Locusta

by Emily Dexter

Circe meets The Lost Apothecary in the first book of this historical fantasy duology featuring Ancient Rome’s most infamous poisoner who changed the course of history to save the woman she loved.

Born in the ancient region of Gaul, Locusta is the last of her kind—a Druid whose communion with the spirit world grants her the dangerous gift of identifying and wielding deadly substances. When Roman soldiers attack her home and slaughter her mother, Locusta is captured and enslaved, taken to the heart of the empire where political plots abound and death commands a high price. Guided by Arawn, the god of death, she must learn to survive within the brutal, glittering world of ancient Rome.

Her strange talents soon catch the attention of the Roman elite, and she becomes ensnared in a double life—poisoner by night for the cunning Antonia Augusta, and lady-in-waiting by day to Livia, the Emperor’s ambitious cousin. As Locusta plants the seeds of revenge against those who destroyed her home, her connection with Livia deepens into a passionate, forbidden romance that threatens them both. Surrounded by danger and deceit, Locusta’s poisons become their only protection against the increasingly unstable Emperor Caligula and the enemies lurking in every shadow.

Locusta reimagines the rise of one of history’s most complex women through a lens of myth, power, and feminine rage. Rich with ruthless twists, deadly magic, and a sapphic love story that burns from sweet to spicy, this is a story of survival, defiance, and the dangerous alchemy of love and death in a world ruled by men.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Lesbian, Historical Fiction, LGBT, Adult, Audiobook

368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication September 15, 2026

Reviews

[E.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, HayHouse Audiobooks and the author for an ALC in exchange for an honest review

Locusta had such a fascinating premise that ultimately fell short for me. I think the comparison of this book to The Lost Apothecary is fair, but this book is not nearly up there with the writing, plot and story that is Circe (for which the book is also compared).

The writing in this book is off. The author continued to reuse certain words (the word “however” was used so many times!). Personally, I think it’s the writing cadence. The middle of this book (a good 40%) is an absolute slog and I was so bored. The characters are boring, the plot was more telling than showing, and the romance was an instalove mess of yucky power dynamics and obsession.

Locusta as well comes off as very bland. She is shallow, quick to anger, inexperienced and easily swayed by her emotions. She is also very flippant, changing her whims and motives at an instant, making it hard to keep up with her thoughts and reasoning. She rejects her druidness and the death god inside her head, but calls out for his help and her power at any bit of resistance or trouble.

I was promised feminine rage and that ended within the first 20%. After that, it devolves into a weird obsession with her slaver and a fight to control her every movement and action. Even Livia tells her to back off and stop trying to control her multiple times in the book. Their love story was not told in a way that was believable. They have nothing in common besides the fact that she is literally forced to be around this girl 24/7.

For a book about poisoning, very little of it actually happens on the page! And when it does, it is not always successful. In summary, I was disappointed. I honestly considered DNF’ing at about 25% but decided to stick it out. I’m not sure if that was the right call or not. But I do not see myself picking up the second book.

I did not like the narrator for this book. He voice was monotone throughout but then she would randomly infuse a lot of emotion into her sentences. But I found myself drifting as I listened, which is never good.

It is really disappointing how they turned this historical bad ass woman into a love sick, rash, pathetic girl that loses her purpose and direction for a pretty face.

[Andrea Keeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Locusta is a fascinating historical figure! I didn't know much about her before reading this book then diving into her past on my own, I just knew about her suspected murder via poisoning of Claudius. Though there isn't much recorded history of Locusta, this book takes a lot of liberties in telling her story.

I was disappointed that her poison knowledge was attributed to her druidic goddess rather than to her as a badass botanist and chemist. This narrative decision takes a lot away from Locusta as a learner and scientist. Similarly, the mc was very impulsive and emotionally driven for someone who needs to be calculating and careful to do her job as a poisoner. I didn't like her amorous obsession was her slave master, especially since the master was so cruel to her in the beginning. I thought I missed a few chapters because the slave master went from hating to lusting for Locusta in no time.

The narration of the audiobook was great! Thank you to NetGalley for this early release audiobook :)

[Maria 𐔌՞. .՞𐦯 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook ✨

Having not much knowledge of the politics of Ancient Rome, I went into this tale of a female poisoner completely blind and unbiased. As such, I can’t comment on whether anything was historically accurate and if that will annoy other readers. Note; there is an authors note at the end of the audiobook about this.

I loved the style of writing and the performance of the audiobook. The voice artist was a great choice for Locusta! (I would have died if they went with an American narrator for a Gaul in Ancient Rome)

Sometimes I will read other reviews before I decide on what I’m going to write— just to see if there’s any part of the book that I’ve forgotten. I did see one reviewer write as if it were a school essay, arguing over the points of where they found the writing clunky. I can report that none of the writing was like that for me. Sentences flowed perfectly fine. Is that reviewer pretentious or just not used to this type of prose? Hard to tell. I loved it.

The elements of magic in this world were subtle and I enjoyed that it was more based on politics and history than anything else. When I choose fantasy books it’s usually to escape the modern world. ‘Locusta’ did a brilliant job of that without technically being a fantasy book.

This was an easy listen and I found that I was closer to the end than I realised (Me: wait, how can I only have 23 minutes left?).

I will definitely be continuing with book 2 when it is released. I will also be recommending this book to friends who have similar tastes to me.

[Roimata Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

This novel had such a strong start. I loved the writing style and was instantly invested in Locusta. Her connection to the god of death, her curiosity of poisons when she was younger and now being able to detect poison and loved following her through the brutal and dark world of ancient Rome. The characters, political drama and constant suspense kept me hooked at start, and the audiobook narrator absolutely nailed the atmosphere.

The pacing lost me a bit in the second half. I felt like the romance side kind of took over and there were a lot of abrupt time jumps that pulled me out of the story. By the end it sadly started to feel a little repetitive and the ending felt abit rushed. All in all, it did catch my attention enough to want to continue into book 2!

