Fallon still remembers the day years ago when Caesar’s armies invaded her homeland and her beloved sister was killed in battle. Since then, she’s wanted nothing but to become a legendary warrior like her sister, but on the eve of her 17th birthday when she can finally earn her place in the fearsome Cantii war band, she never gets the chance.
Fallon is captured and dragged to Rome, where she’s sold to an elite school for female gladiators that is owned by Julius Caesar himself. But Fallon soon learns that the deadliest fights aren’t just in the arena. She’ll have to overcome vicious rivalries among her new sisterhood and her forbidden feelings for a young Roman soldier in order to survive.
While The Valiant starts out slow, laying out backstory and featuring a long journey from Fallon’s homeland to Rome, it ends with an explosive finish full of gladiatorial battles that feel surprisedly tame considering the time period and deadly reputation of Rome. It also features great female friendships and strong sisterhoods. Fallon herself is an honorable heroine determined to win her freedom and find her way home, and while she may be used to violence, she’d rather spare a life than take it. Overall, it was a quick read that transported me back to Rome in the height of its glory and introduced me to some facts I didn’t know.
Rated: Moderate, for some uses of mild and moderate language. Violence, as you would expect, is heavy throughout the book, full of bloody deaths and a disgusting ritual the main character witnesses. Sexual content is found in slurs and taunts and introduced in passing with groping couples, mention of a naked snake charmer, talk of slaves being auctioned off naked, and insinuation of some slaves being forced into prostitution.
