A New All Time Favourite // ARC Review: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk

Title: Blood And Sand
Author: C.V.Wyk
Publication Date:January 17th 2018 
Publisher: Tor Teen (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1 on 2 of the Blood and Sand Duology
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan Intl (THANK YOU!)
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Blurb Description: 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. 

WELL HELLO NEW ADDITION TO MY FAVOURITE BOOKS EVER LIST.

Let’s be honest – you can hear all kinds of GREAT things about a book through hype or from your favourite reviewers, but everybody’s reading experience is personal. Which is why, despite ONLY having read four and five star reviews about Blood and Sand, I was a little skeptical going in. (I’m skeptical about everything, though. #PessimistLife)

And yet, C.V. Wyk’s debut novel BLEW MY MIND and had me SERIOUSLY INVESTED in her characters and at the edge of my seat, waiting for more.

Which reminds me, IF SOMEONE COULD KINDLY HAND ME THE SEQUEL NOW, IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. HONESTLY.

Let’s break this down. MY THOUGHTS:

1.       The pace of this book was STUNNING. It was fast paced but not brutal and there was never a dull moment. I loved who C.V. Wyk unravelled and created this world, made us fall for her characters and their need to be free from their chains and IT WAS SUCH AN INSPIRING, WONDEROUS, BRILLIANT STORY.

2.       I ABSOLUTELY LOVED ATTIA AND HER WARRIOR SPIRIT. She was truly an epic, unafraid, weapon wielding badass who let absolutely NOTHING stand in her way and nothing dampen who she was. Her pain was raw, her healing from her tragedy was beautiful and GOD SHE WAS JUST SUCH A WONDEROUS CHARACTER TO FALL IN LOVE WITH.

3.       This book was set in Rome and there were Gladiator brothers, scandals, politics, slaves and everything FELT SO AUTHENTIC AND YET, there was no brutality, making this book suitable for younger readers as well. Also, SPARTACUS WAS FEMALE. THIS BOOK HAD A FEMALE BADASS REBEL AND UGH IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.  

 

4.       The fierce undefeated gladiator, Xanthus, who is also the Champion of Rome was an ADORABLE MUFFIN AT HEART and it took me all of one chapter in his point of view to fall for him. I LOVED HIS PEACEFUL SPIRIT, HIS LOYALTY and most of all, HIS RESPECTFULNESS TOWARDS ATTIA. Yes for boys in literature that show that nothing is MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONSENT.

5.       The ending, the last scene and WHAT IT ALL MEANS FOR BOOK TWO was mind blowing. I also don’t THINK that a certain aspect of the ending will remain in book two and I’m really hoping for that.

6.       The only minus point to this book was the AMOUNT OF SECONDARY CHARACTERS (like Xanthus’ gladiator brothers) that were introduced so fast, I didn’t get to know them and I BARELY remember their names. (There was a dude with ‘a’ and another with ‘I’? I don’t KNOW?)

Should you read this book?! YES. RIGHT NOW. GO. READ. IT.

An absolute masterpiece from a debut author that will make you fall in love, make you hope, leave you in awe and inspired by it's wonderful cast. 5 GLOWING, SWORD SHAPED STARS.

C.V. Wyk is the author of BLOOD AND SAND, debuting from Tor Teen in winter 2018. Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Wyk now resides on the east coast along with a precocious mini poodle and demanding guinea pig. 

In her not-so-spare time, she enjoys playing MMORPGs, kayaking, coding, hiking, staring listlessly at blank walls, and nursing a totally healthy coffee addiction. 

Find Wyk online at www.cvywyk.com.

What are some of your favourite historical fantasies?

Blood and Sand is already the SECOND Roman Inspired fantasy I've read this year and I've LOVED both of them. 

Do you have any more recommendations for me?

Whatt have some of your favourite 2018 books been?

