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Empire Without End #2
The Sea Eternal
"Wherever Emery Robin goes from here, I'm going to follow." —Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author
From one of the most original voices in science fiction comes the spectacular sequel to the epic, interstellar love story that began in The Stars Undying.
Goddess, tell me the story.
Matheus Ceirran, commander of half the known world, is dead. For the past year, his loyal captain Anita has hunted down his assassins—that is, when she can pull herself from the bed of Altagracia Caviro Patramata, queen and oracle of the client planet of Szayet. But when Anita’s quest for revenge takes her across the borders of an enigmatic neighboring empire, she uncovers a dangerous secret that could upend the fragile balance of the galaxy.
Meanwhile, Ceirran’s heir apparent Otávio Julhan grows more and more powerful in the capital that Anita has left behind. Caught between home, Szayet, and a new and greater threat, Anita finds herself at the center of a war that threatens to collapse her world.
The fate of empires dances on the tip of a knife, and history will be written by the victors in this sweeping tale of myth, imperial legacy, and the love affair of a lifetime.
Praise for the Empire Without
"Dazzling, transportive, boundless, precise—and dares to ask, what if Mark Antony was the hottest butch girl in space?" —Casey McQuiston
"Gorgeously written, impeccably characterized, and profoundly aware of the way the ghosts of history linger." —Emily Tesh
"A glittering triumph of a book that weaves together history and tragedy into a star-spanning epic." —Everina Maxwell
From one of the most original voices in science fiction comes the spectacular sequel to the epic, interstellar love story that began in The Stars Undying.
Goddess, tell me the story.
Matheus Ceirran, commander of half the known world, is dead. For the past year, his loyal captain Anita has hunted down his assassins—that is, when she can pull herself from the bed of Altagracia Caviro Patramata, queen and oracle of the client planet of Szayet. But when Anita’s quest for revenge takes her across the borders of an enigmatic neighboring empire, she uncovers a dangerous secret that could upend the fragile balance of the galaxy.
Meanwhile, Ceirran’s heir apparent Otávio Julhan grows more and more powerful in the capital that Anita has left behind. Caught between home, Szayet, and a new and greater threat, Anita finds herself at the center of a war that threatens to collapse her world.
The fate of empires dances on the tip of a knife, and history will be written by the victors in this sweeping tale of myth, imperial legacy, and the love affair of a lifetime.
Praise for the Empire Without
"Dazzling, transportive, boundless, precise—and dares to ask, what if Mark Antony was the hottest butch girl in space?" —Casey McQuiston
"Gorgeously written, impeccably characterized, and profoundly aware of the way the ghosts of history linger." —Emily Tesh
"A glittering triumph of a book that weaves together history and tragedy into a star-spanning epic." —Everina Maxwell
512 pages, Paperback
First published March 11, 2025
16 people are currently reading
652 people want to read
About the author
Emery Robin
2 books130 followersEmery Robin is a paralegal, recovering Californian, and sometime student of propaganda and art history living in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 23, 2025
”Perhaps I was wrong,” she said. “Perhaps stories don’t keep people alive. Perhaps it is things that are mortal, and people who keep them alive, by remembering.”
Wow. Utterly and emphatically: wow. Emery Robin, leave some brain capacity for the rest of us, would you?
This book had some high expectations to live up to, and I honestly think it exceeded them. I fell head over heels for the first book of this series with all its riveting twists, political intrigue, and brilliant character dynamics, and have spent the past two and a half years building up the hype for this sequel in hopes that it would top the first.
And I won’t lie, I was worried that this book wouldn’t rise to the task. Especially while reading the first half. I actually don’t know anyone who has picked up this book (myself included) who has not temporarily DNF’d this book at some point while reading the first half of it. It was hard to get into, it was slow-paced, it was disorienting, I felt overwhelmed by the back-and-forth POVs and narration style, and honestly I missed the snarky sarcastic narration that compelled me through the first book. It was dragging and I was struggling.
HOWEVER. Oh my god, the payoff. Looking back, I actually can’t say this book actually dragged or struggled, it’s just that I didn’t know what I was being handed. In that way, it is much like another sequel that was slow-paced, disorienting, that flipped back-and-forth in narrative style, and that I struggled through because I was missing the snarky sarcastic narration of the main character of the first book. And like Harrow the Ninth, by the end of the book, I was utterly obsessed and had so much more appreciation for all the set up.
I didn’t think it would be possible to become even more in love with this series, but I am enamored and devoted. Emery Robin has expanded the scope of this duology in such a masterful and profound way. The first book had such a lovely relationship with its source material, giving winks to history buffs and Shakespeare nerds, braiding together truth and fiction into a lovely book about legacy and power. But this book has zoomed so far out, weaving layers upon layers of history and literary references, creating a tapestry that showcases the lineage of a singular thread of historical context through its many descendants. This book is about the way a name is a memory is a story is a history is a legacy is an empire, the way a singular idea or person can become the foundation by which cities and worlds and generations are founded on. And most importantly, the way that these stories allow a collapsing of time, so that people worlds or centuries apart find themselves in conversation with each other through the voices that keep these stories alive, even after those voices are no longer alive.
This was truly just an awe-inspiring piece of literature. No matter how many times I found myself once again floored or gasping or baffled by their genius, Emery Robin refused to stop upping the ante each chapter after the next. I could barely fathom the magnitude of scope at play here.
And once again, just because I think I’ll be the only one to mention it: like the first book, this was surprisingly and touchingly Jewish in its most sacred and soft moments. It hit home.
I do understand why this book might not be for everyone. Like I said, I had to put it down for a bit myself. And I will say, it helped a LOT once I started annotating. (Which felt appropriate, considering this book’s thematic exploration of the lives of narratives through many hands and many generations and perspectives.) It is definitely a book that requires locking in and active engagement. (And quite a bit of flipping back and forth going “WAIT WHERE WAS THAT SCENE AGAIN I THINK I KNOW SOMETHING!!”)
But frankly, holy shit. Profound, mind-boggling, smart beyond belief. I am absolutely a disciple of this duology. Emery Robin, thanks for showing me the road down into your country, and I am so happy to be a part of your empire without end.
”I can’t be in a past that never happened,” I said.
“Perhaps not…But history isn’t the past, is it?”
“What is it, then?” I said.
“Memories,” she said.
Thank you SO much to the publisher for sending me a copy of the first book and of this sequel in exchange for my honest review.
