Vita and the Gladiator - Ally Sherrick

 

Vita lives a privileged life in Roman Londinium as her father is senior magistrate Marcus Tillius Verus; however, part of this means that she has to marry and Vita loves to write.  After disguising herself as a servant in order to sneak out to watch a play, Vita is still dressed in this way when her family home is broken into and her father is killed.  Vita is taken and ends up as the property of a man called Otho who puts her in a cell with a female gladiator, Brea, and her wolf, Lupa.  Vita must keep her wits about her  at all times and is at pains to hide her true identity.  Vita has no choice but to obey Otho but when she discovers that she and Bea have a common enemy, they need to work together to fight for justice.

I always enjoy reading historical fiction and Vita and the Gladiator was no exception.  The details of the time had been clearly researched and I found myself immersed in Roman Londinium, in both the luxury of Vita's family home and then in the horrors of the cell and the gladiator ring.

The book is set in a time when women and girls were not meant to be dominant and so it was such a pleasure to discover not one but two dominant female characters.  Even before the devastating events, it is clear that Vita is not your usual Roman: she is sneaking out of the palace to watch a play and she dreams of being a writer.  I loved her from the first page.  However, after the death of her father, her entire life is turned upside down and she could be forgiven for crumbling and giving up, but this is where her true spirit and determination shine through and despite being scared on more than one occasion (I don't blame her!), she never gives up - she is a true example of resilience for readers.  Bea is the other strong female we meet and she couldn't be more different from Vita at first glance; however, when thrown together, the pair demonstrate similar qualities - I very much liked that she is a female gladiator and I know readers will like this as well.

Vita and the Gladiator is an immersive story that brings the gladiator ring to life.  Readers will feel part of the action at every stage and won't want to put the book down until they know Vita's fate.