I absolutely loved this book! It's not one I would normally pick up but I was intrigued and engaged the whole time. I loved the Audiobook. The narrator's voice was easy to listen to and a good fit for the character of the story.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

costanza casati has firmly cemented herself as a reliably unique reteller of mythological/historical women. i enjoyed babylonia just as much as her debut clytemnestra. she takes women that had such a small role and expands their identity in a complex and crucial way. i will eagerly continue to follow any upcoming projects!

the narrator for the audio did a fantastic job.

not to mention, my page & wick edition (that i received last year😅) is absolutely stunning.

Cortanza Casati’s Babylonia is a stunning historical novel that immerses readers in the grandeur and intrigue of ancient Mesopotamia. The story follows a fiercely intelligent and resilient heroine navigating the complexities of power, survival, and destiny in a world shaped by gods, rulers, and war. Casati masterfully weaves history and fiction, bringing to life a rich and vividly detailed setting that feels both epic and intimate.

From the first page, I was completely enthralled—each chapter unfolded with gripping tension, lush descriptions, and beautifully crafted prose. The depth of research is evident, making the world feel authentic and immersive without ever overwhelming the reader. I loved every single page and genuinely didn’t want it to end.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator’s performance elevated the experience even further. Their delivery perfectly captured the emotion and atmosphere of the story, making it impossible to stop listening. If you enjoy historical fiction that is both sweeping and deeply personal, Babylonia is an absolute must-read.

I just couldn’t get through this audio but I am intrigued by the story line so I will be grabbing a physical copy to read and try it again!

“Women are at war every day of their lives because they’re expendable”

Summary:

Babylonia follows the harrowing story of Semiramis as she transforms from a young orphan to one of the most powerful women in the Assyrian Empire. Along with Semiramis’s journey, Casati introduces readers to a cast of other compelling characters, such as Ninus, the ruler of the Assyrian Empire; Onnes, one of its head generals; and Ribat, who offers a stark glimpse into the cruel realities of enslaved individuals during this time.

Beyond the story of its heroine, this book immerses readers in the complex and vibrant world of Assyrian and Babylonian mythology. Costanza Casati masterfully blends real historical figures with characters inspired by the stories and documents of this period in a way that leaves readers feeling as if they learned something new about a period in history often not taught about in history class. (P.S. make sure to stick around for the epilogue to hear more about Casati's experience diving into the history for this book)

Review:

As a lover of historical and mythical fiction, I am deeply in love with Babylonia and Casati's writing. It is rare to find an author who so clearly demonstrates a profound care for the history and myths they explore. As a reader, I felt as though Casati painted such a vivid and authentic picture of this historical period that it was almost as if I were walking through the streets of the Assyrian capital alongside the characters.

Speaking of the characters, each one is so fully realized—human and flawed in the most captivating ways. From Semiramis’s unrelenting drive for power to Ninus’s conflicting feelings about love and happiness to Onnes’s struggles with grief and mental illness, Casati unflinchingly examines the human spirit in all its beauty, cruelty, love, and trauma.

The story itself balances moments of romance and ruthlessness. Casati beautifully highlights the budding romance between Semiramis and Onnes while also unflinchingly detailing the brutal realities of Assyrian warfare. History is a complicated source, and I am so grateful that Casati allows readers to see all sides of life in Assyria—its triumphs and tragedies, its tenderness and its violence.

I am so excited to recommend this book to my history loving students and friends!

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the opportunity to listen to Babylonia by Costanza Casati in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoy retellings from a female perspective, so I was excited to listen to Babylonia, especially after loving Clytemnestra. With Clytemnestra, I already knew parts of the story, which made revisiting it from her perspective enjoyable.
I knew very little about the Assyrian Empire or its characters, and I wasn’t sure if I’d connect with the story. However, Casati does a great job of making her characters interesting and engaging, pulling me into their world.
The author’s note at the end highlights the research behind the book, which is evident throughout the story. Casati’s descriptions bring each scene to life and the narrator’s pacing and style kept me engaged from start to finish.
Babylonia is a well-crafted, engaging historical retelling even for readers unfamiliar with the time period. Highly recommended.

I absolutely love Costanza Casati's writing. With this particular book, though, I did have a more difficult time getting in to it and the characters just because there were so many. I'd say that's most likely because I began with only the audiobook, which I loved, but once I added the ebook I was able to pick up on the pieces I'd missed. None of that was due to the narrator because she was very good. It's because I started when I was on the road and there was heavy traffic so I got distracted.

The Prologue intrigued me immediately and hooked me on the story. Then, when we get to Chapter 1, the story begins with Semiramis and her journey. Her character was amazingly strong. She had been an orphan who grew to become the one who sat on the throne. Her story was empowering, especially for women. She (and I) went through the gamut of emotions, and touching me emotionally is always a win!

