Critics' Opinion:
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Published Jan 2018
320 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
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.
Forged in battle...
From the dust of the arena...
A legend will rise
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.
"Starred Review. Action-packed...Revelations in the finale pave the way for what promises to be an epic battle in the next book." - Publishers Weekly
"This satisfying first installment set in Ancient Rome reimagines Spartacus as a seventeen-year-old girl." - Booklist
This information about Blood and Sand was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
C. V. Wyk graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BA in English Literature and European History. Blood and Sand is her first novel. Born in Los Angeles, California, she now lives in Maryland. Look for her online on Twitter and Tumblr.
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