sarahjolioli's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
erinarkin20's review
5.0
I’ve been waiting to get my hands on The Defiant since the moment I finished The Valiant. Not only does Lesley Livingston write a fantastic story but she had me totally invested in these characters and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next for them. Don’t hate me for being slightly vague with this review – I don’t want to ruin this book for anyone and that means there are some things I can’t say…trust me, you will thank me for it.
The Defiant picks up shortly after The Valiant ended and life at the Ludus Achillea is business as usual but they are currently hosting the Ludus Amazona gladiatrixes and Fallon hasn’t heard from Cai for over a month which means her mood isn’t all that great. When Cai finally shows up, he has the papers that will transfer ownership of the ludus to Sorcha which is great news but what happens next throws Fallon, Cai, and the Achillea gladiatrixes into the middle of a political move, led by Pontius Aquila, that they weren’t expecting.
I’m not going to say a lot about the details of what went down because I don’t want to ruin this for anyone, but Livingston surprised me! The set up was done well and as they fight their way out of the ludus, Fallon is faced with some tough decisions and a tactical retreat is necessary to come up with a plan to save Sorcha and figure out a way to get the ludus back. The group spends a good portion of their time as fugitives since they are being hunted by Pontius Aquila and the Sons of Dis.
There is so much I enjoyed about this book. First, there is a lot of action - It starts on page one and doesn’t really stop until the end of the book. Second, I love the relationships and friendships. Cai and Fallon find moments to connect despite all the challenges they face. Don’t get me wrong – things aren’t perfect for them as they are still learning how to trust each other and they of course, they are on the run, but I loved the moments they had one on one together. Also, the friendship between Elka and Fallon is great – they trust and respect each other and are willing to do what they need to in order to protect each other and their ludus. I liked how Livingston integrated in the new characters into the story too. Quint was definitely my favorite and his interactions with Elka were fantastic.
I thought the secondary characters had a bigger role to play in this book and they all added to the story. Of course, there are those I already mentioned but we also get to see how things come to a head between Fallon and Nyx, Aeddan becomes a critical character, and the Amazon warriors become a part of the story in a way I didn’t expect them to.
This book revolves around the senator’s determination to rebel against Caesar and because Fallon and the Ludus Achillea are tied to him, they are thrown right into the middle of their political ambitions. I can’t say a lot about this but Aquila and the Sons of Dis are determined to use both against Caesar. With that said, Fallon isn’t willing to be used and will do whatever she can to protect her friends and family.
In the end, I thought this was a great book two in the series and I look forward to seeing what Livingston does next. The story and the action kept me turning the pages and the characters had me engaged in the story throughout. If you are looking for a book that has all of these things and takes you into a world of gladiators and political deception, consider checking this one out.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Defiant picks up shortly after The Valiant ended and life at the Ludus Achillea is business as usual but they are currently hosting the Ludus Amazona gladiatrixes and Fallon hasn’t heard from Cai for over a month which means her mood isn’t all that great. When Cai finally shows up, he has the papers that will transfer ownership of the ludus to Sorcha which is great news but what happens next throws Fallon, Cai, and the Achillea gladiatrixes into the middle of a political move, led by Pontius Aquila, that they weren’t expecting.
I’m not going to say a lot about the details of what went down because I don’t want to ruin this for anyone, but Livingston surprised me! The set up was done well and as they fight their way out of the ludus, Fallon is faced with some tough decisions and a tactical retreat is necessary to come up with a plan to save Sorcha and figure out a way to get the ludus back. The group spends a good portion of their time as fugitives since they are being hunted by Pontius Aquila and the Sons of Dis.
There is so much I enjoyed about this book. First, there is a lot of action - It starts on page one and doesn’t really stop until the end of the book. Second, I love the relationships and friendships. Cai and Fallon find moments to connect despite all the challenges they face. Don’t get me wrong – things aren’t perfect for them as they are still learning how to trust each other and they of course, they are on the run, but I loved the moments they had one on one together. Also, the friendship between Elka and Fallon is great – they trust and respect each other and are willing to do what they need to in order to protect each other and their ludus. I liked how Livingston integrated in the new characters into the story too. Quint was definitely my favorite and his interactions with Elka were fantastic.
I thought the secondary characters had a bigger role to play in this book and they all added to the story. Of course, there are those I already mentioned but we also get to see how things come to a head between Fallon and Nyx, Aeddan becomes a critical character, and the Amazon warriors become a part of the story in a way I didn’t expect them to.
This book revolves around the senator’s determination to rebel against Caesar and because Fallon and the Ludus Achillea are tied to him, they are thrown right into the middle of their political ambitions. I can’t say a lot about this but Aquila and the Sons of Dis are determined to use both against Caesar. With that said, Fallon isn’t willing to be used and will do whatever she can to protect her friends and family.
