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indyjg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Having been granted freedom by Pliny, Amara has to now survive life as a freedwoman by remaining in favour with her jealous patron and lover, Rufus, all the while contending with outsmarting and trying to survive Felix's manipulations. Harper does an excellent job of conveying the harsh realities of life for all, especially freedwomen, Roman class systems and the intricacies, and keeping the stakes high, as always. I love Britannica's development within this book despite it being somewhat of a caricature of Celtic women. The ending, while heartbreaking, conveyed how reality does not often offer a fairytale ending for a romance and how alike Amara and Felix are. I originally rated this 3/5 but I feel as though that was rather harsh, so I’ve gone back and changed it to 3.75/5 and bumped it up to 4 for goodreads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Violence