The Valiant

Parents need to know that The Valiant is about a Celtic princess who becomes a gladiator in ancient Rome after being captured into slavery. There's lots of violence from gladiator bouts and battles using swords, arrows, knives, and spears. Blood's mentioned a lot, and other gore is occasional and briefly described, such as a bone protruding from a severed hand. Fallon is a great role model as a fierce, brave, and smart warrior. Slavery is everywhere in the ancient world and explored briefly in how Fallon thinks about how she treated her own slaves before she was captured and in how some slaves are comfortable, maybe even happy, in their positions. Occasional romance involves passionate kissing and caressing. Strong language is rare and includes "bitch," "bastard," and "house of whores." Wine, mead, and beer appear at parties, and Fallon drinks wine once to relax for a party, learning later that it was laced with a mild hallucinogen, having a nightmarish experience, and being sick the next morning. The author's note mentions that the story is inspired by the real discovery of the grave of a gladiatrix (female gladiator), and that how many there may have been in ancient Rome remains controversial.