CW: death, suicide, character death, poison, blood & gore, violence, imprisonment, injury detail, alcoholism (past), alcohol, sexual content (not graphic), human experimentation, racism/xenophobia, war, grief, death of sibling, death of loved one, decapitation, kidnapping
Wow. Utterly and emphatically: wow. Emery Robin, leave some brain capacity for the rest of us, would you?
This book had some high expectations to live up to, and I honestly think it exceeded them. I fell head over heels for the first book of this series with all its riveting twists, political intrigue, and brilliant character dynamics, and have spent the past two and a half years building up the hype for this sequel in hopes that it would top the first.
And I won’t lie, I was worried that this book wouldn’t rise to the task. Especially while reading the first half. I actually don’t know anyone who has picked up this book (myself included) who has not temporarily DNF’d this book at some point while reading the first half of it. It was hard to get into, it was slow-paced, it was disorienting, I felt overwhelmed by the back-and-forth POVs and narration style, and honestly I missed the snarky sarcastic narration that compelled me through the first book. It was dragging and I was struggling.
HOWEVER. Oh my god, the payoff. Looking back, I actually can’t say this book actually dragged or struggled, it’s just that I didn’t know what I was being handed. In that way, it is much like another sequel that was slow-paced, disorienting, that flipped back-and-forth in narrative style, and that I struggled through because I was missing the snarky sarcastic narration of the main character of the first book. And like Harrow the Ninth, by the end of the book, I was utterly obsessed and had so much more appreciation for all the set up.
I didn’t think it would be possible to become even more in love with this series, but I am enamored and devoted. Emery Robin has expanded the scope of this duology in such a masterful and profound way. The first book had such a lovely relationship with its source material, giving winks to history buffs and Shakespeare nerds, braiding together truth and fiction into a lovely book about legacy and power. But this book has zoomed so far out, weaving layers upon layers of history and literary references, creating a tapestry that showcases the lineage of a singular thread of historical context through its many descendants. This book is about the way a name is a memory is a story is a history is a legacy is an empire, the way a singular idea or person can become the foundation by which cities and worlds and generations are founded on. And most importantly, the way that these stories allow a collapsing of time, so that people worlds or centuries apart find themselves in conversation with each other through the voices that keep these stories alive, even after those voices are no longer alive.
This was truly just an awe-inspiring piece of literature. No matter how many times I found myself once again floored or gasping or baffled by their genius, Emery Robin refused to stop upping the ante each chapter after the next. I could barely fathom the magnitude of scope at play here.
And once again, just because I think I’ll be the only one to mention it: like the first book, this was surprisingly and touchingly Jewish in its most sacred and soft moments. It hit home.
I do understand why this book might not be for everyone. Like I said, I had to put it down for a bit myself. And I will say, it helped a LOT once I started annotating. (Which felt appropriate, considering this book’s thematic exploration of the lives of narratives through many hands and many generations and perspectives.) It is definitely a book that requires locking in and active engagement. (And quite a bit of flipping back and forth going “WAIT WHERE WAS THAT SCENE AGAIN I THINK I KNOW SOMETHING!!”)
But frankly, holy shit. Profound, mind-boggling, smart beyond belief. I am absolutely a disciple of this duology. Emery Robin, thanks for showing me the road down into your country, and I am so happy to be a part of your empire without end.
”I can’t be in a past that never happened,” I said.
“Perhaps not…But history isn’t the past, is it?”
“What is it, then?” I said.
“Memories,” she said.
Thank you SO much to the publisher for sending me a copy of the first book and of this sequel in exchange for my honest review.
CW: death, suicide, character death, poison, blood & gore, violence, imprisonment, injury detail, alcoholism (past), alcohol, sexual content (not graphic), human experimentation, racism/xenophobia, war, grief, death of sibling, death of loved one, decapitation, kidnapping
June 22, 2025
phenomenal in scope, in ambition, in talent. so much deeper and more complex than its predecessor both in terms of content & form - kind of reminded me of harrow the ninth in that respect (& also on that note i thought the kutayeti settings had a real canaan house vibe to them - anyone else? just me? ok!)
also v bold to almost completely sideline altagracia considering how much her pov anchors the stars undying (and the other pov character from that book being uhhh how you say….. Dead as fuck) but honestly as much as i loved her i liked anita and arcelia even more, anita for the gideon nav of it all and arcelia because she’s just 8000 negative emotions in the approximate shape of a human being, and! that’s! valid!
what this DOES with the themes of divinity, sovereignty, empire, diaspora, love, devotion! what it does with history! i mean: ENEIDA??? quite frankly i never want to read another retelling of any story absolutely everyone knows unless every aspect of it is engaged with on the level that emery robin manages here and to be perfectly honest i don’t know if anyone else has the sauce!!!
loved the literal ‘in this essay i will’ at the very end also. 10/10! no notes!
also v bold to almost completely sideline altagracia considering how much her pov anchors the stars undying (and the other pov character from that book being uhhh how you say….. Dead as fuck) but honestly as much as i loved her i liked anita and arcelia even more, anita for the gideon nav of it all and arcelia because she’s just 8000 negative emotions in the approximate shape of a human being, and! that’s! valid!
what this DOES with the themes of divinity, sovereignty, empire, diaspora, love, devotion! what it does with history! i mean: ENEIDA??? quite frankly i never want to read another retelling of any story absolutely everyone knows unless every aspect of it is engaged with on the level that emery robin manages here and to be perfectly honest i don’t know if anyone else has the sauce!!!
loved the literal ‘in this essay i will’ at the very end also. 10/10! no notes!
March 2, 2025
3.5 Stars
After enjoying the first book in the series, I was interested to continue on with this sequel. As a piece of dense political fiction, I wish I could have read the books back to back because I felt the gap worked against my enjoyment.
While this is technically science fiction, I feel this one reads more like a political fantasy. The story better scratched my itch for those kinds of stories.
This series is inspired by ancient Egypt and Rome. As someone with only a basic understanding of that period of history, the connection to this fictional work went over my head. I certainly enjoyed aspects of this book but I felt a gap that held me back from really loving it.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
After enjoying the first book in the series, I was interested to continue on with this sequel. As a piece of dense political fiction, I wish I could have read the books back to back because I felt the gap worked against my enjoyment.
While this is technically science fiction, I feel this one reads more like a political fantasy. The story better scratched my itch for those kinds of stories.
This series is inspired by ancient Egypt and Rome. As someone with only a basic understanding of that period of history, the connection to this fictional work went over my head. I certainly enjoyed aspects of this book but I felt a gap that held me back from really loving it.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
April 24, 2025
Well, this was a massive disappointment.
