I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. Previous to this I read Livingston's Wondrous Strange series and thought that series was okay. This was an easy read about a young Celt who gets captured and ends up fighting in arenas in Rome. It was entertaining and a pretty quick read, but it was also a very simple storyline and a fairly surfacey look at Rome in that era.
This is definitely a YA book; nothing ever gets too gory or too dangerous. Our heroine does suffer some hardship but she dodges a lot of the pain and misery you would normally associate with slavery.
Things wrap up very abruptly, quickly, and neatly. I actually thought the ending was almost whiplash abrupt and it left me feeling a bit rushed and unsatisfied.
Overall this is a decent and entertaining light read about Gladiatrix and Rome of that time. There is a light and sweet romance and some fun fight scenes, but this is definitely a light and fluffy account of this era.
If you are interested a fictional account of gladiatrix (that's an adult book) and goes into more detail of the era I would recommend the book "Gladiatrix" by Russell Whitfield. I read Gladiatrix a while back and enjoyed it a lot. The plot for that book is a lot more complex and it is a lot more gory...doing a more realistic job of picturing the struggles and horrors of that era. Another good historical fiction book about gladiatrix and Rome is "The Light Bearer" by Donna Gillespie. I would recommend both of those books over this one. However if you want a light and fluffy look at Gladiatrix this book should fit the bill.
This is definitely a YA book; nothing ever gets too gory or too dangerous. Our heroine does suffer some hardship but she dodges a lot of the pain and misery you would normally associate with slavery.
Things wrap up very abruptly, quickly, and neatly. I actually thought the ending was almost whiplash abrupt and it left me feeling a bit rushed and unsatisfied.
Overall this is a decent and entertaining light read about Gladiatrix and Rome of that time. There is a light and sweet romance and some fun fight scenes, but this is definitely a light and fluffy account of this era.
If you are interested a fictional account of gladiatrix (that's an adult book) and goes into more detail of the era I would recommend the book "Gladiatrix" by Russell Whitfield. I read Gladiatrix a while back and enjoyed it a lot. The plot for that book is a lot more complex and it is a lot more gory...doing a more realistic job of picturing the struggles and horrors of that era. Another good historical fiction book about gladiatrix and Rome is "The Light Bearer" by Donna Gillespie. I would recommend both of those books over this one. However if you want a light and fluffy look at Gladiatrix this book should fit the bill.
