Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Valiant Ladies by Melissa Grey

6 reviews

amberinpieces's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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betweentheshelves's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

If you want a sapphic historical adventure, you've definitely got it in this book! I mistakenly thought this was a pirate book from the cover, but it's 100% not. It's about two girls who maybe (probably) love each other, and who want to get justice for those that might not otherwise have a voice.

There's a bit of murder mystery here, in addition to vigilantism. Kikki and Ana's voices were distinct enough, not to mention they had great chemistry. I loved them. I would definitely read more books about their adventures. And the fact that they're based on real historical figures? Even better.

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krysley's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

This is a fun romp of two teenage girls fighting back against the classism and sexism of 17th-century Potosí, Peru. Kiki and Ana are both strong characters in their own rights, but I thought Ana was the more interesting of the two. She faced a lot of hardship and seemed more layered than Kiki, who was young and rich though very sweet. 

While I really enjoyed the setting, sometimes the author would go a little overboard with various details. For example, it was reiterated over and over again how the girls' corsets dug into their ribs within a single scene. The same could be said about the beginning of the book when we're first introduced to Kiki and Ana. The young women's feelings for each other were written in a heavy-handed way to get the point across, rather than allowing it to unfurl throughout the story. While that heavy-handedness lightens up as the story moves along, it just made the beginning of the book seem unbalanced with the rest. 

As for the narration, Frankie Corzo and Almarie Guerra both perform beautifully throughout, nailing their character to perfection. My only complaint would be that when those performances are paired together, sometimes their voices were hard to distinguish between each other since they were similar in pitch. 

Overall, I really enjoyed listening to Valiant Ladies and my issues were minor when compared to the story as a whole. 

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vaniavela's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

By day, young and correct ladies of the 17th century. By night, elegant vigilantes.

Positive aspects:

  1. Being inspired by the real life Ladies Courageous of Potosi, I loved reading this story of two heroic girls falling in love and fighting the forces of evil.
  2. The characters were so brave and determined in their own way, even though they come from different backgrounds.  I loved getting to know their unique ways of looking at the world.
  3. The relationship between Kiki and Ana was powerful. To each other, their relationship was everything, and together they fought for what was right.

Negative Aspects:

  1. I would have liked to have seen the romance develop on the page, instead of pushing all these feelings from the beginning. 
  2. The dialogue felt more appropriate to current times. I'm not asking for really accurate words, as it would be tedious, but having dialogue resembling that century wouldn't have hurt anyone.
  3. The setting did not feel like a 17th century Peruvian story. The details did not give us an authentic feel of the period.

rep: spanish-peruvian sapphic female mc, biracial dutch-peruvian (indigenous) lesbian female mc, spanish cishet male sc with gout who uses a walking aid, spanish and peruvian cast, mute peruvian female side character who uses sign language. 

 tw: alcohol consumption, blood, body horror, colonisation, cursing, death, grief, injury detail, kidnapping, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, misogyny,murder, sexism, suicide, violence, past death of parents, chronic illness, fire/explosion, forced institutionalization, gun violence, pregnancy mention, religious bigotry, sexual content. 

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pagelikebooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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foreverinastory's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ugh I loved this so much!!

Rep: Spanish-Peruvian sapphic female MC, biracial Dutch-Peruvian (indigenous) lesbian female MC, Spanish cishet male side character with gout who uses a walking aid, Spanish and Peruvian cast, mute Peruvian female side character who uses sign language. 

CWs: Alcohol consumption, blood, body horror, colonisation, cursing, death, grief, injury/injury detail, kidnapping, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, misogyny, murder/ritualistic murder, sexism, suicide, violence. Moderate: past death of parent(s), chronic illness, fire/explosion, forced institutionalization (at a convent), gun violence, pregnancy mention, religious bigotry, sexual content (not graphic). 

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