Bloodtide

Ex Romana #2

by Sophie Burnham

The fate of the empire hangs in the balance in the second installment of the genre-bending Ex Romana trilogy

Perfect for readers of Saara El-Arifi and C. L. Clark and stories with strong, queer voices, this is a speculative imagining of a world on the brink of revolution. Here, Rome never fell, but the apocalypse is coming—if it hasn't arrived already

Cracks are forming in the empire’s facade.

In the wake of startling revelations and personal betrayals, Tair finds herself the Iveroa Stone's new custodian as she embarks on a battle for Luxana's streets. As the fallout of the fighting pit massacre leads to a rise in legionary crackdowns and vigilante justice, Tair is determined to find a better path forward for Sargassa’s future. Up in the Imperial Archives, meanwhile, Selah tries to make sense of her family’s tangled history within the Imperium's shadowed beginnings.

Elsewhere, in the far-flung reaches of Roma Sargassa's badlands, Arran and Theo undertake a covert mission for the Revenants, one that could tip the scales between victory and defeat in Griff's upcoming war. But long-laid plans and careful maneuvering are nothing compared to the forces of nature, and Sargassa's future might just be determined by the coming storm.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, LGBT, Historical Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Adult

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Shannon Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so criminally underrated that it actually hurts me physically. And how to rate this sequel without giving things away and doing it justice so you give this series a chance? Hell if I know. (Actually- probably "not cursing" would be step number one because then the buy-sites will ban my review. Don't worry, it's only for this post because it's my site and I'll do what I want.)

The synopsis of this one does a great job of not giving away the amazing twists of  Sargassa , but it also doesn't tell you why you should read it, so I'll go ahead and help out.

►This world is so freaking cool. The twists of the first installment make the entire world so, so epic. And this book expands on that world by a metric ton. Characters are headed in various directions too, allowing us to explore even more. Epic.

►Speaking of the characters, I adore them! They are so deliciously morally gray! And sure, some are more on the side of "good" than others, but plenty of folks have justifications for their actions, doesn't necessarily mean they're right (or wrong, depending on your perspective).

►It's so thought-provoking and reeks of relevance. Now, when Sargassa landed, we still lived in a world of hope, but now we're in whatever fresh hell this is, and it hits so much harder.

Bottom Line: Go and read this now so I have someone to talk about this series with, please and thank you!

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

[Sophie Burnham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome back to the world of Roma Sargassa in the second installment of the Ex Romana trilogy. AKA my feral middle child, in which the disaster gays are back behind the wheel and once again I'm just writing down the incident report.

So, what can you expect?

- some Robin Hood escapades
- multiple mid-twenties life crises
- an adventure into the empire beyond Luxana
- more Kleios family drama
- a really big storm
- and just so, so much queer yearning

Bon appetit! ☀️⚔️🌊

[Laramie Graber · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Sargassa’s explosive ending, Bloodtide was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was not disappointed. Bloodtide avoids the somewhat sloppy exposition that hampered the beginning of Sargassa while retaining the complex world-building, twisty plotting, and excellent characterizations.

The Roman Empire rules North America (Sargassa). However, it’s built on a lie and rebellion is brewing. Bloodtide takes this momentum, deftly navigates the difficult middle of a trilogy, and meets my big three criteria with ease. It (1) expands on the world, (2) continues to develop its characters, and (3) sets up an exciting conclusion while fully standing on its own.

Bloodtide expands the world beyond the city of Luxana, exploring the hinterlands, the legions, and how the Empire’s oppression operates throughout Sargassa. Most fascinatingly, it delves deeper into the lie at the heart of Rome, exploring the cyclical nature of history and how empire creates itself by insisting upon its inevitability and denying this reality.

The characters remain the trilogy’s greatest strength, not simply because they are nuanced and varied, but because they are intimately connected to the world. Every mindset is shaped by Rome’s oppression, every act succumbs or resists oppression. The relationships at the novel’s center, especially the queer ones, forbidden by class, family, and gender, enable the space and strength for resistance. Sometimes, political speculative fiction can lose its characters in its sweeping scope, but, here, the characters drive the story forward. (The novel’s physical descriptions don’t always match this high bar. Some action sequences and the storm that hits Luxana are difficult to picture.)

