The Triumphant

Valiant, Book 3

By: Lesley Livingston

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The final audiobook in the Valiant series takes Fallon and her warrior sisters on an epic journey from the corrupt Roman Republic to the wonder of the ancient world: Alexandria, Egypt.

In the wake of their victorious fight to win back the Ludus Achillea, Fallon and her gladiatrix sisters have become the toast of the Republic. However, as a consequence of his actions during the Ludus uprising, Fallon's love, Cai, has been stripped of his decurion rank and cast down to serve as one of Caesar's gladiators.

Amid fighting for Cai's freedom, Fallon soon learns Caesar's enemies are plotting against him and planning to get revenge on his fearsome gladiatrices. When Caesar is murdered by these conspirators, Fallon and the girls lose any sort of protection they once had. Fallon also realizes the foreign Queen Cleopatra is now in grave danger.

Fallon rallies her war band and Cai's friends to get Cleopatra out of the city, and the group heads to the safety of Cleo's homeland, Alexandria, Egypt. Once there, the gladiatrices are promised a place of honor in the queen's elite guard, but is that what any of them really want?

©2019 Lesley Livingston (P)2019 Listening Library

abrupt ending

Loved the series. I am sad there are no more books in the series. I did not love the abrupt ending of the story arc. Everything happened really fast in the last chapter and I did not feel a sense of closure with Fallon. She doubts herself. She doesn't want others to get hurt for her. She gets to England and poof... story is over and she and Cai live happily ever after. There was no closure for Sorcha and her father. I wanted to know what happened with Cai and her father. Did she become Queen? Lots of unanswered questions.

5 Stars for The Triumphant

The Triumphant is an epic finale, written perfectly for the brave and courageous warrior sisters of the Ludus Achillea. I loved every moment of this book!

You must read the previous books, so I won’t spoil the story. The Valiant series is an amazing journey through the eyes of Fallon and her gladiatrix sisters. If you love strong, intelligent and fierce women then you must read this series. Author Lesley Livingston is a master storyteller, pulling me in with the struggles of female equality mixed with the treachery of Roman politics. Every scene was vivid, either with a battle or an emotional moment. Fallon’s journey of discovering her purpose was a bumpy ride, filled with heartbreak and joy. By her side are her gladiatrix sisters and friends to support her along the way. I loved the cast of characters each played an important role in the plot and were given a spotlight.

I’ve listened to the entire series as audiobooks and I highly recommend this format to everyone. Fiona Hardingham does an amazing narration for this series. In The Triumphant she put her heart and soul in her narration for this book, bringing me to tears at the emotional scenes. It is exciting to hear her perform the elegant voice for Fallon and Cleopatra, then change to the gruff male voices. At times it was hard to believe there was only one narrator and not many.

I loved The Triumphant and I’m so sad to see this series end. I enjoyed how the series ends, giving closure but I hope the author can create a spinoff of some of the characters. This series has something for everyone - exciting battle scenes, fierce women, treachery, sisterhood and romance. I look forward to reading more books from Lesley Livingston!