Valiant Ladies

Marriage to a man she barely knows is the last thing Kiki wants. But she is a good society daughter, and it is what is expected of her. But, by night, Kiki trades her silks for a sword to venture into the crime-ridden city with her best friend, Ana. On the night Kiki’s engagement is to be announced, tragedy strikes, throwing the girls’ lives into turmoil. Desperate for answers, they set out on an adventure far more dangerous than anything they’ve ever faced. And they may find out more about themselves and their family along the way.

Set in seventeenth-century Potsoi, Valiant Ladies gives the feeling of fantasy but is based on facts. The chapters alternate between Kiki and Ana’s point-of-view, but I had a hard time telling them apart. Their character voices are almost the exact same. From the first pages, the romance feels overdone; they gush about how much they love each other. The rejection and slight miscommunication is well done and didn’t leave me frustrated. I also liked how the arranged marriage was handled. Neither of them wanted it, and had it ended differently, I could have seen it working out, something that is not often portrayed in fiction.