This what not what I expected at all - and that was fantastic.

The voices of the different characters, the plot twists, the narration style. As someone not familiar with Samiramis I was completely in the dark as wehat would happen next.

Such a dark and gritty story - well done.

I really enjoyed the setting and the story. The audiobook narration slowed me down however, it almost felt too slow. When I switched over to reading a visual copy, the story seemed to pick up a lot!

Babylonia is a mythology retelling following Semiramis throughout her rise to power. Costanza Casati did an amazing job creating multidimensional characters, and I love that many characters/plot elements are based on history. Narration performed by Ayesha Antoine is perfection.

I received an ARC and ALC from Sourcebooks Landmark and RBmedia | Recorded Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for gifting me an ALC of Costanza Casati’s gorgeous historical fiction Babylonia.
In exchange I offer my honest review. I apologize for the late review.

After reading and loving Clytemnestra from author Constanza Casati, I was thrilled to receive an. early listening copy of Babylonia. As a fan of historical fiction, mythology and ancient history I was excited to discover and read the story of the only female Assyrian ruler. Babylonia did not disappoint. What did happen however, was that I switched from audio to print, because I needed visual help in order to fully comprehend the ancient world. In print, I was able to familiarize myself with the many foreign names and cities as well as access the glossaries and character lists that were available in print format. The details were richly illustrated and lush with beautiful storytelling and world building. I was truly swept away in the palace intrigue and power plays that filled the colorful pages and sent me down many rabbit holes.
I absolutely recommend purchasing this book and discovering a new remarkable world.

Fantastic, This was such a good book. It was easy to read and I devoured it in no time. I love the way the strength and quality of the characters come through and the light that is shedded on the dark reality of women’s experiences. I’ve enjoyed each book I have read by Casati. Well worth a read.

Easily one of the best books ive gotten the opportunity to get my hands on. It captivated me from the very beginning until the last sentence. Listening to it on audio was a bigger treat.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC of this novel.

I absolutely ate this up. This is the first historical fiction I've read based in Babylon. That premise enough makes the whole story interesting. There's so much time and research that went in to this novel and it shows. It is easy to get sucked in to and had me losing track of time while listening.

It did lose some steam around 3/4 of the way in. The plot moved in a direction that I did not anticipate or understand. It made a little bit more sense after finishing the epilogue, but I am still confused on the "why" for some important components.

Overall, this was a unique and beautifully written story about a lesser known, yet very important, historical figure. I will definitely be recommending this one to my historical fiction focused friends!

The audio for this novel was exceptional. I enjoyed the emotion that this narrator added to the novel. It really helped with immersing yourself in the story.

This was an interesting story that I had never heard the myth behind before. The characters were interesting and the writing was strong.

this was so unpredictable I loved it so much . the writing style is unique even for an audiobook and I was hooked instantly. I love how fleshed out and well written the characters were . The characters are bold and real and messy and its fantastic . Heads up the love story here is toxic as hell but makes for great reading. the ending was chefs kiss- I want everyone to read this book

It’s not often that my breath is taken away multiple times while reading a historical fiction, what can I say that I hope you understand that is a work of art this audio book has an amazing narrator ! The book starts off with the back story of our main character, Semiramis. She had a completely horrible upbringing but fate brings her face to face with the man that will save her from that life , although I truly believe the “gods” in the book saw her compassion and her humanity and granted her the life she was “owed” or deserved. I some how truly believe that many women will relate to this character and want to live up to this life we have in our minds . When reading or before is say definitely look at content warnings because there’s definitely things that are hard to read in this . Most of this story surrounds war and death . Thank you #netgalley for this beautiful read !

Perfect audiobook! As someone with ADHD, it can be difficult for me to sometimes truly connect or imagine a world because I am trying to focus on what I'm reading so listening to this audiobook whilst reading my hardback edition was truly magical! I loved this audiobook, the narrator was brilliant and I felt truly immersed the entire time!

Babylonia follows the story of Semiramis in 9th Century Assyria. The story starts with Semiramis being orphaned at birth and adopted by a shepherd. The story follows her unconventional rise to power and love affairs that helped her get there. She is a woman in a man’s world proving that if you want something bad enough, you can take it.

Honestly, I did not love this retelling. It wasn’t for me. I was so excited going into this book because I have read so many great reviews and it left me feeling disappointed. It was interesting but I had a hard time getting through it. I just found it lacking and boring at times. With that being said, you should most definitely read this book if you are interested and give it a try. Just because I didn’t enjoy it, doesn’t mean you won’t.

I want to thank NetGalley and Recorded Books for the opportunity to listen and review this book. I appreciate the opportunity.

While I've read a lot of really great books this year, this has been my favorite book so far. Babylonia by Costanza Casati is so well written and performed by the audiobook narrator. I actually pre-ordered this book based off of the description alone, but was lucky enough to get an audiobook copy.

I've found that in the last few years, there's been a resurgence in amplifying the stories of the female queens who shaped our world as we know it. Whether it be through their policies or the backlash to having a strong female ruler. Previous queens such as Brunhilde and Fredegund played a crucial role in the development of western Europe but are commonly overlooked in favor of the Merovingian and later Carolingian kings. Similarly, in histories of Babylon and Assyria I had not heard of queen Semiramis until I read this book.

