My rating: 5 of 5 stars
summary from GoodReads
The final book in the Valiant series takes Fallon and her warrior sisters on an epic journey from the corrupt Roman Republic to the wonder of the ancient world: Alexandria, Egypt.
“You are from a world, Fallon, that values honor over everything else. Rome is not that world.”
In the wake of their victorious fight to win back the Ludus Achillea, Fallon and her gladiatrix sisters have become the toast of the Republic. Only for Fallon, glory turns to ashes when she learns that Cai has been stripped of his Decurion rank and declared infamia, cast down to serve as one of Caesar’s gladiators. All because he chose his love for her over the life of his treacherous father during the ludus uprising.
But treachery in Rome runs far deeper than Fallon ever suspected. While she is fighting for Cai’s freedom, the unthinkable happens and the Republic begins to tear itself apart at the seams. In the chaos that follows, the Achillea gladiatrices lose any protection they might have had once and for all. They’re not the only ones.
When Fallon discovers that Cleopatra is in grave danger, she and her sister Sorcha rally their war band in an attempt to spirit the Queen of Aegypt out of Rome, embarking on a remarkable journey that will take them to Alexandria—the wonder of the ancient world—and beyond. Far beyond. Along the way, Fallon will have to decide where her heart truly lies, as well as what—and who—she is willing to sacrifice to get there.
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REVIEW
The fantastic finale to Fallon's story was a glorious adventure through the Roman Empire into Egypt and far off into the north. I seriously couldn't be more excited for a book that combined seamlessly my love for history, archeology, Egypt and gladiators!
Months have passed since Fallon's victory over their enemy gladiator ludus. But dark clouds of discontent are gathering and no one is safe. Soon Fallon, Kai, and their friends will have to escape Rome before war reaches them.
I enjoyed the fast pace of this book. I never got bored and obviously, I liked every interaction Fallon had with her fellow gladiators, their own stories and dreams for the future. Her relationship with Kai? One of the best filled with longing, equality and lots of fighting (in the training grounds). The combination of the book's plot with the occurrence of certain historical events also made the book very interesting. If you have read the series then you'll know what I mean.
But I did have a hard time dealing with the death of some characters because I WANTED THEIR HAPPY ENDING! IT WASN'T FAIR!
In conclusion, this was a great ending to an amazing series and I seriously can't wait for anything new by Lesley Livingston!
About the author:
In addition to her books for teen readers, Lesley is also co-author of a Middle Grade series with Jonathan Llyr called THE WIGGINS WEIRD. The first book, HOW TO CURSE IN HIEROGLYPHICS was shortlisted for the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award and was longlisted for the Canadian Booksellers Association’s Young Readers Book of the Year award. It was also chosen as one of the selections for the 2016 First Book Canada All-Star Reading Challenge.
Lesley’s newest novel is a YA historical epic, THE VALIANT, which will be published in February 2017 by Penguin Razorbill (US) and HarperCollins (CAN) and tells the story of a 17-year-old girl’s journey from fierce Celtic princess to female gladiator and the darling of the Roman Empire.
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