A phenomenal historical fantasy that I literally could not put down! Richly detailed, brilliantly crafted, and filled with engaging characters and masterful schemes, this is an absolutely brilliant piece of work that has left me breathless with anticipation for its sequel! Thank you to NetGalley and to Hay House for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

WOW, I absolutely LOVED the concept of this book! Centered around an incredibly tumultuous Rome, focusing on a poisoner by the name Locusta and her dearly beloved Livia, I found myself in awe of the author’s very obvious devotion to the history of Rome, and her less famous denizens. Overall, this sapphic historical fiction was incredibly enjoyable to read and the added magic and gods made it even more delectable! I did have some issues staying in the story for about a hundred pages or so in the middle, I do love political intrigue but I felt that things were a bit too good for too long!

Highly recommend this novel for any fans of Rome and I recommend it even more to those who really are sick of Rome always being the hero of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is the first in a fictional duology re-telling of Locusta, a female poisoner from Ancient Rome. We meet her as a 19year old living in her village, Gaul. We follow Locusta as she becomes a druid, is claimed by Arawn, the god of death and is taken to Ancient Rome as a slave following the slaughter of her village. Under the teachings of Arawn, Locusta furthers her skills and knowledge in different methods of poisoning, identifying poisons and ingredients and what it means to be a druid. After a couple of successes she is given to the grandmother of the current emperor who has her playing lady-in-waiting to her young cousin, Livia. By night, Locusta plays secret poisoner for the Emperor's grandmother while by day she continues as lady-in-waiting to Livia and begins to fall in love with her. They begin a passionate, secret romance while trying to keep each other safe amidst the constant threats and dangers of Ancient Roman politicians and elite.

I'd never heard of Locusta before coming across this book so had no real idea what I was in for. I was fascinated and invested very quickly both with the general story and Locusta specifically. It didn't take long for the story to get intense and the stakes to rise. I'm not typically a big fan of books with plots centred around literal politics but I genuinely really enjoyed this one. The way the politics was woven in with gods, magic and Locusta's improving poisoning skills was well done and was well balanced. Locusta being new to Rome and having to learn all about how everything worked allowed us as the reader to learn alongside her which was helpful. I found the romance between Locusta and Livia to be sweet and genuine and I'm always a fan of a good queer re-telling! Given the two young women spent virtually 24/7 with each other I really felt their relationship made sense and developed in a very natural way.

I found most of the characters in Locusta were complex, layered characters with their own unique motivations and side stories. While Locusta herself could at times be frustrating and a little naive, I do think it was a realistic portrayal of someone in that position. She was a 19 year old who had experienced immense trauma, had her entire life turned on its head overnight, was sold into slavery and left to figure out an entirely new world by herself. Honestly I think she handled it better than I would have as a full-grown adult! It was interesting and fun when characters started popping up that I recognised from history and seeing where they fit into the story. There was definitely a theme throughout the story of the specific difficulty in being a woman in Ancient Rome, especially a woman from a powerful family. The author did a good job at showing the polarity of characters and giving us insight into why they were the way they were. It did get a little confusing at times keeping up with all the different names but that was a me problem and not any sort of failing on the author's end.

I really did enjoy this book! Lots happened in the first part of the story to really set up this world and establish Locusta as a character. That was really interesting and drew me in right away. The middle was a bit slower than the rest of the book and did at times feel a little tedious and drawn out. I didn't find this went on for long though and wasn't too difficult to get passed. The pace then picked up once again and I found myself holding my breath and unable to put the book down until I finished. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for book two because I need to know how Locusta's story ends!

Okay historical fantasy is slowly becoming my entire personality apparently because I ate this up!

Ancient Rome, poison, magic, gods, political drama AND a sapphic romance?? Like hello??? You already had me at poison.

I had actually never heard of Locusta before this and now I’m absolutely fascinated. I loved following her story and watching her find her way through this completely chaotic and dangerous world. There was just so much happening and I was INVESTED.

I also really loved Locusta and Livia. Their relationship was so sweet and I was fully rooting for them the entire time.

This was such a fun, addictive read and now I obviously need book two because apparently I have zero patience and need to know what happens immediately.

I'll always love a story that breathes new life into historical (or mythological) women, especially queer women. We know so little about Locusta, and this first book in the duology is a fun introduction to her as a flushed out person. I do wish we could’ve gotten a bit more into the magic and poison of it all since some parts felt like a historical monologue to contextualize this period of Rome. I'm really looking forward to the second book as when we got more of Agrippina's presence in the book, the story elevated.

Very interesting premise. I liked the world building and how this tale was retold. While it took me a while to get into, I ended up really enjoying this read.

**ARC provided by Hay House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I am instantly drawn to books based on mythology so it was no doubt that I was going to love this book. I seriously couldn’t put it down.

Locusta, like many women from ancient times, are lesser known than their male counterparts. Emily Dexter truly did Locusta justice in documenting the backstory that kicked off her infamy. In losing her mother, Locusta learns to hate what makes her special. This book is a journey of healing, and realizing that falling in love can help you learn to love yourself.

What I liked:
-Locusta is angry all of the time. I love a character that plots and plans without letting it pull her under.
-The love that Locusta and Livia had for each other reminded me much of Achilles and Patroclus. Despite all of the reasons to be upset with their circumstances, they found the light within each other.
-I liked that the plan to kill….those two…. At the end of the book didn’t work out. It kept me guessing with what would happen next. Sometimes when everything goes according to plan it can lose the excitement in a story— this kept me incredibly engaged

What I didn’t like as much:
-The God of Death, Arawn, was still a mystery to me even by the end of the book. I wish we learned more about Locusta’s Druid powers and what Arawn was capable of. I am hoping this still remains a slight mystery because it is a setup for a more in-depth storyline for Book #2.