[Siavahda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know most people have no idea what I’m talking about when I talk about writing rhythm. I have run into a few other readers who ‘hear’ it like I do, but clearly most people are not cursed with this ridiculous sensitivity. I envy you!

If you do hear it, then you will immediately discover that the rhythm of Locusta is…not-great. It’s choppy and discordant, and every time it starts to settle, there’s suddenly a far-too-long sentence with no commas or other pauses in it, kicking the rhythm ‘out of tune’ again. I was grinding my teeth before I got to the end of the first chapter.

Even if you don’t hear writing rhythm, though, I’m not sure you’re going to enjoy this book. The prose is pretty bland, there’s a lot of telling-not-showing, and the phrasing/wording is often odd, clunky. There are a lot of instances of thesaurisitis, ie, instead of using a typical word, there’s a synonym of it – but synonyms often have different connotations from each other. ‘Murmur’ and ‘mumble’ are synonyms, but if you mean one then the other is incorrect, and that kind of thing is rampant in this book. And even when that’s not the problem, metaphors and similes are often overwritten, with extra details that detract from the power of the image the author’s going for.

Examples of clunky prose below, all taken from my advanced reader copy, so they might well be different or even removed from the final published version of the book.

she smiles a smile that rips open my chest with more efficiency than a short sword.

‘with more efficiency’ is so clumsy for what you’re trying to say. ‘rips open my chest like a short sword’ would have been fine!

a blast of the horn that vibrates my very soul

I’m not sure this is grammatically incorrect, but it sounds/feels off. ‘that makes my soul vibrate’ would have been a way to say it that flowed more naturally.

There were stories–so many I cannot begin to recount them all–of war horns and shining golden weapons and treasure made of the finest stone and holy places and cedar groves that the Druids used to preside over.

This needs a boat-load of commas to break up that long sentence!

She was a priestess, to use the Roman equivalent, a bridge between the world of gods and spirits and our own–a power the Roman Vestals claim to be but are not.

‘a power they claim to be but are not’? That doesn’t make sense. ‘a power they claim to have but don’t’ would work.

Magic was a novelty that Romans seemed unable to resist possessing.

From context, this is talking about how Romans kidnap and enslave any magic-users they find. But ‘unable to resist possessing’ is an incredibly awful way to phrase that. ‘Taking’ or ‘stealing’ or ‘enslaving’ could all have worked there instead of ‘possessing’.

Prose aside, Locusta’s character is not very coherent. By which I mean, she doesn’t act in such-and-such a way because her personality and history manifest in that action; instead, she’s doing things because the plot requires her to do them. And it’s not even really For Plot so much as it is For Drama, the vast majority of the time. Her personality is all over the place, keeps contradicting itself; in the second chapter there’s a big moment which she tells us is the first time she ever defied her mother – but we just spent the whole first chapter with her not wanting to be a druid (which her mother’s teaching her to be) and going against her mother’s teachings, so???

The book is written from the perspective of an adult Locusta looking back on her life. This is a framing that often doesn’t work for me, and didn’t here. There’s no commentary on her child-self’s behaviour or beliefs, which means there’s no sense that Locusta has grown and changed as a person from the child we meet after the prologue. For example, as a child Locusta hates the Druid-training her mother basically forces on her – it would have been interesting to hear adult-Locusta say that now, as an adult, she understands why it was important to her mother, that she understands why her mother tried so hard. The lack of anything like that…in my experience it means the character isn’t going to develop at all over the course of the book. I could obviously be wrong; this is a DNF review, I didn’t finish the book, so I can’t know. But Locusta has given me no incentive to keep reading and find out whether I’m correct about that or not, so this is where it and I part ways.

[Bookish DreamsGallery]

First, Thank you to NetGalley and Hay House LLC for allowing me to listen to an advance audio version of this story, and the following is my honest review of the book.
As a side note I have to give props to the narrator, she helps bring the right emotions to each part of the story and each character individually and I was entrance by her voice and accent the whole time I was listening to the book.
I have always been interested in ancient roman history but I was not really well acquainted with Locusta’s story, am utterly fascinated by this character specially after learning she really existed and being a woman in the Roman empire was no walk in the park, less be honest romans were cunning and brutal, nobody regardless of station, wealth or gender was truly safe, imagine been a young woman from a village from Gaul, that gets suddenly thrown to the wolves after soldiers attacked her village, take some as slaves and killed the rest, including Locusta’s mother, then take Locusta as slave herself but not before her mother performs a secret ritual to bestow her druid gifts unto Locusta, Druids are supposed to be revere because they have healing powers and can commune with the gods, so it would be Locusta’s best chance to survive in this brutal world she is been taken to, but in a twist of fate Locusta being different than her mother gets chosen by Arawn the god of death, so when the ritual is finalized she has a different kind of power than the healing abilities she was expecting, she can sense poison, she can craft poison, she can bring death.
What I did like about the book, the incorporation of the gods and mysticism into the story made it richer and more interesting in my eyes and I like we get to see Locusta’s origins as a girl from Gaul, a little bit of the culture and believes even though is all fiction it help me connect with her character and I wanted to see her grow and succeed, I was expecting a smart, cunning, levelheaded woman navigating a treacherous environment/people, but a woman who will not let anyone or anything defined her or vest her.
What unfortunately didn’t work for me the pacing of this book is was really and I mean really slow, the first half while we learn Locusta’s origins I was ok with it because we are getting to know the character and I don’t mind it being slow if am able to get all the information needed to get an idea of who the character will be in the story, but by the second half it was painful, at times felt pretty repetitive and a lot of tell no show, for example the MC spent more time saying she was willing to kill for the woman she love instead of actually doing something about it, it later came to a point where it felt like empty treats and I got annoyed with her, I also don’t understand why was she so antagonistic with her god, the god that choose her and gave her his powers to use because he saw someone that was similar to him and capable of killing people not as a mindless killer but as a meaning of surviving the perilous life/destiny she was presented with, and am not saying she needed to worship him either but, no need to be so rude all the time for no reason at all, I couldn’t understand the animosity she display for him basically the whole book when he was only helping her survive.
The love story at the beginning seem to be something that will give her that extra drive to do what was necessary and make her even more relatable and hep her character grow, instead did the opposite and made her passive and compliant, at the mercy and will of other people surrounding her, when she is supposed to be this incredible, poweful woman who help bring down emperors and re-shape the Roman empire, but a big part of the book the MC acted like a petulant child, was naïve and even obtuse at times when her life is in constant danger and she has the means to not only survive but thrive in that environment, her being all bark and no bite was painful to read, it felt contradicting at times, one moment she was ferocious and ready to act and the next second she was wining and acting base on her whims instead of having a plan or real direction of what she wanted to accomplish, and I did not see any character grow at all through out the story, by the end of the book it was hard for me to be invested in the character and the story. Am sure a lot of people will love this story and for some could be a good introduction to the intricacies of the ancient Roman Empire, we do get to see a little of how they live and play , but in this case, it was just not for me.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like Locusta, and at times I did, but it never fully satisfied me. I was excited to read about a morally complex woman whose role in Roman history is relatively under-documented. The historical Locusta left behind just enough information to spark the imagination, and I was eager to see how the author would bring her to life. I also love a good sapphic romance. Between those two elements, I was primed to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I never felt that the various pieces of the story fully came together. The novel introduces several compelling ideas, but it struggles to decide which of them should take center stage.