Occasionally (especially in the hinterlands), while never paced slowly, Bloodtide’s forward plot movement stalls. I was briefly (and foolishly) worried that it wouldn’t be able to stand on its own. However, in the end, it fully brings together its ideas on it what means to rebel and has a reveal nearly as good as Sargassa’s (which is an all-time favorite twist). This is a must-read trilogy for our times. The finale can’t come soon enough.

Thank you to DAW Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloodtide by Sophie Burnham had me in its grip from page one! I thought I knew where Roma Sargassa was heading after the fighting pit massacre in the last book, nope. Sophie Burnham basically said, “let’s break everything you thought you knew” and then handed me a front-row seat to the empire cracking open!

We’ve got Tair trying to clean up Luxana’s streets with the super-mysterious Iveroa Stone while legionaries are cracking down and vigilantes are running wild. Meanwhile Selah is tucked up in the Imperial Archives trying to untangle her family tree from the Imperium’s messy, shadowy beginnings. I love a good archive subplot that gives me dusty scrolls and family secrets! And then way out in the badlands, Arran and Theo are on a Revenant mission that’s basically “what could go wrong?” Answer: everything!

What I love is how Burnham balances all this. The empire feels huge and dangerous, but the characters are still warm, messy humans. Tair’s idealism, Selah’s slow “wait a minute” revelations, Arran and Theo’s mission gone sideways, energy every thread kept me flipping pages. Plus, the atmosphere is wonderful, marble corridors full of whispers, sandstorms swallowing plans whole, and a sense that history’s about to pivot hard.

If you’re into fantasy with political scheming, covert missions, and characters who feel like they could walk off the page, Bloodtide is such a good time! Just be warned: it’s one of those “oh no, everything’s about to change” installments!

[Terror F · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Birte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already really liked the first book and had high expectations of this sequel and am glad that all of them were met and exceeded.

The characters were great just like the first time and I loved how especially Selah develops especially because of her upbringing. There was also so much lore about the world that was mind-boggling in the best way and I need the answered to the rest of the questions.

All the other characters developed their complex relationship and I appreciated how different sides were approached but also how far the differences go and when they aren't as important anymore. For some people.

Anyway, I loved everything about this and I hope the third book gets announced soon.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb novel. I haven’t read the first volume and was able to dive straight into this one. Historical Roman type setting and it’s in the future. Dystopian exciting with strong female characters. complex and involved plots. Loved it. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and thr publisher for an ARC.

[TJ West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my Substack newsletter, Omnivorous.

Full spoilers for the book follow.

Sophie Burnham’s Sargassa was one of my favorite reads last year, and not just because it had a truly unique take on ancient Rome. It was filled with all of the things that I love about speculative fiction: big ideas, compelling characters, queers galore. I devoured it from the first page to the last, and I’ve been impatiently waiting for the second volume to become available, and I was very lucky to get approved for one from NetGalley (you can imagine the squee that I let out when I got that e-mail).

In the aptly-titled Bloodtide we return to this tumultuous world, rejoining our characters as they all contend with the aftermath of the first book, which revealed that Roma is, in fact, a lie cooked up by the powers that be to bring the world to some sort of stability. This world is, in fact, our own, with only a select few knowing the truth about its origins. Much of the action revolves around the various main characters–Selah, Tair, Theo, Darius, and Arran–grappling with what this means for them and for their world. At the same time, more secrets are revealed and, as if all of that weren’t enough, a hurricane also bears down on Luxana, threatening terrible destruction and loss of life, particularly for those not born into privilege.

As with the first book, Bloodtide is a well-woven tale of political intrigue, revolutionary politics, and deep personal drama. We’re led to feel with these characters as they grapple with the enormity of the revelations from the first book and what they mean for their lives going forward. For Selah, her entire life has been turned upside down by the knowledge that not only was her father a liar, but that the entire world to which she has given her loyalty is one giant fabrication. That would be a great deal for anyone to absorb, let alone a young woman of privilege and power. As the hurricane bears down on the city and its people, she makes some pretty tremendous decisions and, for all that she was raised with every advantage, she does truly seem to care about those lower on the social order, even if doing so comes with a tremendous cost.

