The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

Hey, readers! It's Wednesday!

Today I'm a stop on the official blog tour for Lesley Livingston's latest, The Valiant! Note there is a tour wide giveaway on this one, so be sure to scroll down to the Rafflecopter to enter!!!

Fallon is the daughter of a king. Trained in the art of war, she longs for the day she'll be named part of her father's royal war band. But on the eve she expects the announcement, her life takes a drastic turn. 

Snatched by slavers, Fallon finds herself captive on a ship bound for Rome. When they arrive, she and a fellow slave are chained and forced to fight for the auction audience - sold off as a pair to Julius Caesar's own gladiatrix training school. Now Fallon must fight for her life, her freedom, and the entertainment of the man responsible for the death of Fallon's own beloved sister.

Lesley Livingston's latest is fantastic! Really, really fantastic!

Set in ancient Rome, Fallon is the daughter of the chief of the Cantii tribe of Prydain aka Brittania. She's fierce and brave and hellbent on following in her mother's and sister's footsteps and becoming a warrior in her own right.

Unfortunately, her father has other plans even before she's taken off to Rome. But it all progresses rather quickly, in just a matter of a few pages actually. Livingston's pacing is lightning fast, with never a dull moment or even a chance to really breathe before Fallon finds herself in the thick of trouble - time and again.

Livingston deftly blends history and fantasy to create a realistic setting for Fallon's tale. And the idea that women were gladiators isn't part of the fantasy bit. In fact, Livingston notes that evidence has indeed been found to support the idea of female gladiators in Rome. And Fallon suits the role splendidly.

Fallon isn't alone in her training. Elka makes a wonderful friend and compatriot for our heroine. She also has plenty of foes to face off against - both in the arena and out. And there's even a love interest.

Given how the story began, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the romance aspect of the tale. I did fear it might take away from the rest of the story. Fortunately I was proven wrong. The romance is set up early, and evolves a bit quickly, but more believably than not.

I have to say The Valiant is really an excellent read and definitely one with great cross-over appeal for both teens and adults - especially those craving something in the historical vein. And I'm super excited to have discovered that there will be a sequel too - Livingston announced just last month that The Defiant is due out next spring!

Rating: 4/5

And now for the giveaway! As mentioned above, this is a tour wide giveaway hosted by the publisher. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before March 13. Open US only, ages 13+.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let's Talk Teens'

A recent article in PW, the back page article, focused on teen titles and the idea that while adults are skeptical upon hearing the word "teen" attached to any read, that many of the new titles do appeal to older audiences. 

I've never been one to turn my nose up at a teen book, but I don't read as many as I like. Considering they are so quick, though, I have begun slipping more in between my other reads. I also know that plenty of paranormal readers of my age and older are dipping into the teen section for books like the Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series, the upcoming YA series by Shifters author Rachel Vincent, Kelley Armstrong's YA books, and even the upcoming Kim Harrison teen series. 

Last night I read Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston (one of the specific titles mentioned in the article). I ran out and bought it for the Junior Junkies, but decided to hang onto it so that I could read it first (that and Bliss by Lauren Myracle). Strange is such a fast read that I found I had read 1/3 at the gym alone. I finished it last night and now I want more!

It's a fairy story. Not a fairy tale, but a story about the fey and their realm bleeding out into ours. In Central Park lies the Samhain Gate, a thin connection between the worlds that King Auberon had tried to seal and failed. Each year on Halloween, the gate opens and Auberon's Janus guards -- changelings chosen specifically to guard the gate -- are set to work. Every nine years, though, something called the Nine-Night occurs. For not one, but nine nights total, beings can cross between the two worlds and it is the job of the Janus to make sure that this doesn't happen. This year is the year of the Nine-Night. Sonny Flannery, one of the Janus, discovers a girl wandering in Central Park on the first night of the Nine. This girl seems to be something more than a mere mortal, but Sonny leaves her for his duty. Then he finds that while all of the guards were busy on this night, something managed to pass through the gate, and all of the evidence points to a connection to this girl. Who or what she is, Sonny does not know, but his first clue is a script to Midsummer Night's Dream. 

This is a fun book that incorporates all kinds of mythology and fey tales. Midsummer plays a big part, but there are Norse myths and Celtic myths and there's probably more than I can't even pinpoint at this time. 

If you like mythology and fey tales, and if you have a reading teen in your life, give Wondrous Strange a try. My sister, the one in love with all things fanged, has recently become enthralled with fairies -- not cutesy fairy tales, but dark fairy tricksters and evil fey realms -- she's going to love this one! And I certainly hope to see more of this world and these characters from Livingston.