*Babylonia* by Costanza Casati is an absolute masterpiece, and I’m still thinking about it days after finishing it. From the very first page, I was drawn into a world that felt both dreamlike and painfully real, a place where the past and present seem to intertwine in the most hauntingly beautiful way. Casati’s prose is exquisite, almost poetic, and every sentence feels like it has been carefully sculpted to convey deep emotions and truths.

The characters in this novel are some of the most complex and compelling I’ve ever encountered. Each one is so richly developed, with layers that reveal themselves slowly as the story unfolds. I felt as though I could almost step into their shoes, understanding their inner turmoil, their hopes, their fears, and the way their pasts shaped who they were in the present. There’s a rawness to their emotions that makes them feel incredibly real, yet there’s also a depth to their stories that invites reflection long after the book is closed.

What struck me the most about *Babylonia* is Casati’s ability to marry profound emotional depth with such breathtakingly beautiful language. Her prose isn’t just storytelling; it’s an art form. The words flow with such rhythm and grace, almost like poetry, which made reading this novel feel like a deeply intimate experience. Each page seemed to pull me further into the world she created, making it impossible to put the book down.

This novel isn’t just a story; it’s a journey through the complexities of the human soul, a meditation on how the past shapes us, and how we try to reconcile it with who we are becoming. It’s one of those books that stays with you, making you reflect on your own life and the people in it long after you’ve finished reading.

I can’t recommend *Babylonia* enough. It’s a beautifully crafted novel that offers so much more than just a great story—it’s an experience, one that I’ll carry with me for a long time.

Costanza Casati's "Babylonia" is a mesmerizing journey into the heart of ancient Assyria, brought to life through the lens of Semiramis, a figure shrouded in myth and history.

The novel masterfully intertwines historical detail with lyrical storytelling, charting Semiramis’s rise from an orphaned girl on the outskirts of the empire to the only female ruler of Assyria. Casati’s plot is rich with political intrigue, betrayal, and ambition, creating a narrative that is as gripping as it is thought-provoking. The pacing allows readers to fully immerse themselves in the world of ancient Mesopotamia, with its vivid landscapes and complex societal dynamics.

The characterization of Semiramis is the novel’s crowning achievement. Casati breathes life into this legendary figure, portraying her as a multifaceted protagonist who is both ruthless and deeply human. Semiramis’s intelligence, resilience, and strategic brilliance are juxtaposed with moments of vulnerability, making her a compelling and relatable character. The supporting cast, from allies to adversaries, is equally well-drawn, adding depth and nuance to the story. Each character plays a pivotal role in shaping Semiramis’s journey, enhancing the emotional and narrative stakes.

"Babylonia' is a triumph of historical fiction, blending myth and history to create a tale that is both captivating and inspiring. Casati’s evocative prose and meticulous research transport readers to a world of power struggles and personal triumphs, making the novel a thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of historical retellings and strong, complex heroines.

Really interesting historical fiction about Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire. Focuses on her early life and the tragic love triangle that allowed her to rise from her place as a commoner and ascend the throne. It was a little slow to start, but ultimately compelling as I had never even heard of her.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Semiramis is an orphan whose mother drowned herself. She was found bu the side of the river and brought to a small village. There she has a tough childhood until she is a teenager and gets a chance of changing her life and following a prophecy about her rise. She finds herself in the Assyrian court and there she finds that is she wants power, she must take it.

I really like the author's writing style - she is able to recreate the atmosphere of the places and culture of the people she is writing about. I felt myself really immersed in the story. And I really like how she takes a female character that is seen as a villain and, not only humanizes her, but makes her completely sympathetic and makes the reader root for her. I adored Semiramis. Yes, she is ambitious and she puts her safety above all else. But it's completely understandable. She feels so real and human. It's really fascinating seeing her rise and her decisions throughout the book. I really liked Ribat as well; I was rooting a lot for him and I loved the author's note that explain her decision to give him chapters as the point of view. The interactions between Ribat and Semiramis were really interesting. Ninnus and Onnes were also compelling characters even if I felt they weren't really developed, especially the latter - when their mental state begins to deteriorate it's more told than shown.

The story in itself is pretty interesting and I liked how the author combined historical facts with the myth and with her own interpretations.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Wonderful story about love, loyalty, and betrayal. I love the strong female roles intertwined with tokens of history that might not be familiar.

