Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Axios was born in Sparta and as a male, his life is determined for him. At the age of seven, all Spartan males are taken from their homes and becoming a warrior is the only option. Axios trains with other boys in harsh conditions to learn how to fight, how to take orders, and how to withstand pain and hunger. Whether the men want to be warriors or not, there is no choice and their reality is kill or be killed.
Axios is a more gentle soul and being a warrior is not the life he dreams of. He wants all people to be treated as equal and he longs for a quieter life surrounded by nature. But his reality is brutal, harsh, and relentless.
In the midst of all this, as a young boy, Axios meets Eryx and their attachment is instant and ever-lasting. From training partners, to friends, to lovers, to soulmates, their bond is unbreakable through the years and they fight side by side. They also spend any free moment together as they come of age and develop a deep love for each other. But love and feelings are a weakness in Sparta as the only focus can be the fight. Fighting for Sparta is seen as the greatest honor and while the battlefield is where wars are won or lost, Axios and Eryx know that if one of their lives ends, the other’s will as well.
Love stories set in Sparta are not so common and this book intrigued me simply on that premise alone. Historical books are not my go-to genre, but the potential for an epic love story here called to me. I read a lot of self-published books and had yet to try one from Jaclyn Osborn so the Self Published Book challenge provided the perfect opportunity.
The book is more character focused than I had anticipated given the setting. The narrator, Axios, is a more gentle soul as the book opens. He longs for things that Spartan men have no business longing for. The life of a Spartan male is harsh and Axios wants no part of it. At a young age, he was taken from his home, stripped of his clothing, and put under the most rigorous of training where boys are called upon to make horrifying decisions in the name of saving themselves and in the name of Sparta. The outcome is highly trained and skilled warriors, but the cost is high, especially for Axios.
In a book such as this, setting is extremely important. Osborn is able to conjour up the landscape of Sparta and the extreme conditions without taking it too far. There is a great sense of what these boys, who become men, go through, and while some scenes are bloodier and harsher than others, for me it was not extreme and perhaps even more tame than I had expected.
The core of the book is the love story between Axios and Eryx. They meet as children and are eternally bound to each other. As they grow, their relationship evolves, and for me, their love was solid and steady as opposed to sweeping. They are two parts that together make a whole and there is never any doubt that they will always be together.
The author explains that she has extensively researched the time period and has tried to keep some characters and battles as accurate as possible, but perhaps a sense of history on the part of the reader would enhance the description of the seemingly endless wars the warriors have faced for decades.
I liked that the outcome for the men was uncertain, although there are certainly enough hints along the way. There was just a little something in several areas that was missing for me along the way to truly elevate this book to epic status. This book may also fall into the classification of a love story rather than a romance by certain definitions and that aspect works just fine for me. I would certainly recommend this book if the time period appeals and you will be rewarded with an eternal love story that will stay with you after the last page is read.
You and I will never part, my warrior. In this life and the next, we will be just as we have forever been: side by side.
This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for Self Published Book Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win one of seven fabulous prize packs from an amazing group of self published authors. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press (a loaded Kindle fire filled with DSP books!). You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on Self Published Book Week here, including a list of all the prizes being offered this week. And check out our prize post for more details about the awesome prizes offered this month!
It sounds really compelling!
It was and completely held my interest.
Historial is not my go-to genre either. This still sounds interesting, but also sounds sad if you are an empathetic sort.
It was most definitely both interesting and sad.
A few authors that I like recommended this book, which already made me curious about it. I have to be in a particular mood for a book such as this, but it definitely sounds worthwhile.
I found it easy to get into once I started.
Thanks for the review, this does sound like a great story!
Thanks Lisa!
I enjoy historical novels, but I can’t recall reading one set in Sparta. I may have to ponder this one. Thanks for your review, Michelle.
You’re welcome!
Sounds good and I am happy you get to read a great book for this week’s challenge. Thanks for the review.
Thanks Ami. Me too!
Well, i love The Song of Achilles so I can imagine this would be something I should try out. I don’t read a lot of self published books because I don’t see them recommended as much and publishers tend to get my attention and money more often, but I’d love to give more SP books a chance.
I see that book suggested at times but haven’t read it. I read a lot of self pubs and have found some stellar books. Thanks for your comment.
I haven’t read a book by this author before. it sounds like it’ll be an interesting read.
Thanks H.B.
I so want to read this book but it’s only on Amazon and I just can’t read off the kindle app no matter how great the book seems – still I’m not a fan of historicals in the larger sense but I like the time and it doesn’t hurt that I am a Spartacus fan so the idea of warriors and love side by side just does it for me … wonder if it’s in printÂ
The book is in KU (that’s the author’s choice) and while it’s in the program it can only be sold through Amazon. It is listed as being available in paperback.
Yeah I know, I’m understand why authors do it, I just won’t buy from there :/ but that’s my choice, tho I will look into getting the paperback, can’t have enough of them 😀Â
Thank you for the great review, Michelle. I love historical and this book is already in my Kindle, waiting for me to decide to start it. I have a question, though, that is keeping me from reading it. Is there a HEA? Because I think I cannot face a story without a HEA right now…
Hey Susana. The ending is non-traditional and I did not want to get into specifics to open up any spoilers for anyone. If you want details, let me know and I will send you an email. Thank you!
Thank you for the review. I have read and loved historical romance but mostly the setting was world war 1 and 2 and some were set in the Victorian Era. This sounds like a good book and it would be nice to see how life in Sparta was so i’m going to put this on my wishlist.
Thanks Angela!
I’ve only recently gotten into reading historicals. I’m giving KU a try this month and this week has definitely helped me find some great options. I’m going to check it out
Thanks, Michelle, for the good review. I love historicals for the same reasons that you highlight about the book. If it’s well written and researched, it can indeed conjure up the times, and I learn about it in a fun way. This time period is indeed rarely written about, but I found another good one in “A Spartan Love” by Kayla Jameth.
I read a lot of historicals normaly but at the moment I avoid books about war and battles.
Thanks for the review. I absolutely love this book, there are not many historical books which have an ending that’s not a complete Greek tragedy. This one was a nice surprise.