I received this book free from Penguin Random House in exchange for this review.

So this was interesting and I want to thank DAW for the opportunity to read this, I received a free copy at ECCC and honestly this wouldn't have been something I normally picked up. because while I like the cover it is more historical then fantasy like.

I was initially skeptical I would care about Latona or Sempronius Tarren. As anyone familiar with my romance reviews can attest, I am STRONGLY anti-cheating. The hint of romance between the two, when Latona is clearly married, relayed in the summary had me almost putting it down in frustration.

Except...well Latona's husband is not worthwhile and Morris doesn't make the feelings between Latona and Sempronius tawdry or lusty. Plus the romance is so understated as to not be a big deal. In truth I enjoyed their discussions and strategems so much I forgave many things.

Raise a hand if your dad spent dinners quizzing you in your Ancient Roman knowledge and would deduct desserts points if you got answers wrong.

Just my family? Okay well I'm sorry for what you missed because while I struggle to say Missouri correctly I can say every single name in here perfectly.

This could be categorized as alt-history with some magic thrown in since the world is recognizably Ancient Rome. They worship the Roman Deity Pantheon, their laws/justice system is Roman based and the details are clearly Roman.

Since I read an ARE/ARC the author's bio isn't part of the book, but a glance at her blog reassured me she was a history nerd. I do so like a book richly realized with history.

Latona is...at first glance she is hard to pin. I appreciated how much she sacrificed to protect her family yet still DO something. She wasn't a martyr or a victim, she was a woman with a vision of something better who adapted as much as she needed to in order to keep what she cherished safe.

Sempronius Tarren was just as committed but on a wider scale perhaps. Latona was concerned about her family foremost, as she was used to keeping them safe. Tarren was a military man through and through. He saw the larger picture as well as the immediate, trying to weave both as best he could.

I was far more intrigued by his Gift (because prophecy, or any approximation there of) is ALWAYS fascinating. He approached his Gift, which he had to keep under even TIGHTER wraps then Latona, pragmatically building his plans around what he saw but not relying on them.

I'm interested to see where this goes and what will happen to Latona and Tarren in the future. I want to see them together again, plotting and shaping the future of Aven. I want to see what Latona makes of herself with the firm resolution she had in the end foremost in her mind.

Most of all I want to see what kind of place Aven could become, now that they've put into place some strong foundations. ( )

Honestly, I didn't finish this one. It was interesting but didn't seem to be going anywhere. And I'd had it checked out from the library for 9 weeks. I figured it was time to finish or give up. I gave up. The writing was good and the world building was excellent but I've just hit a point where I just don't want to read. ( )

From Unseen Fire is the first instalment of a series set in an alt-history version of Ancient Rome. Set in the first century BCE, it shows us a version of Rome where magic exists, but the city is called “Aven” for some reason I'm not clear on. Nonetheless, the setting is interesting, including the magic system in place – I liked the way that other peoples (like the Lusetanians in Iberia) have their own magical systems with entirely different foundations from the one the Aventans have.

The book is definitely on the slower side. There are a lot of different minor characters and a lot of world-building that it takes its time to establish before the action finally ramps up in the last 100 pages or so. There's nothing wrong with that per se, but for my tastes this book unfolded more slowly than I'd like.

There are two major political plotlines that the book covers. Firstly, there are the upcoming elections in Aven, where the contest primarily comes down to charismatic “man of the people” Sempronius Tarren, and a bunch of unpleasant, conservative old fogeys. Then there is a war developing in Iberia, where a local chieftain, Ekialde, is prepared to resort to dark magic in his determination to get the Aventans out. On top of that, you also have a number of character-driven storylines: Latona Vitellia is probably the book's most central character, with access to extremely strong magic in the elements of Fire and Spirit, but forbidden (by her father) to demonstrate her power and stuck in a loveless marriage to some boring sod. When she meets Sempronius, there's an instant spark of attraction and he begins encouraging her not to allow herself to be clamped down.

When the storylines were in motion, I felt really engaged by this book. It did feel, though, like there was a lot of downtime between significant events. I also think some of the characters were more interesting than others. A lot of the antagonists, in particular, didn't seem to have anything much going for them which might make you enjoy the pages they were on. I did enjoy reading about Sempronius (well, mostly the romance between him and Latona), but I do guiltily have to agree with another review which pointed out there wasn't much depth to him either… (and while I'm at it, I might add that I agree with a ton of what's in that review, even though I think I enjoyed the book more overall than that reviewer did.)

