This sequel does not play nice. Bloodtide is sharp, vicious, and unapologetically queer—like if Red Queen and The Traitor Baru Cormorant had a very angsty, Latin-coded baby. It picks up in a post-Rome empire teetering on collapse, where loyalty gets you killed and rebellion might be the only way out. The politics? Deliciously messy. The characters? Morally gray chaos goblins. And the pacing? Zero chill. Burnham cranks the stakes all the way up, and by the end you’re bleeding emotionally and begging for book three. It’s a brutal, beautiful power struggle with teeth.

Wow. I know I’m already reading this book early, but I need that third book desperately and quickly. Everything — the characters, the plot, the romance, the political intrigue — all of it was so masterfully crafted that I couldn’t look away.

The multiple points of view, like in the first book, truly pulled me in, but I especially loved how the author divided them—allowing us to live with one group, experience their struggles, and then hang on the edge of my seat through that cliffhanger before rushing back to the danger facing the last group. It kept me hooked, flying through every page just to find out what would happen next.

I was utterly captivated learning more about how the Imperium came to be, how the world transformed, and how so much history was erased—like a gravity I couldn’t escape.

I initially loved this book for the romance between Selah and Tair, but Arran and Theo quickly stole my heart. And because of the way the political threads weaved through the story—so compelling and real—I didn’t even mind that the romance was a bit less prominent in this book.

Still, I’m desperately hoping for more in the next book.

There’s something so genuine and powerful in the way this Author writes her characters—like they breathe and live beyond the pages. I honestly can’t wait to see what their stories hold next!