I am already counting down the days for Book #2. I highly recommend Locusta by Emily Dexter to those who loved reading Circe or Ariadne.

I am a big fan of both women lead stories and mythology so this book was a perfect pick for me! I am only mad that the next book isn't ready yet because I need to finish the story! From the author's note at the end, I was fascinated that there was an actual person who this story was based on. While not much was known about the real Locusta, you could tell that care was taken to craft a story that was rooted in truth but supplemented with mythos and magic. I loved the battle that Locusta faced to survive in enemy territory by blending in without truly losing herself or her history. Plus who doesn't love a beautiful sapphic love story to top it all off!

For those looking for a historical FF romance with a magical mythological twist, look no further! This was an absolute treat and I am already seated for the next book!

(Review will be live on August 17)

Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Locusta is a beautifully written Sapphic story about one of the notorious women of the Roman Empire. The magic, lore, and mythology of Locusta and the source of her ability to create the poisons she's known for were really well done. I loved the tumultuous inner workings of Locusta's mind and the vibrant and gritty depictions of the Roman Empire's elite, and its colonial regime. This story wove history, myth, legend, and queer love beautifully, and I'd love to read more by Emily Dexter.

I received a free advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest and voluntary opinion.

This story feels like a love letter to the women throughout history whose stories we will never hear. It's a tale of strength, perseverance and love. 

The setting is one of such violence and trauma, and yet these strong, layered female characters persist and learn to survive by outsmarting the patriarchal system they're caught in. 

There's a strong theme of love involving sacrifice that runs throughout this book. It is utterly heartbreaking, at times, and a heavy read. 

The sapphic romance is tender and sweet, giving a ray of light and hope in an otherwise very bleak situation. 

Where it fell down for me was the ending, I felt like it concluded a little abruptly and I found it a little frustrating. But, I acknowledge that this is part of a series and so there could be a reason for that. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series in the future. 

One to read if you enjoyed retellings such as Sweet Bitter Song or Song of Achilles.

„Let me be the villain that saves her, rather than the hero that saves the world“

In this book we follow Locusta of Gaul, ancient Rome’s deadly serial poisoner, whose story is only sparsely recorded in history. So while not entirely historically accurate, due to the lack of passed down information, we still get an amazing story of a powerful woman, who did in any case exist. The story itself is woven around women in Rome, their status, their power or lack off and their plans.
We accompany Locusta from her village, from where is is abducted, to her role as a slave, personal poisoner and companion of Livia. Livia is a close relative of Antonia, the grandmother of emperor Caligula, who tries her best to protect her family through scheming and planning and taking every bit of power and information she can get her hands on. For a long time, Locusta and Livia, far more than simple companions by now, enjoy their love for each other behind closed doors and are living relatively undisturbed. But emperor Caligula escalates more and more, and the danger for the two rises. Locusta‘s life takes another turn, as she becomes a freedwoman after the death of Antonia through Caligula. The story reaches its climax as Caligula is murdered and chaos breaks free in the Roman society. Locusta‘s only goal: Protecting Livia.

So I liked a lot of things about this story and its narration. The aspect of the gaulish god of death choosing Locusta as their druid and their whole appearance in the book is really clever and also adds comical notes. The love story between Livia and Locusta is beautiful, and so is the portrayal of the life’s of Roman women in general. The plot captured me from the beginning and pulled me in throughout the whole book.
I will say that the love between the both seemed rather corny and over the top at some point. Locusta, despite her historical image as a cunning poisoner, defined lacks foresight and planning skills in my opinion, and I really hope we will get to see her acquire those in the future! Because this book gets a second part!

I am already looking forward to following Locusta along on her journey, especially as it is hinted that Nero will play a great part in the second novel.

this was a lovely novel of political intrigue and manipulation, navigating complex struggles of class, race, and sexism with a fun sapphic fantasy twist. the story/plotline did a great job at keeping me interested and invested in the two main characters, though i wish that there was more attention paid to their budding relationship and the challenges of their respective stations/differing backgrounds and values. i also loved how much tension the author infused within her description of the political landscape, though it was a bit difficult to follow the more detailed explanations of the minor characters' connections and histories with each other-- at times, i felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of (seemingly insignificant) information that was dumped on me in a single page. i did really enjoy the writing otherwise, though! and im excited to see what the second book has in store for locusta and livia :)

Thank you NetGalley, Hay House Audiobooks, and the author for the eArc and ALC!

I was extremely fortunate to be able to receive a digital copy and the audiobook copy together,so this was an amazing experience overall.

I love retellings, and I admittedly was less familiar with Locusta and her story, so I can't argue about historical inaccuracies from the little I'm aware.

With that said, this was a beautiful, emotional story. I loved Locusta's past, her and Livia's love blooming so subtly, I loved the inner workings of Rome and the magic system.
Especially in the audiobook version, the narrator's rent was DUEEEEE, what a spectacular performance.

I did have some small gripes with it, for example, while I understand that poison is a very much "behind the scenes" weapon, a lot of action felt like it happened too off screen for a true impact.

Can't wait for the sequel though!