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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"[He] is not a bad person because he is an evil one, a sadist who relishes in the pain and misery of others. [He] is a bad person because he has been taught to use his talents for the sake of bad works." Sargassa was an interesting read which presented a future in which the Roman empire had conquered the world and gave us insight into the lives of several people of different social standings. While one man believes himself to be the hero because of his upbringing, others seen him as the villain. It was full of tension, romance, and criticism of many issues we have today in the modern world.
While I quite enjoyed Sargassa, it did contain very heavy themes of colonialism, police brutality, systemic inequality, indentured servitude, and political corruption. While these themes are to be expected in a Roman story, I would suggest that readers consider whether they are in the right headspace to read this right now. I don't know if it was intentional but there was a situation which paralleled the Indigenous residential schools that happened in North America in real life, and someone who has been affected by that may want to know that going into the book. expecially considering that as well as the fact that the main characters regularily refer to the natives as savage and violent because of the propaganda they have been fed.
Overall, great book, 5 stars. The big reveal at the end explains all the inconsistancies and historical innacuracy, and sets up the next book quite nicely. I hope to read the next one when it comes out.
I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my own.
While I quite enjoyed Sargassa, it did contain very heavy themes of colonialism, police brutality, systemic inequality, indentured servitude, and political corruption. While these themes are to be expected in a Roman story, I would suggest that readers consider whether they are in the right headspace to read this right now. I don't know if it was intentional but there was a situation which paralleled the Indigenous residential schools that happened in North America in real life, and someone who has been affected by that may want to know that going into the book. expecially considering that
Spoiler
the "reeducated native" turned out to be a murderer who was secretly working for the colonisersOverall, great book, 5 stars. The big reveal at the end explains all the inconsistancies and historical innacuracy, and sets up the next book quite nicely. I hope to read the next one when it comes out.
I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my own.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I suspected the twist and yet it still blew me away! So impressed by this debut and CANNOT WAIT for the sequel. Which I am praying we get soon.
Set in a contemporary North America where the Roman Empire never fell, Sargassa follows five very different characters. Selah is 22-years-old and following the assassination of her father, she is now the head of her family and one of the most important people in Roma. Her father leaves express instructions for two items - a mysterious item known as the Iveroa Stone and an atlas which bears no resemblance to the known geography - to make their way into Selah’s hands and little does she know how much it will completely change her life. She will need the help of friends new and old to unravel the mystery.
This was one of those books that I didn’t realise was a 5 star read as I was reading it but the more that I thought about it, the more I realised just how smart and unique it was. I was utterly blown away by the attention to detail that Burnham has brought to bringing this story to life as well as crafting believable characters that don’t necessarily fit neatly into genre archetypes. I really appreciated that these characters messed-up and there was no deus ex machina that made things okay, they just had to live with the consequences of those mistakes. Selah likes to believe that she is enlightened and witnessing the injustices that her brother and her childhood crush experienced has changed her but ultimately the place that she is in the start of the book is someone who has a lot of privilege and sees a truth that is convenient and comfortable for her.
As much as I hated Darius, I recognised how authentic he was in his outlook to the world. Beyond being necessary to the plot as his actions had a direct impact upon the other four POVs, he perspective provided much-needed insight into the thought processes of a pleb who is doing what they can to have the best life for themselves within the restraints of society. Darius is somewhat holier-than-thou and he holds some really disgusting views but he was a fascinating perspective and I kinda hope that his habit of having nine lives continues and this isn’t the last that we see from him.
My jaw was on the floor as we got to the end of the book and the reveals occurred. I was actually astounded at the sleight of hand that Burnham carried-out. Whilst I did get the vibe that the Iveroa Stone was a phone, I thought it was an independently developed technology in this alternative history as opposed to actually being future tech. I loved the fact that Sargassa actually takes place in 2892 A.D. and the Great Quiet was actually a catastrophic event and the society that is Roma is so much more insidious than at first glance.
I am so excited to see where this story goes. Also, Griff is Arran's mother, right?
OMG why aren't more people talking about this book? It was so good and the plot twist at the end? I didn't see any of this coming. This book is so well written and a great look as to why we need to pay attention to what is going on in this world.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
*I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
I kept dutifully reading Sargassa because the prose is perfectly good and the worldbuilding is excellent, and it was exploring themes I care about – but recently I hit 68% and woke up to the fact that I didn’t know where this was going and did not care.
Like Blood of the Old Kings, I don’t think it’s bad. But besides all the MCs being some flavour of queer, Sargassa doesn’t seem to be doing or saying anything new – empire is bad, institutionalised oppression is EXTREMELY bad, cops are the fists of the ruling class, privilege is a thing which exists and we can do a lot of harm with it. I think Sargassa could be a helpful wake-up call for readers who’ve never thought about these things before, but there wasn’t much for me to sink my teeth into. The characters and their storylines weren’t interesting to me; the various injustices they face were rage-inducing because those things are inherently rage-inducing, not because I cared that they were happening to these characters in particular.
And I can’t put my finger on why, but wow this book felt slow. I think it might be that so many little (or relatively little) things were happening, they slowed down any progress on the bigger plot, bogged us down in stuff I didn’t care about. At 68% no progress at all had been made on who murdered the previous Historian, for example; the characters were all distracted by other things. Some of which mattered to the development of those characters, sure, but didn’t matter to me.
From what I’ve seen of other early reviews, if you’re into Ancient Rome you’ll be delighted by the detailed worldbuilding and how well-thought-out the timeline of this alternate history is. Or if you’re here for examinations of class privilege and seeing oppressed people slow-burn turn on the system out to keep them down, you might have a good time with Sargassa.
If neither of those things interests you, I’m not sure you should bother. It’s not bad; it’s fine. But why waste your time reading a book that’s just fine, when there are so many greats out there?
I kept dutifully reading Sargassa because the prose is perfectly good and the worldbuilding is excellent, and it was exploring themes I care about – but recently I hit 68% and woke up to the fact that I didn’t know where this was going and did not care.
Like Blood of the Old Kings, I don’t think it’s bad. But besides all the MCs being some flavour of queer, Sargassa doesn’t seem to be doing or saying anything new – empire is bad, institutionalised oppression is EXTREMELY bad, cops are the fists of the ruling class, privilege is a thing which exists and we can do a lot of harm with it. I think Sargassa could be a helpful wake-up call for readers who’ve never thought about these things before, but there wasn’t much for me to sink my teeth into. The characters and their storylines weren’t interesting to me; the various injustices they face were rage-inducing because those things are inherently rage-inducing, not because I cared that they were happening to these characters in particular.
And I can’t put my finger on why, but wow this book felt slow. I think it might be that so many little (or relatively little) things were happening, they slowed down any progress on the bigger plot, bogged us down in stuff I didn’t care about. At 68% no progress at all had been made on who murdered the previous Historian, for example; the characters were all distracted by other things. Some of which mattered to the development of those characters, sure, but didn’t matter to me.
From what I’ve seen of other early reviews, if you’re into Ancient Rome you’ll be delighted by the detailed worldbuilding and how well-thought-out the timeline of this alternate history is. Or if you’re here for examinations of class privilege and seeing oppressed people slow-burn turn on the system out to keep them down, you might have a good time with Sargassa.
If neither of those things interests you, I’m not sure you should bother. It’s not bad; it’s fine. But why waste your time reading a book that’s just fine, when there are so many greats out there?