Mundie Moms

Friday, February 15, 2019

THE DEFIANT by Lesley Livingston / Blog Tour #TheDefiant #TheTriumphant


In honor of this week's release of THE TRIUMPHANT, the last book in this series, I'm thrilled to partner up with Penguin Teen to share my thoughts on the first two books. Today's posts will feature my mini reviews from the first two books, The Valiant, which you can read here, and The Defiant. Next week I'll be sharing my review for the epic conclusion of this must read series. 

THE DEFIANT (Book #2)


By: Lesley Livingston
Published by: Razorbill
Released on: 1/23/18
Add it to Goodreads

The darling of the Roman Empire is in for the fight of her life in this lush sequel to the acclaimed historical fantasy The Valiant.
     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.


Talk about girl power! This book is fueled by an amazing group of female gladiators that literally had me cheering for them the entire story line. Picking up not long after where The Valiant ends, this story wastes no time throwing it's readers into the surprising betrayal, and a rebellion that is a result of it.

Like The Valiant, this is a story fueled by strong women. Not just in their strength, but in their ability to rally together, to support each other, to offer friendship and love. They are united in a sisterhood, made up for fighters from all walks of lives. Some are closer than others, but no matter what, they all have each other's backs. With this storyline being much more intense, I really liked seeing how they laid differences aside, sacrificed their own lives, and worked together in their rebellion. They fought side by side because they wanted to. They fought for themselves, as much as for each other. Their fight was for freedom over having the chance to own their own lives, and not someone else controlling it.

This book definitely kept me hooked! There is a lot that happens, and I like that Livingston was able to add some humor, and lighthearted moments at just the right times. It kept the story entertaining, and not as dark as it definitely could have been. It was perfect placement. This story does go down a different path than The Valiant. There's still a lot of action scenes, rich Roman history, along with dangerous threats, a rebellion, and plenty of danger, and fighting. Like The Valiant, The Defiant is a well written, action packed, fast paced read fueled by GIRL POWER! It was definitely worth the wait for this book!

You can read my full 5 star review for this book here. If you haven't yet, I highly recommend picking up this series. 

THE VALIANT by Lesley Livingston / Blog Tour #TheValiant #TheTriumphant



In honor of this week's release of THE TRIUMPHANT, the last book in this series, I'm thrilled to partner up with Penguin Teen to share my thoughts on the first two books. Today's posts will feature my mini reviews from the first two books, as well as some favorite quotes. Next week I'll be sharing my review for the epic conclusion of this must read series. 

THE VALIANT (Book #1)



By: Lesley Livingston 
Published by: Razorbill 
Released on: February 14th, 2017
Series: The Valiant #1
Add it to Goodreads

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.


Sensational! The Valiant has everything I love! A strong heroine, a romance that swept me off my feet, gladiator battles, lush world building, and a rich Roman history. Not to mention a sisterhood of female gladiator warriors, and a strong female lead character whom I loved getting to know. 

THE VALIANT is an epic story where freedom has a price and love can be a dangerous thing. This is a beautifully told, captivating story. With a sweeping romance, epic battles and a strong heroine, I couldn't put it down. I loved everything about this book, I didn't want it to end.

You can read my full 5 star review for this book here. Next up, you can read my review for The Defiant. 

Labels