This is the story of Semiramis, a girl in ancient Assyria. As an unloved orphan she has learned to survive by being clever and skilled. She is astute at reading the feelings and motives of others. She can also climb better than any of the males in her village. When a situation arises that makes escape from her village existence possible she jumps at it. This is the start of her life, her fulfillment of a prophecy, moving up in the world and the sacrifices that entails.

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!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: January 14, 2025

DNF at 29%
The book was well written it just didn't pull me in and I didn't find myself caring about the characters or where they went

This book highlights so many important themes about the women we’ve forgotten throughout history. An empowering look at the women behind the men we all learn about in history class. Complex and complicated characters, drama, and a queen worth rooting for.

A thoroughly captivating story that expertly weaves myth and history together.

As a kid, I had a particular fascination with Mesopotamia, so getting read something from that era was really exciting! This is my first book from this author, but I don't think it will be my last. The quality of this retelling felt like a cross between Madeline Miller's Circe and Genevieve Gornechec's The Witch's Heart (two of my favorite books by two of my favorite authors). It's safe to say I'll be keeping an eye on what Casati puts out next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

we love to see a girlboss winning and that’s exactly what this book is. it follows semiramis all the way through to her ascension to queen, exploring all the politics and interesting relationships along the way. a pretty solid piece of woman-centered historical fiction if that’s your cup of tea.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!
After reading Clytemnestra last year, this one of my most anticipated reads for the beginning of 2025. I have been so jealous of the people across the pond who got to read this many months before we did in the U.S. But, I waited patiently because I will read anything that Constanza Casati writes.
This story of ancient Mesopotamia was full of kings and queens, the people who serve them, and the things they will do to get what they want.
As always, Casati writes her settings with such lush prose, you feel like you are there - I could see them in my mind. She is so good! The story itself took a lot of twists and turns I never expected. The rise of Semiramis was really fun to read about and the supporting characters were well developed.
While this one didn't hit the 5-star mark for me like Clytemnsestra did, I love Casati's work and I will always buy and read whatever she puts out next.

costanza casati wrote about assyrian history and i’ve never been this excited about a book 😭 i have no words to say how grateful i am for sourcebooks sending me an arc. i am a mother now because this book is literally my baby

📖babylonia tells the story of semiramis’s rise from orphan to queen of the assyrian empire. as the only woman to ascend the assyrian throne, she was revered as both an intelligent ruler and a skilled warrior, though she soon became labelled a seductress. much like how the portrayal of semiramis has taken shape over centuries, casati’s retelling blends history and mythology to reclaim the warrior queen’s reputation and influence during her quest for immortality

babylonia is a 5⭐️ read for me. casati’s writing really shines in this one! it was gripping, nuanced, and just gorgeous! there’s such a delicate balance between the cruelty of the ancient assyrians and the inner turmoil that each character goes through. and it’s a such a full circle story: semiramis a nobody, using knowledge and observance to climb the ladder of power, becoming the biggest threat in the empire, then being forgotten about in history? it’s heartbreaking and casati gives semiramis (and the Assyrians) new life! her ability to bring ancient worlds and dynamic characters (and strong af women!!) to life has me forever in a state of awe.

if you like…
❤️‍🔥unbridled female rage
💋challengers but make it ancient assyria
🫡 morally gray main characters
👑 powerful women becoming legends
✍️ epic tales with smooth and vivid exposition
⚔️ the political intrigue of game of thrones
❤️‍🩹 complex character and relationship dynamics
📖 stories about ambition, lust, and betrayal
… then you’ll love this!

Babylonia is a vivid, immersive story full of rich details and captivating twists. Casati’s writing pulls you into a world of intrigue and emotion that’s hard to put down.

Another great book from Casati. While I preferred Clytemnestra (more rage in that one), this was still excellent, engaging and enjoyable. I love a fantasy where every character is flawed and who you cheer for depends on whose perspective you’re in, and this book was just that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!!

★★★★

I’m obsessed with stories of women triumphing and also with Costanza Casati’s writing, so here I am.

Following the rise of the orphan Semiramis to the throne of Assyria, we witness the hardships, prejudices, and betrayals endured by its only female ruler. We also encounter everyone she meets: the village boys who taunt her, her husband who has a particularly close relationship with the king, slaves who know and aspire to more than they should, the king’s council who underestimates her, and innocent villagers who cross her path. It is through the eyes of these other characters that we also see who Semiramis is, and the consequences—good and bad—of her actions.

It’s hard for me to not compare this book to Clytemnestra. Where Clytemnestra felt a more relatable and vivid protagonist, Semiramis did not. Where Clytemnestra’s setting was more easy to imagine, Babylonia’s was not. It’s hard for me to determine if this is due to my familiarity with Greece over Mesopotamia, or to the writing’s clarity.