There was so much in the plot: love, death, living life, struggles, power, forgiveness and non-forgiveness, happiness and sadness, and much more. I honestly don't think some people, if they are too emotional, could handle this one. At least not without tears and tissue. Casati definitely knows how to write in such a way to make the reader feel multiple emotions and I do mean feel.

Additionally, it was very descriptive and detailed. Some people might think there was too much detail, but I loved every bit of it. And her diction was perfect to me. She obviously was careful in her denotation and connotation of the words she chose. I felt as though I were there several times throughout the book and eventually became "friends" with the characters. I cared what was going to happen to them. I've said in quite a few of my reviews that I am more character-driven (of course the plot must be good too) and if they don't resonate with me then I normally can't get into the book. In this case, I would recommend this book for others who are also especially character-driven. And, not to mention, Babylonia being a historical fiction book just made it even that much better. Greek mythology and history and the research that Casati must've put into this book blew me away.

This is one book that I also recommend that you don't read summaries of it prior to reading it and the same with the blurb. Go into it blind and just go along for the ride and I think you'll love it too. The narrator was excellent and I loved the e-book version as well. I highly recommend listening to it on audiobook and possibly reading along.

Grateful to have received this as an ALC! I have heard nothing but amazing things about another novel by the author, Clytemnestra. As much as this genre is right up my alley, I struggled through this one, sadly.

"Women are at war every day of our lives, because they are expendable."

"A hammer shatters glass but forges steel."

This gave me Game of Throne vibes (I love GOT). We have some incest (I am pretty sure? I kept getting confused, so correct me if I'm wrong), a pet leopard, and lots of brutal imagery: slicing a young girls throat, cutting off hands and throwing the body parts, attempted rape.

I could not deal with the constant Gilgamesh references.

I read Babylonia as my first by Costanza Casati. It is a daring look at the only woman to rule Assyria as regent while her son came of age to be King, yet nearly the entirety of the book engages with her upbringing and ascension to the throne, with the birth of that future king delayed for dramatic effect. Her story is intriguing, layered with ambition, love, and fear of not being enough. The narrative feels heavy-handed though, and the characters are often unpredictable, which is odd in a historical fiction novel. This is very researched, but also a true work of fiction. I did not enjoy reading this as much as I thought I would, though I deeply appreciate learning from both the author and my inspired research about this very interesting character from the past.
I read both the ebook and audiobook. I strongly recommend the audiobook as I struggled with some of the names in the ebook, but found the audiobook narrator's pronunciations really helped me keep track and understand the story better. Ayesha Antoine did an excellent job of narrating.
Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Recorded Books for the advanced copies to review!

Babylonia by Costanza Casati
4⭐

This is an absolute saga of a retelling of the Assyrian Empire sole female ruler; Semiramis.

This tale is rife with challenges, politics, and battles within the Assyrian Emplire.

I loved the strength that Semiramis displayed and the way the story was told, showed the reader how this strength began and what it grew into.

I found the writing to be deeply lyrical and managed to illustrate even death in a beautiful way. It packed even more of a punch when narrated by Ayesha Antoine.

Absolutley adored this book.

If you love mythology retellings with a BAMF FMC then this is one for you.

Thank you NetGallery for the Arc ❤️

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Duration: 16 hrs 21 min
Narrated by Ayesha Antoine

🐆Historical Fiction
🐆Greek Mythology
🐆Slow Descent Into Madness
🐆Love Triangle
🐆Tames Leopard
🐆Flawed Characters
🐆Rise To Power

"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."

"Power is a game that is played in palaces in only," she said
"Do not fear Spymaster, I know how to play too."

“Babylonia” is a Greek mythology retelling that is set in 9th century Assyria. It focuses on the Assyrian empire, only female ruler, Semiramis. As a common orphan girl who was born out of wedlock, was found on the riverbanks edge. She was adopted by a shepherd after her mother took her own life. Semiramis's journey is full of challenges, battles, politics, and the power of the Assyrian empire. Very strong FMC that is cunning, bold, brave, defiant and brave.

It is full of culturally richness with phenomenal world/ character building. It’s a vibrant and immersive world with tasteful writing. It is full of history but beautifully intertwined with fantasy.

I absolutely loved this book and it was a perfect change of pace from books I normally read/ listen to. It’s definitely worth checking out!

The audiobook portion was done wonderfully. I think the narrator really helped to bring the story to life. She had perfect tone and pacing.

Thank you Netgalley and RBmedia for this ALC.

Babylonia was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it lived up to my expectations. I often find myself being a bit of a critic of retellings since I read so many of them, and just from reading this one book I would say she is one of the greats! If you haven't tried one of her books yet this is your sign to!