At times, Locusta wants to be a historical drama, but the historical setting doesn't always feel fully realized. There were several moments that pulled me out of the story. For example, the novel describes statues as stark white marble, despite the fact that Roman statues were often brightly painted. That's a small complaint in the grand scheme of things, but I don't want to feel like I might know more about the setting than the author of a historical drama!

As the story of a powerful and influential woman, this also fell a bit short by undercutting Locusta's agency. Rather than depicting her rise as the product of intelligence, expertise, and careful maneuvering, Locusta kind of fumbles through the book and always has her magic to fall back on. I like magic in books, but in this case it left me feeling like Locusta had been diminished rather than enhanced. I found myself wishing for more emphasis on Locusta's cunning and hard work, and less reliance on magic and help from her god.

The romance was another missed opportunity. Locusta's relationship with Livia is clearly intended to be the emotional core of the novel, but it never felt fully developed. The book spends relatively little time building their chemistry or exploring the emotional foundation of their connection, so the romance never carried the weight it seemed intended to. At the same time, because the relationship begins while Locusta is still enslaved and under Livia's control, I wasn't necessarily disappointed that the novel didn't devote more time to the romance. The power imbalance made it difficult for me to fully invest in the relationship as a love story. This actually got worse when Locusta was freed but wished she was still a slave so she could be closer to Livia! That was wild.

What disappointed me most about this book is that it's intended as part one of a duology. I knew that going in, but I expected this to be a more complete story on its own. Rather than having a satisfying conclusion after some major accomplishment, the book kind of just ends in the midst of a bad situation for Locusta. I wish this book was a 700-page tome that told the whole story rather than a shorter novel setting up the first half of one. I'm not sure I enjoyed this enough to come back for part two.

There were some things I enjoyed in this book. I was entirely unfamiliar with Locusta before and she is a fascinating person. Some of the political intrigue works quite well. I like the powerful, older women Locusta is first enslaved to (weird, I know). The prose can be pretty. There was enough there to keep me reading, just maybe not enough to bring me back.

The audiobook I listened to also left me with mixed feelings. The narrator has an odd tendency to pause long enough for a full stop at each comma, making it harder to follow along with. I liked her voice though, and she brought a lot to the role. I eventually got used to her cadence.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hay House for the chance to both listen to and read this early. I did enjoy my time with it, even if it didn't live up to all my hopes for it.

[Emily Capri · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Daniela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for a Greek or Roman retelling, but this was a retelling that felt a bit too much “telling” and not enough showing at times.

Locusta follows the Gaul woman named Locusta who is the last Druid of her people and has a link to the god of death, where she has the innate talent of detecting poison around her. After a siege on her lands that leaves everyone she loves dead, Locusta is sold into slavery until she catches the attention of Roman elites whom want to exploit her talents. Locusta is used and abused by the Roman’s for her ability to see poison as she is sold from household to household to serve as needed. When she sold to Livia, Locusta does everything in her god given power to right those who’ve wronged her Domnia.

What I loved about this story was the strong start that we had; I felt connected to Locusta. I felt her rage, her helplessness, and her desires. I loved her connection with all the characters: from her love of Livia, to the battle of wits with Antonia Augusta. This did a great job setting up the feeling of someone navigating the Roman hierarchy, while being a total outsider to its inner workings.

That being said, I wasn’t a huge fan of how the story was told to the audience rather than letting us experience it. Obviously, there is going to be a lot of skimming as we are exploring decades of someone’s life in the timespan of 15 hours, but there were parts of this book where we were in scene with the characters, only to be pulled away from that scene with a transition line that explained a substantial time jump has occurred. It felt jarring because just when I am getting comfortable in these scenes with Locusta and another character, we leave the scene abruptly and then months pass until the next in-person scene. I just feel like there could have been a better way to convey this transition in time without making the audience feel like they were being pulled from the narrative.

At the 60% mark, I started to feel like the story was told and there wasn’t much more I needed from this. It seemed to drag by this point until the end. I feel like this could have been trimmed down a bit, or we could have explored a more detailed shorter span of her life to have a more intimate look in her life. By this point, I wanted the book to end, not because it was bad, but because it became repetitive and there wasn’t much more to say. The ending felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic, but that’s just something that can happen with retellings; sometimes the real story doesn’t end with an epic showdown.

