The Longest Exile (The Exile Duology)
Being the granddaughter of the great Augustus should come with benefits, right? Not so for the protagonist of Ms. Rebellis’s novel. Instead, Julia finds herself exiled by her grandfather for the crime of having become pregnant by her lover. Seeing as Julia’s hubby was executed for treason a year ago, there is no way to pass off the child as legitimate, and so poor Julia is sent off to an unwelcoming Adriatic island.
With Julia go four guards charged with the dual duty of keeping her safe and also stopping her from escaping. Not that Julia has any idea how to escape—but there are others who have an interest in saving her and her unborn child from this rocky, barren island.
Ms Rebellis has written a gripping story about Julia, a protagonist who grows from spoiled princess to a young woman marked by tragedy. And there is a lot of tragedy in Julia’s life, mitigated somewhat by the presence of one Titus. Other than through the viewpoint of Julia, the story also unfolds through the eyes of Julia’s younger brother Agrippa Posthumous and Julia’s mother—another exile—Julia Prima. And lurking in the background is Livia, Augustus’s third wife, who will do anything to ensure her son, Tiberius, becomes the next emperor.
It is evident Ms Rebellis knows her period—which is also why she can allow herself to add a little alternate history twist to the plot. She does not shy away from the violence and the conspiracies that marked the last years of Augustus’s reign, causing this reader some moments of intense discomfort. All in all, The Longest Exile is a well-written, interesting read.
