Daughter of Exile is the second book in The Exile duology, following on almost immediately chronologically after the first book, The Longest Exile. 

 

First, the characters.  Aemilia Lepidia was such an interesting protagonist, we essentially witness her grow up, she is only mentioned in book one, but this story is primarily through her eyes.  She was incredibly well rounded with inner strength, but additionally, her sense of abandonment and hurt manifested itself in a destructive manner.  Her emotions, particularly her anxiety at the survival of herself and her family lept right off the page and even though I had a good idea at what was coming (due to studying History) I still worried for her.  Titus and Rufus were more wildcard characters, because I didn’t know what fate was in store for them, but they had the perfect contributions to move the story along.  I grew to really enjoy Rufus’ chapters after an initially rocky start.  I was really hooked on this representation of Agrippina the Younger and would love to see more of her in future writing! 

 

The plot was the perfect mix between historical events and liberties taken by the author for engagement purposes (and I love that there was a disclaimer clarifying this).  I wish that the ending could have been drawn out just a tiny bit more, as there was a lot happening in those final chapters (but this may also just be me not wanting the book to end).  It sits against the backdrop of the early Julio-Claudian Empire, weaving in the crazier-than-fiction political plots, wild affairs, murders and many exiles of the time. 

 

Not only does Tana Rebellis provide us with an engaging plot and well rounded characters, but expertly weaves in integral aspects of Roman society and culture in an incredibly authentic manner.  The bustling nature of Romes urban geography, the social structure and varying expectations of men and women (both free and enslaved), eating and dinning practices, religion and even death and burial are all worked into the story.  It made this a truly immersive reading experience that I enjoyed thoroughly. 

 

I was provided a copy of this book by the author for review purposes, these thoughts are all my own.