Goodness - just read the prologue and I am completely hooked!

Ohh this book! Simply amazing in ALL of the ways. Costanza Casati is simply brilliant and has truly done a fantastic job at this wonderful retelling of Queen Semiramis from Mesopotamian legend and myth.

At the heart of this incredible story was the relationship between Seminaris, her husband Onnes and the king Ninus. Each of these characters showed such an incredible level of complexity in their brokenness and I love how the story changed and arced over each of their stories. There was hatred, there was love, there was need. The characters were complex and engaging and I was completely mesmerized by the twists and turns of their story.

Costanza Casati has such a magnificent way of writing, her prose is lyrical, and the vivid descriptions that she paints are second to none.

I love this book dearly and am so grateful to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Costanza Costi is a master of the Greek myth retelling genre. Clymenestra was a fantastic, insightful look at the tragic heroine. Similarly, Babylonia adds depth and complexity to the ancient story. If you like strong, smarty, complicated heroines, this is the novel for you.

I loved the descriptiveness of this book and how the author really made the characters come alive. The author gave a lot of detail about a very specific time period in history but kept me engaged throughout.

📖 Read if you like:
👑 Mythology Retelling
📜 Ancient Babylon
👸🏽 Ambitious FMC
🤫 Secrets & betrayals
⚔️ Epic battles
🐆 A JAGUAR AS A PET!

💭 My Thoughts: I gasped when I got an ARC of Babylonia because Clytemnestra is one of my all-time favorites! Costanza’s writing is stunning and so immersive, even during the slower moments. Semiramis is such a complex, badass character who rises from nothing and bends those in power to her will.

Costanza blends history and mythology so perfectly without it ever feeling like a history lesson. I had 43 highlights in my kindle. That alone shows how compelling of a read this was. She’s officially an auto-buy author for me!

⚠️ CW: violence, gore

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Fictional take on the legend of Semiramis, the first and only woman to rule Assyria.
An orphan from humble beginnings her beauty and ambition led her to marriage with a governor and then a king. Quite a remarkable woman who became a warrior and a queen. Uniting her kingdom with the surrounding territories and the kingdom a Babylon. Castanza Casati has used whatever historical writings available to fashion this story but the real beauty is the license she takes with the real people who lived here. The relationships between Semiramis, Onnes and Ninus are tense and complex. The cruelty of this time makes their actions and emotions believable. This is just a very well done story. Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark

Left on the riverbank as a baby while her mother drowned, Semiramis has to rise from nothing to make her way in the world. She takes her opportunity when a new governor comes to her town and travels back to the capital of the Assyrian Empire as his wife. However, she quickly finds herself in a strange relationship triangle in a court where it is hard to trust anyone. Semiramis gains a fierce leopard as a companion, goes into battle, and finds herself climbing up the ladder of power.

I loved Clytemnestra by this author, and was very excited to read this retelling of the only known female ruler during this time period. It did not disappoint, I thought it was beautifully written and researched. I really felt like I was transported to this time period with the writing, it was so immersive and interesting. There are some very complicated relationships in here and Casati does a great job of exploring them! As a reader I wasn't even sure whether to root for Ninus, Semiramis, or Onnes at times. They are all flawed in their own ways with different strengths. Even the side characters are interesting - Sasi was one of my favorites and gave off Lord Varys vibes from GOT. We also follow Ribat, a slave in Semiramis' household a little and see the large divide between classes even more closely.

Overall I really liked this book! It was long but it didn't feel that way, every scene had meaning. I would recommend this to all who enjoy retellings with strong female characters! I will definitely read the next book Casati writes. Trigger warning for domestic violence and suicide - there's also a lion hunt that I was not a fan of (but I do realize that was probably commonplace at the time!). There are also quite a few battle scenes with some graphic descriptions, the Assyrians liked to go to war and they liked to strike fear into their enemies. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley for my opinions.

