This is the kind of world-building I love to see in fantasy stories. The level of detail spent to build the history of this world and map out how the world got to where it is in the present time is extraordinary. This will be your new Roman Empire.

I love all of the POVs that we get in this story and can appreciate how all of their individual plot lines weave together. The amount of dramatic irony is so impressive, but I don’t think it reaches the excessive of the wealthy Roma elites. The story between Saleh and Tair is so beautiful and painful to watch and I am heavily rooting for them in future installments of the Ex Romana series!

There were so many poignant quotes and such great commentary on society, history, and memory of the people in the society.

“We’re…doomed to repeat the mistakes we don’t remember.”

“There’s no such thing as good people and bad, just the circumstances you’re given and what you choose to do with them.”

If you loved the world of The Will of the Many, you’re going to devour Sargassa. This is a very bingeable read that you may want to purposefully sit with longer to soak up the emotion, the message, and the vibes. I know I did and I loved it so much more for that.

Thank you to @DAWBooks and the author for this ARC! All thoughts are my own.

Set in a contemporary North America where the Roman Empire never fell, Sargassa follows five very different characters. Selah is 22-years-old and following the assassination of her father, she is now the head of her family and one of the most important people in Roma. Her father leaves express instructions for two items - a mysterious item known as the Iveroa Stone and an atlas which bears no resemblance to the known geography - to make their way into Selah’s hands and little does she know how much it will completely change her life. She will need the help of friends new and old to unravel the mystery.

This was one of those books that I didn’t realise was a 5 star read as I was reading it but the more that I thought about it, the more I realised just how smart and unique it was. I was utterly blown away by the attention to detail that Burnham has brought to bringing this story to life as well as crafting believable characters that don’t necessarily fit neatly into genre archetypes. I really appreciated that these characters messed-up and there was no deus ex machina that made things okay, they just had to live with the consequences of those mistakes. Selah likes to believe that she is enlightened and witnessing the injustices that her brother and her childhood crush experienced has changed her but ultimately the place that she is in the start of the book is someone who has a lot of privilege and sees a truth that is convenient and comfortable for her.
As much as I hated Darius, I recognised how authentic he was in his outlook to the world. Beyond being necessary to the plot as his actions had a direct impact upon the other four POVs, he perspective provided much-needed insight into the thought processes of a pleb who is doing what they can to have the best life for themselves within the restraints of society. Darius is somewhat holier-than-thou and he holds some really disgusting views but he was a fascinating perspective.

My jaw was on the floor as we got to the end of the book and the reveals occurred. I was actually astounded at the sleight of hand that Burnham carried-out.

I am so excited to see where this story goes.

OMG why aren't more people talking about this book? It was so good and the plot twist at the end? I didn't see any of this coming. This book is so well written and a great look as to why we need to pay attention to what is going on in this world.

This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!