All in all, this is a must read for people who enjoy Circe or Clytemnestra. Women of this period are very interesting and it’s fun to think about what was going on in their heads during this time.

The audiobook is single narration, but the voice actor does an amazing job. She had the perfect voice for someone to read this type of book. She kept me engaged and informed on this person that I did not know.
Thank you NetGalley, Hay House Audiobooks, and the author for the audiobook ARC!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Hay House Audiobooks for this advance listener copy in exchange for an honest review.


"Let me be the villain."

A sapphic historical fiction about an OG female serial poisoner with a lot of simmering feminine rage? Say less.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster. Locusta is an amazing character, and following harrowing twists and turns of her journey was a ride that had me ANXIOUS for the next installment.

Historical accuracy nerds may find themselves frustrated as there are changes to male the story less dense than a roman history class in favor of keeping the focus on Locusta and the other women of Rome presented without the MOUNTAINS of contextual explanation needed for all the politics.

That said, it doesn't try to hide the fact that this is a story about a young woman, barely aware of herself as a person, suddenly thrust into one of Rome's most tumultuous eras and how she struggles not only to survive it but find SOME form of purpose and even happiness within the new surroundings and system she's forced into.

There is a mystical element to this version of Locusta's story as her patron god features quite a bit as her poison mentor and the rest of the book makes mention to other gods as well. Not to be a downer, but it could be said that the supernatural assistance sort of takes away the genius that the actual person Locusta would have had to be to get her infamy. In a time period where women's accomplishments (good or bad) so rarely got acknowledged, is adding godly influence worth diluting the credit? This is a discussion I'm looking forward to bringing to friends who also read this book.

The romance in this story had me leaning in different ways in my feelings on the whole. On one hand, it IS at least partly, a master/slave relationship which arguably WOULD have been something that happened in time and place this book is set. A lot is done by the narrative to try to make the relationship as consensual as possible, the main couple not getting together until a particular festival that has Locusta as free as she or anyone is likely to expect she'll ever be. However, it's hard to see how these women WOULDN'T develop some form of codependent relationship, given their situations and proximity. Again, though, the inclusion of her partner (the arguably entirely fictional Livia) also ends up sort of reframing a number of Locusta's actions as those of a woman in love trying to protect that love. Survival and/or retaliation against the city and people that tore her from her home take a backseat to Livia's health and well-being. Not that getting to help her lover CAN'T be a motivator, I feel like folks that aren't as into the Romance genre may not enjoy the shift in focus.

Finally, I just want to give flowers to the narrator, Hannah Curtis. She gives a lovely performance and I will be looking for more work she's done.

#NetGalley #Locusta

[Bianca Hanga · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️

This had the potential to be a 5⭐️ read for me. When I received the ARC, I started reading it immediately, I was so excited for it. My favorite genre is Historical Fiction, so this seemed right up my alley.

I read it and listened to the audiobook at the same time, and I was hooked from the start. The narrator does a very good job at conveying emotion and bringing the story and the characters to life. I listened to the first 20 chapters in one sitting and could not wait to see what happens next.

This is the story of Locusta, the famous poisoner from Ancient Rome, and we follow her from childhood to adulthood, we see her growing up, becoming a Druid, then a slave and a freed woman in Rome, becoming entangled in the politics of the biggest empire.

Unfortunately, the book starts strong but then it loses momentum halfway through.

Locusta seems to have very little agency, which makes some sense given her status as a slave and as a woman in the Roman society, though it seems that she doesn’t really struggle too much with that, seeming to accept her fate pretty easily. She gets to the top of the society circles through sheer luck it seems.

Throughout the book she seems quite shallow, rash, quick to anger, inexperienced in life and political intrigue, she seems to submit very easily to her own desires without much thought about her position and future.

She rejects her Druid position, rejects the god that claimed her but waiting for their help every time she is in a tight place, she is reckless and doesn’t understand the dangers she is facing. This might be done on purpose, since she is 19 years old in the story, and hopefully the second book will show her growth.

The middle of the book was slow, and failed to capture me the same as in the beginning. I felt like there was a lot of telling and not showing, and Locusta’s motivations completely changed once she got to Rome.

The romance was not convincing for me, it was too much insta love, and I found myself rolling my eyes every time Locusta started going on and on about how wonderful Livia was.

There was also not much poisoning happening, almost all of it happened off page, I would have loved to see her preparing her poisons, the ingredients, the effects, instead we are told that she prepares them, they are used all around Rome, and that’s pretty much it.

I am really hoping that the second book will show us a more powerful Locusta, one who learned the game of politics and intrigue, and her poisoner status will have a more prominent focus than in this first one.

Overall this book was good, but not great. I enjoyed the writing, the premise and beginning were very good and I cannot wait to see how her story will progress and end.

The narrator was excellent, I felt like she did a great job bringing the story to life and conveying the emotion from the text.

Thank you NetGalley, Hay House and Emily Dexter for the ARC!

[Ura Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity**

This is the first time I have ever been informed of Locusta and I was captivated by her capabilities mentioned. Unfortunately there were many times during this book where Locusta could have been an NPC for all I cared. I do have characters I adore such as Locusta's mother who I am unsure of her name being given. She was courageous, knowledgeable and caring. She had been through rape, sexual assault and surviving the destruction of her village yet she never let those break her spirit (she did avenge herself against her rapist so HOORAY!!!). Of course no one is perfect so I did have an issue with how she handled the situation of Locusta doing what she did to the boy that was quite insulting.

Another lady to admire is Antonia. While her morals can be questioned, her intellect, strategic decisions and accurate future planning is to be greatly appreciated. She is proof of how inaccurate it is when a woman is said to be incapable of being a leader when she performed greater than majority of the men who were unsuitable and incapable of the handling the power granted to them solely because of their gender.