Tair, likewise, has a lot resting on her shoulders, especially since she is the one who now has custody of the all-important Iveroa Stone. However, Tair learns that with great power comes great responsibility. Just because she has this powerful artifact in her possession doesn’t mean that she can do whatever she likes. Indeed, in some important ways her actions are even more circumscribed by the fact that she has the knowledge of centuries right at her fingertips. It’s hard to feel like you’re in control of your destiny when everyone wants a piece of you, and adding to the tangled mess is the fact that her feelings for Selah are still very much unresolved.

As both Selah and Tair learn, there’s only so much you can do to protect yourself and those you love when there’s a tremendously powerful hurricane bearing down on you and preparing to destroy most of the city that you’ve called home your whole life. That job gets even harder when those in power are determined to exploit those who have lost everything, turning them into indentured laborers for the state. I’m old enough to remember the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina, and there’s more than a few echoes of that nightmare in this hurricane and its aftermath. Not only are the lower classes left to fend for themselves by those who should be looking to their welfare; they’re also tormented by rogue legions and set up for a future of enslavement. Roma, as this novel makes clear and as Selah and Theo continue to realize, is a yawning maw that will devour them all if given half the chance.

Meanwhile, Arran, Theo, and Darius Miranda also contend with their fair share of revelations. To some extent this isn’t a surprise. After all, when your entire civilization is built on a foundation of lies, it’s only a matter of time before those lies come to light. And, like their counterparts back east, they also have to figure out just what they’re going to do about all of this. Assuming, that is, they survive.

One of the things that I continue to love about this series is just how unapologetically queer it is. There are same-sex couples and people who don’t fit into the gender binary; there are badass crime bosses and messy gay pairings. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this is a queer normative world, exactly, because it’s clear that the powers-that-be don’t have any love for those who exist outside the gender binary. Nevertheless, it is thrilling to see characters like Theo live their lives authentically and also be badasses while they do it.

Like the best speculative fiction, this series is about some pretty big issues. Key to these is the nature of tyranny and how willing people are to accept things that they think they cannot change. Our characters’ fortune (or misfortune, depending on how you look at it) is that they know that Roma is all an elaborate lie, that it’s a fiction used to keep people docile and to prevent the destruction that almost wiped out humanity. When I read Sargassa we were still living in the United States that many of us grew up in. That is to say, it was a flawed republic with some noble ambitions that it might sometimes have struggled to fulfill but which still meant something, if at least as an ideal. Now, however, we’re all living under a very different system. There is a deranged dictator sitting in the White House, and he is being enabled every day by a team of toadies and sycophants who are willing to bow and do his every whim, no matter how much it tears at the fabric of the constitutional order.

A novel like Bloodtide, however, reminds us that there is always power with us, the people, that it lies within each of us to do what is right and to strike back against the forces that would forever oppress us. No matter how powerless we might feel, and no matter how effective the authoritarian government might be in crushing even the vaguest whisper of dissent, there will always be worth those who resist. This book, in the tradition of the best pop culture fictions of ancient Rome, uses Rome to hold a mirror up to America in all of its beauty and its ugliness. Burnham has delivered once again, and I can’t wait to see what further adventures await.

[RedReviews4You Susan-Dara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Series Should Be Everywhere : Bloodtides Proves Burnham’s Brilliance

Sargassa was one of my Top Five Reads of 2025, and Bloodtides has not only held that placement — it may have strengthened it. Burnham delivers a sequel that is every bit as powerful as the first book, completely sidestepping the “middle‑book slump” that so often drags trilogies down.

What makes this series shine is the phenomenal character work. Selah, Tair, Griff, Arran, and Theo continue to grow as vivid, multilayered people who linger in my mind long after I’ve closed the book. Their emotional arcs feel lived‑in and deeply human, and Burnham never sacrifices nuance for plot.

The worldbuilding remains exquisite — that delicate balance of something faintly familiar, as if pulled from the edges of a history text, yet wholly its own. Burnham expands the Ex Romana world with confidence, layering culture, politics, and myth in ways that feel organic and immersive.

And the writing? It’s a masterclass in economy and precision. Not once did my internal editor reach for a pencil. Every description lands. Nothing feels overwritten or underdeveloped. It’s rare to find a fantasy series this cleanly crafted.

