by Emma Southon
First published 2019
Agrippina stands at the pinnacle of Roman power, beautiful and brilliant, yet surrounded by deadly family politics. Born to Augustus's expected heir, she watches her brother Caligula descend into madness, raping his sisters and showering them with honors before exiling them for rebellion. She seduces her uncle Claudius, becoming his wife and gaining access to unlimited imperial authority. Through assassination attempts, exile to remote islands, and the treacherous world of senatorial intrigue, Agrippina climbs to the absolute heights of female power in Rome. She wears golden cloaks, commands games and adoration, yet faces the ultimate betrayal when her beloved son Nero, whom she maneuvered onto the throne, orders her assassination. Her story reveals the brutal reality behind imperial glory, where sex, motherhood, manipulation, and violence become tools of survival in a world where power corrupts absolutely.
Genres: historical-fiction, biography-memoir, political-thriller, historical-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, power-struggle, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Rome, Italy
Period: Ancient Rome
272 pages · Paperback · Ediciones de Pasado y Presente
Content warnings: sexual-content, violence