This is loads of fun and I’m gonna recommend it to everybodyThis is loads of fun and I’m gonna recommend it to everybodyThis is loads of fun and I’m gonna recommend it to everybody

The narrations was great. This was such an awesome historical fiction. It's full of action and girl power. I loved Ana and Kiki. The banter between them is so funny. Their romance is sweet. I laughed and cried in this one. I definitely recommend this one. Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

Women with swords? Check! Murder, intrigue, and dark 17th century bars? Yes, yes, and yes! Oh, and it's queer? I'll swoon, and then press play immediately!

Melissa Gray's Valiant Ladies is a thrilling, epic historical journey to Spanish empirical Peru based on real Latinx teenagers known as the Valiant Ladies of Potosi. Kiki and Ana have been inseparable since their run-in when they were young, so much so that Kiki's father welcomed Ana into their home and cares for her as his own daughter. These two young women abide (mostly) by societal rules and fashions during the day, but venture out into Potosi at night to go toe-to-toe with criminals in true vigilante-style. This all takes a more serious and deadly turn when the crime they are working to solve is the murder of Kiki's brother and the disappearance of other women of Potosi.

Kiki and Ana are complex, flawed characters that shine in Gray's writing. As a reader you feel Kiki's sadness and desperation, Ana's rage and devil-may-care attitude. The audiobook is also narrated by two different women which draws the listener into the story even more. The narrators alternate as does the character perspective with chapters alternating between Kiki and Ana.

My one small critique comes with the dialogue at times feels to present-day for the setting and that, very occasionally, jarred me out of the historical atmosphere. It's a small part in an overall fantastic story that had me finding things to do so that I could listen to my audiobook.

In a Nutshell: A fun book though a bit ‘in-your-face’ with its writing. Will work great for its right audience –the upper end of the YA reading segment, maybe even the NA crowd. Older readers might end up rolling their eyes.

Story Synopsis:
Kiki and Ana are best friends from different circumstances. Ana was born and brought up in a brothel while Kiki belongs to a noble family. However, once their paths met, their bond forged strongly and Ana now stays with Kiki’s family, both trying hard to be society ladies. However, in secret, they are teen vigilantes, passing their time gambling and rescuing those who need to be rescued. When danger comes to their own house and a close family member ends up dead, Kiki and Ana realise that it is up to them to ensure that justice is served.
The story comes to us in the alternate first person perspectives of Kiki and Ana.

Where the book worked for me:
😍 The story is partially inspired by the real life 7th century Latinx teenagers known as the Valiant Ladies of Potosí. I loved knowing that such brave and non-conformist young girls actually existed.

😍 Ana and Kiki’s connection is pretty well-written. I liked how no one judged Ana for coming from a shady background. This made for a pleasant change from the norm.

😍 It’s surprisingly complicated for a YA book, with a combo of sapphic romance, murder mystery, family drama, and swashbuckling action scenes. Add to this a dash of feminism and a smash of patriarchy, and you have quite a strong story in your hands.

😍 The vocabulary is also surprisingly rich for a YA book. I enjoyed some of the unusual word choices.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
😑 Except for a regular mention of gowns and swords and noble titles, there was nothing in the setting to make this feel like a 17th century Peruvian story. The data was there, but it didn’t transcend into a genuine cultural experience. The dialogue writing is also quite contemporary in its style. I wasn’t expecting old-style English (or Spanish, to be more accurate) but the overuse of cuss words and modern day phrases further added to the inauthentic feel of the time period.

😑 The middle part of the story is quite repetitive. (Having the audio version helped a lot.)

😑 There’s no suspense. You know who the villains are the minute they enter in the page. It is just a matter of knowing how they will get their dues.

😑 All the factors which make YA less than ideal are present in this book – reckless leads who jump into danger first and regret their actions later, loads of internal rambling, tons of thoughts about physical attraction, exaggerated emotions,... However there is no denying that eliminating these issues would have improved the book to a great extent.

