Circus Maximus: Race to the Death

A brilliant read for middle grade children set in Roman times with a female protagonist. Dido has her heart set on racing in the Circus Maximus, a fearsome chariot race reserved for men only. She has grown up watching it and looking after the horses that are involved, but it is only when her father meets an untimely death that her adventures start and she really understands what it is to become a chariot racer. Addictive adventure from start to finish.

✨‘Don’t lose your heart to that horse, my girl. He’s a Fury.’✨
— Annelise Gray, Circus Maximus: Race to the Death

🌷It seems the book that I’ve been missing all my life is set in Ancient Rome, featuring a young girl who dreams of being a chariot racer in the Circus Maximus.

To say I was surprised by this book is a total understatement! I was completely enthralled! Honestly, I wasn’t able to put this book down- and that hasn’t happened to me for a while!

This book was an emotional rollercoaster! Dido is our protagonist and she is so strong willed and has such a thirst for greatness. It is her motivation to go forth. To overcome ever horror life throws at her.

I need more Dido in my life!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! I’ll shout my love for it from the rooftops!

Thank you so much @Netgallery and @HeadofZeus for giving me this free copy! I 100% LOVED IT!

Read. Be happy. Stay safe.

Dido has grown up in the world of chariot racing in ancient Rome, her father being the trainer for the famous Green faction, the most popular in Rome among the people, and with a young man called Caligula, great nephew of Emperor Tiberius. However, Dido is not content to stand back and watch, and under the reluctant tutelage of her father, she learns to handle a pair harnessed to a chariot, training her own horses, including a rather inauspicious steed called Porcellus. But disaster strikes and Dido must flee for her life, leaving behind all she knows, including Porcellus, and faces an uncertain future in north Africa, her deceased mother's home.

Annelise Gray has written a fabulous little tale for teens but one that can be read and enjoyed by anyone old enough to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. She conjures a world that focuses on the racing, a cross between Formula One and Premier League football, the same tribalism, the same hero-worship.

I do enjoy young adult novels for their plot and action - with no adult content, the plot and characters have to stand up for themselves and they do so here very well. Romance is hinted at and the reader, if they are old enough, can imagine the rest and find the romance in the story.

I can't help think that this novel owes a lot to the success of Caroline Lawrence, following in her footsteps, but Ms Gray does it very well and I can't fault it.

Circus Maximus is the greatest sporting stage of the ancient Roman world. The best horses and charioteers compete in a race to the death. Dido, who is 12, dreams of being the first female charioteer at Circus Maximus.
She has everything she needs, Porcellus, a wild and stubborn horse, and longs to train and race. Unfortunately, such ambitions are forbidden to girls. She has to be happy with helping her father Antonius, who trains Rome’s most popular racing team, The Greens and teaching the rules to Justus, the handsome young nephew of The Green’s wealthy owner.
Her father is brutally murdered and she is forced to seek help from an unlikely ally.
She still dreams of Circus triumphs in her own right and being reunited with the horse that she had to leave behind in Rome.
Even though she has refuge, the threat to her life isn’t over and she faces a new, powerful and terrifying enemy, the emperor of Caligula.
This is a great book, very well written too. Perfect for middle grade, 9-12 years. It mixes historical fiction with adventure, suspense and mystery too.
5 stars from me.
I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for this advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Circus Maximus: Race to the Death is a powerful story of strength, daring and truth. Set on the sporting stage of Ancient Rome, Dido dreams of becoming the first girl to race chariots in the grand stadium of the Circus Maximus where the best horses and charioteers compete. Having lost her mother at a young age, Dido is raised by her father in the stables. There she learns that she has a unique bond with the horses, that she is a Roman horse whisperer, with a natural talent for driving. She is a strong, determined girl who can hold her own against anyone.

Then, one day, everything changes and Dido is forced to flee the life she knows. Dangerous secrets, cheating and lies reveal a powerful past she never knew that makes all the difference to her future. As Dido strives to prove herself in the brutal world of chariot racing, she learns more than just how to win. She learns about love, loss, hope and what is truly important to her.

In this richly detailed story, readers are transported back in time to the life and culture of this fascinating era. From the colourful markets to the warm stables to the boisterous roar of the crowds in the stadium, we are there with Dido as she struggles to survive and, indeed, to thrive.

Circus Maximus: Race to the Death delves into the rich and complex relationship between humans and horses. Throughout history, this bond has remained constant. Stories such as The Black Stallion, War Horse and now Circus Maximus, celebrate this incredible bond and just how much we owe to these majestic creatures.

This book will be very welcome in Key Stage Two classrooms. Teachers have been looking for quality stories to accompany their Roman history topics. Circus Maximus: Race to the Death fills this gap perfectly.

Children and adults alike will be carried away on this fast-paced, thrilling adventure. With breath-taking action and heart-stopping danger, they won’t be able to put it down.

RACE TO THE DEATH has been on my radar since I was involved in the cover reveal back in October 2020, so I was really excited to receive an ARC in the post. Ancient Rome, chariot racing, murder, and deadly emperors - what a perfect mix!

This book did not disappoint. It was such a fast-paced read that I could not put it down (I got pins and needles in my fingers from only moving to turn pages!) Dido's story was so engrossing as she fled Rome, only to find unlikely allies in her quest to become a brilliant racing driving - and return to the first horse she trained.

The racing sections are edge-of-your-seat. Chariot Racing was the football of the day, but with much greater chance of death as factions played dirty, the crowd got involved, and a wrong turn would see your chariot smashed. On top of that was a weaving web of loyalties and old grudges making the arena even more dangerous, not to mention plenty of dirty tricks. Despite so many moving parts, the racing was easy to follow, tension ramping up and up with every lap.

The world is so vividly painted, bringing you into the sands and the heart-pounding danger of the races full of grudges and life-or-death stakes thanks to the petulant tyrant Caligula. Off the sands, the streets of Rome and the stables beyond Carthage are brought to exquisite life with so many wonderful details that show Annelise Gray's background as a Classic's student and Latin teacher.

Even though I'm not an animal lover (seriously, I do not like animals except at the aesthetic distance of a computer screen!), the book made me care deeply for the various horses Dido works and bonds with during the book. They were characters in the story as much as the humans.

It is the start of a series of historical fiction, and I cannot wait to see what comes next!