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beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book I have read from this author. I can guarantee that it will not be the last one. Author, Lesley Livingston has an instantly home run with this book. Instantly, I was transported back in time. What I enjoyed the most about this book is the fact that strong, female gladiators were prominently featured in this book. It showcased that women can be just as equally strong and warriors as men.
Fallon took me on her journey. She was already strong to start out with but by the time the story ended, she came out even stronger. The romance featured with Cai was nice. I felt the chemistry between Cai and Fallon but the author kept it to a minimum, so it did not overshadow the overall story. The Valiant is one of the books to check out for 2017!
Fallon took me on her journey. She was already strong to start out with but by the time the story ended, she came out even stronger. The romance featured with Cai was nice. I felt the chemistry between Cai and Fallon but the author kept it to a minimum, so it did not overshadow the overall story. The Valiant is one of the books to check out for 2017!
taskgoblin's review against another edition
3.0
While I did enjoy this book by the end of it, sadly I can’t say that I loved it. About a third of the way through it I was not entirely sure that I wanted to finish it. I’m happy to say that it did get better by the end, although even then it did not live up to my expectations.
The pace of the story moved quickly, with new “exciting” things happening the main character, Fallon, left and right. You barely had time to get to know her, let alone some of the other characters that you assumed were important to the storyline before they were either killed off or abandoned. I felt like a lot of character development was sacrificed for having a fast-paced plot. Instead of leaving me on the edge-of-my-seat desperate for the next page though, it made me feel indifferent to Fallon and her story. Once things slowed down a bit when she reached Rome and I saw a bit more of her development did I really start to enjoy the book. There were also a few surprises that helped me warm to the book overall and piqued my interest.
Maybe I would have enjoyed this book more had I not finished Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Wings and Ruin right before it. With Maas’ undeniable skill for creating romantic/sexual tension, and her similar fierce enemies turned fierce friends (and sometimes lovers) plot lines, it was hard for me not to compare the character relationships of The Valiant with those of the ACOTAR series – and sadly they didn’t match up.
All in all I will say that the book redeemed itself by the end, and I will likely read the next book when it is released to find out what happens to Fallon. If the book had been longer I might not have held out, but I can say that I’m glad I did. Hopefully the story will only get better from here.
The pace of the story moved quickly, with new “exciting” things happening the main character, Fallon, left and right. You barely had time to get to know her, let alone some of the other characters that you assumed were important to the storyline before they were either killed off or abandoned. I felt like a lot of character development was sacrificed for having a fast-paced plot. Instead of leaving me on the edge-of-my-seat desperate for the next page though, it made me feel indifferent to Fallon and her story. Once things slowed down a bit when she reached Rome and I saw a bit more of her development did I really start to enjoy the book. There were also a few surprises that helped me warm to the book overall and piqued my interest.
Maybe I would have enjoyed this book more had I not finished Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Wings and Ruin right before it. With Maas’ undeniable skill for creating romantic/sexual tension, and her similar fierce enemies turned fierce friends (and sometimes lovers) plot lines, it was hard for me not to compare the character relationships of The Valiant with those of the ACOTAR series – and sadly they didn’t match up.
All in all I will say that the book redeemed itself by the end, and I will likely read the next book when it is released to find out what happens to Fallon. If the book had been longer I might not have held out, but I can say that I’m glad I did. Hopefully the story will only get better from here.
pantsreads's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed how Livingston wove familiar YA ideas into a new and engaging setting. Plus: female gladiators? YES, PLEASE.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
truequeenofchaos's review against another edition
3.0
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
The gladiatorial parts of Rome is something that has always deeply fascinated me. There is very little to no historical fiction about it (especially in YA), which is just crazy because it's such an interesting topic. So this story was pretty original seeing as I've never read a book with this setting before. It was about female gladiators, so heck yeah for tough female characters. Sadly the first 1/3 of the book was kind of aggravating. Those parts seemed to be written like they were a debut novel, and the author was trying to find her sense of style. But it eventually picked up and the last 1/3 of the novel was very enjoyable. If the beginning would have been better, I would have given it 4 stars.
The main character, Fallon, definitely wasn't my favorite. Yeah she worked hard at becoming a gladiatrux (female gladiator), but I was getting the "special snowflake" vibe from her. All of the characters were very flat and pretty one-dimensional. That's the main reason this book didn't get a higher rating. The plot, however, was pretty exceptional, and everything seemed to be very well researched by the author. The Valiant had an overall message of sisterhood and working hard to achieve your dreams.
"We were castoffs and slaves, orphans and unwanteds and used-to-be princesses.
But we were a sisterhood.
And we were mighty."
GRADING SCALE
Characters - 10/20
Plot line - 13/16
Originality - 15/16
Writing Style - 11/16
Pace - 10/16
Ending - 16/16
75/100
3.5/5 stars
I'd recommend this novel to fans of YA historical fiction and anyone who's interested in the world of the gladiators.
The gladiatorial parts of Rome is something that has always deeply fascinated me. There is very little to no historical fiction about it (especially in YA), which is just crazy because it's such an interesting topic. So this story was pretty original seeing as I've never read a book with this setting before. It was about female gladiators, so heck yeah for tough female characters. Sadly the first 1/3 of the book was kind of aggravating. Those parts seemed to be written like they were a debut novel, and the author was trying to find her sense of style. But it eventually picked up and the last 1/3 of the novel was very enjoyable. If the beginning would have been better, I would have given it 4 stars.
The main character, Fallon, definitely wasn't my favorite. Yeah she worked hard at becoming a gladiatrux (female gladiator), but I was getting the "special snowflake" vibe from her. All of the characters were very flat and pretty one-dimensional. That's the main reason this book didn't get a higher rating. The plot, however, was pretty exceptional, and everything seemed to be very well researched by the author. The Valiant had an overall message of sisterhood and working hard to achieve your dreams.
"We were castoffs and slaves, orphans and unwanteds and used-to-be princesses.
But we were a sisterhood.
And we were mighty."
GRADING SCALE
Characters - 10/20
Plot line - 13/16
Originality - 15/16
Writing Style - 11/16
Pace - 10/16
Ending - 16/16
75/100
3.5/5 stars
I'd recommend this novel to fans of YA historical fiction and anyone who's interested in the world of the gladiators.
rode0's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
elizabethkg's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. I'm a sucker for anything Celt-ish and then combined with a bit of the classics? Sign me up
_camk_'s review against another edition
3.0
I quite liked The Valiant.
I liked Fallon as a lead character.
Although the romance moves a little fast, the book is full of action and the romance doesn't really overtake the story.
I liked Fallon as a lead character.
Although the romance moves a little fast, the book is full of action and the romance doesn't really overtake the story.