From the glittering ballrooms of 17th century England to the dangerous intrigues of the French court, the villainess of The Three Musketeers finally gets to speak and tell the story the swashbuckling literary threesome from her own perspective.
Milady is gorgeously written; our heroine’s voice is a confident and eloquent one, unflinching as it recounts horrible pain and unapologetic as it calls out the deadly double standards she faces ... Sullivan clearly put significant effort into the historical details, language, and tone. When dialogue and scenes from Dumas’ novel are slipped into the narrative, it all feels seamless ... Milady lives a life of high adventure and twisty plotting. This novel is like a carefully layered and intoxicating rum cake, where more and more secrets and machinations are revealed as the story sways between Milady’s present and past ... Milady is a historical adventure, a high romance, a twisty thriller, and a feminist reclamation. Like its heroine, it wears many masks and accomplishes many goals. For all of those craving sharp characters and grandiose action—and especially for those longing to see more powerful heroines—this is a palpable hit.
If you want an unrepentant, badass assassin heroine, then Milady by Laura L. Sullivan is the book for you. I loved it. I gave up precious sleep for it. I want to read it again ... As much as I enjoyed the courtly intrigues, breathless chases, and historical detail that made up this book (and those things were positively delicious), the real joy for me was watching a capable and intelligent heroine decide to burn it all...down, find her agency, and rise to a position of incredible power.
Sullivan provides enough context to ensure that even readers unfamiliar with Dumas’ classic won’t be too lost, and though these chapters are initially less interesting than the primary story, the two time lines eventually come together in completely satisfying fashion. The clever ending is certain to delight both Dumas fans and newcomers who enjoy historical fiction featuring smart, adventurous, determined women.