Pliny was undoubtedly better than his counterparts on the account that his only business and interest was concerning books only. He was satiated as long as he was left undisturbed to explore and gather more knowledge, often at times leaving banquets to do so(more lucky than I am when I try to do so at parties 😮‍💨)

In my opinion, the political aspect is what greatly boosted this book. There is of course the relationship between Locusta and Livia. Some reviews have mentioned the power imbalance between Livia and Locusta which is justified and correct. There is also the part of Locusta being 18(then 19 later on) while Livia is already in her twenties. This causes slight discomfort but as is obviously known age was never big enough of a barrier to hold people back from engaging with others in however way they wished. An example would be Agrippina the Younger who got married at 13. I had also noticed that Livia had gotten more snappier towards Locusta after she had gained her freedom but Locusta overlooked that because she had the impression it was solely due to Livia being upset at being the only one with restrictions.

There is also the slight issue of Gaius' age. I do not want to give him any more attention than he already has considering he doesn't deserve it when his atrocities are being brought to mind but it was said that he was twenty six when he became emperor and two years later Locusta came to Rome which should have made him twenty eight. Yet it is said that he is less than a decade older than Locusta who was 18 at the time and there was no banquet thrown to celebrate the emperor's birthday at any point.

[jayden abel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Possible Spoilers*

Locusta is a good book, but it definitely won’t be for everyone. Personally, I liked the exploration of value. Everything and everyone has a price. Whether the price is sex, death, gold, or freedom; power is appealing. Locusta, an enslaved Gaul in Rome, has little power. Even with a god at her side, she’s still a woman, and therefore considered worthless.

For most of the book, the reader isn’t living through events as they happen. Locusta is looking back at what got her to where she is. The daughter of a healing druid and a rapist, Locusta learned that power is destructive but also necessary. When Roman soldiers overrun their village, her mother sacrifices herself to keep Locusta alive. Of course that happens right after Locusta gets blessed(?) by the god of death. The trauma and symbolism isn’t subtle. She gets captured and becomes an enslaved “healer” (she can generally create death, not undo it). As long as she’s worth something to a man, Locusta gets to live.

She gets gifted to a cunning mistress, who pulls the strings of Ancient Rome behind her back. Antonia is the grandmother of Julius Caesar, and the great grandmother of Locusta’s love interest, Livia. Antonia was one of my favorite characters. Equipped with Locusta’s poisons, Antonia made men feel important, in exchange for their loyalty. Instead of taking men down herself, she let them rip each other up in a game of power. She sets everything up so that her family’s power is secured.

Locusta and Livia are a bit weird, but they do fit the story. Antonia assigns Livia to Locusta, as a challenge of loyalty. At first the two clash, but over time they build a connection. Livia is kind, and well-meaning, and Locusta is looking for something of her own. Both are at the mercy of men. You can see this relationship either as an abuse of power, or a rebellion against the patriarchy. Locusta, who is a bringer of death, and Livia, who is rich beyond measure, are powerless but find power in protecting each other. Like I said, they’re a weird couple.

My other favorite character was Livia’s aunt, Agrippina. The sister of Julius Caesar, she is manipulative and cruel. She cages Locusta by sparing Livia’s life. Another woman deemed expendable by men, she makes villainous choices to win a rigged game. I empathized with Agrippina’s character.

While reading, I would definitely recommend having Google on stand-by. Tracking Julius Caesar's family tree becomes tedious.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hay House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Ashe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up
Thank you to Hay House LLC and NetGalley for an e-arc copy!!
The first third of this book - I had an absolute blast with just overall learning about Locusta, her mother, and her original culture was nice and it really made the book go by quickly. Absorbing the world building and knowledge. Although after the first third and when Locusta got introduced to the love interest, that's when the political game of chess kind of started. Maybe, political intrigue and the games that one most play to gain power/stay in power/making sure life stays comfortable for you and your family - just really isn't my thing. I found it to be a slog and difficult to get through. The most important thing to Locusta is making sure her beloved remains safe; even at the cost of Locusta's life/comfort. Though, the last 2 chapters really picked back up and I am curious to see how everything comes together and how the story will tie up. Had a blast reading Arawn's interactions with Locusta. They were a blast anytime they were in the scene and really grown attach to their character. Cannot wait to (hopefully) learn more about their connection to Locusta in the 2nd book.
Note: This wasn't a happy book at all - it was actually quite dark and sometimes a little heavy. You're in the space of Roman women, who didn't have much freedom. The only way they could have freedom is by plotting and scheming. There's a good bit of abuse towards the women - though much of it isn't explicit - just implied through the text. There are also a ton more non-explicit but there in between words of SA, possible incest, and some scenes of murder. Book 1 didn't have a happy ending, as our MC didn't end up in a place where she could fully enjoy life her beloved. And her beloved was forced into a situation she didn't want.

Pros: Sapphic, Arawn is fun, the exploration of the Gods and their powers was cool, the writing style was nice - really enjoyed Emily Dexter's writing style and world building. The ending left off on a nice cliff hanger.

Cons: It was a slog to get through the middle of the book, Locusta was a very rash and emotionally driven MC - she made decisions only out of care for her beloved and could be sometimes a little reckless because of it, but Locusta was very young (18-19) and will have a chance to grow in the next book.

[Keturah Sergeant · Rating 2 out of 5]

The foundation of this book is intriguing, dangerous and clever. The story of the official toxoligist of the Julio-Claudian Emperors' court, a poisoner hailing from Gaul. A powerful foreign woman in a spiderweb full of ambitious Romans. The history is there, the politics is fascinating, the plots and plans and movements of different people all leading to shifts in the political sphere. However, the writing of this character, amidst known recorded histories (Pliny's accounts, the writer himself is heavily featured), was weak. She was pathetic. Starting the narrative with her druidic claim by the god of death, which she is terrified of, immediately followed by her capture, which she is powerless against, didn't exactly paint her as powerful. Having her continually reject her deity, her purpose in life, her new gifts, her new role, any understanding of her captors, their politics and her place... She was just completely lacking in wisdom, cunning, street smarts, anything that a slave in a new land that rose to prominence would have needed...