4.5 stars rounded up

I read this book so that I could moderate a discussion at BookBrowse.com. (The discussion opened about a week ago, by the way, and it's going very well - lots of positive feedback.) I haven't really spent a lot of time analyzing the novel, since it's not a review book for me and BookBrowse is the only publication I review for. However, I will say it's one of the finest examples of Historical Fiction I've come across. The author's research was excellent, as was her ability to realistically fill in the (many) blanks of her heroine's life. I think it's a stronger book than her earlier novel, Clytemnestra.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel that made me care so deeply about ancient Assyrians! Babylonia tells the story of the rise of a woman named Semiramis, who is orphaned as a child and works to improve her status in life. The author did a great job of portraying complicated dynamics between people and the deep grief we all experience at some point in our lives.

The exploration of various aspects of Assyrian mythology added a lot to the story, and was done in such a natural way- I never felt like I was being lectured or reading a dry text. The characters were brought to life so vividly, and were incredibly complex characters. This was an excellent read!

I always enjoy a book that focuses on a real historical figure, especially a woman who has been lost to history. You root for the protagonist in this imaginative retelling. You want her to fulfill her destiny, especially after the hard life she has had. An interesting read about a little known character.

Semiramis was born a commoner in a village in Assyria. Through her own ambition, she eventually becomes Queen.

Clytemnestra is one of my favorite books of the last ten years. And as soon as I saw it announced, I preordered it. And Casati did not disappoint.

Casati’s rich, luxurious historical scene setting was present throughout the novel, letting me feel the dry heat of Semiramis’s village and the cloying humidity and incense in the palace. And I loved the little snippets of songs and poetry that fleshed out the world.

And her character work remains unparalleled. Every character was unique, with strengths and weaknesses, backgrounds and ambitions, that all fit and played an impact on the novel. Semiramis’s desires shape the whole of the novel, and we can see the evolution of her from an abandoned orphan to the most powerful woman in the kingdom.

Really, my only qualm is that I wish the novel had gone a little longer. I loved the build up from Semiramis’s childhood to her ascension to the throne, but as a queen she led military campaigns, expanded the rule of Assyria, and ruled under her own power. I wanted to see some of that. I wanted to see her control and decisiveness when she was on the throne, not just leading up to it.

But Casati had cemented herself as an autobuy author for me, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Many thanks to both NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this arc!

Wow ok this completely blew me away! This is my first book from Casati but I am fully convinced to pick up more of her stories. The complexity of the characters was so well done without going too stereotypical. You can tell a lot of thought and editing went into this. The plot flowed nicely, sometimes lagging slightly but I think that was more me than her. Overall so so so good!

I loved Costanza's previous novel Clytemnestra so I was so excited to get my hands on this book. I really enjoyed this tale of Semiramis who fought to be Queen of Assyria. I did not know this story at all so it was nice to read about it for the first time. This story has everything I want in a mythical retelling: tragedy, scandal, love, betrayal and lust. The writing is so beautiful and the details of the time and people are amazing. If you love mythology, check this one out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of Babylonia! Babylonia is a lush and sweeping tale of ancient civilizations and the women who helped shape the conquests and legends of history. Fans of Jennifer Saint and Natalie Haynes will enjoy this epic tale of the first true Queen of Assyria, a queen in her own right. Semiramis is ambitious and clever, and is able to keep up with the most notorious schemers at court to not only maintain but continue to increase her power and influence. This was a tale that I was completely unfamiliar with, having never heard of Semiramis previously, and Casati was able to weave a story that was not only compelling and fascinating but haunting as well.

📚BOOK REVIEW🐆🗡

📖: Babylonia 🐆
✍️: Costanza Casati @costanzacasati
📚: Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 448
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

HUGE thanks to @bookmarked for the #gifted copy! I still can't get over the beautiful foiled cover and sprayed edges. I am also thankful to have received the eARC as I was able to keep on reading on my Kindle while feeding my newborn.
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"A woman does what she can with her gifts."

“Immortality doesn’t mean living for ever. It means surviving even after your heart stops beating and your body is burned. It means living in myth, in stories.”
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💭 Where do I even begin? Babylonia turned out to be such a remarkable book that I will NOT stop talking about. To be honest, when I first opened the book, I felt intimidated by the maps of the cities and palace, the characters, and the gods. However, once I started reading, I immediately knew Babylonia would become my first 5 star read of the year.

