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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Have you ever read a book so bad you thought: “I could be cleaning my kitchen instead of reading this?” Because that’s how I feel about this book.
I hate to say it, but this book suffers from being compared to its obvious inspiration. Clia is no Elle, lacking the sparkle, the innocence, the charisma and the sheer joy. Instead Clia eavesdrops, conspires, and has no desire to marry Domhnall who — unlike Elle’s odious fiance, is a decent if boring guy with ridiculous reasons to end their engagement. His kingdom needs a strong ally to help them in the upcoming war, and Cila’s kingdom, Bailetara, is apparently neither strong enough to help their neighbors in a war, nor interested in going to war themselves? I’m assuming; I have no idea how big their army is or why they’d refuse to defend Scailca since the author didn’t see fit to tell me.
Domhnall’s father thinks that they need a better queen, a better alliance. So he sends his son to insult a friendly kingdom by ending the alliance on the day of the announcement of the engagement, ensuring that Cila’s father is even more unlikely to rouse his kingdom to support Domhnall’s anytime in the future. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy, and it’s clumsy and hamfistedly forced into the story simply to follow the plot beats of another book. It isn’t done well, and it isn’t done in a way to make it organic to this world, or interesting to this reader. It just wants me to always remember that this is Legally Blonde, the Knight AU.
You might say “Oh, it’s his father who wanted to end the engagement,!” But the point still stands. Domhnall’s father just lost his kingdom an alliance, ruined his son’s reputation, and ensured animosity from here on out between two previous allies. It’s stupid. Especially as, the next day, Domhnall goes on to ask for permission to move a small armed group of men through their kingdom, only to be shocked pikachu when they say nope. Why should they involve themselves in someone else’s war, after all, especially someone who doesn’t want to be allied with them?
Ronan, the love interest, then thinks that this is all petty punishment, and how dare Cila not let another kingdom run soldiers through her kingdom, even after her own parents —- the king and queen — said no? She’s so mean! And this book is so stupid.
Maybe Cila grows into herself, maybe not. Maybe the love interest grows a personality, maybe not. Maybe the war ends up being politically interesting — though from what I’ve seen so far, I doubt it. And I’ll never know because I’m DNFing this book as 13%. I don’t have the patience for bad plotting, bland characters, and forced reminders that this book wants to be on the same shelf with Legally Blonde. It’s not. It’s not funny or charming, and the homages are so heavy handed I’m surprised I don’t have a concussion.
I do not recommend this book. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.
I hate to say it, but this book suffers from being compared to its obvious inspiration. Clia is no Elle, lacking the sparkle, the innocence, the charisma and the sheer joy. Instead Clia eavesdrops, conspires, and has no desire to marry Domhnall who — unlike Elle’s odious fiance, is a decent if boring guy with ridiculous reasons to end their engagement. His kingdom needs a strong ally to help them in the upcoming war, and Cila’s kingdom, Bailetara, is apparently neither strong enough to help their neighbors in a war, nor interested in going to war themselves? I’m assuming; I have no idea how big their army is or why they’d refuse to defend Scailca since the author didn’t see fit to tell me.
Domhnall’s father thinks that they need a better queen, a better alliance. So he sends his son to insult a friendly kingdom by ending the alliance on the day of the announcement of the engagement, ensuring that Cila’s father is even more unlikely to rouse his kingdom to support Domhnall’s anytime in the future. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy, and it’s clumsy and hamfistedly forced into the story simply to follow the plot beats of another book. It isn’t done well, and it isn’t done in a way to make it organic to this world, or interesting to this reader. It just wants me to always remember that this is Legally Blonde, the Knight AU.
You might say “Oh, it’s his father who wanted to end the engagement,!” But the point still stands. Domhnall’s father just lost his kingdom an alliance, ruined his son’s reputation, and ensured animosity from here on out between two previous allies. It’s stupid. Especially as, the next day, Domhnall goes on to ask for permission to move a small armed group of men through their kingdom, only to be shocked pikachu when they say nope. Why should they involve themselves in someone else’s war, after all, especially someone who doesn’t want to be allied with them?