Everything I loved about the first book--its interiority, its intricate character dynamics--is missing here. Or not exactly missing, but just so completely and utterly overshadowed by the sheer amount of convoluted plot there is to wade through. Listen, I love a complex plot that makes me work to figure it out, but I feel like I worked and worked and worked and had little to show for it by the end of this book. There is a fine line between complex and convoluted, intriguing and confusing, and this novel was very firmly in the latter camp for me. It was simply too much. Characters, plotlines, themes, worldbuilding--it was nonstop, and it was overwhelming, and it barely left us or the characters time to process any of it. (There are some truly crazy things that happen in this book, and I don’t mean that in a good way…)
What I wanted was to get back to what made the first book so brilliant: the nuanced, tense, and endlessly interesting character dynamics + I was especially looking forward to seeing what kind of dynamic Ana and Gracia would have after the events of book one. (“Looking forward to” is an understatement–I was incredibly excited for it, dying to see what it would be like.) But the reality is that it is just so sorely lacking in this novel. These intricate character dynamic scenes are set aside in favour of plot happenings, fights, chases, exposition, side narratives--the list goes on. The Ana-Gracia dynamic is a cornerstone of the story, and yet the story gives it so little time to actually breathe and develop. We got a whole entire novel about Gracia and Ceirran’s relationship, and yet in this one we’re just expected to fill in the gaps ourselves, to sketch in a story and a dynamic based on the few scenes we do get between Ana and Gracia. What we got between them just wasn’t enough, and it was made even more frustrating by the fact that it was time and again overshadowed by a plot that I found increasingly exhausting to follow. I was invested in this story for a long time, hoping it would go somewhere, but at a certain point the relentless pace and constant sense of confusion wore me down. It took me a while to get there because I was holding on so tightly to my faith that this story would pay off just like the first one did, but at a certain point this book just…lost me.
I was confused, I was frustrated, and frankly I was exhausted reading this. Most of all, I was so, so disappointed. The Empire Undying is a book I would read over and over, simply for the pleasure of noticing all the brilliant parts of it that I hadn’t noticed the first time around, to dig deeper into its fascinating characters’ dynamics, to try to precisely figure out what kind of people they really are. This book, though, I barely got through once, and can’t imagine ever reading again…for me, that says it all.
Everything I loved about the first book--its interiority, its intricate character dynamics--is missing here. Or not exactly missing, but just so completely and utterly overshadowed by the sheer amount of convoluted plot there is to wade through. Listen, I love a complex plot that makes me work to figure it out, but I feel like I worked and worked and worked and had little to show for it by the end of this book. There is a fine line between complex and convoluted, intriguing and confusing, and this novel was very firmly in the latter camp for me. It was simply too much. Characters, plotlines, themes, worldbuilding--it was nonstop, and it was overwhelming, and it barely left us or the characters time to process any of it. (There are some truly crazy things that happen in this book, and I don’t mean that in a good way…)
What I wanted was to get back to what made the first book so brilliant: the nuanced, tense, and endlessly interesting character dynamics + I was especially looking forward to seeing what kind of dynamic Ana and Gracia would have after the events of book one. (“Looking forward to” is an understatement–I was incredibly excited for it, dying to see what it would be like.) But the reality is that it is just so sorely lacking in this novel. These intricate character dynamic scenes are set aside in favour of plot happenings, fights, chases, exposition, side narratives--the list goes on. The Ana-Gracia dynamic is a cornerstone of the story, and yet the story gives it so little time to actually breathe and develop. We got a whole entire novel about Gracia and Ceirran’s relationship, and yet in this one we’re just expected to fill in the gaps ourselves, to sketch in a story and a dynamic based on the few scenes we do get between Ana and Gracia. What we got between them just wasn’t enough, and it was made even more frustrating by the fact that it was time and again overshadowed by a plot that I found increasingly exhausting to follow. I was invested in this story for a long time, hoping it would go somewhere, but at a certain point the relentless pace and constant sense of confusion wore me down. It took me a while to get there because I was holding on so tightly to my faith that this story would pay off just like the first one did, but at a certain point this book just…lost me.
I was confused, I was frustrated, and frankly I was exhausted reading this. Most of all, I was so, so disappointed. The Empire Undying is a book I would read over and over, simply for the pleasure of noticing all the brilliant parts of it that I hadn’t noticed the first time around, to dig deeper into its fascinating characters’ dynamics, to try to precisely figure out what kind of people they really are. This book, though, I barely got through once, and can’t imagine ever reading again…for me, that says it all.
May 12, 2025
the space opera to end all space operas; soooo expansive in scope while keeping a tight leash on theme and characterization. absolutely crazy use of schrodinger’s diegesis in the epistolary portions. obviously i loved this having graduated from the htn school of lobotomy hallucinations and nonlinear + unreliable narration but also fuuuuuckkkkkk my life.
arcelia ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
arcelia ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
May 10, 2025
Rep: lesbian mc, bi li, bi side characters, nonbinary side character
Galley provided by publisher
Ever since reading The Stars Undying, I've had a relatively niche craving for Shakespeare retellings set in space, so it was with great excitement that I got my hands on this one. As with the first book (which I reread in preparation), this was an incredibly immersive world to dive into, populated by characters who I loved from the very first page. There are a few new ones in this book, which made it all the more exciting to read. In fact, I think this book did very well at keeping the stakes feeling high throughout. Almost inevitably, I had some familiarity with the source text on which it's based (and more now, since I read both plays), so I knew how it would turn out in the end. Yet, it's very carefully balanced so as not to really give a clue that it was heading that way (which is not to say that the end came as a surprise, just that I had somehow managed to forget that's what was going to happen). This duology has definitely cemented Emery Robin as one to watch for me.
Galley provided by publisher
Ever since reading The Stars Undying, I've had a relatively niche craving for Shakespeare retellings set in space, so it was with great excitement that I got my hands on this one. As with the first book (which I reread in preparation), this was an incredibly immersive world to dive into, populated by characters who I loved from the very first page. There are a few new ones in this book, which made it all the more exciting to read. In fact, I think this book did very well at keeping the stakes feeling high throughout. Almost inevitably, I had some familiarity with the source text on which it's based (and more now, since I read both plays), so I knew how it would turn out in the end. Yet, it's very carefully balanced so as not to really give a clue that it was heading that way (which is not to say that the end came as a surprise, just that I had somehow managed to forget that's what was going to happen). This duology has definitely cemented Emery Robin as one to watch for me.
