Mostly historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, this book disappointed me at first, and at times I considered putting it down and retiring it to my could-not-stomach pile. It seemed that I was alternately reading a poorly written fantasy novel with over-used characters or getting lectured on the reality of ancient Rome, and oh-my-gosh-can-you-believe-how-bad-it-was!

But it got better. Although they didn't manage to completely shed their initial stereotypical roles, Kane developed the characters and managed to draw me into each of their stories. The writing seemed to get less awkward, and although the plot isn't really cohesive it definitely got more interesting.

I'm looking forward to reading the second book, and hoping I can give it more than 3 stars.