Costanza Casati's writing is stunning! Her descriptions of emotions and surroundings were on point. We're able to feel the horrors of war, the grief of loved ones, and the madness of power. I loved that we got 4 different POVs to help us better understand the story.

In Babylonia, we follow Semaramis, who is an orphan in a village of the Assyrian empire. She is constantly being mistreated by her stepfather and others of the village. Despite her unhappy life, Semaramis has always been very curious, willing to question everything, and hungry for more. When governer Onnes visits the village, she grasps onto her first chance to leave her past behind and becomes the governor's wife. This is where her life dramatically changes. While living a royal life, Semaramis meets new people and discovers that royalty comes along with secrets, rumors, and challenges. There is a constant war going on to be the empire with the most power. However, she quickly learns that war changes people. Semaramis will have to go through love, loyalty, betrayal, and death to one day become QUEEN. 👑

I am eager to read more by Costanza Casati!!

Casati writes ambitious historical women beautifully. Watching Semiramis climb up to queen had me on the edge of my seat. Captivating writing and a compelling story. Well done.

This is a lush story full of political intrigue and tension. Semiramis is a fascinating character and I loved her story. I really enjoyed learning about Assyria–a brutal, ancient culture I didn't know much about. Costanza Casati crafted an incredible world. If you have any interest in historical women-centric stories, read this book!

Perfect for fans of Circe and The Lady Macbeth!

This historical retelling is fast paced and I really enjoyed it. The plot is exciting, the writing style is immersive and the characters are well developed. The story features multiple POVs which helps you to quickly connect with the characters.

Babylonia focuses on the woman’s narrative and truly delivers on that. Semiramis is an interesting character and her decision making among this real, brutal world is exciting.

This story is gruesome. With tons of on page bloodshed and political violence so, please check the trigger warnings.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the arc copy of Babylonia in exchange for my honest review.

Audiobook
Ayesha Antoine’s performance differentiates the POVs and enjoyable to listen to. I think this audiobook could benefit from multiple narrators.

Thank you to RBMedia and NetGalley for the listener copy of Babylonia in exchange for my honest review.

I could gush about this for ages, but I’ll try to keep it brief. Going into this I had a little bit of background knowledge of ancient Mesopotamia, but the story really fleshes out the ancient world in smooth exposition. The characters are fascinating and even minor characters are given depth, and I adored getting the chance to have multiple perspectives throughout. The main character, Semiramis, is fascinating, and I loved her journey and how she stayed confident in herself throughout, even though she was raised in a society that doesn’t value women.

By far my favorite part of this story was the political scheming, and I mean this as a high compliment, it reminded me a lot of the early seasons of Game of Thrones. In a market saturated with myths and retellings, Babylonia brings something very unique to the table. I cannot recommend this enough, I haven’t even talked about the romance yet, but seriously read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who loves mythology and folklore, particularly from the Sumerian and Akkadian regions, this book is exactly what I look for in historical fiction. This was my first Casati book and I am a fan. A sweeping epic about the love triangle between Semiramis, Onnes, and Ninus, Babylonia grips you from the first line and pulls you along in the current of the Euphrates River through the lives of these 3 people. Vengeance, redemption, heartbreak, and warfare. Babylonia will give you a glimpse into the life of the Bronze Age through the eyes of the ultra privileged. I wished we saw more of the common day life through the Ribat narrative and i would have loved to read more about the rituals and religion, which played a very large part in the lives of the Levantine people. Huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. Four enthusiastic stars!

Babylonia is a historical fiction novel that reimagines the myth of Semiramis and her rise from an orphaned villager to Queen, set against the backdrop of the Assyrian Empire. All of the novels' characters are strong yet flawed, and all suffer because of what drives them: pride, power, ambition, hubris, and vengeance.

With vivid language, Casati makes the ancient world come alive, balancing the brutalities of war with quieter moments of reflection, and always in the background, political maneuverings and intrigue.

While it takes a few chapters to get its footing, the 3rd person narrative culminates in a rich story tols from the point of view of its four main characters: Semiramis, Onnes, King Nerus, and a slave, Ribat.

It's only my second book of the year but this one will be hard to beat.

Thank you to the author and publisher for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest reriew.

5/5 stars 🌟