The Valiant by Lesley Livingston Pages: 372
Published by Razorbill on February 14, 2017
Series: The Valiant #1
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Historical Fiction
Source: Bought Hardcover
Princess. Captive. Gladiator.
Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king, the sister of the legendary warrior Sorcha, and the sworn enemy of Julius Caesar.
When Fallon was a child, Caesar’s armies invaded her homeland, and her beloved sister was killed in battle.
Now, on the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is eager to follow in her sister’s footsteps and earn her place in the fearsome Cantii war band. She never gets the chance.
Fallon is captured and sold to an elite training school for female gladiators—owned by none other than Julius Caesar. In a cruel twist of fate, the man who destroyed Fallon’s family might be her only hope of survival.
Now Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries and deadly fights—in and out of the arena. And perhaps the most dangerous threat of all: her forbidden yet irresistible feelings for Cai, a young Roman soldier.
The Valiant is a young adult novel about a female gladiator. I was pretty much in from the very moment I saw the cover. And then I read the summary and I was really in! And then I saw the piles and piles of hype this book was getting and I was in even more. Sometimes hype makes me nervous, but I was already so convinced that I would love The Valiant that this hype just ratcheted my excitement up more. And guys, this is no ordinary hype. I am pretty sure The Valiant was the book I saw popping up on almost everyone’s top 10 books of 2017. And I am beyond happy to report that The Valiant lived up to my very, very high expectations and even exceeded them!
In The Valiant we meet Fallon, who has a vendetta against Julius Caeser for killing her sister. But before she can carry any of her plans out, she is captured and sold as a slave. She is sold to an elite training school for female gladiators. Let me repeat that! She is sold to a training school for female gladiators!!! Yes, please!! Fallon is awesome. I cannot even express how much I love her as a character. the other characters were compelling as well. I really enjoyed Elka and Cai. Fallon herself comes into her own. Her world view changes throughout the book, which is really exciting because I know there is so much more character growth to come in books 2 and 3.
There is a lot of world building in The Valiant, which I loved. But it also makes me even more anxious for the second book, The Defiant. I think the romance is going to be more prevalent, and there will be plenty of kick butt characters doing kick butt things. I am all about Fallon and Caius. Right from their first meeting things were pretty explosive between these two. I want to see more from them!
Bottom line: The Valiant lives up to everything it promises and more. Kick butt female gladiators, set in a wonderfully fleshed out world. The Valiant was an addictive read that I absolutely love. Bring on the second book! It comes out next month so be sure to read the first book if you haven’t yet! You will love it.
Books in The Valiant Series:
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