sure I enjoyed…It was interesting enough, but honestly got really confusing at times and made the pacing really inconsistent because it would pick up, then slow down really abruptly, then pick up for a few chapters and so on.

I can’t really get into the plot otherwise because it would require a lot of spoiler-y explanations. Basically Ana crosses empire lines chasing the last of Ceirran’s killers; in doing so, she stumbles across a new technology that will change the world. Meanwhile, her co-emperor is trying to put her on a leash —and when that doesn’t work, try to overthrow her in the court of public opinion.

As much as Gracia still plays a major role in the plot, we don’t get to see her as much as I would have liked. Mainly I wanted to see more of her dynamic with Ana. I mean, we do get a lot of scenes of them together, but again I think I was really anticipating the level of complexity in terms of character dynamics as in the first book, and that wasn’t really here.

Don’t get me wrong, I did still enjoy this book! I think I was just expecting a very different story and ended up being disappointed that it ended up being different than what I wanted. I did like the writing overall, even if there were confusing scenes, and it was interesting to see how this author is able to cultivate such different stories with different tones. I’m excited to see what Robin writes next.

I really was so excited for this book! Mostly the relationship between Ana and Gracia is what I was most looking forward to. But this book just didn't quite hit like I thought it was going to. It wasn't terrible! I just didn't feel we got the relationship between Ana and Gracia that I was looking for. I also don't thin I'm smart enough to say I fully understood this story, but that's a personal issue! That being said, this does absolutely SLAM at the character driven story with some action/fights/battles thrown it. I still encourage people to read the series if you like political intrigue type of stories.

The Sea Eternal dragged a lot more compared to The Stars Undying. It felt a little too long, in my opinion. I had been really hoping for more time with Altagracia's incredibly complicated character, but to my surprise Anita is the main POV character in this book. I loved the ending, but the middle left a lot to be desired and felt like mostly filler.

RIYL: Roman history, beautiful prose, melodramatic romance

This review contains spoilers for the first book in the duology, The Stars Undying, but only spoilers that reference the widely-known real life historical analogues to its story and characters

The Stars Undying and The Sea Eternal make up the Empire Without End duology by Emery Robin, a re-imagining of the fall of the Roman Republic told in the guise of a science fiction space opera. The first book, The Stars Undying, is told from the perspective of Altagracia, the Cleopatra analogue, as she fights to win back her position as leader of Syazet (Egypt) and heir to the voice of the AI god Alekso (Alexander the Great), from her treacherous sister. When the Empire of Ceiao (Rome) arrives at her doorstep, she attempts to seduce and ally herself with its famous commander, Matheus Ceirran (Julius Caesar) and his loyal and violent lieutenant Anita (Mark Antony), all while Ceirran’s ambitious young nephew Otávio Julhan (Octavian) plots and schemes in the shadows. The second book, The Sea Eternal - and the book I’m reviewing here primarily because I’ve received an Advanced Review Copy - is told from the perspective of Anita, and tells of her epic romance with Altagracia and their efforts to wage war against Otávio in a retelling of Antony & Cleopatra.

While there are exciting set-pieces and sci-fi tech paraphernalia, these books wear their space opera costume only lightly, aspiring for something closer to a literary character study of a few important historical and mythic figures. The prose is gorgeous and the characters are vividly rendered - I highlighted more beautiful quotes on my eReader for The Sea Eternal than I have for any other book I’ve read lately. This focus on interiority keeps the book’s attention firmly on its few main characters and their relationships to each other, to the Empire, and to history, rather than on the more usual space opera fare of starships and wars. Those are happening in the background, as moments that bring Anita and Altagracia together or pull them apart. Those readers looking for fast-paced action and battles should look elsewhere, but if you’re compelled by operatic romance, political machinations, and a sweeping, poetic examination of immortality and legacy, you’ll find a lot to like here.

Altagracia and Anita are great characters, archetypes twisted enough through modern lenses as to feel familiar and yet still rare anomalies. Altagracia embodies more traditional feminine models of leadership; she knows exactly what to say at any given time, drapers herself in beauty and allure, seduces and manipulates to get what she wants. Anita, as the Mark Antony, is your traditional forthright and masculine soldier, wanting only to follow someone worthy, have fun and get laid, and bury any emotional or ethical complications deep down where she never has to think of them. Though here, those traits make her one of the coolest butches in modern SFF, and yet another instance of one my personal writing beliefs: take any traditionally masculine character archetype and make him a butch woman and you’ve immediately got a rarer and more unique character.

The Sea Eternal in particular is utterly obsessed with immortality in all its various meanings, from sci-fi mind uploads to the historical immortality that Julius Caesar won: when your name is used throughout the world as synonym for King, it’s hard for you to have been any more immortal. But what is the cost of such immortality? Is it worth being remembered if no one you love, no one who actually knew you, carries on the legacy of your name? If you become a caricature of yourself, a vague outline that was once a real human, a Caesar salad, by what meaningful description are you actually immortal? And if through some technological advancement or literal magic, you could live on forever in isolation, wouldn’t it drive you mad, not being a person like everyone else anymore?

These books are an impressive one-two punch of a debut from Emery Robin, and I’ll definitely check out whatever they come up with next. The writing here is exquisite, though I think this duology’s focus on the huge, sweeping legendary form of romance left me not quite as enthralled by its central couples as the book seems to want from its readers. This may have also been impacted by the time spent between me reading these books, as The Sea Eternal expects you to not only remember the plot of The Stars Undying, but to remain in the same emotional space you had upon finishing it. Its also hard for someone who knows the basic sweep of the book’s historical touchstone to not see the real figures behind the scifi names and guises. Can you see Altagracia as someone besides Cleopatra? Though I’m not sure if Robin wants you to.

The Sea Eternal is a fitting capstone to the duology and a shining example of how scifi can be literary, of how the set dressing of spaceships and AI can serve to highlight character and prose and theme rather than overwhelm it. My own personal taste with space opera, however, is maybe more a balance between the literary and the genre modes; sometimes I felt like the book was skipping over exciting and interesting plot to stay locked into its characters heads. Regardless, I’m glad these books exist, and hopefully they inspire more writers to not necessarily draw so obviously from history, but instead to allow their characters more space to be and to think and to feel and to love at the expense of more fighting.

The Sea Eternal is set to publish on March 11, 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.