Otherwise, the writing is gorgeous, with so many lines that encapsulate each character’s personality, fears, and ambitions, as well as their lots, succinctly and poetically.

I prefer Clytemnestra, but this was still a worthwhile read!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-arc!

This will be a 3.75 star for me. I enjoy Costanza Casati’s writing a lot and I would read anything she puts out. In Babylonia, I felt myself drifting away from the story a little more than I would have liked and found I had to direct my focus. It would’ve been a 4 star for me if not for that.

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

‘Babylonia’ is a mythology set in 9th century Assria telling the story of a nobody named Semiramis, a common girl adopted by a shepherd after her mother’s death who works here way into power by marrying a governor and climbing her way to becoming the first queen of Babylon.

I absolutely loved ‘Clytemnestra’ and I can still say that Costanza Casati creates multi-dimensional characters and takes a woman in myth who has been historically demonized and gives her a voice of beauty, power and strength. ‘Babylonia’ follows Semiramis’s life in a male dominated world, with both ambition and resilience. She goes into battle, falls into love, falls out of love, trusts the poor and tricks the rich, ultimately proving that women can get sh*t done!

Also, the romance is messy and heartbreaking but Costanza Casati does a great job at sharing multiple character point of views so we can emphasize with love and loss.

“You think queens are made? That is true. It is the woman who makes the queen, not the title, not her husband, not her son.”

4.5 stars rounded up because it was such a beautiful ride.

This is the kind of read for which I didn’t have much background/context knowledge going in, yet I still felt fully immersed throughout. I can see the writing not being for everyone, what with its “floweriness,” but I think it adds a lot of intriguing, dramatic personality. I may update this later on, with deeper thoughts, but for now I think I have to let it sit in my mind for a little, so I can process it all properly.

My thanks to the author (Costanza Casati), the publisher, and NetGalley for providing the eARC through which I was able to read the work and write this review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early read. Costanza Casati has firmly cemented herself as a reliably unique re-teller 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 continue to follow any upcoming projects!

5 stars

my first 5-star read of 2025!

babylonia reimagines the rise of semiramis, the only female ruler of the assyrian empire. casati draws on both the mythological semiramis and the historical queen sammuramat to tell the remarkable story of a fierce, ambitious woman who ascended from obscurity to claim the throne.

i was captivated from beginning to end. when i wasn’t reading babylonia, i was thinking about it: semiramis’ strength and ruthlessness (truly, no one writes complicated female characters quite like casati), the triangular relationship at the heart of this novel, the parallels to the epic of gilgamesh, the delicious court intrigue (perfect for fans of the early seasons of GOT), the subtle exploration of how stories intertwine with immortality, even the leopard.

as in clytemnestra, casati’s storytelling is vivid and immersive and rooted in meticulous research. her lyrical writing and attention to detail truly set her apart in a genre that feels a bit overcrowded lately. here she brings ancient assyria to life through the eyes of semiramis, king ninus, and ribat the slave, depicting a brutal yet glorious empire from the perspectives of its highest and lowest inhabitants. there is no lazy application of anachronistic values; casati’s characters are complex and flawed and fascinating, but she doesn’t shy away from the fact that they exist in a culture very different from our own. she depicts the horrors of war and violence as well as the triumphs, and deftly explores the trauma the people of such a society must have experienced. the effects of that brutality—of power and the lack thereof—are a driving force throughout the novel, as kings fall and queens rise.

though semiramis is renowned in mythology—albeit as an “immoral” woman, a seductress—historical records of queen shammuramat are scant. babylonia is a story of love and lust, glory and power and madness, but it is also a myth within a myth. it asks us who tells these stories, and why, and to what end. it is everything i want in a retelling of a myth.

I would've never been able to finish this without also being approved for the audiobook. The beginning was very slow and I was going to give up. I was only 30% through after more than a week. I just had no desire to pick it up. Once I got the audiobook, I cruised through it. I was interested in what was happening, I was engaged. But the story also picked up itself. I enjoyed the narrator a lot. Future historical fiction like this will be audio only for me.

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.

"Babylonia" by Costanza Casati is a sweeping and atmospheric historical novel that transports readers to ancient Mesopotamia. Casati vividly brings the legendary city of Babylon to life, exploring its rich culture, political intrigue, and the lives of its inhabitants. The narrative weaves together the stories of several compelling characters, offering a glimpse into the complexities of this ancient civilization. With its meticulous research and evocative prose, "Babylonia" is a captivating read for fans of historical fiction who enjoy immersing themselves in the past.

A powerful tale of determination and empowerment, the rise of a woman from oppression to power and her will to overcome every obstacle in her path. I enjoyed the rich setting and the depth of the characters. The audiobook was well done and the new cover is gorgeous.

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy. These opinions are my own.