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Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner has an interesting take on the historical story of Helen of Sparta. The book is for a younger audience I would no older than high school. You get to see Helen grow up and deal with gender role stereotypes of the time. She try's to come to terms with the role she is expected to play as future Queen of Sparta. Through the book Helen aspires to be something more than a princess; she wants to be a warrior. This is a very motivating book for young women and you will rejoice in Helen's accomplishments and understand her struggles with her mother and siblings. The defiance and kindness in Helen makes her such a loveable character. The history that coincides this book is mostly true but many liberties are taken in creating a more relatable and eventful story. The story drags a little in the beginning but it makes up for it in the end and leaves you with a cliff hanger.
Nobody's Prize is the sequel to this book which has even more action and a bit of a love story. Over the course of both these books you get to see Helen grow mentally. I tend to like the second book better because I like the action but in order to understand it fully you need to read the first book, or at least read a summary.