Ronan, the love interest, then thinks that this is all petty punishment, and how dare Cila not let another kingdom run soldiers through her kingdom, even after her own parents —- the king and queen — said no? She’s so mean! And this book is so stupid.
Maybe Cila grows into herself, maybe not. Maybe the love interest grows a personality, maybe not. Maybe the war ends up being politically interesting — though from what I’ve seen so far, I doubt it. And I’ll never know because I’m DNFing this book as 13%. I don’t have the patience for bad plotting, bland characters, and forced reminders that this book wants to be on the same shelf with Legally Blonde. It’s not. It’s not funny or charming, and the homages are so heavy handed I’m surprised I don’t have a concussion.
I do not recommend this book. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
First things first, I HATE books where a small weak untrained girl suddenly can fight super well or gets picked by the biggest dragon or—
I just hate that kind of fantasy and that writing. I was beyond nervous that was going to happen with this book. I’m happy to announce that isn’t (completely) the case here. You will never be able to convince me that a girl who has had ZERO training can suddenly hold her own after a few MONTHS with people who have been training since childhood. Like be so for real right now.
I kind of wish I never found out that this book was previously titled “Medievally Blonde” bc once I knew, the connects were all I could see. This book was more political than I expected (not a complaint) and the villains are a bit predictable, but that might be due to it being based on Legally Blonde. Overall still a good read, I ended up getting attached to several characters and the end made me almost tear up.
They/them pronouns used for Kían except for Ch 23 and 25, did the author slip, is that a typo
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this e-book ARC.
Book read for Dekalb County 100 Books in 100 Years 2025 reading challenge, item 38, An Author’s Debut Novel 57/100
https://dekalblibrary.org/100-years-100-books-reading-challenge/100-years-100-books-reading-challenge-categories
I just hate that kind of fantasy and that writing. I was beyond nervous that was going to happen with this book. I’m happy to announce that isn’t (completely) the case here. You will never be able to convince me that a girl who has had ZERO training can suddenly hold her own after a few MONTHS with people who have been training since childhood. Like be so for real right now.
I kind of wish I never found out that this book was previously titled “Medievally Blonde” bc once I knew, the connects were all I could see. This book was more political than I expected (not a complaint) and the villains are a bit predictable, but that might be due to it being based on Legally Blonde. Overall still a good read, I ended up getting attached to several characters and the end made me almost tear up.
They/them pronouns used for Kían except for Ch 23 and 25, did the author slip, is that a typo
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this e-book ARC.
Book read for Dekalb County 100 Books in 100 Years 2025 reading challenge, item 38, An Author’s Debut Novel 57/100
https://dekalblibrary.org/100-years-100-books-reading-challenge/100-years-100-books-reading-challenge-categories
I was so excited for this book when it was announced, especially with its comparison to Legally Blonde, one of the greatest films ever created.
However, I think it's best if you go into this book forgetting that it's similar to Legally Blonde, and after reading it I understand why the title was changed. Clia is not Elle. I love both girls, but they are different people entirely, and going into this book expecting Elle will lead you to disappointment.
I picked up this book while I was in Ireland, and it was the perfect read for that trip. All of the Irish mythology and words, it made me really appreciate the research and work that Cait Jacobs put into this novel.
I really liked the social anxiety representation through Clia. She was very easy to care for as a character, once I got over her not being a copy of Elle Woods, I really was able to love her. I also liked Ronan a lot, and really appreciated that he deals with chronic pain, as it added more depth to his character. Certain choices about Ronan didn't make the most sense to me, like why he was Domhall's best friend instead of someone already at the castle, but overall I appreciated him as a love interest and main character.
The author is really good at writing fast-paced action scenes, and since there were so many in the later half of the book, I enjoyed the later half a lot. It felt like Cait Jacobs was more confident in their writing by the later half as well, and it made the whole experience much more enjoyable. I hope there are more stories in this world, and I look forward to whatever the author releases next!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC!
However, I think it's best if you go into this book forgetting that it's similar to Legally Blonde, and after reading it I understand why the title was changed. Clia is not Elle. I love both girls, but they are different people entirely, and going into this book expecting Elle will lead you to disappointment.
