DNFed at 66%. This was supposed to be a story of female empowerment and a woman from nothing rising to the top position of power in an empire but I just could not for the life of me connect with Semiramis. Not all main characters need to be likable but you need to want her to succeed for the story to have power, have meaning. I couldn’t find any reasons to support her rise. The other thing I found interesting in the whole book was the love triangle between Semiramis, her husband the governor Onnes, and the ruling emperor Ninus. It just wasn’t enough to keep me interested. Someone ended up dying and I couldn’t even remember who and cared to reread to find out which is when I ultimately bailed. Maybe I would’ve benefitted from eyeball reading but it was just way too long without any real draw to the plot or characters to push me to continue.

I don’t know how I feel about this one. I gave it sometime after I finished to review it and I am still not sure.
The book is all about Semiramis going adopted orphan in the middle of nowhere to the palace with unexpected power. It explores the way to power and the impact it has on relationships between family member, brothers and lovers.
With this being a retelling of an ancient empire, it was interesting to learn more about this myth and legend, but I underestimated the unexpected lovers and weird family structures.
I think overall it was fine, I don’t think I have anything bad to say about it. The main problem was that I could not get hooked. If this wasn’t an ARC I don’t think I would have finished it. It took so long to get the story going and even during the climax, I didn’t feel the need to find out more.

Not only was this book beautifully written, but the audiobook was even better. The emotions, relationships, and setting was incredible. I haven’t read the author’s first book, but will now!

I read this book at the wrong time - I did not absorb all that this story aimed to address, but I did find the prose to be very elegant and I did appreciate the story at play.

The narration in this book was so well done that I felt I was being transported.

Not my typical genre but this was a great read (listen?). A beautiful Greek mythology retelling. I will definitely be looking more into the culture as well as looking forward to more from this author.

Babylonia is an epic mythological tale telling the legend of Semiramis. This was a slow burner for me and I really struggled to get into the first quarter of the book but got more into it as the book went on. Because of that I stuggled to really connect with the characters in the book. I was interested in the political dynamics and power struggles but wanted I didn't feel that attached to the characters. I wanted to read more about the relationship between Onnes and Ninus. Still a solid novel and plenty to keep my interested. Will be adding Clytemnestra to be to be read list.

I loved listening to Ayesha Antoine read this book. Her voice sounded like a queen as she told the tale of Semiramis, and made each chapter, even those not from Semiramis' view, vivid and enrapturing. I had never heard the story of Semiramis before in any form, but Casati's version told from multiple perspectives featured an honest portrayal of women's lives in the Assyrian empire, the struggle for power among those born into high status and those trying to achieve it, the trauma felt by both those who win a battle or war and those who lose it and a subplot of an enslaved person becoming a free scribe, and potentially, being one of the first to record Semiramis' incredible journey to power in writing. From the author's note, and the details included in the story, Casati has based her plot and world building on Assyrian art and texts from that period while also including her fictitious representations of real historical characters, changing their names slightly and creating connections and conversations to add a bit of fantastical detail to Semiramis' story. The time skips in this book felt natural and unforced. I don't think I missed anything between any time jumps, and that a credit to Casati's writing ability. I loved learning about this powerful female ruler, and all she achieved for the Assyrian empire. This is a book I can definitely imagine rereading in physical form, but with Ayesha's voice still in my head to give the words greater weight and a regal ambience.

This has a really slow start and I just couldn't get into it enough to make it past 50% I think I'll try reading it physically

This author has immaculate storytelling abilities! These mythology retellings are so captivating and I think she does an excellent job of filling in the blanks with their own original details of the story.

I was hooked right from the beginning. Semiramis was a captivating character from her first introduction in the book. A beautiful mix of historical fiction and mythology, this book had me audibly gasping and tensing throughout.

Onnes and Ninus were beautifully complex character as was the bond between them. The dynamic between Semiramis, Onnes, and Ninus had me excited to see what would happen next when they were all together. Ribat and Sasi held a special place in my heart too.

I received this as an audiobook ARC and I think it was the perfect way for me to consume this story. The pronunciation of names, places and mythology were not something I was knowledgeable about. Ayesha Anotine did an incredible job narrating the audiobook and I could clearly distinguish between the characters.

If you're a fan of the blend between history, mythology and fiction to the likes of Madeline Miller or Natalie Haynes I highly recommend this book (or audiobook).

Wow! I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but this was blew my expectations out of the water! Just so intense, dynamic, and powerful! The FMC knew what she wanted and went after it! And the narrator for the audio was incredible! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my audio ARC!!

I love this author and I would have loved to listen to this ARC, but the file didn’t work and kept glitching out on me.