😑 Some basic information seems to have been missed out upon. Like, what year is the story actually set in? When and why did Ana and Kiki become vigilantes? Knowing this would have helped understand them better.


The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at about 12 hours, is narrated by Frankie Corzo and Almarie Guerra. Both narrators do a wonderful job of bringing their respective charges to life with their voice. I enjoyed the audio version – it certainly enhanced the book for me.


I was mentally prepared for a YA-level book, so there was no great disappointment over the flatness of the characters and the storyline. If I had read this as a historical fiction, I would have rated it much lower. But as a YA coming-of-age/romance, it does justice to its genre.

3.5 stars, rounding up because I am sure it will click better with the right age group than it did with me.

My thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the ALC of “Valiant Ladies”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

"Valiant Ladies" was somewhat disappointing. I liked the premise but the novel fell somewhat flat for me: the characters don't really get a lot of development, the villains are obvious from the start, the relationships between the characters felt somewhat forced in places, and the actions of the various characters bordered on moronic in more than one chapter.

I am not able to review this book as I could not download this audiobook on the app, I tried many times but it kept coming up with an error at a certain point.

Thank you net galley for providing me with a free arc of Valiant Ladies in exchange for a honest review


I was honestly hesitant to request this considering that I do not have a lot of experience with reading by using audiobooks, and the books I did read were memoirs and simple romances. However I was extremely relieved to find out that this was really easy to follow,both due to the amazing narration and the well crafted plot.


The characters as well as the romance were incredibly well written.The mutual pining and desires of the main characters in contrast with society and its many rules as well as the talk about misogyny and classism, created a beautiful and complex story.


What I also appreciated other than the romance was the side characters and the mystery plot. The villains had actual motivations about their actions and the pacing of the story allowed the reader to get to know every important character and actually feel sorrow, anger, desperation and joy along with the MCs.


Overall an excellent read but please check trigger warnings: Graphic violence and murder, mentions of sex and sa (not graphic), homophobia (not graphic), misogyny and classism

This was a swashbuckling & queer good time. It feels like an inclusive take on the Three Musketeers with a vigilante twist and a murder that cuts deep. I really enjoyed the character & relationship development between Kiki and Ana - along with the strength they both exhibited. The political intrigue, mixed with court politics, and some social justice issues to create a really great book. While classified as historical fiction is has the air of fantasy within the world building that made the city of Potosí feel lush and atmospheric. Give this one a shot!

Valiant Ladies is such a fun adventure novel, filled with intrigue and mystery, as well as longing looks and plenty of pining between best friends. Everyone who knows me well knows that I am a sucker for friends-to-lovers relationships, so when I saw this book would be a story about 17th century sword-wielding, women vigilantes, along with a friends-to-lovers romance, I knew nothing would stop me from reading this book! This was a great read that I devoured in only two sittings, immensely enjoying my time with it!

For this book, I was sent an Audio ARC to review, so before I get into any aspects of the story, I just want to take a moment to talk about the audiobook. I am so glad I had the honor of listening to this one. The narrators, Frankie Corzo and Almarie Guerra expertly brought the two main characters, Kiki and Ana to life. Their voices also went together so well!

Sometimes when you have dual narration like we did here, there can be a bit of a disconnect between some of the characters, because the voices either person does for them can be a little different. Here, though, their voices were similar enough that the supporting cast of characters all stayed true to each other, but were different enough that Kiki and Ana were entirely distinguishable from one another.

If Valiant Ladies is on your TBR, I highly recommend giving the audiobook a go! I was so satisfied with each narrator’s storytelling and interpretations of the characters. They really made the story shine!

In regards to plot, Valiant Ladies did not disappoint! Going in, I was crossing my fingers for an action filled novel with two badass women searching the night for wrongdoers, while simultaneously solving mysteries, and that is exactly what I got! The pacing in the story was excellent. Most of the time, the action was always on the go, but even in the quieter moments, the plot was still progressing, especially between Kiki and Ana’s more questioning and tender interactions.