Three stars because I did enjoy this book, particularly the way it came together at the end, even though there were some slower times where I was tempted to rate it two. The sequel doesn't seem to be coming out any time in the near future, but it could be an improvement on this book, if it can trust that we know the world-building by now and deserve to be thrown a bit more action. ( )

This is a fantasy set in an alternate Roman empire with magic. Some people have one of eight types of magic and use it with their day to days lives. Not everyone is a priest of a god or goddess with the magic but it does tend to run in families. The only thing you can’t do if you have magic is run for the Senate, politics is barred to magic users. Latona and her two sisters each have magic, but her magic was so strong she was wed to someone not that interested in politics to hide her from the dictator. Now that he is dead, factions are vying to take control of the Senate and the future of the Empire. The action of the book swings between to Latona and Sempronus, a leader of one of the factions and Latona’s brother who is far away with the legions fighting to protect distant lands.

This is certainly book one of a series and even with good conclusion to the voting at the end of the book there is so much more to explore in future books.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
( )

My family is chock full of history buffs. My father’s a history professor, my brother works at a museum, my sister gives talks at conferences about historical monuments, and I was an art history student once upon a time. So my excitement wasn't very surprising when I first heard a book being described as ‘ancient Rome plus magic’. And that was exactly what we received in From Unseen Fire by Cass Morris.

From Unseen Fire is a fantastic fantasy book set in a word reminiscent of Ancient Rome. The book follows Latona, along with her sisters and several others, as the city of Aven is left leaderless following the sudden death of the Dictator Ocella. On one hand, the people no longer live in fear of his iron fisted rule and mad grab for the magic he was born without. But the people are still livid over the conditions they’ve lived in for so long now, war is brewing on one of Aven’s boarders, and elections will be held sooner rather than later. Two ambitious men strive to lead Aven into this new age – one who clings to the old ways, another determined to bring Aven into the future and hide the magic he has which would bar him from office.

This book is steeped in Ancient Roman history. Though names of places are different, it is unmistakable that this world is supposed to be an alternate Rome, one called Aven after the Aventine hills. It is a Rome much like the one we know. This does extend to naming conventions, city landscape, villa layouts, etc. While there is a character page at the start of the novel and a rather detailed glossary at the end, keep in mind that getting this as an ebook might be helpful if you know nothing of ancient rome. That dictionary search function may come in handy, though even terms that might not be unfamiliar are normally identifiable based on context. Magical abilities are very common in this society, but suppressed. One unfortunate ruler has lead to magic being outlawed in government positions, and those who bear these powers to stay out of the way, hidden, at least within the social circles of the upper classes.

Political intrigue is a large part of this book. Yet it isn’t all politics, rebuilding a damaged Republic, and dealing with a war brewing along their border. This is as much about the lives of the characters are the politics. Latona is the character through whom we experience the majority of the story. She is a grow woman and married to a man who addresses her with either cold indifference or views her as a threat. For Latona has magic, namely Fire and Spirit magic, and is capable of much more than she seems to realize. I loved reading about Latona, and her sisters.

I loved reading about sisters who weren’t at one another’s throats, siblings who genuinely care about one another, and friends who aren’t busy stabbing one another in back or sabotaging their good efforts. This book is just chock full of good, kind, heartwarming sibling relationships and deep friendships. Not everyone is kind – that would make for a boring book, after all. People are still enemies. Some government factions are more dastardly than others. But the characters we follow and care about try their hardest. Siblings tell each other when they simply can’t deal with the attitude or words they know they have.

The magic in this book is widely varied. A person normally is gifted with one or two types of magic. Each of these magic’s are associated with one of their gods. Temples are places for learning as much as worship or healing. Yet, magic is suppressed in many ways. While not outlawed, those with magic cannot hold any major positions within the government so as not to. Thus, magic gets a bit of a poor reputation among the upper echelons of society.

From Unseen Fire wraps up very well. There is a clear conclusion to the book – no major cliffhangers to be found here. I am hooked nonetheless. I will absolutely be continuing with this series. Because it is more than a historically bases society with magic. This is a story about family. It is a story about marriage, about healing, about finding yourself, about courage, and doing what you feel is right no matter what the laws or societal norms may say.

If you are a fan of fantasy who is looking for a very different sort of magic system to read about, check this book out. From Unseen Fire would also probably greatly appeal to readers of historical fiction despite its fantastical elements. Either way, this is a fantastic series with wide appeal which everyone should read. ( )