Babylonia. Where to begin. (TLDR: I loved it, go read it)
I really took my time with this one, so don't be fooled by the one-month difference between starting and finishing. Babylonia emerses you into a culture and a world you probably know very little about, unless you're a historian or an archaeologist or something. This is a peek into a civilization that existed for thousands of years BC, with this story taking place in the 800s BC.
Semiramis has gone down in history as a legend or a myth, and as her story progresses in Babylonia you can see why- abandoned and orphaned as an infant, barely escaping her remote village with her life, and eventually seizing control over her own destiny and rising to power in the Assyrian empire, loved and hated in equal measure. She is a complex character with strengths and faults; like all of us, she was not designed to be liked, but simply to be. This is not a Disney movie-do not expect a perfect princess in Semiramis.
And in that vein, let me say it again- this story takes place in a very different time. Life was brutal in Assyria- the elements, disease and injury, war and violence galore- this book is not for the faint of heart.
All that said, I savored this book. The time period and culture was thoughtfully researched, the characters well constructed and developed. Just as in Constanza's debut, Clytemnestra, I loved Semiramis- not because she was a perfect, moral, honorable person 100% of the time, but because she was gritty and ambitious and real.
Keeping in mind to review content warnings, I absolutely recommend this book and audiobook (shoutout Ayesha Antoine, who did amazing work here!) to historical feminist fiction readers. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Recorded Books for the ALC and ARC of Babylonia, which is available now.

Being such a fan of Costanza Casati’s debut, Clytemnestra, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her second novel. I almost didn’t care what it was about, but when I saw Babylonia’s description and the line, “When kings fall, queens rise”, I was sold. And I’m happy to report, it did not disappoint.

Babylonia is a retelling of Semiramis, the legendary Queen of Assyria, and her rise to power. It’s full of rich historical detail, power struggles, court intrigue, violent conflicts, love, and betrayal. Semiramis is a fierce and nuanced protagonist, but the other characters are also well-developed and compelling. The writing style is immersive and powerful, and there is a ton of historical detail to get lost in, which you may or may not prefer, but I enjoyed.

If you loved Clytemnestra, I think you will love Babylonia, too. I would also recommend it to lovers of mythological fiction and fans of authors like Madeline Miller or Natalie Haynes. But even if you’ve never read a retelling, Babylonia would be an excellent place to start!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

This was fascinating and really enjoyable.

As someone who sang the praises of her first book, Clytemnestra, coming into this one, I was incredibly excited. And it didn't disappoint at all.

The only slight negative is that the beginning was a little slow and I struggled to hold interest but I knew that the set up would end up paying off, and boy, did it.

I really enjoyed that, unlike Clytemnesta, we got POVs from so many people which really showed us a variety of personalities and levels throughout the story. My goodness it was sad to watch Onnes's downfall but to watch it from like multiple people's perspectives was great. Same with watching the rise of Semiramis from her horrible, small...village? beginnings to being queen. It was also one of those stories where you're very plainly told how it would end (she would end up being queen), but the train wreck of the story led to being unable to look away.

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. 4.5, rounding up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a chance to read and review.

Seriously one of the best greek mythology retellings out there. Costanza Casati is a force to be reckoned with, and her books will ALWAYS be welcome in our library. Loved especially by fans of Circe, The Song of Achilles. Another home-run for Casati.

I just love learning new mythology stories and the story of Babylonia was entirely new to me. I knew nothing of this myth going in so I was excited to read Casati's spin on it. I think Casati is a great story teller, keeping me interested in the story and intrigued to learn more on my own after. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to Casati's next!

Thank you Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the eArc!

Babylonia offers an intriguing glimpse into the life of Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire, but I found the execution of this promising premise to be a mixed bag. The mythological and historical aspects have great potential, yet the writing often fell flat for me. While it sets out to be an epic tale, I found the story tiring at times and struggled to connect with the characters.

The beginning was slow, and although it picked up with some engaging political intrigue later on, I couldn’t help but wish for more exploration of Semiramis's reign as queen. We only get a handful of chapters focusing on her time in power, which was disappointing given the richness of her character and the era. I felt there was a wealth of material to delve into, particularly her strategies and challenges as a female ruler in a male-dominated society.

Additionally, some plot points and dialogue felt too reminiscent of Game of Thrones, which took away from the uniqueness of the narrative. Sasi, the spymaster, drew strong parallels to Varys, while Nisat echoed Cersei, making it hard to shake off the feeling of déjà vu.