Este libro es una vívida reinvención de la antigua Asiria y la leyenda de Semiramis. La escritura está llena de detalles históricos, aunque a veces puede resultar abrumadora. El comienzo fue lento para mí, pero se volvió más interesante con toda la intriga política. Aunque disfruté más este libro que Clytemnestra, tuvo los mismos problemas: me hubiera gustado ver más sobre el reinado de Semiramis y su forma de gobernar, ya que solo tenemos quizás tres capítulos en los que realmente es reina.
Los personajes son cautivadores, pero hubo algo que me impidió conectar completamente con la protagonista. Nunca logré estar del todo de su lado; en cambio, me interesaron más los personajes secundarios. La relación entre Semiramis, Onnes y Ninus fue compleja y fascinante, pero desearía que el autor la hubiera explorado con más profundidad, especialmente Onnes, cuyo misterio me dejó con ganas de más.
Algunas partes de la trama y los diálogos se sentían demasiado similares a Game of Thrones: Sasi, el espía, era prácticamente Varys, y Nisat era Cersei. Aun así, si te gustan la mitología, las luchas de poder y un toque de lirismo poético, este libro es una lectura intrigante, aunque algo densa.

🎧and 📖 review
4.5 ⭐️

I read and listened to Babylonia and found it so interesting! The narrator was so good and had such a soothing voice. It’s a time period I’ve never read about so I basically read it as fiction even though I’m aware it’s written about an actual queen in Assyrian history, Semiramis. The love triangle wasn’t my favorite, and the relationships were quite toxic, but seeing her start from nothing and climb to power over the years held my attention so well! Semiramis was so calculated in every move she made, rising in rank and risking so much to get there. The writing was so descriptive, it was like I could picture everything in my mind.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of and I really appreciated the list of characters at the beginning of the book to keep them all straight. There is a lot of extra info at the back of the book that made me worry the story would be hard to follow but it wasn’t overly complicated and still so fascinating. I’m definitely putting Costanza Casati’s other works on my TBR immediately!

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio copy. I read along with my own purchased hard copy and enjoyed it so much.

***4.5 stars***

After reading "Clytemnestra" I knew that anything else this author was going to write, I was going to read. And while this didn't hit the same as "Clytemnestra," I still deeply enjoyed it. I think part of that is that I'm not terribly familiar with the Epic of Gilgamesh where inspiration was taken or the actual historical figure of Semiramis. I did, however, really appreciate the writing style and the character development. Semiramis knew what she wanted and took it, though it cost her greatly. The book was full of political intrigue, and it was highly interesting to read about. The author has clearly done her research, and it brings this story to life in a way that feels so immersive and authentic.

Overall, while this book isn't for everyone, I would definitely recommend it to those who love a good historical fiction or retelling. This author is one that I will read from again and again.

Thanks to RBmedia | Recorded Books and NetGalley for my audio arc!

I was able to get the ARC of both the audio and ebooks, so I went back and forth between listening and reading. I enjoyed the story and reviewed the ebook separately, so this response is primarily regarding the audio.

I like the narrator - her/their voice was melodic, though I do wish the individual characters were a bit easier to differentiate when listening. I did end up speeding up the audio but I do that with most audiobooks.

This was fine. I wanted to like it but I couldn’t get into the story. The narrator was good but I found it hard to keep track of characters. Did like the historical fiction.

I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher.

The characters are wonderfully realized in this book. From the beginning it's impossible not to root for Semiramis. The growth and evolution of her character is strong, but by the end I was wondering if it was actually growth or if she'd been that way from the beginning but just couldn't act on those desires. Really well written. The secondary characters were excellent support for the protagonist and all felt alive in their own right, especially those that were given their own POVs.

The writing was full of imagery but not in a way that felt overdone or detracted from the work. Similarly, the prose is packed full of rich historical details that add to the depth and flavor of the setting. These details are woven seamlessly throughout the exposition and dialogue in a way that made it completely immersive, something I love to see in historical fiction. The inclusion of quotes from historical texts (e.g., Epic of Gilgamesh) complemented the story beautifully. There's also an author's note that is highly informative.

If you like historical fiction, especially those set in ancient settings, then this is a must read. I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator did a wonderful job bringing the story to life. Many thanks to NetGalley and RBMedia for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Brutal. Powerful. Semiramis is a feminist warrior queen. I found her oscillation between childish and cutthroat to be hugely frustrating and I was not invested in the romance between her and Ninus. I loved Onnes, he was a monster created by his circumstances, and I was deeply invested in his relationship with Ninus. I really enjoyed the inclusion of passages from the epic of Gilgamesh and how the author used some of the lyrical qualities in her own writing. Overall, this book was every bit as brutal as Clytemnestra, but I didn't connect with the main character enough to be emotionally invested in the outcomes or story. I did enjoy the narration and if you like the epic, war-torn stories this may appeal to you more than it did to me.

This book was well written but honestly very confusing to me. I had a hard time keeping track of what was happening and who was who. I gave this book a fair shot but I just don’t think it was for me personally. Thanks to NetGalley and RBMedia for the arc!!