Semiramis's story is shrouded in myth and legend, but Casati peels back those layers to make a very human queen. Semiramis overcomes incredible difficulties through her own shrewdness and cunning in order to become a queen who reshaped the Assyrian empire. Casati weaves a tale that pulls in the myth and legend, and does so in such a way that the reader is immediately immersed and invested in Semiramis's life. Casati also applies critical thought to how the brutality of war and Hammurabi's law would impact the people living in those worlds. One has to be careful about applying modern analysis and emotions to different periods of time but I think the way Casati did it really showed the humanity and was not out of the realm of possibility to how people throughout time would experience and respond to death and torture. She made the characters feel very human and very relatable.

As far as the audiobook narrator, Ayesha Antoine was an amazing pick for this role. Her pacing and delivery was excellent. The way she narrated, I was immediately sucked in and I think that's part of why I enjoyed this book so much. Not to be cliche, but Antoine brought the story and the characters to life. The emotion and depth to which she played each character shows how talented of a narrator she is, and just why she was the right pick for this book. I'll be looking at more of her works, as I'm really impressed by just how well done the audiobook was for this book.

Overall, again this is one of my favorite, if not my favorite read so far this year. I highly recommend it, and if you're an audiobook person you will love the way the narration was done.

Please be advised I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

5/5
Entirely captivating from the very first chapter, where the curiosity beat out the confusion and I was enthralled to see what was going to happen!
I tend to shy away from mythology retellings as the author usually very clearly doesn't know what they're talking about OR they're shoving lore down your throat so clumsily that it appears as if they just want you to know they're smart, but this author struck the PERFECT balance. They clearly know their stuff but the lore didn't overtake the plot in a distracting way.
Love the character relationships (hello throuple!) and the love-hate vibes that show the comp[exity of their dynamics. Definitely want to check out the author's other work!

Okay this is incredibly hard to review because the audio was a DNF. The narrators voice, while lovely, was so low and soft it seemed to almost have an echo to it.

The story has an interesting premise and I’d love to pick it back up as a physical read one day.

"Babylonia" by Costanza Cosati is well-researched historical fiction set in the 8th century in the Assyrian Empire. It is about Semiramis, the first queen to rule this Empire. She comes from humble beginnings as an orphaned taken in by a man who later turns out to be abusive.

She runs away with the Governor, Onnes, and her life changes. This was a violent time, and there are scenes of war. There are lion hunts that are brutal. Semiramis saves a leopard who is going to be part of the next hunt. The leopard becomes her protector, almost like a pet.

The writing is spectacular! It's very descriptive and clear and yet not overdone. You can really see yourself there and imagine the place and the people. The characters are clear and fully developed. Despite all this, I didn't like the story. I didn't care for the violence and war at all. If that doesn't bother you, you'll probably really enjoy this book.

There is a gay love story as part of this narrative that I found refreshing.

The 16+ hour long audibook is expertly narrated by Ayesha Antoine.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 2/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 31/8 = 3 7/8 rounded up to 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and Costanza Cosati for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This was a do not finish for me. It was just to hard for me to stay focused. It was a different read for me which is probably why I couldn't get into it.

I requested the audiobook ARC of Babylonia because I had previously read and enjoyed Constanta Constanzi’s Clytemnestra, and I’m glad I did—this story delivered another richly imagined world full of myth, emotion, and power struggles. The narration added a lot to the experience; I especially appreciated the narrator’s voicing of the characters and her thoughtful pacing, which helped bring the story’s emotional undertones to life. While there were a few spots where the pacing of the plot felt uneven, the overall experience was immersive and rewarding. Constanzi continues to have a distinctive voice as an author, and I look forward to what she writes next.

5 glowing stars! I absolutely loved this book! It is a creative reimagining of a true event in history, the rise to power of the Assyrian Empire’s only female ruler. Casati expertly weaves in ancient Mesopotamian history with beautiful writing and masterful storytelling to tell the tale of a poor girl named Semiramis with a horrific home life who comes from nothing. One day, a governor visits her small town and she decides to take a chance in an effort to improve her destiny. This leads her to a bigger adventure than she could have ever imagined.

I actually went into this book blind and had not read the synopsis beforehand so I was incredibly shocked with some of the major developments. The story captured my attention from the beginning and there were many twists and turns throughout that really caught me by surprise. There are multiple continuously evolving relationships and plot lines that kept the story moving and changing. I felt incredibly invested in many of the major characters, what decisions they would make, and what would ultimately happen to them. It was easy to stay engaged, wondering what events would take place next and where that would lead.

Semiramis is the perfect FMC heroine and it was amazing to watch her confidence, interactions, and abilities grow throughout the novel as she learned who she could and could not trust. Casati is brilliant at building mystery and tension, then pulling the rug out from under you when you least expect it. This is my first book by this author and it definitely will not be my last! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent, I loved her accent and listening to her voice tell this story and felt engaged throughout! I highly recommend this one, especially if you love stories of the ancient world, historical fiction, and mythology. Thank you to NetGalley, Costanza Casati, Sourcebooks Landmark, and RB Media for the gifted ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this author's debut book! The writing is gorgeous and the stories are absolutely fascinating. The voice actor was great!