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.
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
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