Monday, April 14, 2014

Perfiditas by Alison Morton

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Read: April 14, 2014

Captain Carina Mitela of the Praetorian Guard Special Forces is in trouble - one colleague has tried to kill her and another has set a trap to falsely incriminate her in a conspiracy to topple the government of Roma Nova. Founded sixteen hundred years ago by Roman dissidents and ruled by women, Roma Nova barely survived a devastating coup d'etat thirty years ago. Carina swears to prevent a repeat and not merely for love of country. If she turns to an old friend with interests on both sides of the law, it could wreck her marriage to the enigmatic Conrad. Carina is determined to hunt down the conspirators, but proscribed and operating illegally, she risks being terminated by both regular security services and the conspirators. As she struggles to overcome the desperate odds and save her beloved Roma Nova and her own life, she faces the ultimate betrayal.

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In the spirit of full disclosure I think it important to note I started Alison Morton's Perfiditas four times before actually finishing the novel. I'd no experience with the series, but had been told familiarity was of no consequence and naively jumped into book two without a second thought. 

Unfortunately, my information wasn't as accurate as I'd been led to believe and I quickly felt overwhelmed by the material. Aware my lack of understanding was negatively impacting my experience, I went back to the drawing board, returning to Perfiditas only after I'd finished Inceptio. Overkill? Perhaps, but the tactic worked better than I'd hoped.

Despite the rumors, Perfiditas is in many ways an extension of its predecessor. Picking up seven years after the initial installment, book two reunites readers with Karen Brown, now Captain Carina Mitela, inside Roma Nova and though the plot is in and of itself an independent adventure, it is heavily reliant on the relationships and background information illustrated in book one.

This observation aside, I liked the complex conspiracies a lot more this go round. Less straightforward than those seen in Inceptio, Morton's outdid herself, weaving a tangled web of intrigue that quite literally had me on the edge of my seat. 

Also of note, Morton's application of Roman culture. Though unmistakable in Inceptio, the scope of Perfiditas allowed her to delve deeper into Roma Nova's roots and in so doing, produce stronger historical themes than those recognized in the previous installment.

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He was a normal person caught in an abnormal dilemma. Despising people for not standing up to the threat of extreme violence was easy in theory, but when faced with it, the average person was shit-scared. They wanted it to go away. If pushed, they would run away to survive. Aidan didn't have that option. 
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Be Sure to Check all the Stops on Alison Morton's Perfiditas Virtual Book Tour


Monday, April 14
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, April 15
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Thursday, April 17
Spotlight & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Monday, April 21
Review at Book Nerd
Wednesday, April 23
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
Friday, April 25
Interview at Dianne Ascroft
Monday, April 28
Spotlight & Giveaway at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Tuesday, April 29
Review at Ink Sugar Blog
Wednesday, April 30
Interview & Giveaway at Ink Sugar Blog
Friday, May 2
Spotlight & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Connection
Monday, May 5
Review at A Bibliotaph’s Reviews
Thursday, May 8
Interview & Giveaway at Books and Benches
Monday, May 12
Guest Post at Royalty Free Fiction
Tuesday, May 13
Review & Interview at Tower of Babel
Friday, May 16
Spotlight at Reviews by Molly

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