Much as I don't like joining a series of books part way through, usually due to the back story not being clear the characters being set in their ways by the 4th book, this was a great stand-alone book, easy to catch up with characters, full of well researched observations and humanity.
Would I buy the book, yes, would I buy the rest of the series, very much so, In fact I have a space on the shelf already for them.

Another gritty, gripping, and entertaining story in this historical series. The author delivers a story well plotted, vivid historical background, and interesting characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

CONTENT WARNING: violence, murder, blood, gore

I have to admit, that I haven't been fully following the series. I've read books 1 and 4, but each of them works fairly well as standalone stories, so even without reading all of the previous books I was able to follow along with the story without missing anything major.

Although this book was a bit slower-paced than the two others that I have read, it gets into a bit more of the political machinations and a lot more of the intrigue surrounding Caracalla, and it was an interesting read.

I especially like how Gough manages to take such a distant period of time (214 CE) and making it feel incredibly accessible. The Roman Empire has never felt so close and understandable and interesting, which says a lot, since I've always found this to be an intriguing time period, especially for historical fiction.

Silus is an easy character to empathize with. He's torn between his own moral compass and the pressures placed on his that are outside of his control. Since rising up in the ranks of the Roman army, from being a scout to joining the Arcani, he has caught the attention of the Emperor, Caracalla, and entered the ranks of the few that the Emperor actually trusts. And as Caracalla becomes increasingly stressed and paranoid, Silus is forced to take on more tasks that he is conflicted about.

We follow Silus through the Empire as he works on completing his assigned tasks, even as he questions how he feels about them. But he doesn't have the ability to say no, since the Emperor has leverage on him in the form of something he cares about.

The story is well-written, and I'm definitely willing to read up on the rest of the books in this series, as well as following Silus' story in the future. As far as Roman Empire historical fiction goes, this is really good.