July 3, 2025
I gave up y'all
February 18, 2025
It’s hard to put into words what a tremendous accomplishment of storytelling The Sea Eternal is. In The Stars Undying, one of the joys of Anita Decretan is her essential knowable nature - she tells you that she is a simple creature of simple wants with a dirtbag vibe and a slutty smile and you believe her. So to get into her head and discover what else is there is almost like popping a balloon - will you find it to be full of loud noises and empty air? And the answer is yes, and no. Because inside Anita Decretan’s mind is exactly who she tells you she is, a woman of action, a woman of pure want, of impulse and of desire. But she is also more than that, and the way she and her story unfold before your eyes is absolutely incredible. Obviously Mark Antony is one of the most infamous figures of history and literature, and yet Emery Robin makes the discovery of things we already knew feel fresh and exciting and nerve wracking and heartbreaking with every page turn.
Because of course, Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy. But it is also a great and epic romance for the ages, and you really feel that here. When Anita turns her back on Ceiao as Antony does on Rome, it’s not a tragedy but a triumph - a triumph of heart and of love and of choice and free will. When the lovers die as they famously do, it sings on the page. You know it’s coming and yet it still breaks your heart.
Anita and Gracia are everything to me. There’s a sex scene about 15 pages in that made me lose my fucking mind. And because Emery Robin is a genius, the themes and ideas of that scene continue to echo and resonate throughout the book, with callbacks that twist and change the meaning of it in the most thoughtful and surprising ways.
But the biggest surprise is the secondary romance - and though this is not at all a spoiler free review, I’m not going to spoil it here. Suffice it to say, all my Arcelia heads out there are going to lose their goddamned minds.
This book is a triumph and I am obsessed with it. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to read it early, and I cannot wait to recommend it to everyone I know!!
Because of course, Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy. But it is also a great and epic romance for the ages, and you really feel that here. When Anita turns her back on Ceiao as Antony does on Rome, it’s not a tragedy but a triumph - a triumph of heart and of love and of choice and free will. When the lovers die as they famously do, it sings on the page. You know it’s coming and yet it still breaks your heart.
Anita and Gracia are everything to me. There’s a sex scene about 15 pages in that made me lose my fucking mind. And because Emery Robin is a genius, the themes and ideas of that scene continue to echo and resonate throughout the book, with callbacks that twist and change the meaning of it in the most thoughtful and surprising ways.
But the biggest surprise is the secondary romance - and though this is not at all a spoiler free review, I’m not going to spoil it here. Suffice it to say, all my Arcelia heads out there are going to lose their goddamned minds.
This book is a triumph and I am obsessed with it. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to read it early, and I cannot wait to recommend it to everyone I know!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2025
3.75 stars
rep: lesbian protagonist, sapphic main character
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 still 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.
hmm much to think about. this was a vastly different book than the first one, in terms of writing and content (I feel like this one was more hard science fiction than the first book), making it hard to compare. I will say I found the pacing to be inconsistent; it would pick up then drag then pick up then drag.
read on my blog
rep: lesbian protagonist, sapphic main character
**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
“There are no Ceians like me,” I said, “anymore.”
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 still 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.
original review:
hmm much to think about. this was a vastly different book than the first one, in terms of writing and content (I feel like this one was more hard science fiction than the first book), making it hard to compare. I will say I found the pacing to be inconsistent; it would pick up then drag then pick up then drag.
March 17, 2025
more of this please
March 21, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the e-ARC! Sorry for the delayed review.
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.
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.
March 14, 2025
Matheus Ceirran is dead. Factions have devastated parts of Ceiao politically, and Anita, the once proud admiral spends her nights drinking and f***ing 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.
Thank you to Orbit for an eARC for review. The Sea Eternal is out 3/11/25.
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.
Thank you to Orbit for an eARC for review. The Sea Eternal is out 3/11/25.
May 10, 2025
It’s been a year since Matheus Ceirran died, and Anita, his most trusted Captain, has been tracking down his murderers one by one. But other than revenge, Anita has been losing herself in drinking, dancing, and the arms of Oracle Altagracia, former lover to Ceirran. The final murderer has sought refuge in Kutayet, and when Anita crosses the border, she sparks an international conflict. She also discovers that the Kutayeti have found a way to use quicksilver pearls to make living computers in people, faster than any other computer. Meanwhile, Octavio Julhan, Cierran’s adopted heir, is trying to give Ceiao peace like Cierran wanted, and that means capturing Anita. Will Anita be able to undo Kutayeti’s plans of conquering with the living computers? Will she be able to maneuver herself to safety outside of Julhan’s reach? And what of her love for the Oracle?
An interesting ending to the retelling of the story of Anthony and Cleopatra, but as a gender-bent space opera. This one was from the point of view of Anthony. And while I did really enjoy the historical details included in the retelling, this one meandered more and had less focus than the first. The plotting often got lost in the convoluted telling, with too much description, purple prose, excessive conversations, and sudden flashbacks. It also felt very wishy-washy as the main character never had focus or kept changing her mind about what she was going to do. I’m glad to know the ending of the story, but wish I liked it more than I did.
An interesting ending to the retelling of the story of Anthony and Cleopatra, but as a gender-bent space opera. This one was from the point of view of Anthony. And while I did really enjoy the historical details included in the retelling, this one meandered more and had less focus than the first. The plotting often got lost in the convoluted telling, with too much description, purple prose, excessive conversations, and sudden flashbacks. It also felt very wishy-washy as the main character never had focus or kept changing her mind about what she was going to do. I’m glad to know the ending of the story, but wish I liked it more than I did.
January 27, 2025
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.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.
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.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.
Read
July 18, 2025hm. honestly I was the problem here and didn't do this book justice. audiobooking didn't allow me to immerse myself as much as I did with the first; was also dying due to it being the end of the school year.
this definitely merits a reread, so no rating for now, especially since it's been like, over a month since I finished. :\
did love arcelia tho!!!!!!
this definitely merits a reread, so no rating for now, especially since it's been like, over a month since I finished. :\
did love arcelia tho!!!!!!
May 26, 2025
Go Robin!!! That’s my cousin!!!
June 11, 2025
2.5 stars - to me this suffered most in its comparison to The Stars Undying, which is maybe unfair, but some of the things I loved most about the first book felt absent from this one and in a way that I'm not sure if it was intentional or not? It's very dense and plays with form in a way that can be fun, but just didn't quite mesh with my expectations or hopes for this book. I do wonder how differently it might have played if I'd read the two books closer together though.