What I did enjoy was the complex relationship between Semiramis, Onnes, and Ninus. This dynamic was captivating, but again, I found myself wanting more depth, particularly with Onnes. He was a mysterious figure, and a deeper exploration of his character would have added layers to the story.

Costanza Casati clearly has a talent for weaving myth and history, as evidenced by her bestselling Clytemnestra, but I felt that Babylonia could have benefited from a stronger focus on character development and a more nuanced narrative. Overall, it’s an interesting read, especially for those intrigued by ancient history, but it left me wanting more engagement and less familiarity.

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia | Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC Copy!

Yet another beautifully told mythology by Costanza Casati. This just salifies that she will forever be an auto buy author for me. This story follows Semiramis in the Assyrian empire, which is not a mythology that I was familiar with at all so can not say how accurate it was according to history, but I can say that it was a really good time, even when it wasn't. The love story was beautiful, but it was never at the sacrifice of our character and that is one thing that I love about Costanza's books.

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I love a retelling from an ancient civilizations so I knew going in that I would be a fan of this. I did not even know there was a woman ruler for the assyrian empire so to see her get her own book was great! I felt the pacing was a tad slow and that it could have been shortened a bit but overall I had a fun time!

I did not think that Costanza Casati was going to be able to top Clytemnestra and this book proved me wrong! The way she's able to seamlessly intertwine mythology rooted in people and a world that's comfortable to reader of any background is incredible. After this book she's become an auto-purchase author for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers copy of Babylonia by Costanza Casati!

Wow! A worthy successor to Song of Achilles Gladiator or Game of Thrones! This novel is thoroughly researched, with characters and a taboo love triangle you will never forget. One of my favorite books published so far this year.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it took a while to kick off. Nearly the first 1/3 of the book was slow with a lot of world-building telling instead of showing. I did need the background on Semiramis, but I know from Casati's previous novel, Clytemnestra, that it can be done more gracefully. However, I recognize that I went into Clytemnestra with much more background on her story and the backdrop, whereas I knew very little about the Assyrian Empire going into this book.

Once the story picked up, it became much more compelling for me. I was engaged with the rest of the story and sped through it. I absolutely needed to know what happened to Semiramis to go from her early life to become the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire.

There was a lot of violence in this book - graphic, brutal violence. If that's something you avoid, you should tread lightly here. However, the prose was lyrical and beautiful, and I loved how the themes around rising above, loyalty, betrayal, and the power of love wove through the story.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This book was so good and me reading late into the night, even though your girl needs her sleep desperately!

Babylonia is the story of Semiramis, the Assyrian empire's only female ruler, as she climbs her way from orphan to Queen with ruthless cunning.

Be warned, this book is full of triggering content, and every character is an absolute toxic mess who does the most abhorrent shit, yet you can’t help but feel for every single one of them, as they are all really just victims of this brutal time in history.

Semiramis is a strong, resourceful, clever, morally grey female MC that was a breath of fresh air after reading so many books with cookie cutter, cliché, female leads.

The underlying narrative of what it meant to be a woman at this time in history was on point and, at the same time, a little unsettling to realize how much it still resonates in 2025.

I already love a multi POV book, but I really appreciated the artistry of how Costanza used it to pull this story together more so than any other book that I’ve read.

When it came to the close of this book, I both loved and wanted more at the ending. It came together so well, with such poetic justice, but I think I was so invested in the story that I wanted it to continue past it's end point.

@costanzacasati is now an auto buy author for me and I need to immediately go to the bookstore when my kiddo wakes up so I can buy Clytemnestra!

Epic thanks to @bookmarked for sending me an advance copy of this amazing book!

"Immortality doesn’t mean living forever. It means surviving even after your heart stops beating and your body is burned. It means living in myth, in stories."

Casati nailed it again! I love how she brings these strong women from history to life and makes them feel so real. The way she humanizes them is always so well done. That said, I do wish this book had focused more on Semiramis as a ruler instead of her relationships with the two men. That part of her story was interesting, but I feel like her time as empress would’ve been even more exciting to dive into. I also would have loved to see her as more of a villainess - we don't know much about her actually as a person so while it is nice to imagine that she didn't want the power that was thrust upon her, I would have loved to have seen her grasp that power and run with it.