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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
thank you so much to netgalley and harper voyager for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
~~~~
domhnall and clia have a planned alliance that will unite their neighboring kingdoms; it is supposed to be perfect... until he refuses to propose. so, as anyone would have done, clia follows him to the military academy he's training at.
she then meets ronan, one of domhnall's guards who quickly becomes interested in clia. but, a war is on the horizon.
~~~~
cait jacobs has created a masterful fantasy inspired by legally blonde! though it is marketed as new adult, it is fade-to-black and i think this would be a fine read for ages 14 and up. while you will not be getting loads of worldbuilding, jacobs makes up for it with her fantastic fighting descriptions and political fantasy aspects.
~~~~
trigger warnings:
-violence
-death
-grief
tropes:
-disability rep
-irish folklore
-academic setting
-forced proximity
-slow burn
similar to:
-legally blonde (ofc)
-fourth wing (only in the aspect of the academic setting)
~~~~
domhnall and clia have a planned alliance that will unite their neighboring kingdoms; it is supposed to be perfect... until he refuses to propose. so, as anyone would have done, clia follows him to the military academy he's training at.
she then meets ronan, one of domhnall's guards who quickly becomes interested in clia. but, a war is on the horizon.
~~~~
cait jacobs has created a masterful fantasy inspired by legally blonde! though it is marketed as new adult, it is fade-to-black and i think this would be a fine read for ages 14 and up. while you will not be getting loads of worldbuilding, jacobs makes up for it with her fantastic fighting descriptions and political fantasy aspects.
~~~~
trigger warnings:
-violence
-death
-grief
tropes:
-disability rep
-irish folklore
-academic setting
-forced proximity
-slow burn
similar to:
-legally blonde (ofc)
-fourth wing (only in the aspect of the academic setting)
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
DNFing due to stupidity.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
This book was everything promised and more!
When i first saw that there was going to be a book coming out that was cute legally blonde meets midevl times with kinghts I was hooked. And it made this one of my anticipated releases for the year. This book did not disappoint!
This is a third person POV with four parts. I liked the parts made it easier to have a stopping point throughout the book. If you enjoy a book with academia feels (we’re going to knight college!), learning oneself, and ladies with swords this is the read for you this fall!
My only thing that would have stopped me from reading this book is that the names pop up and i feel like i’m reading a high fantasy with elf names like Álainndore, Inismian, Tinelann, Clíodhna, Oileánster, Taranasadh.
These all feel more high fantasy than medieval kinght times and if stumbling on these words takes away from your immersion in the book it might not be a book for you. That being said. I set aside my horrible pronunciation and read the book and enjoyed it.
When i first saw that there was going to be a book coming out that was cute legally blonde meets midevl times with kinghts I was hooked. And it made this one of my anticipated releases for the year. This book did not disappoint!
This is a third person POV with four parts. I liked the parts made it easier to have a stopping point throughout the book. If you enjoy a book with academia feels (we’re going to knight college!), learning oneself, and ladies with swords this is the read for you this fall!
My only thing that would have stopped me from reading this book is that the names pop up and i feel like i’m reading a high fantasy with elf names like Álainndore, Inismian, Tinelann, Clíodhna, Oileánster, Taranasadh.
These all feel more high fantasy than medieval kinght times and if stumbling on these words takes away from your immersion in the book it might not be a book for you. That being said. I set aside my horrible pronunciation and read the book and enjoyed it.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“A princess desperate to win back the prince who broke her heart follows him to his kingdom’s prestigious military academy—and in doing so, falls in love, saves the realm, and continues to look fabulous, in this romantic debut fantasy loosely inspired by Legally Blonde.”
Though marketed as New Adult, I think YA would’ve suited the book more so I’m going to review it as a YA novel!
I really loved the queer-normative/non-misogynistic world in this novel, it really set the tone as an easy, cosy fantasy. The concept of the book was also great (Medievally Blonde is still my title for this book!), a war academy and the princess going against her inapt royal parents. However, as the tension in the novel came from her being inexperienced at war and privileged in her position, I would’ve liked to see more of the class divide between the nobility and the peasantry. Jacobs also alludes to a Fear Gorta in the novel and I feel like he could’ve been utilised more to show the inequality between Álainndore and the other Kingdoms of Inismian.
