Review: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk

Crushed on by , on March 16, 2018, in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk

Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk was released in January and it was absolutely incredible. Check out my glowing 5 star review and I hope you check out this book!

 

Blood and Sand (Blood and Sand #1) by C.V. Wyk

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Publication: January 16th, 2018; Tor Teen
Purchase: Amazon, TBD

FORGED IN BATTLE…
FROM THE DUST OF THE ARENA…
A LEGEND WILL RISE

The action-packed tale of a 17-year-old warrior princess and a handsome gladiator who dared take on the Roman Republic―and gave rise to the legend of Spartacus…

For teens who love strong female protagonists in their fantasy and historical fiction, Blood and Sand is a stirring, yet poignant tale of two slaves who dared take on an empire by talented debut author C. V. Wyk.

Roma Victrix. The Republic of Rome is on a relentless march to create an empire―an empire built on the backs of the conquered, brought back to Rome as slaves.

Attia was once destined to rule as the queen and swordmaiden of Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world had seen since Sparta. Now she is a slave, given to Xanthus, the Champion of Rome, as a sign of his master’s favor. Enslaved as a child, Xanthus is the preeminent gladiator of his generation.

Against all odds, Attia and Xanthus form a tentative bond. A bond that will spark a rebellion. A rebellion that threatens to bring the Roman Republic to its end―and gives rise to the legend of Spartacus…

The story continues in Fire and Ash, coming in 2019 from Tor Teen.

 

Review:

[book rating=5/5]

This book was INCREDIBLE. Truly.

From page one, this was action packed. The first chapter alone has more action than most books I read these days. It was then I knew that I’d love this book.

So, the idea of Spartacus as a female is pretty bad ass. And Wyk capitalized on the idea and did a phenomenal job in bringing it to life. Attia is essentially the epitome of bad ass female. I’m serious. Celaena/Aelin, you have been trumped. Not to mention the emotional toll her past has brought upon her. Again, something Wyk included and executed brilliantly. She’s damaged. Almost broken. But revenge is an arm’s length away…and really, I couldn’t wait to see if she’d manage it.

And then there’s Xanthus. Gladiator. Slave. The Champion of Rome. Another person lost to the empire. Another who’s lost his family and home. He, too, is damaged. But he, too, seeks revenge.

Each is a force to be reckoned alone. But together, it’s apparent they’re almost unstoppable. Several scenes in the story include them pairing and kicking ass. So much fun to read! It seemed as though the possibilities of things they could do were endless.

Oh, don’t think for a second I forgot the romance. Definitely NOT insta-love. I’d say it’s between that and a slow burn. As the two get to know each other, their connection grows. They come to trust one another. And all the while it’s so easy to cheer and root them on. Because after all they’d been through, they deserved love and someone to have their backs through it all.

Blood and Sand is a phenomenal debut that’s action packed—violence aplenty as Wyk doesn’t shy away from it. With a fierce heroine, this is one you don’t want to miss. I can’t wait for book 2!

 

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2 responses to “Review: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk

  1. Danielle Hammelef

    Wow this sounds fabulous! And definitely great to read for my debut author challenge. I enjoy slow-burn romance based on trust and a strong relationship.