“This is the kind of epic story that grabs you by the throat, chokes you into submission, and leaves you begging for more.”-Auryn Hadley, Author of Rise of the Iliri and The Demons’ Muse.Mave knows where she stands in life. She’s an Andinna. A member of the winged, horned, and tailed warrior race that the Elvasi Empire defeated in the Hundred Year War and then enslaved. She’s a slave, and has … enslaved. She’s a slave, and has been one for a thousand years, the personal property of the Empress of the Elvasi Empire, since the end of the War. She’s a gladiator, thrown onto the sands of the Colosseum to die, though it backfired on those who wanted her dead. She’s the Champion of the Colosseum, and has been for roughly nine hundred years.
All of these things have marked her as an outcast among her own people. Hated, distrusted, and despised, she knows the name of her people, but not much else.
But she knows where she stands. Keeping her head down and her blades sharp has carried her this far, and she refuses to acknowledge the deepest wishes she holds in her heart. Those will only get her killed.
Alone, she’s stood against everything they have ever thrown at her, refusing to give them what they want.
What Mave doesn’t know is that it’s all about to change.
The Gladiator’s Downfall is a 129,000+, full-length novel.
Age of the Andinna is a reverse harem epic fantasy series. The female lead will collect her lovers as the series progresses.
There is triggering content in this series including but not limited to: abuse, violence, mature language, and sexual content. It’s recommended for mature audiences.
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I couldn’t get enough of this book. The characters aren’t simple and easy. No, they’re deep, complicated, and each has their own reasons for doing things. The world is full and rich. And the story keeps moving forward at all times. One of my favorite books to have read in a very long time.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
Banet has done some incredible world building when it comes to this new series. We get an entirely new world full of races we have never heard of where we follow Mave as she has been the only female gladiator for pretty much a thousand years after she is taken captive losing her race the war. Survival has made her entire the tough woman she now is so when two men are added from the outside things don’t like they will be different until we get a twist. This leads to some amazing surprises that really move the story along until you find yourself at the end wondering what will happen next. I look forward to book two. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
5 Cranky Stars
Mave is an Andonian female, rare for her kind, who has been enslaved by the emporis of an elven race. Most of her people have been killed or enslaved by them. Both are long lived races, Have herself is over a thousand years old. She is a gladiator made to fight for bloodsport and has long given up on escape. She survives. The rest of the gladiators hate her, try to kill her, and make her an outcast to all. When new slaves come in, there are 2 that don’t fit in with the rest. They become partners and learn from her how to survive. The 2 new ones, Mat and Rain, are outlasted as well for their association with her. A rescue mission is launched for the 2 men and she is brought along to. She learns from them what it truly means to be Andonian and forms bonds along the way.
I can’t wait to read more on this. I couldn’t put it down, excellent book.
If you love kick-ass warrior women with a relentless will to survive, this is your series. A fantastic tale of gladiators, battles, and overcoming adversity. This author never disappoints.
I can’t say how very excited to hear this was coming out, and now that I’ve read it? I wasn’t nearly excited enough! TGD is an absolutely amazing beginning to what will undoubtedly be an epic, well, Epic. I’ve read it twice already, and I forsee many re-reads in my future, both as subsequent books come out, and just for the story.
Kristen Banet has done it again, this time with a fantastic new epic fantasy series. I could not put this one down it was just that freaking amazing, it has everything and I mean everything. There were so many emotions I felt when reading this and I had such a book hangover.
Mave is the a slave forced to fight on the sands of the pits, she has been the champion for the last 1000yrs since she was first thrown on the sand and expected to die. With the arrival of Matesh and Rainev Mave now has two others that are also owned by the Empress and she finds herself with a couple of unexpected allies who bring her the hope and companionship she long since given up on of ever having.
The world building and characters Kristen has created are some of the best she has written to date. The story and characters suck you in from page one and will have you hooked and leave you wanting more.
Fantasy. Rh. Slowburn. Action Packed. High Body Count. Mave as been enslave all her life. Used to win a war. Used to kill others of her species. Used for her body. And she has SURVIVED. When two unique Andinnans are put on her team, maybe she will start to actually LIVE. A DM’s brainchild of a story. The world building is phenomenon, the characters are substantial, and the bad a**ery is exactly what you’d expect from a Kristen Banet story. I very much loved this book and an extremely excited to read the next one. Would recommend for fantasy lovers even paranormal.
One of my favorite Epic Fantasy RH reads!! The world building is stunning and the characters stick with me months after finishing it. I can’t wait for book 2!
Fantastic Fantasy RH of Epic Proportions
Kristen Banet has done it again. I didn’t think I could love another FMC like I did Sawyer in the Redemption saga. However Mave is just so amazingly Badass that I can’t help but love her too.
First off, the world building is phenomenal. I normally don’t like slow-medium burn RH, because I like the romance upfront. But this was so great a story and full of action that I didn’t notice the slow buildup and you leave the reader to guess out of all the complex and intriguing males who exactly will be in her harem. Fantastic! The relationship and trust buildup on both sides is great, no insta-love here.
Now back to the badass warrior Andinna that is Mave. She has so much complexity to her. She is lethal, fierce, confident yet vulnerable, brave, and resilient. She survived slavery and degradation, emotional and physical abuse from her captors and her people alike for 1000yrs, yet she Survived and came out on top. Throw in 2 Andinna males she grudgingly allows near, Mat and Rain, who will teach her it is okay to want and have friends and family. Even an Elvasi and human can be trusted. Not all Andinna males are shameful and will act horribly to her. The ending had me wanting so much more.
This story will have you binge reading and losing sleep just to see it to its completion. That is exactly what I did. This is a fantastic fantasy RH of epic proportions that I highly recommend.
Wow!!!! This book sucked me in and didn’t let me go until it be me it’s bi**h. I couldn’t put it down. Mave is a kick butt woman. I don’t think that I have yearned so much for freedom before. You really felt her pain. I can’t wait to read the next book. It can’t come out too fast.
This is one of those stories that you want to re-read as soon as you finish, and if you try to read something else it just isn’t satisfying 🙂 Mave is such a fierce warrior, she has been a slave for 1000 years and keeps on fighting, her world is changed though with the arrival of 2 new slaves – Mat and Rain. Mat is hot — and I liked that they consider timing in their relationship. I love the banter, and sweetness, between her and Rain. I like that we get some POVs from others, even those who aren’t likely to be in her harem. I can’t wait to see what happen next in this series!
I love it. It was absolutely fantastic and intricate and leaves you wanting more. The world building is amazing. The fact this is a slow-medium burn RH we are left wondering who exactly will be in her harem. But all of the possibilities revealed so far are fantastic. The potential men in her harem are learning to trust her, and she, them. Mave is a brutal killer and I absolutely love her for it. She is what the sands made her and so much more. You hate the antagonists with reason and hope for bloody murder. The protagonist isn’t perfect but she feels real and has dimension. I am so excited for the next the book in this series. I absolutely loved everything about this. I want to know these characters and they feel so real. This is something I will come back to time and again.
Holy epicness!! This, though being a long read, was utterly amazing! The characters are fantastic, Mave is so freakin awesome. She’s strong, and controlled and deadly, and after all she’s been through she still manages to have a good heart and a kindness towards others. The detail and world building is fascinating and fantastic. The story sucks you in from the very start and keeps you interested and engaged throughout the entire thing. There is so much action and twists throughout. This is just an amazing read, if you enjoy fantasy, strong unapologetic female leads, violence and action packed stories, then this is for you! I absolutely loved this read and I definitely recommend it to everyone reading this review.