The Gaeilge was also lovely in the book and you can tell the author has a strong passion for it, using meaningful adjectives to describe her place names and characters (ex. Álainndore for a kingdom that thrives on luxury and aesthetics, Camhaoir; daybreak for a sword of light, Morrigan - traditional god of death & war - is from Scáilca where the patron god is also of death etc.). I did wonder why some names were Anglicised though like Kían or Murphy (missed pun with Ó Murchú). However, as it was loosely based on Irish mythology, and the author is only learning Irish I thought the introduction of it in the novel was amazing despite this! Not many books are based on Irish mythology so it was a nice middle ground for those who wouldn’t be familiar at all with Gaeilge/Ireland.
My main issues (though these were minor to my enjoyment) was parts of the plot.
I thought the twist was predictable which made the ending fall flat, and I would’ve liked to see the tensions between some characters more (ex. Morrigan/Clía. Ronan and Domhnall were considered brothers at the beginning of the book, yet barely interacted once getting to the Caisleán).
But, as said, this was minor and I know if I was a teenager these flaws wouldn’t have bothered me at all! All in all this was a great debut from Cait Jacobs and I’m looking forward to the rest of her books!
Thank you to Harper Voyager, Cait Jacobs and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ARC Review: A fantasy medieval retelling of Legally Blonde that will make you wish you were just watching Legally Blonde.
I think this had an interesting premise, but was not executed in a way that was enjoyable. The romance was okay, but almost everything else fell flat.
My primary qualms:
- The story attempts to hit every plot beat of Legally Blonde. Because it sticks to this so tightly, there's plot points/scenes that just don't make sense with what else is going on.
- The politics are wacky and do not make any logical sense. There's multiple betrayals that occur, but the characters' motivation for this makes absolutely no sense and they don't really seem to have much, if anything, to gain.
- The story takes place at a war college where absolutely no learning takes place. There is no combat training other than the students training each other outside of their school obligations (which are.... ?????)
- SPOILERS BUT I'm supposed to believe that a princess who picked up a weapon for the first time maybe ~6 months ago has learned enough todefeat the like renowned veteran general that's like the best in the country ?? okay
I think if it was a little more exciting, I'd be able to forgive some of these buuuuuut I was also mostly bored while reading.
I think this had an interesting premise, but was not executed in a way that was enjoyable. The romance was okay, but almost everything else fell flat.
My primary qualms:
- The story attempts to hit every plot beat of Legally Blonde. Because it sticks to this so tightly, there's plot points/scenes that just don't make sense with what else is going on.
- The politics are wacky and do not make any logical sense. There's multiple betrayals that occur, but the characters' motivation for this makes absolutely no sense and they don't really seem to have much, if anything, to gain.
- The story takes place at a war college where absolutely no learning takes place. There is no combat training other than the students training each other outside of their school obligations (which are.... ?????)
- SPOILERS BUT I'm supposed to believe that a princess who picked up a weapon for the first time maybe ~6 months ago has learned enough to
I think if it was a little more exciting, I'd be able to forgive some of these buuuuuut I was also mostly bored while reading.
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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:
No
Legally Blonde inspired story in medieval times and Irish folklore y'all don't have to tell me twice. Of course I added this book to my TBR immediately.
Just like El Woods, our main girl Princess Clía is strong headed, gleefully optimistic and a fashion girly 💅🏼 who is expecting to be betrothed to Prince Domhnall. When this doesn't go to plan because Domhnall doesn't see her as the future queen his kingdom needs, she decides to follow him and enlist in Caisleán Cósta, a brutal military academy to prove him wrong and win his heart back. 👀
The Princess Knight was such a fun and lighthearted read. Highly recommended if you need a break from epic fantasy or just something that will help you get out of a reading slump!
👸🏼Legally Blonde inspired
🗡️ Irish folklore
👸🏼 Lady Knights!!!
🗡️ Minimal spice
Thank you Cait Jacobs, and NetGalley for a digital ARC of The Princess Knight.
Just like El Woods, our main girl Princess Clía is strong headed, gleefully optimistic and a fashion girly 💅🏼 who is expecting to be betrothed to Prince Domhnall. When this doesn't go to plan because Domhnall doesn't see her as the future queen his kingdom needs, she decides to follow him and enlist in Caisleán Cósta, a brutal military academy to prove him wrong and win his heart back. 👀
The Princess Knight was such a fun and lighthearted read. Highly recommended if you need a break from epic fantasy or just something that will help you get out of a reading slump!
👸🏼Legally Blonde inspired
🗡️ Irish folklore
👸🏼 Lady Knights!!!
🗡️ Minimal spice
Thank you Cait Jacobs, and NetGalley for a digital ARC of The Princess Knight.
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes