The Basics 
 3.5 stars 
 This was a mildly original but not terribly detailed historical novel which was engaging and fast-paced but not confusing. However, the characters were all kind of flat and more character development would make this book a lot better. I also found the plot a bit more drawn out than necessary and overall it seemed kind of basic. 
 Trope Check 
 *girl disguising as a boy 
 *forbidden love 
 *unwanted marriage 
 *running away 
 *supposedly badass heroine keeps getting rescued (but at least it's by a girl) 
 *general angsty rebellion resulting in moderate loss of morals 
 *one-dimensional villains and characters in general 
 Full Opinions 
 The beginning of this book was kind of drawn out and I found myself flipping pages a lot the first hundred or so. Fortunately, said pages were pretty short, so I got through a lot of them, but I think it would have been better without the romance and just have her running away from an arranged marriage, but that's still kind of cliche. 
 "You can't marry without my permission and I'm not giving it." 
 I also didn't really get her whole arranged marriage thing. It seemed to me she liked the guy initially, even if he was too old for her and he almost seemed like the guy who represented the adventure Nancy craved but didn't get. Then, he announces that he wants to marry her and Nancy's brother knows but she doesn't. All of a sudden, he becomes evil because she runs away and he runs after her. 
 I also didn't like that Nancy was supposed to be really strong and all that, but Minerva kept coming to her rescue for basically everything like, if she didn't have Minerva, she'd probably be dead and I didn't really see Nancy returning any favors. 
 Nevertheless, this was an addicting book and one of its themes is really unique. Sisterly love is honestly beautiful and we don't see it a lot in YA, though we do see it in musicals 
 (Jasmine Cephas Jones, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Phillipa Soo, the Schuyler Sisters from Hamilton) 
 Things were becoming clear to me and, in that moment, much of my fear left me. I had found one safe haven in a seething sea of threat and uncertainty. Men's love might change, prove fickle, but Minerva was my blood sister. I would always love her and she would always love me. 
 (Phillipa Soo and Brittain Ashford in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812)