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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book but it took me a while to get through. Throughout most of The Princess Knight, there aren’t very high stakes until the end. The main characters feel fleshed out BUT there were a bunch of background characters that played into certain plot points in the book where I forgot who they were. I think sizing down the cast of characters would’ve helped.
This was a pretty fun read but I felt it was a bit slow and dragged for some bits. I think it could’ve been shorter or introduced the climax a bit earlier. This could’ve made the ending have a bit more of an impact.
Other than some nitpicks and problems with the pacing, I liked this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! This review is my honest opinion based on my thoughts on the book.
CONTENT WARNING (may have spoilers):Chapter 27 has a fade-to-black scene between two characters. It’s not that descriptive, I would rate it closed door personally.
This was a pretty fun read but I felt it was a bit slow and dragged for some bits. I think it could’ve been shorter or introduced the climax a bit earlier. This could’ve made the ending have a bit more of an impact.
Other than some nitpicks and problems with the pacing, I liked this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! This review is my honest opinion based on my thoughts on the book.
CONTENT WARNING (may have spoilers):
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5⭐️ do you love trials? tribulations? names that are 10+ letters long? telling a man to his face that he's worthless scum? Well, look no further than-
✨🛡️⚔️Medieval Legally Blonde🏰🤺✨
This book is an easy read, built from a well known and well loved fantasy structure- a woman, out of spite, enrolls herself in her world's most prestigious fighting institute and uses her assumed total failure as motivation to exceed expectations! And me, a simple woman who loves spite and training montages, will eat that up every time.
There was, however, some follow through missing on these ideas. I think I would have given this a higher rating if it hadn't tried to force very complicated political and religious systems into the exact storyline of legally blonde. As an avid fantasy reader, it fell a bit flat to me when they brought up conflicts like "I am breaking off this political engagement between two kingdoms," or "We have two royals [their kingdoms' only heirs to the throne respectively] training at a deadly combat college," without discussing ANY of the consequences of these decisions in a broader political / world-building standpoint?? And none of that is a spoiler, it's all on the back, but we get no answers to things like "kingdom relations are just cool after that?" and "so 25% of the class does not survive this combat college, and it's fine to send the only bloodline heirs of two royal families there? one of whom will certainly be killed because she has zero combat training?" Plus, some of the broader emotional topics in the romance plot (chronic pain, self doubt, self respect, etc) were not explored very maturely. They were touched on and then resolved very shallowly, with no deeper conversation than like "remember, we all deserve to give ourselves empathy" "okay, you're right."
I read this book on the beach and I really enjoyed it, but I don't think it was meant to be a beach read. I'm very glad I read it but I will be honest some skimming was involved, and nothing was really lost from that. Take this book as it is, and you'll have a great time!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
✨🛡️⚔️Medieval Legally Blonde🏰🤺✨
This book is an easy read, built from a well known and well loved fantasy structure- a woman, out of spite, enrolls herself in her world's most prestigious fighting institute and uses her assumed total failure as motivation to exceed expectations! And me, a simple woman who loves spite and training montages, will eat that up every time.
There was, however, some follow through missing on these ideas. I think I would have given this a higher rating if it hadn't tried to force very complicated political and religious systems into the exact storyline of legally blonde. As an avid fantasy reader, it fell a bit flat to me when they brought up conflicts like "I am breaking off this political engagement between two kingdoms," or "We have two royals [their kingdoms' only heirs to the throne respectively] training at a deadly combat college," without discussing ANY of the consequences of these decisions in a broader political / world-building standpoint?? And none of that is a spoiler, it's all on the back, but we get no answers to things like "kingdom relations are just cool after that?" and "so 25% of the class does not survive this combat college, and it's fine to send the only bloodline heirs of two royal families there? one of whom will certainly be killed because she has zero combat training?" Plus, some of the broader emotional topics in the romance plot (chronic pain, self doubt, self respect, etc) were not explored very maturely. They were touched on and then resolved very shallowly, with no deeper conversation than like "remember, we all deserve to give ourselves empathy" "okay, you're right."