Honestly, I don’t know why this series isn’t taking social media by storm. It’s imaginative and original, yes — but it also reflects so much of our world today:

▪ the pressure to find your place in a world that feels familiar yet newly revealed

▪ the struggle to define yourself when everyone else insists on defining you first

▪ the destabilizing, transformative moment when everything you thought you knew about the world is called into question

Bloodtides is not just a worthy sequel — it’s a stunning continuation of a series that deserves far more attention. Burnham is doing something special here, and I cannot wait to see where Book Three takes us.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

We started off strong, because, similarly to in Sargassa, Bloodtide features excerpts of found and historical texts right at the start. Not just the legalities of Sargassan society and chronology, like we had to ground us in the world in Sargassa, but this time we also have correspondence! And a journal! And those aren’t spoilers because they’re right there wishing the first few pages, so you know I was immediately HOOKED! And I loved how these texts helped fill in some of the backstory of how the big reveal at the end of Sargassa then brought us to . . . this stratified society that at first glance appears so unchanged over millennia.

For the most part, this story follows storylines in two branches: what’s happening in Luxana, where Selah and Tair pursue their own agendas for what to do about the Iveroa Stone and all it reveals, and what’s happening further West, with Arran and Theo on their mission from Griff, AND WHO JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE DUMPED OUT WEST AS WELL?? (You know you love to hate him . . . but is redemption in the cards?)

Bloodtide simmered at a steady pace, and I loved seeing how the characters navigated working with leadership or being leaders among their communities, and how the decisions we make within our communities or for our communities have broader impacts on our society as a whole. A great exploration of how nothing happens in isolation and havoc wreaked by one sector can serve as a catalyst for action amongst another group (looking at you, Miro and Van . . .)

I won’t say too much more because I don’t want to give away spoilers, but know this: Arran is forever my dearest child, Balitang made me giggle *out loud*, and the end of this book had me chanting in victory “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!” It was delightful. It was SUCH a satisfying read, and left me hungry for the next installment. And the very final page brought me to tears. In days of such chaos, uncertainty, and harm, reading Bloodtide was a balm, and a reminder that our greatest strength is our ability to work with each other, to problem solve and build together.

And just know that if anything happens to MY CHILD (aka Arran Alexander) I will burn the whole empire down :D

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven’t started this series yet you are missing some of the most incredible SFF speculative fiction about our world that I have ever read. And you know I read a lot.

The worldbuilding is so top notch, with a history that is hidden from the people of the world yet is being discovered and shown in such a satisfying way. And they have been soooo lied to. But the impact is so, so good.

I love each and every one of these characters that is getting a POV, except Darius (for now). I feel like book 3 will be the one where Darius finally gets his head on right and comes to the right side of history. Things are in motion now. Every POV is interesting and unique.

There was a point towards the end in a Tair POV that I almost threw my book (but I didn’t because I love this book). I cried instead. Goddamnit Griff.

READ THIS BOOK (OK START WITH SARGASSA) PLEASE.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @dawbooks for the eARC and the finished copy! All thoughts are my own.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerhouse of a book. This has all the worldbuilding I'd wanted in the first book. Those things left unexplained are because the characters don't know. That just adds to the need to keep reading to find out exactly what is going on.

I need a book with solid characters, and this certainly has that. Tair goes from being in hiding at the end of the last book to someone people look up to at the start of this book. But that isn't a role she wants. We get to watch her grow into herself, and the journey feels very authentic (and a bit raw, much like Tair).

The shifts in POV gave depth to different individuals, plus kept the momentum in the story going.

I can hardly wait for the third book in the series. (There has to be a third book, right?)

[El | libro.vermo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, after I read the latest book in an incomplete series, I am absolutely desperate for the next one and I know the wait is going to be torture. Rarely, I finish the latest book in an incomplete series and am horribly depressed I don’t know how to do science because all I want is to build a time machine so I can go to the future and read the rest. That’s what happened with Bloodtide.

This book is an excellent followup to Sargassa. It takes place mostly during the course of a raging hurricane that lasts several days and causes Selah, Tair, and Griff to made some tough decisions while their city descends into lawlessness. Meanwhile, Theo and Arran make some incredible discoveries while out on a mission far from home. The way that Sophie Burnham has written this story will never cease to amaze me. Oh, also! Darius, who we got to know in the first book, is more of a central character in Bloodtide. I loved getting to know him even better and learning about how complex he truly is.