I picked up this book while I was in Ireland, and it was the perfect read for that trip. All of the Irish mythology and words, it made me really appreciate the research and work that Cait Jacobs put into this novel.
I really liked the social anxiety representation through Clia. She was very easy to care for as a character, once I got over her not being a copy of Elle Woods, I really was able to love her. I also liked Ronan a lot, and really appreciated that he deals with chronic pain, as it added more depth to his character. Certain choices about Ronan didn't make the most sense to me, like why he was Domhall's best friend instead of someone already at the castle, but overall I appreciated him as a love interest and main character.
The author is really good at writing fast-paced action scenes, and since there were so many in the later half of the book, I enjoyed the later half a lot. It felt like Cait Jacobs was more confident in their writing by the later half as well, and it made the whole experience much more enjoyable. I hope there are more stories in this world, and I look forward to whatever the author releases next!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC!
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Princess Knight a retelling of Legally Blonde but medieval got me hooked on the premise. Had I not known it was a retelling, I most likely wouldn’t have figured it out. It had some of the same character vibes but it was different enough I wasn’t like OMG this is Legally Blonde. Which I liked, I like something that is original enough it’s not immediately known to me what it’s based off of. I liked this story but it wasn’t love. Here are my thoughts:
The author creates this huge confusing magic system and it’s completely unnecessary to the novel. I kept trying to figure it out but I stopped trying because it literally didn’t matter. Maybe that’s why it was so confusing, because the author gave up on it? Unsure.
The dynamic between Prince Domhnal and Ronan. I enjoyed this little bit of bromance.
A certain main character is a huge figure in one of the character’s lives and they kill them without much remorse or thought. The person was legit the only person that cared for them and we never really got a good reason why the person did it (we do get a little but why not include the one main character?) and what’s happening because this person is now dead? It’s kind of a big plot hole.
Princess Clia’s amazing ability to fight. Okay so she trains with Ronan and becomes amazing. She also gets a magical sword that helps but then fells one of the greatest warriors ever without a magical sword, all by her lonesome? After being at this academy for all of 6ish months? It’s not believable. In Legally Blonde it’s plausible. Here it’s not.
The cliffhanger but not cliffhanger? It’s really confusing. Maybe the author is trying to leave it open for a sequel or spin off but couldn’t decide? It’s just left really open ended.
The war. No one really states why exactly people are going to battle they just are? I could see reasons but it would have been nice to get a “here’s why we’re doing this!” From a lot of the bad guys/other side.
Too long. This book could have been shortened 100 pages and we would have been fine.
A cute story. I finished it so that tells you I enjoyed it. This was more cozy than I was expecting maybe but a decent read.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the arc.
The author creates this huge confusing magic system and it’s completely unnecessary to the novel. I kept trying to figure it out but I stopped trying because it literally didn’t matter. Maybe that’s why it was so confusing, because the author gave up on it? Unsure.
The dynamic between Prince Domhnal and Ronan. I enjoyed this little bit of bromance.
A certain main character is a huge figure in one of the character’s lives and they kill them without much remorse or thought. The person was legit the only person that cared for them and we never really got a good reason why the person did it (we do get a little but why not include the one main character?) and what’s happening because this person is now dead? It’s kind of a big plot hole.
Princess Clia’s amazing ability to fight. Okay so she trains with Ronan and becomes amazing. She also gets a magical sword that helps but then fells one of the greatest warriors ever without a magical sword, all by her lonesome? After being at this academy for all of 6ish months? It’s not believable. In Legally Blonde it’s plausible. Here it’s not.
The cliffhanger but not cliffhanger? It’s really confusing. Maybe the author is trying to leave it open for a sequel or spin off but couldn’t decide? It’s just left really open ended.
The war. No one really states why exactly people are going to battle they just are? I could see reasons but it would have been nice to get a “here’s why we’re doing this!” From a lot of the bad guys/other side.
Too long. This book could have been shortened 100 pages and we would have been fine.