August 1, 2025
[still recovering from sobbing my eyes out]
March 20, 2025
Goodness me, this was breathtaking. Lush and deeply emotional, with some pleasant scifi surprises. I loved where the author took the body horror potential of quicksilver pearl. A well-made two season TV show would look beautiful under the right direction.
In the final instalment, we follow Ana's point of view, with each chapter finished off with interludes from a mysterious 'V'. It becomes clear who they are later on. I loved being inside Ana's mind, hearing her thoughts and feeling her emotions. This duology is an ambitious debut from this author.
Towards the end I felt there was too many jumps between scenes to enhance the drama. It's already dramatic enough! I would have preferred to stay in scenes for longer to appreciate the Ana/Gracia dynamic, instead of reading a few paragraphs of someone POV and then switching to the opposite character. There was also a fair amount of context I was missing with regards to V, their choices and what the narrative was getting at in the last chapter or so. Nevertheless, the scene where
I'd love to give this duology another go one day, once I've read up on my Roman history. Hopefully I'll understand its messages better. I will certainly look out for future works by Emery Robin too. 4.25 stars.
In the final instalment, we follow Ana's point of view, with each chapter finished off with interludes from a mysterious 'V'. It becomes clear who they are later on. I loved being inside Ana's mind, hearing her thoughts and feeling her emotions. This duology is an ambitious debut from this author.
Towards the end I felt there was too many jumps between scenes to enhance the drama. It's already dramatic enough! I would have preferred to stay in scenes for longer to appreciate the Ana/Gracia dynamic, instead of reading a few paragraphs of someone POV and then switching to the opposite character. There was also a fair amount of context I was missing with regards to V, their choices and what the narrative was getting at in the last chapter or so. Nevertheless, the scene where
I'd love to give this duology another go one day, once I've read up on my Roman history. Hopefully I'll understand its messages better. I will certainly look out for future works by Emery Robin too. 4.25 stars.
December 27, 2025
3.5 rounded up.
December 15, 2024
This is an Advanced Review. The publisher provided a free electronic copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
Summary:
"The Sea Eternal" by Emery Robin is the second book in the "Empire Without End" series, serving as a sequel to "The Stars Undying." Set in a sprawling space opera universe, the story continues to explore themes of power, betrayal, and epic love against the backdrop of interstellar politics. After the death of Matheus Ceirran, who once commanded half the known galaxy, his loyal captain Anita is on a relentless quest for vengeance against his assassins. Meanwhile, she is entangled in a complex relationship with Altagracia Caviro Patramata, the queen and oracle of Szayet. Anita's journey takes her across borders into a mysterious neighboring empire where she stumbles upon a secret that could destabilize the entire galaxy. Back in the capital, Ceirran’s heir, Otávio Julhan, consolidates power, adding layers of political intrigue to the narrative.
The novel delves into the emotional and philosophical ramifications of immortality, power dynamics, and the cost of revenge. It weaves together historical and mythological references, reimagining them in a futuristic setting, with characters that are both grand and deeply personal in their struggles.
Detailed Review:
Plot and World-Building:
Emery Robin’s storytelling in "The Sea Eternal" is both expansive and intricate. The world-building is rich with a detailed backdrop of planets and societies, each with their unique customs and histories. The plot maintains the momentum from the first book, adding layers of complexity through Anita's journey and the political machinations in the capital. The narrative sometimes feels sprawling, but it's this very scope that provides a sense of epic storytelling. However, the pacing can occasionally falter under the weight of its own ambition.
Characters:
The characters in Robin's universe are compelling, with Anita's dual nature as a fierce warrior and a lover caught in a web of affection being particularly well-explored. The development of Otávio Julhan is fascinating, offering a new perspective on leadership and legacy. The relationship between Anita and Altagracia is painted with both passion and tension, though some might find the emotional depth occasionally overshadowed by the plot's broader strokes. The cast is diverse, with a casual inclusion of various sexual orientations, enriching the universe without making it the sole focus.
Writing Style:
Robin's prose is eloquent and imbued with a poetic quality that elevates the narrative. The dialogue is sharp, often laced with political and philosophical undertones that reflect the characters’ complex identities and motivations. However, the frequent shifts in perspective can sometimes disrupt the narrative flow, demanding a reader's full attention to keep up with the intricacies of the plot.
Themes and Messages:
The novel tackles themes of imperialism, identity, the morality of power, and the personal vs. the political. It questions whether immortality is a blessing or a curse, exploring this through the lens of duty and personal freedom. The use of mythological and historical parallels is clever, breathing new life into familiar stories.
Conclusion:
"The Sea Eternal" is a thoughtful sequel that broadens the scope of its predecessor while deepening the emotional stakes of its characters. It's a novel that rewards patience and attention, providing a rich tapestry of interstellar politics and personal drama. While it has moments where it struggles under its own narrative weight, the overall experience is captivating, making it a commendable addition to the space opera genre.
Ratings Breakdown:
Plot: 4/5 - Ambitious and engaging, though sometimes too complex for its own good.
Characters: 4/5 - Complex, well-developed, and emotionally resonant.
World-Building: 4/5 - Imaginative and detailed, creating a vivid universe.
Writing Style: 4/5 - Beautifully written, though occasionally dense.
Themes: 5/5 - Deeply explored with relevance to both the story and broader philosophical questions.
Overall: 4/5 - A robust and thoughtful sequel that, while not without flaws, adds significantly to its saga.
Summary:
"The Sea Eternal" by Emery Robin is the second book in the "Empire Without End" series, serving as a sequel to "The Stars Undying." Set in a sprawling space opera universe, the story continues to explore themes of power, betrayal, and epic love against the backdrop of interstellar politics. After the death of Matheus Ceirran, who once commanded half the known galaxy, his loyal captain Anita is on a relentless quest for vengeance against his assassins. Meanwhile, she is entangled in a complex relationship with Altagracia Caviro Patramata, the queen and oracle of Szayet. Anita's journey takes her across borders into a mysterious neighboring empire where she stumbles upon a secret that could destabilize the entire galaxy. Back in the capital, Ceirran’s heir, Otávio Julhan, consolidates power, adding layers of political intrigue to the narrative.
The novel delves into the emotional and philosophical ramifications of immortality, power dynamics, and the cost of revenge. It weaves together historical and mythological references, reimagining them in a futuristic setting, with characters that are both grand and deeply personal in their struggles.