She is obtained and given to Livia, to identify poisons. Of course, because Livia is a pretty Roman woman, Locusta's entire personality and opinions shift as she becomes wholly obsessed with her. The narrative becomes increasingly, pathetically self-deprecating, fawning over her mistress, who isn't even kind to her in the beginning... Their relationship switches up very quickly from obsessed slave to mutual romance, founded on her telling of stories... None of which are ever completed on paper... So the added element of that mythology and culture is blurred once more. She kills a man who insulted Livia only to immediately submit to her criticisms, calling herself a fool and uneducated... She barely develops as a character, basically just adapting to whatever Livia wants, or Pliny on occasion, attempting to reject her deity, using and listening to them only when convenient for her own desires... She's panicky, weak-willed, unwise and pathetically obsessed and in the end she loses.

The presentation of this character ruined any enjoyment I would have found through the well-researched representation of Roman history, the tricky politics and the doomed sapphic relationship. A few more braincells, please...

[Rallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 (rounded up); Narrator Rating: 5
Thanks to NetGalley and Hay House Audiobooks for giving me access to this audiobook, this review is my own opinion.

"Lesbian druid killer-of-men chosen by a death god" is my ideal job description, so obviously I was drawn to Emily Dexter's historical fantasy about a little-known real historical figure from Ancient Rome! The real Locusta was a master poisoner responsible for the death of two emperors, and although we don't really have much information about her aside from that, I think Dexter's version does justice to an imagined Locusta - a woman excavated from a few lines here and there, recontextualized and revised within the popular framework of woman-centered, feminist retellings of legendary figures from the ancient world (Madeline Miller's Circe probably one of the most popular).

The story is told from Locusta's perspective, so the glimpses we see of Roman politics are all through the eyes of an outsider trying to survive while forced into the corrupt upper echelons of society. The focus is intrigue rather than specific political plays, those are done in the background by Augusta who is merely using Locusta to create the mechanisms of murder.

Livia and Locusta's relationship was charming, with a slow-roll development that didn't so much include pining as it included an awkward pull between domina and slave (a dynamic that isn't romanticized thank god) that morphs into a mutual devotion. And Livia joining Locusta in her adventures was just chef's kiss (unpoisoned) perfect, the imagery of them together in Locusta's rooms messing around with plants to create more effective poisons was almost sweet, like - aww hey babe, I see what you're doing there, but maybe do it this other way and it'll kill people faster! Perfect date activities.

This is overall another great entry into the canon of "what-if" retellings of legendary, mythic, and historical women written for a modern audience who want to imagine voices where there has been silence. The narrator does an incredible job bringing Dexter's work to life; rather than trying to do a special voice for each character it is generally the same voice throughout which makes it feel like this is Locusta telling us her story.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this house, we support women's rights and wrongs.

First and foremost: Shoutout to the audiobook narrator!! Her performance is nothing short of moving. The sheer emotion she was able to imbue into the dialogue moved me more than the words alone would have, and Locusta and Livia's sorrow, grief, and rage were stirringly portrayed. This is not to say that the writing was lacklustre in any way - it certainly was not! It was engaging, providing enough time for action and relationships to breathe, without it ever feeling like too little was occurring or the plot was too slow.

"You are the most powerful person in this room," Aron's many-toned voice snapped. "Act like it."

I had not previously heard of Locusta, who was a real and powerful poisoner nearly erased from history on account of her in large part due to her being a woman - in spite of her changing the course of history by removing certain key figureheads. I'm grateful to the author for bringing her story back into the spotlight and letting it shine so brightly. I have the feeling book 2 will be even better, as the ending of book 1 sets up so much potential for intrigue, poison, and plot. I can't wait!

My one sole complaint about the book is that, as someone unfamiliar with the players of Roman history, I found myself a bit confused trying to tell the side characters apart at times. Some sort of family tree would have made for a lovely addition. At one point I had to pause the audiobook and do a quick Wiki dive into who the characters were, as so much chaos was occurring, and names were being tossed around left right and centre; and I had no clue what was going on. The most baffling discovery for me was that Gaius and Caligula were the same person! I vaguely recall this being mentioned once near the beginning of the book; however, in the book, we only ever hear of him in conjecture, and never engage dialogue with him. Hence, with as many silent players this book had, that connection had slipped my mind.

That one small detail aside, this book - and in particular, the audiobook - is powerful, enrapturing, and will not let you down.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC! Book 2 ALC when? 😇

[Ellie Watters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could erase my memory and listen to this again for the first time.

I knew nothing about Locusta before starting the book, which made discovering her story even more compelling. From the opening chapters in Roman-occupied Gaul, I was completely drawn into a world where traditional knowledge, magic and culture are being crushed beneath Roman power.

Locusta is a wonderfully complex protagonist. Her development feels natural, and the book makes her reasoning understandable without labouring the point. I was rarely surprised by her individual actions because they made complete sense for the person she had become, but the final twist caught me completely off guard and was brilliant.

The novel repeatedly explores the boundary between healing and poisoning, protection and destruction, civilisation and barbarism. Locusta’s mother calls her “my little nettle,” while Death calls her “little viper,” and both names seem to capture something important about her nature.

Death is an actual character here, and I loved the way this was handled. Death has limitations, quirks and a personality, and is sometimes amusing and often unhelpful. Their relationship with Locusta is not one of ownership or control. Death may offer gifts and warnings, but Locusta always retains the choice of whether and how to use them.