A cute story. I finished it so that tells you I enjoyed it. This was more cozy than I was expecting maybe but a decent read.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the arc.
thank you to Harper voyager for the e-ARC
this book is pretty much exactly what it promises on the tin: legally blonde but she becomes a knight rather than a lawyer. that’s pretty much the whole bit, and it’s realized reasonably well. some story beats are followed closely, others are adapted for the sake of having a good fantasy plot (which I appreciated), and there was enough variation that I felt like there was still some surprise to be had.
it’s very much a story of growth and self-actualization, with a sweet romance as a meso-level plot. I do wish we got to see our MC earn her knighthood a little more viscerally; we got told she practiced but I didn’t have a sense of how hard she worked or how much she cared (and this actually got confusing because other characters had something to say on this subject that conflicted with what we got told).
it’s a fun, a little campy, sweet, girl-power, friendship-is-magic fantasy with a good romance subplot about a girly girl becoming a knight. pretty good if you ask me.
this book is pretty much exactly what it promises on the tin: legally blonde but she becomes a knight rather than a lawyer. that’s pretty much the whole bit, and it’s realized reasonably well. some story beats are followed closely, others are adapted for the sake of having a good fantasy plot (which I appreciated), and there was enough variation that I felt like there was still some surprise to be had.
it’s very much a story of growth and self-actualization, with a sweet romance as a meso-level plot. I do wish we got to see our MC earn her knighthood a little more viscerally; we got told she practiced but I didn’t have a sense of how hard she worked or how much she cared (and this actually got confusing because other characters had something to say on this subject that conflicted with what we got told).
it’s a fun, a little campy, sweet, girl-power, friendship-is-magic fantasy with a good romance subplot about a girly girl becoming a knight. pretty good if you ask me.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Cait Jacobs, HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Alright, I’ve got to hand it to Jacobs, this one ABSOLUTELY delivered. From the moment I cracked the first page (figuratively, I'm not gonna fold my Kindle in half), I knew I was stepping into a world I wouldn’t want to leave.
The Celtic-inspired names? Chef’s kiss. The worldbuilding? Insane in such a good way. It’s vast, rich, and so alive with myth, magic, and blood-soaked legacy. I felt like I was being led through a dreamscape of ancient lore and modern grit. And those characters? Loveable, complicated, and so beautifully written you’ll swear they’re real.
This isn’t just another fantasy. It’s a deeply layered, wildly immersive story with strong roots in culture, conflict, and resilience. If you’re craving complex worldbuilding, characters who leap off the page, and a plot that knows exactly when to twist the blade. This is the one. Go read it. Seriously.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the Advance Readers Copy!
This was an unexpected surprise!
This was an unexpected surprise!
Cleí’s closest male friend, Domhnall breaks the news: he doesn’t think she’s the best choice for a royal betrothal that will strengthen both their kingdoms.
Cleí is determined to prove that she’s more than a pretty and socially equipped choice for his queen, and the alliance that has been planned for them since childhood. Since Domnhall’s next stop is military school, Cleí gains admittance into the program to up her battle skills.
Ronan, Domnhall’s closest friend and bodyguard is also a student at the academy, and he offers to help Cleí prove her worth. What started as a plot to persuade Domnhall of her eligibility becomes a discovery of how capable she is, with the right friends on her side, of course.
I didn’t notice until the author’s note that the story is inspired by Legally Blonde? I guess because the princess enjoys fashion design in her spare time, and has an animal companion?
Ronan has both chronic pain and trauma rep, but while losing his mother at an early age was mentioned, I don’t remember the origin of the pain being explained, just hinted at as something he planned to eventually tell Cleí.
Ronan has both chronic pain and trauma rep, but while losing his mother at an early age was mentioned, I don’t remember the origin of the pain being explained, just hinted at as something he planned to eventually tell Cleí.
The Celtic setting makes this a little difficult to break into story-wise, with character, kingdom, and people names you need to look up to pronounce, and many side characters without too much to differentiate them.
There is a teaspoon of political plot, but it’s not anything you need to overly study to understand. Nothing to scare away readers who were there for a good slow burn romance.
Spicy rating: 🌶️🌶️
If you like this kind of setting, but with more focus on the magical elements than the romance, I’d recommend Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, and the A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Thank you to Harper Collins for an early advanced reader copy!
