Seal of Rome

Eden Maddox has crafted a masterful historical fantasy. The reader is dropped in the thick of political intrigue and the pace is breakneck. We rotate between the first person POV of characters from different parts of society. Maddox touches on painful realities of Roman life, with the inequities between social classes and free and enslaved persons fully rendered. Each POV character has a strong, authentic voice and we get to know them intimately. I enjoyed the storyline of the Septem Fideles and was pleased that the ending opens the possibility of a sequel.

This book gave me Five Broken Blades vibes, except it's set in ancient Rome (while also feeling modern, in its way), and instead of assassinating the Emperor, our team is tasked with the opposite: serving the Emperor and protecting the Empire. Content warning: The author does not shy away from the reality of a slave society. Abuse (sexual and physical) is common in this world, both for slaves and for women. Maddox does not present these in especially graphic ways, but these themes are present.

Part of what I liked about this book was that it takes place in a world full of injustice and cruelty, yet our main team is filled with characters of, well, character. They are unwilling to accept that things must be the way they are. They see the show more injustice and cruelty and long for better. Even the Emperor is someone who wants to be just and fair. My favorite quote would have to come from the note from the author, where Maddox says "this story is a reminder that even in the darkest of shadows, there can be flickers of light, heroes who emerge against the odds to give us hope. Although, you can’t site the “events” you’re about to read, you can cling to our shared duty to take care of one another and fight for a better world no matter the cost."

This book is multi-POV, with the four main characters each having their own developed history and place within this society. There are friendships and forbidden attractions. Each character follows his or her own leads, through his or her own place in the hierarchy, to uncover and stop the attempted assassination of the Emperor. We see how they each bring their unique talents and perspectives together in this team, each presence strengthening it.

We have action, danger, political intrigue, class inequity, yearning, romance, and more. The ending leaves room for possible sequels, which was nice, as I would enjoy coming back to these characters, as I thought this book was well done and came to truly feel for them, and I wouldn't mind seeing our four upped to the full seven over time, either.

You can read the 27-page "prequel" on her website: https://edenmaddox.com/death-is-in-the-air

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a fair and honest review. show less

I was given a free copy of "Seal of ROME" via LibraryThing. I have a new author to follow. This is one of the best books I have read in a while. Very well written, engaging, well developed characters, and an interesting, yet mysterious plot. This book was seriously hard to put down. I will keep my eye out for other books by Eden Maddox.

I really enjoyed this story. It has earned a place in my top 15 books of 2026.