At the heart of the book is also a complicated love story that begins between a slave and a member of the imperial family. As the story develops, the balance of power shifts, and the novel explores the experiences of slaves and women in Rome. One of the most interesting ideas is that Locusta, once freed, may have more agency than a woman born into Roman society.

Ultimately, this is a story about power: poison, fear, violence, status, leverage and coercion. It is also about the limited forms of control available to women and the possibility that women whose stories were lost to time nevertheless changed the course of history.

The audiobook narrator was a perfect fit and added enormously to the atmosphere.

Immersive, intelligent, morally complex and beautifully constructed. One of my favourite reads of the year.

[Pujashree · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sapphic fix-it historical fiction delving into the life of a documented poisoner from Gaul, flourishing in the Julio-Claudian era of the Roman empire with a stunning book cover. I mean, COME ON. On top of that, I hit the Netgalley lottery of both ebook and audiobook ARCs. The feminist and queer history nerd in me couldn't be more thrilled. I started this on print and right away it's clear that this is a story brimming with the rage of the colonized, the enslaved and the erased. The beginning is a brutal portrayal of the decimation of the Gaulish culture, and quickly the protagonist gets caught up in the mire of Roman politics by way of the powerful women who operate behind the scenes. There is an element of insta-love at the heart of this but hey, not gonna pick at a rare unabashed sapphic romance driving a documented historical character. It is quite dizzying to keep track of all the Roman empire figures with similar names, and who murdered who and when, to the point that the brutality gets weirdly normalized and just another element to keep the plot moving. Which is not unusual as we know from the history of this era. This is also the second book in a row that highlights the queernormativity of the era, which is refreshing. That said, for a story about a legendarily crafty poisoner, Locusta herself cuts a rather impetuous figure who is constantly being led by the noblewomen she is enthralled or intimidated by, even minimizing the wry God of Death that she is bonded to, who is really underused. The audiobook narrator does a fairly good job of distinguishing a wide cast of characters. However, this is a book that might be better to read in print that listening. There are good chunks of it that get rather infodumpy just out of the inevitability of placing the events in actual history, which is messy to begin with. I'm not entirely sure this needed to be stretched over a duology, and how it ends on a rather rushed and handwaved bleak note. That said, I'd be curious to know how the author frames the total narrative, because I can tell she cares about this story deeply.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

Locusta is the story of a Gaul woman who is forced into slavery in ancient Rome and uses her connection to the god of death to create poisons to use as political tokens for those closest to her. This book is incredibly ambitious and deals with themes of colonization, slavery, and feminine rage. It is very apparent that the author is passionate about this story. She tries to tackle many themes, but with this being a debut, I felt like the feminine rage plotline comes in and swallows up some of the other themes that she tries to explore. I have hope that Book 2 will bring the narrative back around to the anti-colonization themes from the beginning of this book because I really enjoyed that part of the story and was disappointed to see it take a backseat to the romance once Locusta met Livia.

The prose is lush without getting purple and stays fairly accessible throughout the book. It reads a bit more litfic-y than I typically read, which is neither bad nor good, just different.

For the majority of the book, Locusta is telling the story of how she went from living with her mother in Gaul to her current plot to kill the emperor. This portion is written in past tense and is incredibly passive. Locusta does not really take much action until the final act of this book when we approach the present tense portions of the narrative. I think that because of this passiveness and how slow most of this book is, it is important to remember that this is Book 1 of a duology. Gears do shift quite a bit in the final portion of this book, so I am very excited for the potential that Book 2 has.

Hannah Curtis is a great fit for the audiobook narration. She matches the vibes pretty perfectly. While there isn't a tremendous amount of variety to the character voices, the prose is clear enough that I didn't have any problems differentiating who was speaking or what was happening. I would definitely recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hay House Audiobooks for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Hay House Audio, and the author for the Advance Listener copy of Locusta

This historical novel set in ancient Rome fascinated me, Locusta is mentioned in several ancient texts as a poisoner in the midst of the Roman Senate, from this Emily Dexter has teased out a mythesque tale of Locusta's life. From her home in Gaul to the heart of the Roman Empire.

Locusta's mother was a powerful druid who trained Locusta to take over from her in a small village in Gaul. During her initiation Locusta is chosen by Arawn, the god of death, to serve him. When her village is raided she is taken as a high value slave to the Roman capital. Her mistress, Antonia, discovers her affinity for poisons and sets her to protect her cousin Livia. The story is full of Roman political intrigue, Arawn's influence, and a sapphic romance.

Hannah Curtis brilliantly narrates the tale, bringing the characters and setting to life. She perfectly portrays the Locusta's feminine rage stunning performance acts as a conduit for pure feminine rage stemming from her trauma, and then she seamlessly to the emotional connection with Livia. Her performance placed me deep in the intrigue surrounding Locusta, bringing it to life and keeping my focus on the storyline to the extent that I didn't want to stop listening.

Locusta is a hidden woman of Rome, little us known of her and Emily Dexter has brought her name forward and created a life for her. The storyline had me engaged from the beginning, Locusta is definitely one of the few well written, morally grey FMCs, she is defiant and resilient but with a loyal emotional side. I definitely recommend this fantastic audiobook if you enjoying historical novels that feel like myths. I can't wait for book 2.

[Kaylee M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 rounded up.

I loved the first 2/3 of the book. I thought the characters were all well interesting. The plot moved along quickly but didn’t feel rushed.

I would have liked Locusta to experience more inner turmoil about being a slave in Rome. It felt like once she decided to accept her fate, she was 100% okay with things. There was her confusion about Roman life and customs and politics but Locusta just seemed content with being a slave. There is a difference in accepting your fate while still being true to yourself at your core. She didn’t need to think she’d ever be free or go home but she definitely should have shown some private devastation/depression/struggle to adapt especially once she discovered how lucky she was to be a “privileged” slave with some agency/power.