I read this book on the beach and I really enjoyed it, but I don't think it was meant to be a beach read. I'm very glad I read it but I will be honest some skimming was involved, and nothing was really lost from that. Take this book as it is, and you'll have a great time!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The overall storyline was fun and cute, but I never really connected to the characters so I didn’t feel super invested in the story. I wish there had been a more comprehensive prononciation guide at the beginning. Between all the characters names, kingdoms, groups of people, etc. (and not knowing how to pronounce them) it felt overly complicated and a bit confusing for the first chunk of the book. There was a good cast of diverse characters, which I appreciated. I did feel the romance was a bit underdeveloped. There wasn’t as much on paper development of feelings as I would’ve preferred. The whole book reads more YA than adult. Overall this was fun read, but nothing outstanding or super memorable in my opinion.
Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was thoroughly surprised by this fun and quirky story! Taking inspiration from Legally Blonde, Cait Jacob’s has done a fantastic job in twisting that into an enjoyable fantasy read. Including the perfect amount of Irish lore, world building, romance, plot twists, and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, I found myself quickly absorbed into Clia’s story and not wanting to put it down. While it ended on a perfect note, there is definitely more to be told, so I really hope Cait plans on continuing this story! If you’re looking for a fun, not too serious (read: stressful) read, definitely give this one a try!!
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
Clía! Queen!! This is basically a medieval interpretation of Legally Blonde. Clía is a princess who is practically engaged to a prince in a neighboring kingdom, but when he calls off their arrangement because she isn't strong enough, Clía takes action. Heading off to train to be a warrior alongside the prince and his Captain of the guard, Ronan, Clía is determined to prove she's more than a princess obsessed with court and sewing. As she learns that's harder than it looks, Ronan offers to take her under his wing. As they train and grow closer they learn things about the brewing war and what it means for them. I adore this book!! A lady knight in pinks with blonde hair??? Obsessed! Clía really struggles and doesn't just get handed advantages by the plot. Plus all the characters are super fleshed out, the plot follows logical and steps, and it doesn't just end with no reason. My only real issue is that this book uses a lot of Irish words (or words and names I assume originated in Ireland) but never explains the nouns. Like what was Murphy? I just think it was a tad frustrating to see words with no context. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this!
adventurous
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
I really liked it! My expectations were high, and despite some issues, they were mostly met. I loved the world and all in all, I think this was a great medieval fantasy debut novel.
Princess Clía and Prince Domhnall, heirs of neighbouring kingdoms, are betrothed. Everyone expects them to marry and unite their two kingdoms. But when Domhnall decides to not propose because he thinks Clía is too weak to protect his kingdom, she decides to follow him to Caisleán Cósta, the military academy he’s attending. She's determined to prove him wrong. Ronan is the Captain of Domhnall's guard and his friend. He is at the academy to prove himself to his mentor. He has no time for princesses, but Clía captures his attention nonetheless. He starts training her, and the more time they spend together, the more feelings grow. But war is coming, and it threatens them in more ways than one..
This book took inspiration from Legally Blonde and it was really well done, a lot more subtle than I thought it will be.
The pace was slow at times, it dragged a little, but there were some amazing moments that made up for it. There were quests and battles and political intrigue and betrayal.
I really liked the lore, Cait created her world beautifully.
Clía was such a force, incredibly determined, but she did frustrate me a lot. I absolutely loved Murphy though.
Ronan was so kind and amazing. I adored him, the way he was there for Clía and how he put Domhnall in his place. I also loved how well his battle with chronic pain was shown.
I honestly hated Domhnall, but he did grow on me a little by the end. He is a good man, he just needs to work on his attitude. I feel like he and Niamh are perfect together, because she'll keep him in check. She's terrifying, so naturally I loved her. And Kían and Sárait, ahhh. I adored them. They were so cute together.
I really appreciated the representation, it was refreshing.