I haven't read a medieval fantasy before and this was a fun introduction to the genre! I really appreciated having the pronunciation guide, it was fun to learn how to pronounce words I didn't know and made the story more enjoyable. I think the characters were well rounded, I would have loved to get to know some better and to get a better understanding of dynamics but overall they worked together well enough to make the story enjoyable. I did feel the ending was a.but anticlimactic. I loved the whole come into your own and her moment with the general but I feel like the people retreating at the end was just like a bit out of left field? I'm glad it was left open for if the author wants to come back to this world I just wish the end battle had a bit more oomph to it I guess haha
Yeah my only real criticism is just I wish the characters were more developed in the sense of how they fit into the story and how they bonded but even that's a bit nit picky I guess, I definitely enjoyed this book and would probably read her other work in the future. Definitely a good introduction to fantasy with less heavy fantasy themes, very fun!
I haven't read a medieval fantasy before and this was a fun introduction to the genre! I really appreciated having the pronunciation guide, it was fun to learn how to pronounce words I didn't know and made the story more enjoyable. I think the characters were well rounded, I would have loved to get to know some better and to get a better understanding of dynamics but overall they worked together well enough to make the story enjoyable. I did feel the ending was a.but anticlimactic. I loved the whole come into your own and her moment with the general but I feel like the people retreating at the end was just like a bit out of left field? I'm glad it was left open for if the author wants to come back to this world I just wish the end battle had a bit more oomph to it I guess haha
Yeah my only real criticism is just I wish the characters were more developed in the sense of how they fit into the story and how they bonded but even that's a bit nit picky I guess, I definitely enjoyed this book and would probably read her other work in the future. Definitely a good introduction to fantasy with less heavy fantasy themes, very fun!
Our premise starts off very much in the vein of a fantasy Legally Blonde. Our Princess, Clía, is sure her childhood friend, Prince Domhnall, is going to propose. It would be beneficial for both their kingdoms and they’re friends so it’s a given, right? Well, it goes about the same as in the movie. Domhnall tells her she isn’t the warrior queen he needs and Clía is devastated as all her plans for the future crumble. But instead of succumbing to defeat, Clía hatches a plan to follow him away to Caislean Costa, the keep and training grounds for respected warriors. If she is able to withstand the rigorous training for a year, she will be awarded the title of curadh and be the warrior queen Domhnall seeks. Things don’t go exactly as planned.
Let’s talk about the characters!
Clía is sweet and determined and I liked her. She did make some questionable assumptions such as thinking going into what is basically military boot camp with zero skills or knowledge of tactics was a good idea. I was able to overlook this and root for her regardless. Thankfully, she ended up getting some much-needed help from an unexpected source…
Ronan! Captain of the guard for Domhnall and yet somehow a sweet squish of a dude. Thanks to Ronan we get one of my favorite things: a training trope with romantic tension. He’s conflicted because he’s starting to have feelings for his prince/best friend’s Not!Fiancée and he’s just the youngest Captain of the guard — not royalty.
Murphy. I loved him.
Domhnall. His childhood friendship with Clía is talked about a lot, but we see none of it. We get a couple vague ‘Remember that time when…’ but it doesn’t strike the note since we never see any evidence of them being friends. Clía does hold up her end of the deal, I will say and I like her for it. But Domhnall seems to be a bad friend at every turn. We only see Domhnall being a jerk and do not have the benefit of his POV to redeem him via his inner thoughts. It leads to me not being invested in him as a character and several times I had been hoping he would be pushed to the side or just painted fully as a villain. He gets a little better later, but too little too late imo.
Everyone else… well. I will say that while people did start getting a little characterization in the tail-end of the book, it never felt like there were more than 5 trainees at Caislean Costa. I got no sense of the size of the keep or their training class since it was the same group of names each time. They were very much NPCs and I would have liked a bit more from them so the military bootcamp experience would have felt more fleshed out.
Don’t get me started on her parents. What was the deal there? The only thing we know about them is that we’re told they like to party.
Let’s talk about the plot!