 

Like Returning Home // REVIEW: King's Cage By Victoria Aveyard

Title: King's Cage (Red Queen #3)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publication Date: February 9th 2017
Publisher: Orion Books // Harper Teen
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 3/4 of the Red Queen Series
I Got A Copy Through: I Bought It!
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Infibeam || 
Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: In this breathless third installment to Victoria Aveyard's bestselling Red Queen series, allegiances are tested on every side. And when the Lightning Girl's spark is gone, who will light the way for the rebellion?Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.

I’ve seen a lot of people complain that King’s Cage was by far the slowest installment of the Red Queen series, and they’re not wrong.

I actually went into the book knowing that it was going to be a slow book, and so it wasn’t a shock to me at all.

While it definitely was different from the fast paced, heart shattering power and politics I’ve come to expect from this series, that doesn’t mean I didn’t understand why it happened.

Truth be told, with everything that happened in the last two books, it is understandable that these characters needed time to refocus, and gather and find themselves in a world completely different from the ones they knew. It felt like a much needed breather, in the grand scheme of things.

Also, I can honestly never fault this series for anything because it feels like HOME to me.

Before I go on, here’s some Red Queen Series and I history for you:

I fell in love with in two years ago in Australia as I stayed up in the middle of the night to see the shocking betrayals and power games. I got the opportunity to read an ARC of book two seven months later and I spent one of my last school days before the exams began devouring it.

And now, a year and a half later, I finally flipped open King’s Cage.

THOUGHTS:

1.       The ending of the last book KILLED me. It made my already wounded heart shatter completely and I was VERY excited for King’s Cage. I literally DREAMT about the book, Corros prison and all my favourite characters inside it after I finished it.

    2.       If it’s not well known by now, Maven is my heart in this series. It’s like I always say, point me to the worst boy in the entire series and he’s probably the one I’ll fall for. Like Aeduan in the Witchlands series or the fact that I was Team Darkling in the Grisha Trilogy. He was the star in this book for me, as we learnt more about his relationship with his mother, Elara, and his dark, twisted and brilliant mind.

    3.       Sorry Mare and Cal shippers, I totally oppose you. I don’t REALLY ship Mare and Maven either, because I don’t know how he can ever redeem himself in her eyes, but I’ve never shipped her and Cal. It’s like the book said, Cal can’t ever make decisions, making him such an insufferable puppet. He’s also sort of a bore and MEH.

4.       I ADORED THE POLITICS IN THE BOOK. Well, maybe adore is the wrong word, but I’m definitely in awe. This book took things to a continent-wide scale, and the moves and counter moves each side of the multiple sides in this war were subtly told and so well plotted out.

5.       I liked that the viewpoints kept switching. A majority was still Mare, but we also got to see things from Cameron’s and Evangeline’s points of view. It gave you more insight into different parts of the Power Game being played and a more holistic view of the book itself.

6.       I’ve never been a fan of Cameron. She feel like a secondary character put there SOLELY for the purpose of her Newblood Ability, and hence I don’t really want to get to know her.

7.       I WANT MORE MAVEN. I WANT A MAVEN VIEWPOINT IN #4 AND I ALSO WANT A MAVEN FILLED PREQUEL NOVELLA. I honestly feel like it’s necessary because we need to get into this boy’s head to truly see all aspects of the story. Plus, he’s my squishable broken prince shaped cupcake and I need everything that has to do with him.

Here’s to hoping that I wake up tomorrow morning to Victoria Aveyard announcing that the final book comes out on that day because I NEED IT. NOW.

One of the best young adult fantasy series’ out there and if that’s not enough, I don’t know what will be.

I'm a screenwriter/YA author who likes books and lists. This site is the nexus of my universe.

My book RED QUEEN will be published Winter 2015 from HarperTeen at HarperCollins. I'm repped by the incomparable Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. 

The genres I'm into include YA, Fantasy, Historical, Adventure, Apocalyptic - if people are dying, I'm buying.

Have you read the Red Queen Series yet? What do you think of it?

Who are your favourite characters in this series? Are you a Mare and Call shipper or do you ship her with Maven?