Babylonia by Costanza Casati


I love a historical fiction book set in the ancient world and to find one that is based on a real woman who ruled Assyria is a must read for me.  This novel did not disappoint.  


Semiramis's is left motherless as a baby and is raised by a cruel man. She forms a plan to try and get out of this horrible situation before she is forced into a marriage.  One day a new governor comes to her small town in Assyria and Semiramis decides to change her destiny.  This is only the beginning of her incredible story. 


This story is filled with incredible writing and captured perfectly the ancient Assyrian world. This was a story that I will not soon forget and I love that Semiramis was a real woman with a humble background.  There are so few books written about the ancient world and so many of them are set in ancient Rome that I absolutely love that this is set in Mesopotamia.  It is action packed, filled with drama, intrigue but also and incredible story about survival.  I highly recommend this novel!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick- Publishes 4/18/23

Image
  Elizabeth Chadwick is a master at historical fiction.  I loved how she brought the story of Nesta, a Welsh princess, to life.  I had never heard of Nesta before, even though I have read quite a few books set in the 11th and 12th centuries.  Nesta's home is attacked, her father is killed, and her brother is sent fleeing to Ireland.  Nesta is forced to live with the Normans until she is of an age to be married off.  After a couple of years as a hostage, she catches the eye of Henry, the kings younger brother. He forces her to become his mistress, and Nesta starts a new form of captivity.  After having Henry's son, Nesta is offered in marriage to Gerald, who is a Norman who currently lives on the land where she grew up.  Gerald is a decent and honorable man but he is not Welsh and Nesta has never really been given a choice where her love life is concerned.  Owain enters her life and Nesta has to make a choice for herself.  Does she stay w...
Read more

Cat's People by Tanya Guerrero

Image
If you love cats you will love this book.  Actually it doesn't matter if you love cats or not, this is a wonderful read!  A heartwarming story about how a cat brings together 5 different people each struggling with their own personal challenges.  The novel is set in Brooklyn and told from 6 different perspectives including the cat.   Nuria is a barista who is feeling pressure from her mom to settle down but all Nuria really cares about is making coffee and cats.  Lily is he half sister and has moved to NY to meet Nuria.  However Nuria has no idea that Lily even exists.  Omar is the mailman but he is struggling with what he is going to do with his life. Bong is a widower who owns the local Bodega and even though his wife died almost a year ago, he still can't move forward.  There is also Collin, a best selling author, who has writer's block and also looks forward to seeing Nuria as she comes by to feed stray cats.  However Collin has seve...
Read more

The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning

Image
 This was an excellent start to a new series.   Zo has lost everything when she learns that she has received an inheritance from an unknown relative.  She travels to Divinity, Louisiana and finds out that she stands to inherit millions as well as a home but there are some very strange and constricting conditions.  She soon finds out that everything she has known is not what it seems.  She is thrust into a  world of witches and other paranormal creatures.  She must keep her head and find out everything she can if she is going to survive. Karen Marie Moning is one of my all time favorite authors because of her writing. She blends mystery, romance, fantasy, and suspense in this must read story.  I love that Zo is a strong female. She is an interesting character who is not afraid to fight for what she thinks is right.  The best part of the book was how the author kept unfolding the events so that I had to read more.  The ending is a cli...
Read more