Towards the beginning of the book, there had been a few murders, including someone Kiki and Ana both knew and cared for. They take it upon themselves to solve the murder and get to the bottom of it all. Watching the two investigating for answers was so much fun! I have no idea if there will be any sequels or not, but I would absolutely love to see future books of them enacting vigilante justice on wrongdoings happening around the city.

Along with the plot, I also really enjoyed the romance blooming between Kiki and Ana. It was obvious from the beginning that the two shared a strong bond. They were both semi-consciously aware they each had feelings for the other, but because of the time period, and of Kiki’s duty to her family to marry a man, they never really acted on it. There was plenty of pining (which I love!), and the build up to their romance was wonderful.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time with Valiant Ladies and am so glad I had the opportunity to read the audiobook. Both the audiobook and the story were so much fun, and I highly recommend it!

3.5 stars rounded up

Lesbian ladies swinging swords and drinking in seventheenth-century Peru, inspired by real historical figures! Valiant Ladies is a fun take on a historical mystery/thriller novel, though it does read on the more mature end of YA.

Kiki and Ana are best friends who have grown up together, and may be developing deeper feelings. But Kiki is supposed to marry the son of a powerful man, regardless of what she might want. Then girls start disappearing and Kiki's brother is killed in a way made to look like suicide. The Valiant Ladies of Potosi are ready to head into danger, uncover conspiracies, and seek justice! This does get dark and brutal at times, dealing with things like the assault and mistreatment of women (especially sex workers who get overlooked), murder, suicide, grief etc.

But I liked the book and it's great to see this kind of representation as well. I would have liked a little more longing and buildup in the romantic relationship. We know Ana is into Kiki pretty quickly, but it's unclear Kiki's feelings and I wish that arc had gotten going sooner. Overall though, a very solid YA entry! The audio narration was decent, but I kind of wish we had a single narrator instead of switching by chapter and perspective. It made it tricky sometimes to keep track of the character we were following at a given point. I received an audio copy for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Valiant Ladies is a must read! The book is very diverse and action packed. In thr beginning it was very sappy and I was a bit annoyed but it slowly picked up and the plot thickened. I was very happy with the ending. I would definitely recommend Valiant Ladies to my book friends 😊

3.5 stars
I loved the narration. It brought the story to life and provided the characters with more individuality.
This is a action packed novel that is relatively fast-paced. I was never bored.
Ana’s and Kiki’s attraction toward one another is prevalent from the very beginning. There are constant stares and the getting lost in the other person’s grace.
There are no complexities to the bad/good guys. They are standard characters you would see in a children’s movies.
What bugged me a little was the fact that the author kept pointing out the obvious as if I couldn’t determine why the character said or felt like that. We get the characters back stories so it became repeatedly unnecessary for the author to explain why the character thought or acted the way they did.
The villains are exactly who you expected and there are no shocking reasons as to why they did what they did.

This had all the elements of a good YA historical fiction - slightly larger than life heroines, an exciting setting, a grounding in historical facts but also a pretty flexible relationship with some of the norms of the era. The sapphic love story was really sweet and age-appropriate and the careful and dignified representation of sex workers was refreshing in a genre that often resorts to stereotype. I would have liked to see a bit more time spent on the nuances inherent to the New Spain setting - the story mentions the greater context of the Spanish empire and the ongoing harm being done to Indigenous peoples a few times but it would have been nice to see the protagonists acknowledge or grapple with this more. Fans of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series looking for something a little more socially conscious would probably love this. The audiobook reading was also great!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a good read! Action, intrigue, a beautiful romance. I didn't want it to end. The narrators were excellent as well!

3.75

Sword sapphics inspired by Peruvian legend, I found this to be such an enjoyable read!

