Review: The Defiant by Lesley Livingston

The Defiant by Lesley Livingston
Series: The Valiant #2
Publication: January 23rd, 2018

The darling of the Roman Empire is in for the fight of her life.

Be brave, gladiatrix… And be wary. Once you win Caesar’s love, you’ll earn his enemies’ hate.

Fallon was warned.

Now she is about to pay the price for winning the love of the Roman people as Caesar’s victorious gladiatrix.

In this highly anticipated sequel to THE VALIANT, Fallon and her warrior sisters find themselves thrust into a vicious conflict with a rival gladiator academy, one that will threaten not only Fallon’s heart – and her love for Roman soldier Cai – but the very heart of the ancient Roman Empire.

When dark treachery and vicious power struggles threaten her hard-won freedom, the only thing that might help the girl known as Victrix save herself and her sisters is a tribe of long-forgotten mythic Amazon warriors.

The only trouble is, they might just kill her themselves first.

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"It saved our lives.
Legion tactics. I fervently ignored the irony."

While reading The Defiant, I couldn't help but think - this is all filler. When we get the final book, we may look back at this one and diagnose it with Middle Book Syndrome, but I don't even care because it's fantastic!

Things are going great for Fallon and crew - but that doesn't last long. And let's be honest, would it? Would it really? Do we really think their accomplishments would come without resistance? 

I ADORE the world Livingston has created. The characters are so bad ass. I love that the romance was still there, but very much in the background. I love that these girls are so raw and determined. I even loved the twists and turns, though slightly predictable. I literally can't think of anything negative to say, which is rare for me 'cause I kind of have a knack for negativity.

This review is a difficult one because I want to gush, but I don't want to give too much away, and I certainly don't want to spoil The Valiant for anyone out there still on the fence. I loved The Defiant as much as I loved The Valiant, and I cannot wait for The Triumphant! All I can say is, READ THIS SERIES.

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston Excerpt!

A richly-imagined, gripping historical fantasy for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Cinda Williams Chima, The Valiant recounts a seventeen-year-old's tumultuous journey from fierce Celtic princess to legendary female gladiator and darling of the Roman empire.

The youngest daughter of a proud Celtic king, Fallon has always lived in the shadow of her older sister Sorcha's legendary reputation as a warrior. But when Fallon was a young child, the armies of Julius Caesar invaded the island of Britain and her beloved older sister was killed in battle.

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her rightful place in her father's royal war band. She never gets the chance.

Instead Fallon is captured by a band of ruthless brigands who sell her to an exclusive training school for female gladiators--and its most influential patron is none other than Julius Caesar himself. In a cruel twist of fate, Fallon's worst enemy, the man who destroyed her family, might be her only hope of survival.

Now, Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries, chilling threats, and the dangerous attention of Caesar himself to survive the deadly fights that take place both in and out of the arena - and claim her place in history among the Valiant.

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AMAZON † BARNES & NOBLE † KOBO BOOKS

Review: The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston
Hardcover, 372 pages
Expected publication: February 14th, 2017 by Razorbill

Jessa has spent her life dreaming of other worlds and writing down stories more interesting than her own, until the day her favorite character, Finn, suddenly shows up and invites her out for coffee. After the requisite nervous breakdown, Jessa learns that she and Finn are Travelers, born with the ability to slide through reflections and dreams into alternate realities. But it’s not all steampunk pirates and fantasy lifestyles…Jessa is dying over and over again, in every reality, and Finn is determined that this time, he’s going to stop it… this Jessa is going to live.

Purchase

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Valiant is an unexpected absolute GEM. If I decided I wanted to nitpick, I might be able to find a couple of things I would have liked to have seen done differently, but I’m not going to do that. Nope! Not this time!

The Valiant goes full speed from the first page, and while it does slow down slightly in the middle, it never really loses steam. There is a lot of action and I thought the fight scenes were handled brilliantly. It doesn’t get particularly gory, especially for the circumstances, but to be honest I think that’s perfectly okay.

The theme of sisterhood and girl power is strong in this one, but never in a sanctimonious way. It just…was. It’s who these characters were, and I loved that it didn’t feel forced. They are not perfect, and they don’t always get along. Friendship doesn’t have much of a place in their world, but they are fierce and loyal, with no shortage of character growth throughout the story.

There is a slight romance but it takes a backseat to the rest of the story, which is my favorite kind of romance!

Unfortunately, my gut feeling is this is one of those books I will have LOVED, and the rest of the world did not. Every time I walk past my bookshelf I will see it and just get sad about the fact that everyone on the planet didn’t love this book like I did. I sincerely hope I’m wrong!

Cover: 4 | Characters: 5 | Plot: 5 | Pace: 5 | Creativity: 5

Comfy Cozy Reading Weather Giveaway Hop: The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

Welcome to our very first Giveaway Hop!!

This hop is being hosted by Stuck In Books. 

For our stop I am giving away my copy of The Valiant by Lesley Livingston.

After you enter here feel free to stop by all the other awesome blogs linked below to enter their giveaways! 

The Valiant

by Lesley Livingston

Hardcover

Expected publication: February 14th 2017 

by Razorbill

Lost to history, the story of the female gladiator has never been told. Until now.

Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king and the younger sister of the legendary warrior Sorcha. When Fallon was just a child, Sorcha was killed while defending their home from the armies of Julius Caesar.

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her place in her father's war band. She never gets the chance.

Fallon is captured by ruthless brigands who sell her to an elite training school for female gladiators owned by none other than Julius Caesar himself. 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, deadly fights in and out of the arena, and perhaps the most dangerous threat of all: her irresistible feelings for Cai, a young Roman soldier and her sworn enemy.

A richly imagined fantasy for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Cinda Williams Chima, "The Valiant" recounts Fallon s gripping journey from fierce Celtic princess to legendary gladiator and darling of the Roman empire."