ARC Review: City of Bronze, City of Silver by Saga Hillbom

431 BC. Greece is torn apart by war. The city states split into leagues: one headed by the militarized Sparta, the other by the sophisticated Athens.Alethea, a young Spartan woman, leaves her home to accompany her brother on the military campaign. Taken prisoner by the enemy and enslaved in an Athenian household, Alethea’s heart is set on revenge. However, her feelings are complicated as she is drawn to her abductor’s amiable cousin, Eucleides.Meanwhile, Efigenia, a child bride and Alethea’s new mistress, struggles to navigate in a world dictated by men. The rigid norms she lives by are consuming her little by little. Can the arrival of the Spartan help her break loose from her chains?City of Bronze, City of Silver is a tale of bloodshed and vengeance, oppression and love, set against the backdrop of an ancient civilization steeped in myth.

Saga Hillbom is the author of three historical novels. Her previous works include A Generation of Poppies and Today Dauphine Tomorrow Nothing.

As most of you probably know, I love history. Ancient history especially. And I’ve found it often quite hard to find good books set in ancient times, in the case of this one it’s ancient Greece, which I love reading about. So I’m really happy that I found City of Bronze, City of Silver on Booksprout and decided to give it a chance because I highly enjoyed reading it.

The story is set in the 5th century BC with a young woman from Sparta named Alethea as the main character. Another thing that’s not easy to find with books set in ancient times, a woman as main character. I’m always looking for those. But anyways, the premise of the book basically is that she goes on military campaign with her brother because she’s worried something might happen to him but she gets taken captive and forced to be a slave in a household in Athens.

I’m always drawn to beautifully written books and this one was no exception. The writing style was really gorgeous. Also the characters weren’t lacking. I really enjoyed reading about Alethea and how she managed her new life as a slave. Her spartan personality definitely stood out with all the Athenians. 

I also wanna say that there were several unexpected twists that I definitely didn’t see coming, especially at the end. Oh boy. It definitely took me by guard and kind of broke my heart. But at the same time it made this book all the better because of it. I love books that keep surprising me. And if you do also you should definitely give this book a shot!

About the author:
I’m the self-published author of historical novels A Generation of Poppies (2018), Today Dauphine Tomorrow Nothing (2019), and City of Bronze, City of Silver (2020), in which I strive to create strong characters and an authentic historical setting based on thorough research.

When I am not writing or studying, I enjoy sketching, spending time outside, and watching historical movies. I currently live in Lund, Sweden, with my family.
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