Detailed Review:
Plot and World-Building:
Emery Robin’s storytelling in "The Sea Eternal" is both expansive and intricate. The world-building is rich with a detailed backdrop of planets and societies, each with their unique customs and histories. The plot maintains the momentum from the first book, adding layers of complexity through Anita's journey and the political machinations in the capital. The narrative sometimes feels sprawling, but it's this very scope that provides a sense of epic storytelling. However, the pacing can occasionally falter under the weight of its own ambition.
Characters:
The characters in Robin's universe are compelling, with Anita's dual nature as a fierce warrior and a lover caught in a web of affection being particularly well-explored. The development of Otávio Julhan is fascinating, offering a new perspective on leadership and legacy. The relationship between Anita and Altagracia is painted with both passion and tension, though some might find the emotional depth occasionally overshadowed by the plot's broader strokes. The cast is diverse, with a casual inclusion of various sexual orientations, enriching the universe without making it the sole focus.
Writing Style:
Robin's prose is eloquent and imbued with a poetic quality that elevates the narrative. The dialogue is sharp, often laced with political and philosophical undertones that reflect the characters’ complex identities and motivations. However, the frequent shifts in perspective can sometimes disrupt the narrative flow, demanding a reader's full attention to keep up with the intricacies of the plot.
Themes and Messages:
The novel tackles themes of imperialism, identity, the morality of power, and the personal vs. the political. It questions whether immortality is a blessing or a curse, exploring this through the lens of duty and personal freedom. The use of mythological and historical parallels is clever, breathing new life into familiar stories.
Conclusion:
"The Sea Eternal" is a thoughtful sequel that broadens the scope of its predecessor while deepening the emotional stakes of its characters. It's a novel that rewards patience and attention, providing a rich tapestry of interstellar politics and personal drama. While it has moments where it struggles under its own narrative weight, the overall experience is captivating, making it a commendable addition to the space opera genre.
Ratings Breakdown:
Plot: 4/5 - Ambitious and engaging, though sometimes too complex for its own good.
Characters: 4/5 - Complex, well-developed, and emotionally resonant.
World-Building: 4/5 - Imaginative and detailed, creating a vivid universe.
Writing Style: 4/5 - Beautifully written, though occasionally dense.
Themes: 5/5 - Deeply explored with relevance to both the story and broader philosophical questions.
Overall: 4/5 - A robust and thoughtful sequel that, while not without flaws, adds significantly to its saga.
May 17, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and to Orbit Books for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.
TW: grief, death, violence, war, murder, body horror, references to genocide
Following on six months from the end of ‘The Stars Undying’, ‘The Sea Eternal’ is the epic end to the duology that follows Cleopatra, Caesar and a female Marc Antony in a retelling set in space with a god whispering in Cleopatra’s ear the whole time. Matheus Ceirran, the commander and leader of the dominating Empire of Ceiao, is dead. Hunting down his assassins is his loyal captain Anita, but she’s distracted- sharing the bed of the Oracle and Queen of Szayet, Altagracia Caviro Patramata, formerly the lover of Matheus. Mourning deeply, Anita is drawn to the very edges of civilization as she tracks his killers and there she discovers another empire, one that has its own secrets to hide. Uncovering a deadly secret that could upend the entire galaxy, Anita clashes with Ceirran’s heir, Otávio Julhan, once a mere child and now the future of the Ceian Empire, who has grown even more powerful since Anita has been away. Caught between her loyalty to Matheus’ memory, the so-called god whispering in Gracia’s ear at all times and her role at home, Anita is pulled into a deadly war that threatens to collapse everything she loves and holds dear.
Anita was my favourite character of the first book so I was delighted that we got her perspective in this one. She’s been completely ruined by the loss of Mathieus and every since then her only priority has been eradicating his killers and ignoring her problems. She’s a brilliant character- contradictory, brave and heartbreakingly human underneath the humour and intense focus of her revenge. Her relationship with Gracia broke my heart a little, they clashed a lot in the first book though the flirtation was there- their connection is real but the circumstances are terrible. I loved the addition of Otávio Julhan, who in real history would go on to be the Emperor Augustus, and the way he clashes with Anita. I felt genuinely afraid for Anita as her excesses with Gracia and her destructive behaviour led her into great risk and the possibility of deep unpopularity back home. The world building and scale of this duology is enormous, it spans an entire empire and it gets even larger in this final book as Anita pushes the limits of the Ceian Empire. This is a gorgeous and devastating reimagining of Roman and Egyptian history and considering what happened to Matheus in the first one, you spend the entire book afraid for Anita and Gracia. I really admire Emery Robin’s writing for weaving history, politics, romance and science fiction together so seamlessly, especially because there’s so many significant moments where things click together. I’m so glad I reread book 1 before this one because it made me appreciate the depths of grief and fury Anita reaches so much. I’ll definitely go back to these books in the future, this was a super satisfying, devastating ending to the series.
TW: grief, death, violence, war, murder, body horror, references to genocide
Following on six months from the end of ‘The Stars Undying’, ‘The Sea Eternal’ is the epic end to the duology that follows Cleopatra, Caesar and a female Marc Antony in a retelling set in space with a god whispering in Cleopatra’s ear the whole time. Matheus Ceirran, the commander and leader of the dominating Empire of Ceiao, is dead. Hunting down his assassins is his loyal captain Anita, but she’s distracted- sharing the bed of the Oracle and Queen of Szayet, Altagracia Caviro Patramata, formerly the lover of Matheus. Mourning deeply, Anita is drawn to the very edges of civilization as she tracks his killers and there she discovers another empire, one that has its own secrets to hide. Uncovering a deadly secret that could upend the entire galaxy, Anita clashes with Ceirran’s heir, Otávio Julhan, once a mere child and now the future of the Ceian Empire, who has grown even more powerful since Anita has been away. Caught between her loyalty to Matheus’ memory, the so-called god whispering in Gracia’s ear at all times and her role at home, Anita is pulled into a deadly war that threatens to collapse everything she loves and holds dear.
