Babylonia by Costanza CasatiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Set in ancient Assyria, this novel follows an orphan girl from a tragic childhood to the height of power. Semiramis must sacrifice much to make this journey, but she is definitely up to the challenge.
Babylonia includes lots of court intrigue, back-stabbing, politics, manipulation, and affairs of the heart. It touches on warfare, mental health, homosexuality, and patricide. None of the characters are all good or all bad, and most are unlikeable, but the story carried me along and I had to find out what happened next.
I recently listened to Casati’s Clytemnestra, which is also about a woman fighting for power. Unlike that one, I didn’t feel as much heartbreak for this main character, Semiramis. Instead of being manipulated by others, she more or less made her bed and had to sleep in it. Similarly to Clytemnestra, however, this one ends before I thought it would. Not a bad ending, just not the whole story I expected. That does leave some to my imagination.
The audiobook was wonderfully narrated by Ayesha Antoine, whose timing and inflections were spot on.
Contains applicable violence, no foul language, minimal sexual content.
Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
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