Fulvia – Kaarina Parker

Published By: Manilla Press
Pages: 288
Released On: 15/07/2025

She was a woman who took no interest in spinning or housekeeping. She wanted to rule a ruler and command a commander — Plutarch

Fulvia is the daughter of a wealthy but unimportant Roman family. Raised in the countryside, she longs for a life of intrigue and influence. When her father dies and her inheritance is threatened, Fulvia makes her way to the city of Rome to secure her future.
There she marries a young aristocrat named Clodius, who is more interested in partying with his hedonistic friends than politics.

Fulvia is drawn into their world of debauchery, and learns just how precarious the balance of power in the Republic is. Her ambition drives them both to political power that draws the attention of the senate, and more seedy underworld opponents. But Rome is a dangerous place, and power can become notoriety overnight. Fulvia soon learns just how high the stakes really are, and that her ambitions may come at a terrible cost.

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Manilla Press for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I had been looking forward to this one for ages and so was excited to receive an e-arc, but it didn’t quite hit the top of my expectations.

It did have a very beautiful cover that drew me in, and an intriguing plot.

I hadn’t heard about Fulvia before this book and so knew 3nothing about her, and whilst I’ve been up and down with historical and mythological retellings over the years, I was intrigued to learn about someone new.

I have been to Rome but admit I know hardly anything about the city, particularly in years way back then. But Kaarina’s description of it, whilst I don’t know if it’s true, it feels it, it feels real, like you’re breathing the same air as the characters.

I’ve always said I love reading books where women are strong and outspoken and powerful in a time where they should be subservient, and this is the ultimate story in that regard.

Whilst I enjoyed it and it’s got a lot going for it, it is a bit slow. For the first quarter at least it’s mostly description and the odd conversation, and so I found it a bit….not dull, that’s too harsh a word. I just wanted something to happen a bit earlier.

Bear with me on this but it felt equally better as it went along, and worse as it went along. The first quarter or so was slow and it did pick up, so in that way it gets better. But I found the earlier pages more intimate, but once I hit the sort of midway point, I was looking to see how much longer I had left. But then with another…10-15% to go, it picked up again. So I think the middle just needs a bit more work to bring it up to the quality of the beginning and end.

I think overall it is a promising debut. Kaarina clearly has done her research and you can vividly see it in the description of everything. But it did have some issues. Firstly the pacing was off, slow in places but rushed through in others, and I also felt there was a lack of depth with the characters and their emotions. I felt they were very on the surface and I’d have liked them to have been explored a bit more. But I do admit Kaarina has a talent for getting to the heart of a story and it’ll be interesting to see what she does next.