Theo remains my favorite character. They reflect a bit more on being thremed (nonbinary) in ways that are super relatable. There’s one bit that really called out to me (I’d love to quote it but as of posting this review I have not received permission to do so) in which Theo points out that patricians refuse to accept thremed because they believe gender roles are necessary to keep their families going. Anything that challenges what they’ve deemed necessary is a threat. Man. Yeah. It’s such a simple thing but it was a huge revelation for me because I’ve never thought of nonbinary people as being unable to participate in and contribute to society the same way everyone else does. I guess I needed it to be pointed out that other people do see it that way.

Anyway, I want to say more but fear I will spoil parts of the first book, so I will just say: I KNEW IT and also OMFG!

I cannot believe I don’t have access to time travel and I have to wait for the final book. I just know this is going to end up my favorite trilogy ever.

I received both a gifted copy and an eARC of Bloodtide from DAW, and I extend to them my wholehearted thanks.

[Clairiefaerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved Bloodtide, Sophie Burnham is a fantastic writer.

I hadn’t read Sargassa so had to go back and do that first. It is also an excellent read and in my opinion is necessary to understand the complex politics and world building in Bloodtide.

I loved Selah and Tair as lovers from different worlds/experiences in Sargassa and I love how they are independently developing in this instalment.

This series is incredible and I’m definitely going to continue to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Megan Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. At first, I thought this would be a regular second book that would act as a bridge between the amazing first and third. Then I was pleasantly surprised and a lot happened. I loved this book just as much as the first. The world building was vastly expanded and I was left with some questions that I hope are answered in the last book. This was a fantastic read and I truly cannot wait to see how it all ends in the last book.

[Sara G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as entertaining as the first book, continuing nearly where it left off. But now the characters are split up and discovering that there were yet more earth-shaking revelations in store (one predictable from the first book and finally paid off). A book two can often be a let-down, but that didn't happen here. The character development was solid, and it was great to see more of the world. The hurricane was properly harrowing. I'm a little nervous about whether the author will be able to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the expanded lore introduced.

[Holly Taggart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. This is the second installment in the Ex Romana series and I LOVED IT. I liked the first, but book two was BETTER! In Bloodtide, the characters are well established and the story just flows- even with multiple POV- very easy to follow. The political maneuvering continues as well as challenging alliances, underdogs and unlikely heros and - the YEARNING- of so many messy relationships with people just learning who they want to be and what may be possible. Recommend.

[J T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT

[Gealach · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ 4.5 stars

I'm a sucker for the kind of twists this series pulls. Excellent work and it's so criminally unknown.
Review coming soon to my blog.

[Kerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloodtide is the second book in Sophie Burnham’s Ex Romana trilogy, a genre-bending speculative series set in a world where Rome never fell and revolution brews beneath an empire built on control that is doomed to repeat its own history.

I loved this book, just as much, if not more, than Sargassa, which was already an absolute standout. While Bloodtide, as the sophomore book in the series, doesn’t necessarily move plot forward a significant amount, the pacing, character development, and world expansion adds SUBSTANTIAL value to the series. Burnham takes full advantage of this installment to deepen our understanding of the empire and its history as well as explore the messy, complicated web of relationships and motivations that drive these characters forward.

What really impressed me was how relevant the themes behind this story feel despite its alternate-world setting. The power struggles, moral ambiguity, and societal fractures mirror the world we’re living in today, making it both timely and unsettling in the best way. I loved watching these characters wrestle with impossible choices, where there are no true winners, only survivors navigating systems that are truly stacked against them.

Political intrigue. Rebellion against corrupt government. An entirely queer cast… speculative/alternate history fiction honestly doesn't get better than this.

Sophie Burnham’s Ex Romana series is SERIOUSLY and CRIMINALLY underrated and I have made it my mission to get it into more readers hands. Take my word for it, you won’t be disappointed.

[Strzyga · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great sequel to Sargassa, surpassing its predecessor in many ways. it had much more interesting character arcs, a more consistent plot, intriguingly expanded what worldbuilding the first instalment established and offered exciting twists and turns each time things seemed to finally settle. all in all, a great read that made me really anticipate the series finale. so glad I gave Ex Romana a chance despite my doubts about Sargassa!

thank you to DAW, Sophie and Netgalley for the ARC!