Anita was my favourite character of the first book so I was delighted that we got her perspective in this one. She’s been completely ruined by the loss of Mathieus and every since then her only priority has been eradicating his killers and ignoring her problems. She’s a brilliant character- contradictory, brave and heartbreakingly human underneath the humour and intense focus of her revenge. Her relationship with Gracia broke my heart a little, they clashed a lot in the first book though the flirtation was there- their connection is real but the circumstances are terrible. I loved the addition of Otávio Julhan, who in real history would go on to be the Emperor Augustus, and the way he clashes with Anita. I felt genuinely afraid for Anita as her excesses with Gracia and her destructive behaviour led her into great risk and the possibility of deep unpopularity back home. The world building and scale of this duology is enormous, it spans an entire empire and it gets even larger in this final book as Anita pushes the limits of the Ceian Empire. This is a gorgeous and devastating reimagining of Roman and Egyptian history and considering what happened to Matheus in the first one, you spend the entire book afraid for Anita and Gracia. I really admire Emery Robin’s writing for weaving history, politics, romance and science fiction together so seamlessly, especially because there’s so many significant moments where things click together. I’m so glad I reread book 1 before this one because it made me appreciate the depths of grief and fury Anita reaches so much. I’ll definitely go back to these books in the future, this was a super satisfying, devastating ending to the series.
June 20, 2025
Was I confused half the time? Absolutely.
Did I enjoy the confusion? Actually, yes.
This is a book to savour, turn over so many phrases in your brain, and chew on them. I highlighted passages in my status updates as I read, in texts to friends, in the Notes app - there was just so much. And there's a lot more than that, in the characters (Ana and Altagracia are my emotional support messy lesbians), in the politics, in the science, in the worldbuilding. There's just a lot.
But most of all, how is this writing even real?
I told you once that you only loved material things, things you could hold and steal. Of all things I think you loved books the best. You loved them because when you read them, you saw a mind or a memory nailed to the page like a butterfly, a piece of someone that you could tear off and swallow down. In books, you could dig your claws into someone who belonged by rights to another planet, or to another century, or to the grave.
Perhaps stories that go untold are nothing, mean nothing. Yet still, my usurper, my enemy, my best-beloved sister, still, still, still: I don’t think I will write down what that girl and I did in the quiet dark.
I am tired, and warm, and the lamp is burning orange. There are planets in this universe still unconquered, and there are feelings in this body still unconfined. There are freedoms that one person can yet give another, which have nothing to do with knives or thrones. Outside I can hear the wind and the trees, whispering to each other in a language neither she nor I have ever learned. Their secrets are their own.
Perhaps I don’t need to wait for you at all.
Did I enjoy the confusion? Actually, yes.
This is a book to savour, turn over so many phrases in your brain, and chew on them. I highlighted passages in my status updates as I read, in texts to friends, in the Notes app - there was just so much. And there's a lot more than that, in the characters (Ana and Altagracia are my emotional support messy lesbians), in the politics, in the science, in the worldbuilding. There's just a lot.
But most of all, how is this writing even real?
I told you once that you only loved material things, things you could hold and steal. Of all things I think you loved books the best. You loved them because when you read them, you saw a mind or a memory nailed to the page like a butterfly, a piece of someone that you could tear off and swallow down. In books, you could dig your claws into someone who belonged by rights to another planet, or to another century, or to the grave.
Perhaps stories that go untold are nothing, mean nothing. Yet still, my usurper, my enemy, my best-beloved sister, still, still, still: I don’t think I will write down what that girl and I did in the quiet dark.
I am tired, and warm, and the lamp is burning orange. There are planets in this universe still unconquered, and there are feelings in this body still unconfined. There are freedoms that one person can yet give another, which have nothing to do with knives or thrones. Outside I can hear the wind and the trees, whispering to each other in a language neither she nor I have ever learned. Their secrets are their own.
Perhaps I don’t need to wait for you at all.
March 21, 2025
Matheus Ceirran is dead, and only two people know the truth. Altagracia, Queen of Szayet, claims to be his Oracle, with Ceirran’s soul preserved within a Pearl of the Dead; his Disciple, Ana Decretan, knows that in fact he is truly gone, and drowns her grief and fear and sorrow in the sultry decadence of Szayeti cult fervour and Gracia’s love. But it cannot last forever. Ceirran’s named heir, Julhan Otavio, seeks to rein in control of Ceio, and a transgression - and discovery of a horrific secrets - brings the empire of Kutayeti to the brink of war with all our players.
Emery crafts prose with the precision of a blade and the beauty of a poet. It is spell-binding, haunting stuff, mythology and history and science-fiction all woven together in an intricate tapestry. It is an ode to love, and to the grief that comes when love is gone; it is about immortality, and the way in which love is remembered. The characters are uncanny palimpsests of themselves: Antony and Cleopatra and Octavian are vividly recognisable as themselves, but brought to a fresh form of life, and whilst some historical knowledge is probably helpful, it’s not necessary (it took me a while before I thought “is this PARTHIA???”).
It is a book you will have to concentrate somewhat to read. The narrative is not always entirely linear, nor is it always comfortable. But it is rich, beautiful, and absolutely drenched in queer yearning. Bravo.
(For my own sanity I would have enjoyed a glossary of who’s who - and for best effect probably read immediately after The Stars Undying! Imperium Sine Fine!)
Emery crafts prose with the precision of a blade and the beauty of a poet. It is spell-binding, haunting stuff, mythology and history and science-fiction all woven together in an intricate tapestry. It is an ode to love, and to the grief that comes when love is gone; it is about immortality, and the way in which love is remembered. The characters are uncanny palimpsests of themselves: Antony and Cleopatra and Octavian are vividly recognisable as themselves, but brought to a fresh form of life, and whilst some historical knowledge is probably helpful, it’s not necessary (it took me a while before I thought “is this PARTHIA???”).
It is a book you will have to concentrate somewhat to read. The narrative is not always entirely linear, nor is it always comfortable. But it is rich, beautiful, and absolutely drenched in queer yearning. Bravo.
(For my own sanity I would have enjoyed a glossary of who’s who - and for best effect probably read immediately after The Stars Undying! Imperium Sine Fine!)
January 14, 2025
4.25 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for this ARC.
I knew when I first read The Stars Undying, that Emery Robin's writing would stick with me. I also knew that it was a dense work that would require rereads to understand fully. A theme that The Sea Eternal has in common with its predecessor. Both are extremely lyrical works that speak of a soul deeply invested in the history used as groundworks for this story.
Although the characters are heavily flawed, the reader feels compelled to still root for the leads to somehow beat their original fate and come out of this war clean. However, I had to keep reminding myself that The Stars Undying mimics reality, and would continue to keep its similarities to the real life story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. The deeper into the story I read, the more I could draw parallels to its counterpart. Robin did an amazing job at keeping the heart of the story true while maintaining a unique note.
The Stars Undying is a story that would need multiple rereads to fully comprehend the masterful turn of phrase Robin employed. I know that my first read will leave me bewildered and that I need to return to the world to fully appreciate the work Robin did. In my honest opinion, I feel both The Stars Undying and The Sea Eternal are hidden gems that deserve more recognition. No words are sufficient to describe how uniquely resplendent this space opera retelling is.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for this ARC.