This is where things went a little haywire. We started off strong. Maybe not with the thickest plot, but it was fun. I was reading quickly and enjoying the callbacks to the Legally Blonde inspiration.
[I’m someone that hates spoilers and avoids them at all costs. Hence, I’m going to avoid major spoilers here. The one I will include (since it drastically tempered my thoughts on the story) has almost no bearing on the actual plot. Which was my gripe, actually.]
This is a low-magic setting. We do get hints of it here and there in passing, not active magic, but it’s mentioned mostly through enchanted objects that are not shown on-page. I thought this was foreshadowing to something important for later. When we do finally encounter a potentially God-given magic artifact, it’s brushed under the rug so casually that it’s a blink-and-you-miss-it situation. Not in the vein of subtlety to bring up later as a twist (which is what I was anticipating), but moreso that the author and characters were just not interested in it enough to make it a real factor? I was interested!
Please, please can we talk about the magic sword crystal? Please, as a treat? It was an interesting thread I wanted to follow in the story, but was treated like an afterthought. I mean even the characters kept thinking “Ah ya this sword is giving me some strange feelings, but no time to think about magic firing up my arm or anything.” Come on! The story didn’t need this at all, but putting it in there and ignoring it was confusing and disappointing.
Now for the anime-level powerup Clía gets. This is the girl that couldn’t actually hold up a sword, let alone wield one, at the start. Her first time picking one up included the description of her letting it drag along the ground as she walked, because holding it was too difficult. While we have no sense for how long she had been training at Caislean Costa, there is no suspension of belief that could permit her battling several seasoned warriors on her own with just a regular sword. There is simply not enough time for her princess noodle arms to have beefed up enough. When we later had the excuse of a maybe-magic sword, I could believe this princess taking on several attackers at once. Because *~magick~* Even with her special armor, the impact of a hit, sword or otherwise, would still cause injury. I mean there’s gurl power and then there’s… whatever that was. I don’t know. I love sword fighting ladies. Jude from Folk of the Air is one of my favorite book gals. With Jude, she often got injured and would have to resort to alternative means to balance the playing field to her advantage. Her victories felt earned and real. I like Clía. Which is why it bothered me so much that she started to feel like a wish-fulfillment pander. She was virtually undefeatable. I never feared for her. Thus, there was no dramatic tension in the fights.
It was moments like this that made me surprised to learn this wasn’t a YA fantasy since that is where I have seen this happen the most often. The romance scenes were fade-to-black which I am fine with, but does lend further to the YA feel.
Conclusion!
Overall, I did enjoy this read. The first half was more to my speed due to losing some verisimilitude in the latter chapters. This is not something that is a deal breaker for most, so I do still recommend this book. There were two good quotes I made note of in my reading. I would like to include them in my review, but as the arc I read was not in final edits, I will hold off to see if they appear in the final version. Will update later with the quotes if they make the cut. Fingers crossed!
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with this free arc in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
lighthearted
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
Given some of the existing reviews for this book, I was expecting almost a scene-for-scene translation of the Legally Blonde film within a medieval fantasy world, so I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading and it was more unique than that. The setup (with the FMC getting turned down due to her presumed intelligence, prompting her to go to the same academy/school as her ex to show him that he's wrong about her) is there, but I thought that the relationships and the context were different compared to the film. While a few of the film's main beats were there, it was well fleshed out with the fantasy world and plot and it didn't stick so closely to the film that it became boring.
In The Princess Knight, the intended betrothal is a strategic joining of two kingdoms rather than being the expected next step in a genuine relationship between the FMC and her boyfriend, so although Domhnall treated Clía badly, he wasn't as irredeemable as his equivalent in Legally Blonde.
I liked the queernormative world and the side characters. The romance is sort of fade to black, in that there's mainly a few kissing scenes and then one scene where the main characters have sex but it's very non-graphic and brief. I'd definitely say that this book is YA rather than the Adult romantasy that it's being categorised as on Goodreads etc. I've just read on the FAQs section on the author's website that she wrote this for a YA audience, and that does come across strongly while reading, so I wish that it was correctly categorised as YA and not just being listed as Adult because the publisher in the US is an Adult publisher.
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from HarperCollins UK and NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.