Book: Locusta - A Novel by Emily Dexter
Reviewed by Rallie X
Rating: 4/5
"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.