The Valiant by Lesley Livingston Review

Title: The Valiant
Author: Lesley Livingston
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Valiant, book one
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book through my local library and reviewed it.

I'm familiar with Lesley Livingston's work; she won my heart a few years ago with her first series, Darklight. So when I came across a recommendation of her newest book, The Valiant, I was all over it. And frankly, that was just the cover's effect on me. When I read that it featured female gladiators, I was well and truly sold. And man, did this book deliver, on every front! You like complex, developed female characters? Got them. Political intrigue? That too! Forbidden, heartbreaking romance? Yup. And that ending. I am so incredibly floored, and I'm so happy that this book is a series debut! Yay, there's more to come! This book has got to be one of the best of 2017, for me personally! This book was just a knockout!

Fallon is a Celtic princess, and she looks forward to the day when she can join the royal war band. She dearly loves her family, and mourns those she has lost in battle, longs for love. But her future is suddenly thrown into doubt when she is captured by Roman slavers. Forced into captivity, thrust far below her station, she becomes a reluctant gladiator. But she discovers far more than a new future lies in Rome, including answers about herself. She must decide if freedom is worth fighting with everything she has...

This book was just so perfect. It was fantastic, historical fiction given an exciting and mystical twist. Frankly, that is something that is pure Livingston, and I'm so happy that this book is a series debut. There's more, thank the book gods! I loved everything about this book: its characters, the setting, the lush, gorgeous prose, and the development! God, the character development! I also really enjoyed the time period that it was set in. I've read few books set in it, and to imagine both the fine culture and the brutish customs of the Romans was really fun. This book was an exciting, wonderful journey, full of surprises and lovable characters! I honestly cannot wait for the sequel! The bottom line: An excellently written series starter about a dynamic warrior princess in the apex of the Roman Empire's rule, I loved The Valiant! One of my favorite books of 2017! Next on deck: The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle!

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