Book 3 finished with Nero and Sporus returning to Rome after their eventful trip to Greece. Nero has lost support of the Senate and his time as Emperor is now limited.
Is there anything Sporus can do to help himself in the Post-Nero Rome? From the entire structure of these books, with Sporus telling his story to his make up artist before being sent into the Coliseum to be viciously murdered, we know the answer is probably a resounding No, but this book manages to remain compulsive as it moves to the inevitable conclusion.
The research that's gone into this series feels meticulous, but rather than feeling like info-dump which can be a danger, it feels like atmospheric world-building. The city of Rome is so well portrayed you can almost smell it.
The complex politics of the Senate are described in an easily accessible and understandable way.
It's sad to see the nd of this series, and that's always a sign of a good book. It's impossible to feel anything but sympathy for Sporus. He really has had a tragic existence, even if he was revered as a Goddess at one point.
A fitting end to a great series.
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