In the end, I thought this was a great book two in the series and I look forward to seeing what Livingston does next. The story and the action kept me turning the pages and the characters had me engaged in the story throughout. If you are looking for a book that has all of these things and takes you into a world of gladiators and political deception, consider checking this one out.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
hazelmerevandran's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
I feel like we could have used a POV from Sorcha when she was in the arena seeing as it was supposed to be a big moment, she's supposed to be the secret weapon, and getting her spark back but we got only a little, I can only hope we get to see more of her in the third book.
I feel like we could have used a POV from Sorcha when she was in the arena seeing as it was supposed to be a big moment, she's supposed to be the secret weapon, and getting her spark back but we got only a little, I can only hope we get to see more of her in the third book.
marineb09's review
4.0
I remembered loving The Valiant but stupid me I don't wrote any reviews about it - Thank you for those who do !!! I am forever grateful =)
This book was really great : you don't get bored at all ! It's action packed and full of sisterhood, plot twist, revenge and some love obviously =)
Now onto book 3 !!!
This book was really great : you don't get bored at all ! It's action packed and full of sisterhood, plot twist, revenge and some love obviously =)
Now onto book 3 !!!
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a great sequel, it was still a bit hard to read, knowing that she was in this situation, but I can't wait to finish out this series!
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
My wonderful group of gladiatrix returns! I really enjoyed the sequel of "The Valiant" with the action, the romance and the mystery! Fallon is the star gladiatrix of her ludus with her sister and her fellow warriors ready to enjoy a life of freedom. But when folly forces them to escape, followed by Cai and his friend Quintus, they will discover a plan to even overthrow Ceasar himself.
With cameo appearances of Cleopatra, sea travel to an island of 'Amazons' and lots of time to have banter, romantic declarations and even some funny times, this book became one of my favorites in January! Not to mention that the battle scenes were movie worthy!
My wonderful group of gladiatrix returns! I really enjoyed the sequel of "The Valiant" with the action, the romance and the mystery! Fallon is the star gladiatrix of her ludus with her sister and her fellow warriors ready to enjoy a life of freedom. But when folly forces them to escape, followed by Cai and his friend Quintus, they will discover a plan to even overthrow Ceasar himself.
With cameo appearances of Cleopatra, sea travel to an island of 'Amazons' and lots of time to have banter, romantic declarations and even some funny times, this book became one of my favorites in January! Not to mention that the battle scenes were movie worthy!
iggyebab's review
4.0
The Valiant was one of my most surprising reads last year and I was excited to see how the story continued. It didn’t disappoint. Fallon finds herself in the middle of a coup designed to brand she and her fellow gladiatrixes as rebels, wrest the house away from Sorcha, and give Aquila more warriors and power. These books are bloody and full of potential treachery but the characters are well written and believable in their convictions. The addition of more strong females, while showing that not all men are evil was important and interesting.
I enjoyed these books more than I expected. I look forward to more by this author.
I enjoyed these books more than I expected. I look forward to more by this author.
melissasfandomworld's review
4.0
Overall, this was a really enjoyable read.
At one point though, I got stuck with this book. But this wasn't really due to the contents of the book if I'm being honest, but had more to do with my mood that's so fickle and can change so fast haha. Because basically every time I ended up with the book in my hands, I flew through each chapter and couldn't stop. It was such a fast-paced read!!
My only remark really is the fact that there's basically no surprise to the story line development in general. All of the plots were really predictable to me unfortunately. It's forgiven seeing how action packed and entertaining the book is, but hence the 4 star rating and not a 5 star rating.
I love the characters a lot, I love how action packed and plot driven it is. It's such an enthralling and engaging read. There's yet again a beautiful balance in Roman elements, character development, story line development and romance. The writing is addictive.
I'm also definitely really curious about book 3 now. The synopsis of book 3 has me wanting to read it right away because it looks like it's going to be quite an intense read yet again.
At one point though, I got stuck with this book. But this wasn't really due to the contents of the book if I'm being honest, but had more to do with my mood that's so fickle and can change so fast haha. Because basically every time I ended up with the book in my hands, I flew through each chapter and couldn't stop. It was such a fast-paced read!!
My only remark really is the fact that there's basically no surprise to the story line development in general. All of the plots were really predictable to me unfortunately. It's forgiven seeing how action packed and entertaining the book is, but hence the 4 star rating and not a 5 star rating.
I love the characters a lot, I love how action packed and plot driven it is. It's such an enthralling and engaging read. There's yet again a beautiful balance in Roman elements, character development, story line development and romance. The writing is addictive.
I'm also definitely really curious about book 3 now. The synopsis of book 3 has me wanting to read it right away because it looks like it's going to be quite an intense read yet again.
danniellekonz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0