Unfortunately the last 1/3 of the book dragged. It shifted as soon as the romance came in to play. It was so boring at the end that I could barely finish it. Just a ton of back and forth about “I love you!” “No I love you!” and a lot of talk of poorly developed plans. So much of the action happens off the page and we’re told about it instead of experiencing it with the characters.

I didn’t like Antonia’s gift to Locusta; it felt incongruous with who Antonia was and her mission for Locusta. I felt Locusta’s plans were always fairly simple and not at all well thought out. For a master poisoner, it seems like she kind of sucked at actually doing the poisoning.

I feel like this could have been really excellent but ended up as just okay.

Finally, for a book about poisoning, there was hardly any that actually took place on page.

[Megan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

**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.

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy received from NetGalley

„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.

[Michaela Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

This sounded like an interesting premise.
Unfortunately I found the writing and prose to be very stiff and stilted, it didn't really give me much in emotions from any of the characters.

Locusta, was stolen by Rome as a teenager shortly after performing the druidic rites with her mother, a famous druid in Gaul and her village for her healing abilities- gained from her being claimed by many gods.
Locusta who seemed to have a fascination as a child with death and poisons finds herself claimed by a god of death, who has granted her the ability to see and feel souls as they leave this world and a vast knowledge of plants and poisons and how they may be used to kill, much to her ongoing irritation.

Wither her abduction her god tries to guide her to keep her alive, putting her in the path as a slave to several powerful people, eventually gaining her freedom and elevation as a wealthy Roman woman.

Her relationship with Livia seemed a little insta love, as was their attraction to one another.
And it seems like in that she loses herself in it, willing to do anything to stay together or keep her alive in the mass of her sniping, backstabbing high up family and their love of deadly power moves.

What was a great premise just felt a little flat overall. The aspects of roman life, dress and cosmetics seemed well researched in certain aspects, but lacked the human spark to get this off the ground.

[ᒚᘿSS ᒍᗩY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, Hay House Audiobooks, and the author for the audiobook ARC!

I really enjoyed the audiobook experience of Locusta. It was incredibly immersive, particularly because of the intentional language and writing style. The poetic, almost theatrical quality really helped encapsulate the time period and atmosphere of Ancient Rome, making this a story that felt especially well suited to audio.

One element I found a little disappointing was the way Locusta’s knowledge of poisons was attributed largely to her connection with her druidic goddess. I would have loved to see more emphasis placed on Locusta herself as a learner, botanist and chemist. Given how fascinating her knowledge and abilities are, this felt like a missed opportunity to highlight her intelligence and curiosity.

There were also moments where the prose became a little long-winded. While this certainly contributed to the historical atmosphere and the way people of the period might speak, there were occasions where the lengthy, poetic dialogue pulled me slightly out of the moment.

Overall, though, this was a wonderful listening experience. The combination of historical fiction, fantasy, mythology, political intrigue and sapphic romance created a really compelling atmosphere and I’m definitely interested to see where Locusta’s story goes next.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated that this book is well-researched and has an interesting perspective of the Roman Empire. It’s like a female version of Roman Empire fantasy, but unfortunately still with the unpleasant truths that came along with it.

The prologue is strong and gets the reader very invested in the opening scene. The author’s descriptiveness is a strong point of the writing, however sometimes it felt a bit drawn out and like it could’ve been trimmed down a bit.

Speaking of, there is a lot of introspection in the book, and not the kind I enjoy. It’s a lot of internally dwelling on worries about what to do or if the FMC should go through with whatever she’s doing at the time. It gets really repetitive, and you can almost skip paragraphs of text where it’s just the FMC worrying.

The middle of the book drags quite a lot, and all of that dragging doesn’t build up to a satisfying ending. The book wraps up with “big” events that make sense almost from about 1/3 of the way in, and it doesn’t feel rewarding to have read everything in between.

Overall, I really like what this book was trying to do, but it unfortunately couldn’t quite get there. I don’t think the story did Locusta justice, and overall made her an unpleasant character to read.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Locusta is a dark, myth‑touched descent into ancient Rome, carried by excellent narration and a fiercely compelling heroine.

Locusta reimagines one of history’s mostly forgotten women through a blend of myth, political danger, and feminine defiance. We follow Locusta as she’s dragged into Rome’s brutal world. The story traces her rise from enslaved outsider to a woman whose knowledge of poisons becomes both weapon and shield. The audiobook narration is genuinely amazing and makes the ancient world feel textured, real, and emotional.

While the book includes romance and intimacy, it never becomes the whole plot of the story. Instead, the focus stays on Locusta’s survival, her connections, and the shifting loyalties among Rome’s powerful women. The author’s note at the end adds a thoughtful, grounding touch that made the whole experience feel more intentional and resonant.

Trugger warnings:
- Attempted rape
- Sexual assault (off‑screen)
- War, death, grief
- Murder
- Slavery
- Political violence and coercion
- Overall heavy themes involving women’s limited autonomy in ancient Rome

Not a light read, but a rewarding one, especially if you enjoy stories about powerful women navigating dangerous worlds.

[Gealach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Dexter's Locusta is a sapphic historical fantasy set in ancient Rome, inspired by the little that's known about the infamous titular character, a known poisoner. The book is very well researched, and it shows; the prose is also quite nice, with lovely turns of phrase. Locusta's journey from young woman to consummate poisoner is handled perhaps too quickly, with far less introspection one would expect from one who is dragged away from home and sold as slave after witnessing the murder of everyone she knows.

Instead, Locusta settles into her role with little doubt nor recollection, and quickly adapts to Rome and Rome's intrigue, especially when she falls in love with Livia. Their romance was sweet, and Livia's character ends up far more interesting than the protagonist, with her isolation and cunning. In general, all the female characters were very well done, especially Antonia Augusta.

The magical aspect mingles with history in an intriguing way, showing what a god's patronage and meddling might look like.

Locusta has a strong premise, but it fails to stick the landing.

✨ 3.5 stars