Valiant Ladies

Starred review from May 2, 2022
Inspired by real-life 17th-century heroines, Grey’s (The Buried) historical murder mystery is an exhilarating adventure. Teenagers Eustaquia “Kiki” de Sonza and Ana Lezama de Urinza are rich young ladies of Potosí by day, vigilantes for justice by night. Despite her heroic proclivities, which remain secret from her father, Kiki must still play her role in society. Though the girls’ feelings for each other continue to grow, even with Kiki’s impending arranged marriage, brothel-born Ana, who was taken in by the de Sonza family, has resigned herself to her station (“We are what we are, and a change of clothes can’t alter that simple fact”). When Kiki’s older brother is found dead in a supposed suicide, the girls’ lives are plunged into chaos as they investigate a mystery more intense than their nightly brawls, whose implications affect the future of the de Sonzas and the safety of Potosí’s underprivileged women. Kiki and Ana are passionate heroines whose alternating perspectives—which embody both fierceness for justice and tender affection for each other—paired with cinematic action sequences conjure a hyper-engaging and gratifying experience. Kiki is Latinx, Ana is half-Dutch and half-Peruvian, and supporting characters are of varied Latinx descent. Ages 13–up. Agent: Catherine Drayton, InkWell Management.

Starred review from July 1, 2022

Gr 9 Up-By day, Ana Lezama de Urinza and Eustaquia "Kiki" de Sonza live as proper society ladies within the Spanish Empire Viceroyalty in 17th-century Peru. At night, they don men's attire and act as vigilantes throughout the city of Potosi. When Kiki's family is attacked, the two women are determined to find who did it and dole out justice. A fictionalization of real women from history, this book is exciting, romantic, and incredibly difficult to put down. It touches on topics of colonization and class, with Ana born poor and of Native descent while Kiki is Spanish and upper-class. Kiki and Ana share a romance for the ages, and readers will be rooting for them to get together. Grey, a Latina author herself, provides resources in the author's note for readers to do more research into this time of Peru's history and the real Valiant Ladies of Potosi. An action-packed tale of two real queer women, this book provides insight into the Spanish colonization of South America and drives home that powerful women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ people have existed throughout time. VERDICT An excellent addition to any YA collection.-Carleigh Obrochta

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2022
Romance, murder, revenge! What more could readers ask for? Ana Lezama de Urinza and Eustaquia "Kiki" de Sonza are best friends even though Ana was brought up in a brothel, while Kiki is the daughter of a baron. They struggle with a love that they know they can never admit to because the consequences in this historical Spanish Empire setting would be too great. Instead, they spend their evenings as teen vigilantes, gambling and drinking in bars and taking down those who exploit the weak. As fate would have it, violence finds them in their public lives: On the very night Kiki and Sebastian, the son of the Viceroy of Peru, are to make their first formal appearance as a betrothed couple, her older brother, Alejandro, is murdered. This launches the young women into an adventure that neither could have anticipated. Inspired by the real 17th-century Valiant Ladies of Potos�, this exciting novel opens with action and immediately draws readers in. The story's swashbuckling tone contains a hint of the menace of Jack the Ripper, and the romance between Kiki and Ana is full of longing, making readers root for them. Alternating first-person narration offers a well-rounded view of events. The villain is easy to spot, but readers won't mind: The strong writing and fast pace are more than enough to make this an absorbing read. Sapphic love, a murder mystery, and a smash-the-patriarchy adventure add up to great fun. (author's note, sources) (Historical adventure. 14-18)

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Starred review from May 15, 2022
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Looks can be deceiving. Eustaquia (Kiki) de Sonza and Ana Lezama de Urinza know this intimately, since they aren't quite what they appear to be. During the day, Eustaquia and Ana are steeped in the proper social mores of Potosi's upper-class society, which neither of the girls wants to be a part of. But the nights belong to Kiki and Ana, because that is when both girls can shed their fancy gowns and jewelry, don slacks and boots, and serve justice in the streets of the Bolivian city. These sword-wielding heroines are content with their double lives until Kiki's brother is murdered and the corruption the girls have been fighting so diligently to eradicate shows up closer to home than they ever imagined. Part mystery and part historical fiction, Grey's action-packed love story offers a fresher, more nuanced take on The Three Musketeers, with a fast-paced plot and well-developed characters, many of whom are based on historical figures. Grey's effortless and empowering prose masterfully provides a lens through which to view the lives of two real women, whom many may have never heard of before, which decenters the typical narrative about heroines. Kiki and Ana are not the traditional demure ladies who swoon at the slightest provocation of violence; rather, they are the vigilante heroines that every patriarchy needs.

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