I liked both Kiki and Ana and the way they navigated their relationship as well as their roles in society and I loved the way the murder mystery was wove into the larger politics of colonial Peru, even if I did find the who of the mystery to be fairly predictable. That being said, I had a fun time following the journey, despite having predicted the ending. Also I kept expecting fantastical elements to show up in the plot which might have been because the writing made it seem way more modern than the actual setting.

I mostly enjoyed the narration done by Frankie Corzo and Almarie Guerra. Though at times I found it hard to differentiate between Ana and Kiki's voices, I'm not sure how much of that was due to the narration or to the writing itself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Recorded Books for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

This book had absolutely no right being so dang good! It had absolutely everything you could want wrapped up into one shining package. Strong women, the sweetest sapphic relationship, 17th century Peru, swords and ale, and mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat! Honestly what more could you ask for?

I adored Kiki and Ana both. They were both so strong in their own ways, even though their stories were so different from one another. The way that they loved each other and fought for what was right was so inspiring it made me want to pick up a sword (which is definitely not a good idea).

I also really loved the way that identity was written in this story. Kiki and Ana both had to discover who they wanted to be and what it would mean in the world that they were born into. But more than that, the people they loved had to learn what it would mean to accept that identity and embrace them no matter the world around them. The way they embraced their femininity as well as their bravery, boldness, wildness, and all the other things that are seen as masculine, was something that was so inspiring and uplifting.

If you're a fan of strong women, queer women, and historical fiction, this is a must-read this pride month! (Or whenever you happen upon it!)

I didn't realize this book was based on the lives of real people before picking it up, which affected my opinion somewhat because I don't tend to enjoy reading fiction based on real people... but to my surprise, I really enjoyed this. The audiobook narration is also fantastic.

First the positive. The narrators did fantastic reading this book! I loved how they tried to make it seem spicy and good. Unfortunately even with all their flare this book fell flat for me. I am DNFing at 60%. I tried to get interested in the book but nothing was really grabbing me. This book is in first person with two POV. I loved the scenery and the timeline of the story. I think the characters were described beautifully and I am a sucker for sapphic stories. However the pacing was a little slow. The inner monologues were too drawn out. Insta love is a trope I don’t enjoy too much. There also wasn’t enough to the story to keep you engaged. There was too much time spent on explaining the details of the crime scene and the current characters POV thoughts about it and not enough action doing something about it. I wanted so much more from this book and felt like I was yelling for the characters in my head to show a little more of their feelings with their actions and not just inner monologue them to me.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for giving me that chance to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing! Ana and Kiki are amazing fearless main characters and I loved them! This book left me speechless due to how wonderful the story was. This story is a swashbuckling adventure that was refreshing and new. I highly recommend this book!

I LOVED this book so much. I have had high hopes for it ever since I first heard it announced -- seventeenth century teenage Latinx vigilante sword lesbians? sold! -- and it vastly exceeded my expectations.

Kiki and Ana were such great characters, and I loved their dynamic and their escapades. It was clear from the first pages that they meant everything to each other and loved each other very much. I loved their bond and the way their relationship and friendship strengthened as the events of the story unfolded. I also really appreciated their love of weaponry. The other characters were also very well-fleshed out and I came to feel strongly about all of them.

The villains were villainous (but not always obvious, which was nice). It was very satisfying to see Kiki and Ana stand up to them, especially when others didn't always do so -- for social or political or monetary reasons.

It was also really refreshing to see sex workers treated as regular people who are just as worthy of being rescued as anyone else? There was never any judgement or negativity toward them, which I loved.

The setting felt very real and... immersive, I guess? Like I totally believed I was there in 17th century Peru while reading.

Most of all, I had the best time while reading this. It was so fun and adventurous and it was like I was there alongside Kiki and Ana as the events of the plot unfolded. They were totally kick-ass and there was never any doubt in their minds about that fact. I will definitely be reading this one again.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for providing an audio arc for review.