Here are my reviews of 3 fantasy books that feature arena fights and a gladiator main character. If you love this trope, you can find more books on my list: “Slaves and Gladiators: 18 Fantasy Heroes Who Rise From Rock Bottom.” The first two below are adult dark fantasy and the third is YA to new adult.
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1. Book Review: Fates Defiant by Brigitte Cromey and C.M. Banschbach
Cyrus and Bastian, stars of the arena, both despair that they will die for the whims of their cruel masters. At first enemies, when one shows unexpected mercy to the other, they develop an unusual alliance.
With the compassion of an old god and one of his followers, and the daring of Bastian’s former griffin rider comrades, they might just find freedom… if their tenuous trust can bear them through their next fight to the death.
4/5 Stars
The author pitched this story to me as “enemies to brothers” and I joked that’s how you sell me a book in 0.1 seconds. But it wasn’t a joke, because I immediately bought, read, and loved it. It’s a good thing I heard about it from the author because the cover did not at all convey these dynamics and the gladiator setting to me – I would have never picked it up. The story is told from 2 POVs with each of the co-authors taking one perspective. I deeply enjoyed both, which is rare.
It’s a bromance but it takes half the book for Cyrus and Bastian to start interacting and I felt pretty impatient. But there’s a good mix of backstory, exciting fights, and heartbreaking abuse (closed door sexual assault). The fights are awesome and there are many of them! Of the three on this list, this felt most like an exact Roman analogue… plus griffins!
The writing is good. I would have given this 5 stars if the ending had a more compelling resolution with the main antagonist and if the theme of faith been a bit more deliberate. The villain seemed to give up too quickly. Both characters start praying to an old god for deliverance, but their shift from doubt to belief felt a bit too abrupt and wasn’t clearly tied up in the conclusion. I think the authors could have developed this theme a bit more.
But I highly recommend this one – it made me laugh, cry, sit on the edge of my seat, grit my teeth because of the antagonists, and root for them and their girls.
You can find this book in print or on Kindle Unlimited.
2. Book Review: Lion of Zarall by Eddy Rose
Lion is the King’s favorite gladiator, a “purebred beast” controlled by 3 magical words that ensure his complete submission.
But when the King sends him a freeborn slave woman and commands him to produce offspring, Lion’s torturous conditioning begins to break down.
Can he find the courage to even want his freedom, as the kingdom collapses in a coup and he falls into the hands of an unusual new master – a farm girl who claims to be different, but still treats him as the answer to her debts?
3.5/5 Stars
This book has one of the cruelest, most messed up systems of slavery I’ve ever seen depicted in fantasy – it’s definitely grimdark. Spells are placed on infant “purbred” slaves that allow their owner to control them with 3 different words, unique to each slave. One word paralyzes them, the second tortures them, and in the case of “beasts,” the gladiator slaves, their third word sends them into a mindless berserker state. They are raised at ranches where a psychotic level of torture and manipulation breaks them of the will to speak, defend themselves, want or feel anything, or even look fellow slaves in the eyes. The main character, Lion, is one such “beast.”
I really liked Lion’s journey which, at its heart, is an attempt to break free from conditioning and depression and learn how to love and be human again. It’s heartbreaking to see all the things he’s forced to do and how his owners treat him as a literal animal – their religion teaches “purebreds” have no souls. Part of the book contains a romance, but I certainly wouldn’t call the book “a romance.” He also doesn’t actually spend much time in the arena, as he’s already a famous gladiator by the start of the book. But the few fights are epic!
The original blurb is actually quite misleading, especially these lines: “Lion finds himself cast into a world that wants him dead… he must survive in the harsh North where his very existence is a sin.” From the summary, I thought Lion must have fled the city following the change in power, and is wandering around in the hill country experiencing freedom for the first time. I thought that the new regime disagreed with the practice of purebred slaves on the grounds of religion or some other ideology (common spark for wars), but the new rulers are just as psychotic as the old, and after the change in power, he is immediately transferred to a different owner. Unfortunately, half of the chapters are from her POV and she is a completely unlikeable person. If we didn’t have to suffer through her nasty, bitter, self-righteous perspective, I would have given this book 4 stars.
I went on to read the second book and am eagerly awaiting the 3rd.
You can find this book in print/on Kindle.
3. Book Review: The Broken Heir by Jasper Alden and D.K. Holmberg
Talen, the clever second son of a powerful merchant family, receives a magical birthright that enables him to see possible futures.
But when his family is slaughtered by a powerful sorcerer only known as the Golden Fool, Talen is sold into slavery and forced into the fighting pits.
To enact vengeance, he must first survive the pits with his gift until he can escape with the help of his new friends… if he can trust them.
3/5 Stars
This was a decently fun read – gritty, with lots of fights. Talen’s captured and sold to the arena pretty early in the book – that’s the inciting incident – and must learn to become a fighter despite not being a natural at it. He survives through his ability to see possible futures. The source of this power was pretty unique. He makes friends with a couple fellow slaves, but I didn’t really care about either of them. The writing was just alright, but the reason I only gave it 3 stars was because of the ending.
I won’t spoil it, but the ending felt too easy and also made the book feel somewhat like a tangent. Talen’s seeking revenge for those who attacked him and his family, but they’re completely unrelated to the arena. So at the end of the book he goes to deal with the “real” problem, making the scenario in this book just feel like a detour for the sake of getting in some gladiator fights. Because he mostly relied on magic to survive, it’s not like his imprisonment in the arena was a significant “leveling up” that’s necessary before he can take revenge. But I did enjoy seeing a main character who relied on his brains rather than brawn.
If you’re looking for a quick, easy read with a subtle, magical twist on gladiator fights, this is still a fun one.
You can find this in print, as an audiobook, or on Kindle Unlimited.
Find more gladiator fantasy books here!
Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!
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