Locusta (The Poisoned Empire Duology, Book 1) 9781837827602 Paperback

CircemeetsThe Lost Apothecaryin the first book of this historical fantasy duology featuring Ancient Romes 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 kinda 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 lifepoisoner by night for the cunning Antonia Augusta, and lady-in-waiting by day to Livia, the Emperors 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, Locustas poisons become their only protection against the increasingly unstable Emperor Caligula and the enemies lurking in every shadow.Locustareimagines the rise of one of historys 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.