I knew when I first read The Stars Undying, that Emery Robin's writing would stick with me. I also knew that it was a dense work that would require rereads to understand fully. A theme that The Sea Eternal has in common with its predecessor. Both are extremely lyrical works that speak of a soul deeply invested in the history used as groundworks for this story.
Although the characters are heavily flawed, the reader feels compelled to still root for the leads to somehow beat their original fate and come out of this war clean. However, I had to keep reminding myself that The Stars Undying mimics reality, and would continue to keep its similarities to the real life story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. The deeper into the story I read, the more I could draw parallels to its counterpart. Robin did an amazing job at keeping the heart of the story true while maintaining a unique note.
The Stars Undying is a story that would need multiple rereads to fully comprehend the masterful turn of phrase Robin employed. I know that my first read will leave me bewildered and that I need to return to the world to fully appreciate the work Robin did. In my honest opinion, I feel both The Stars Undying and The Sea Eternal are hidden gems that deserve more recognition. No words are sufficient to describe how uniquely resplendent this space opera retelling is.
January 8, 2025
The Sea Eternal, like The Stars Undying before it, is a gorgeously written book. It also struck me as a deeply layered novel, even more so than its predecessor. I’m not sure that I read it under the proper circumstances, or while in the right headspace, to give it all the consideration it deserves. But it was a magnificent read.
In the first book we saw the story through the eyes of Altagracia Caviro Patramata, the Cleopatra of the tale. Now we see the story from the perspective of Anita Decretan, the Mark Antony. The shift is dramatic. They’re very different people who have grown up and survived in their world in very different ways. But it also works well as it gives us another character that we know at least as well as the narrator, perhaps better.
And it all provides a wonderful canvas for the book to explore its themes. Love, immortality, eternity, what lasts and what doesn’t, what’s worth keeping and what isn’t. The pacing is often contemplative, rarely becoming quick or frantic. The language and prose are gorgeous. It’s a rich and wonderful read, just like the first book in the duology. And it leaves me looking forward to seeing what Emery Robin comes up with next.
In the first book we saw the story through the eyes of Altagracia Caviro Patramata, the Cleopatra of the tale. Now we see the story from the perspective of Anita Decretan, the Mark Antony. The shift is dramatic. They’re very different people who have grown up and survived in their world in very different ways. But it also works well as it gives us another character that we know at least as well as the narrator, perhaps better.
And it all provides a wonderful canvas for the book to explore its themes. Love, immortality, eternity, what lasts and what doesn’t, what’s worth keeping and what isn’t. The pacing is often contemplative, rarely becoming quick or frantic. The language and prose are gorgeous. It’s a rich and wonderful read, just like the first book in the duology. And it leaves me looking forward to seeing what Emery Robin comes up with next.
March 22, 2025
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!
Thank you to Orbit Books for providing me with an eBook copy to review on NetGalley.
Thank you to Orbit Books for providing me with an eBook copy to review on NetGalley.
January 13, 2025
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I cannot remember how I first stumbled upon Emery Robin and the first book in this series, The Stars Undying. I absolutely loved the first one and am so happy to say that the second is also amazing. This one is narrated by Ana Decretan, our Marc Antony analog, and another character referred to as V (and I am so sad I did not put together who it was early). I know the history of Cleopatra and her involvement with Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, and Octavian Augustus Caesar so I knew the beats of where it would go. What I did not expect was HOW it would get there and I loved it. The prose is fantastic, the way court documents came into it, and the overall storyline was phenomenal. I would suggest reading a Wikipedia article about Cleopatra prior to reading this series because it will help you get so much more out of it. I cannot WAIT to see what Robin works on next as I will be there for it, 5 stars.
August 15, 2025
Happy 4 months since starting this book anniversary 🤩🤩
What a slog 😭😭 This book is like if This is How You Lose the Time War was stretched to 400 pages and give 5x the characters and 10x the plot. I was confused, I was exhausted, and I was bored by this book.
Having read the book more than 2 yrs ago definitely contributed to the confusion, BUT the author’s overly flowery prose and convoluted character arcs definitely didn’t help.
I also hated every character in this book so there’s that.
I feel like the parallels to Cleopatra, Augustus, and Mark Antony were so strong in this book it was just reading a history book. Except bad bc the writer explained nothing and just presented events in the least sane order possible.
ALSO, the gall to try and make it an anti-imperialist novel?? All they did back then was empire build?
If you liked the first book, don’t read this one. Save yourself the trouble and pretend it doesn’t exist.
What a slog 😭😭 This book is like if This is How You Lose the Time War was stretched to 400 pages and give 5x the characters and 10x the plot. I was confused, I was exhausted, and I was bored by this book.
Having read the book more than 2 yrs ago definitely contributed to the confusion, BUT the author’s overly flowery prose and convoluted character arcs definitely didn’t help.
I also hated every character in this book so there’s that.
I feel like the parallels to Cleopatra, Augustus, and Mark Antony were so strong in this book it was just reading a history book. Except bad bc the writer explained nothing and just presented events in the least sane order possible.
ALSO, the gall to try and make it an anti-imperialist novel?? All they did back then was empire build?
If you liked the first book, don’t read this one. Save yourself the trouble and pretend it doesn’t exist.
March 16, 2025
Cause there's very few reviews so far and I don't want to drastically change the average rating on goodreads I've given it a three but honestly this book was a chore and my real rating will be on the other app.
I think the book will appeal to quite a few people but just not me- the first book in the duology was fine and I thought I might as well finish it but that was a mistake as the bits I liked about the first one aren't present in the second and I really really didn't like only having Anita /'Mark Antony' as the only perspective. I was often bored reading it and just wanted to get through it which might have contributed to it being somewhat confusing at points but the weird jumps and frequent vague letters and things didn't help.
All in all not my cup of tea at all but I'll keep an eye out for future books from Robin but I think there's a lot of potential there.
I think the book will appeal to quite a few people but just not me- the first book in the duology was fine and I thought I might as well finish it but that was a mistake as the bits I liked about the first one aren't present in the second and I really really didn't like only having Anita /'Mark Antony' as the only perspective. I was often bored reading it and just wanted to get through it which might have contributed to it being somewhat confusing at points but the weird jumps and frequent vague letters and things didn't help.
All in all not my cup of tea at all but I'll keep an eye out for future books from Robin but I think there's a lot of potential there.
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