The biggest let-down, for me personally, was the relationship between Clía and Ronan. Don't get me wrong, they work perfectly and I love how they were there for each other, but they felt more like friends than lovers.
Now, there's something I need to rant about. Feel free to skip this part, as there might be spoilers..
I just can't get past the fact she went to a military academy woefully unprepared. Who, in their right mind, just shows up to a prestigious MILITARY academy without even knowing how to hold a sword. Like, she got zero information beforehand, she just showed up and was surprised they were dueling on the first day. What in the world was she expecting, it is, again, a MILITARY academy. People train for years to get that opportunity and she just showed up, with nothing but hopes and dreams. I mean, come on. It got on my nerves so bad. I almost dnfed right then and there. My anxious self was dying. And not to mention Ronan and his blinding loyalty. Honestly, the sheer stupidity in certain situations was mind-boggling.
Also, the fact it took so little for Clía to question Ronan. After everything, it only took a well placed sentence and she was distrusting him. I understand why, but I can't forgive it.
Rant over..
I still think this was a great book with characters I generally loved and it did get me out of a slump, which is why I decided to give it four instead three stars. I feel like it has so much potential and I really hope we'll get more books. It was left open-ended and I would love to see them all again, on a new adventure.
*Thank you to Netgalley and to HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC.*
Princess Clía and Prince Domhnall, heirs of neighbouring kingdoms, are betrothed. Everyone expects them to marry and unite their two kingdoms. But when Domhnall decides to not propose because he thinks Clía is too weak to protect his kingdom, she decides to follow him to Caisleán Cósta, the military academy he’s attending. She's determined to prove him wrong. Ronan is the Captain of Domhnall's guard and his friend. He is at the academy to prove himself to his mentor. He has no time for princesses, but Clía captures his attention nonetheless. He starts training her, and the more time they spend together, the more feelings grow. But war is coming, and it threatens them in more ways than one..
This book took inspiration from Legally Blonde and it was really well done, a lot more subtle than I thought it will be.
The pace was slow at times, it dragged a little, but there were some amazing moments that made up for it. There were quests and battles and political intrigue and betrayal.
I really liked the lore, Cait created her world beautifully.
Clía was such a force, incredibly determined, but she did frustrate me a lot. I absolutely loved Murphy though.
Ronan was so kind and amazing. I adored him, the way he was there for Clía and how he put Domhnall in his place. I also loved how well his battle with chronic pain was shown.
I honestly hated Domhnall, but he did grow on me a little by the end. He is a good man, he just needs to work on his attitude. I feel like he and Niamh are perfect together, because she'll keep him in check. She's terrifying, so naturally I loved her. And Kían and Sárait, ahhh. I adored them. They were so cute together.
I really appreciated the representation, it was refreshing.
The biggest let-down, for me personally, was the relationship between Clía and Ronan. Don't get me wrong, they work perfectly and I love how they were there for each other, but they felt more like friends than lovers.
Now, there's something I need to rant about. Feel free to skip this part, as there might be spoilers..
I just can't get past the fact she went to a military academy woefully unprepared. Who, in their right mind, just shows up to a prestigious MILITARY academy without even knowing how to hold a sword. Like, she got zero information beforehand, she just showed up and was surprised they were dueling on the first day. What in the world was she expecting, it is, again, a MILITARY academy. People train for years to get that opportunity and she just showed up, with nothing but hopes and dreams. I mean, come on. It got on my nerves so bad. I almost dnfed right then and there. My anxious self was dying. And not to mention Ronan and his blinding loyalty. Honestly, the sheer stupidity in certain situations was mind-boggling.
Also, the fact it took so little for Clía to question Ronan. After everything, it only took a well placed sentence and she was distrusting him. I understand why, but I can't forgive it.
Rant over..
I still think this was a great book with characters I generally loved and it did get me out of a slump, which is why I decided to give it four instead three stars. I feel like it has so much potential and I really hope we'll get more books. It was left open-ended and I would love to see them all again, on a new adventure.
*Thank you to Netgalley and to HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC.*