When kings fall, queens rise’”. I mean that really sums it all up doesn’t it. This is a sweeping tale re-imagining Semiramis’ (the only Assyrian female ruler) life and rise to power.
Imagine a world where as a woman you hold little value. What would you do to escape being beaten to death by your father? Attacked by any man who happened by? That sets the story up for our FMC (can’t really call her a heroine). Semiramis is wonderfully morally gray. Actually every single character in this book is incredibly flawed and yet when viewed from the lens of the author we can see the underlying good in them all. Everyone does what they must to survive. Some are lucky enough to even find love along the way, even when that love eventually causes heartbreak.
Casati doesn’t shy away from the more taboo aspects of the time period (ahem brother in love with brother), but even that is done tastefully. Perhaps the only reason this wasn’t five stars for me is that it is an incredibly long book and the world building overtook the story at several points in my humble opinion. I wish we had more time with Semiramis and her rise to power vs the extra time spent on world building.
Overall a must read for fans of ancient civilization fiction.
I received an ALC of this title, all opinions are my own

I was able to finish this book after all. I loved Clytemnestra so I was set up to have high expectations. Babylonia didn't quite live up to its predecessor and at times the characters and their relationships were easy to mix up. Overall though it was enjoyable and engaging historical fiction.

Additionally, the audiobook reader was good but the "s" in "bas relief" is silent.

Babylonia is a mythology retelling about the Assyrian empire's only female ruler, Semiramis. She was determined to raise her standing in life - starting as a common girl raised by a shepherd, she navigates the male dominated world to become a ruler. The author did a great job combining myth with the limited history of Semiramis's rule. Politics, marriage for status, and plenty of drama to go with it. Perfect for those who like Greek mythology and historical fiction.

I am rating this up on here as I give it a 4.75 I actually got to listen to the audio book thanks to net galley. This was a fascinating story, was a slow start but I blame that on not being familiar with the story itself. Once I got into it, I did reread it, and it was better but being that I don't know the story I needed more of a character intro. Which I know the actual book has that at the beginning so maybe adding it to the audio book would help.
This story was so good, and the narrator actually felt like it was Semiramis telling her story. I will say I think I though the same thing when I read Clytemnestra, I felt the same thing, so they are good at getting narrators for her books. She made Semiramis a Strong character, and she felt real like so many of the other characters I felt like I was there.

This was a fascinating tale set in ancient Mesopotamia that I greatly enjoyed reading. It felt very similar in style to Madline Miller’s Circe and Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne. The story follows Semiramis an orphan girl who eventually marries a governor and then rises to be queen. Myth and ancient history are beautifully blended together to tell the story of the only known female ruler of the Assyrian empire. There was so much that I learned about Assyrian culture through reading this book, which I loved. The men in Semiramis’s life, King Ninus and Onnes are often compared to Gilgamesh and Enkidu from The Epic of Gilgamesh. I loved this parallel, and having recently read Emily H. Wilson’s Inanna and Gilgamesh, I was able to have a deeper appreciation for this connection as those books explore The Epic of Gilgamesh. The story is gripping, and I found myself having a hard time putting it down. I loved the exploration of what life was like for women during this time, especially as we see this from the perspective of the nobility and commoners. I greatly enjoyed how Casati framed the story, which comes to light at the very end of the book. I found it a clever way to retell a story that is a blend of history and legend. I found the characters to be very well-developed and intriguing. This was a wonderful read, and I loved that it gives readers the opportunity to explore a culture that doesn’t typically take the spotlight in literature. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, especially lovers of myth, history, or women’s stories.

Despite being 17 hours long, the plot was well paced and it kept my interest the entire time. The characters were well thought out and believable as real people. It was an interesting book set in a time period that I am not generally as familiar with!

I’m not going to lie, I was intimidated by this book at first, but the story sounded so interesting that I just had to give it a try. It is definitely one that you have to pay close attention to while reading, not quite a “leisurely/fun time” book, but it’s definitely worth the extra attention needed. The writing is absolutely beautiful, and the story itself is incredible. I am glad that I chose to listen to the audiobook, because it probably would have felt a bit slow had I read my physical copy. My only complaint is that it was a bit difficult to determine whose POV chapters were from sometimes. But in all, this was a fabulous historical fiction, with amazing character development and twists and turns along the way!

Not the usual setting of the historical novels I tend to gravitate towards. This story a more ancient setting of the Assyrian Empire.

Semiramis, orphaned as an infant after her mother drowns herself, was taken in and raised by a shepherd along with his son. She escapes his poor treatment of her and when an adult she marries the new governor of Eber-Nari, Onnes.

Onnes is the illegitimate half-brother of King Ninus. Semiramis becomes close to the slaves of the household who become loyal to her and teach her to read, opening the door and paving the way to the throne she is vying for.

This story is loosely based on the historical Queen of Assyria, Sammuramat. I know nothing about this period of time or this empire so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the story to history.

The story was entertaining, seeing the constant power shifting of the triangle of Semiramis, King Ninus and her husband Onnes. Great development of not just the main characters but even the supporting characters.

3.5⭐️ for the depth and storytelling, it was a beautiful story of the rise of a female ruler but I’m just really not sure the setting is my favorite as far as historical fiction goes.