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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
slow-paced
The Princess Knight has an incredible pitch: take Legally Blonde and make it medieval. Going into this book, I was excited for a story of female empowerment, romance, and humorous friendship — and while there are whispers of each of these things, I found the story to fall short of its promise.
The world building is very generic/undeveloped, essentially coming out to the “gossips say war is on the horizon and we need alliances!” I wish there was more color to each individual nation’s motivations/wants.
The romance had a lot of potential: the princess joins a military school to get back with her ex but falls for his friend instead. They fall into attraction pretty swiftly and there isn’t much tension preventing them from getting together after that.
A cool idea but I found the execution underwhelming.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The world building is very generic/undeveloped, essentially coming out to the “gossips say war is on the horizon and we need alliances!” I wish there was more color to each individual nation’s motivations/wants.
The romance had a lot of potential: the princess joins a military school to get back with her ex but falls for his friend instead. They fall into attraction pretty swiftly and there isn’t much tension preventing them from getting together after that.
A cool idea but I found the execution underwhelming.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Scoville Spice Scale: ½🌶
I was thrilled to get an ARC of this book based off the author's excitement and our mutual booksta-friends. I knew the title was previously another name but I really didn't put a lot of eggs into that basket so that didn't impede my reading "glasses" so to say.
This is coming of age tale of a princess scorned not just by her intended prince but by so many people who underestimate her tenacity and determination. The story centers on Clia and Ronan - a Princess of one kingdom and the Captain in charge of guarding the Prince who was her intended. As their story unfolds, so does intrigue, mystery, ancient artifacts, blossoming love, war, betrayals. Clia must navigate through this and her feelings for Ronan. Ronan has his own challenges thrown his way.
What I loved:
I loved that Clia never gave up being herself. She even found a way to have armor that was fashionable.
I love that Ronan never closed off lines of communication with Clia about their relationship. He always said how he felt about her.
I loved how relationships with Clia and other charaters grew and changed over the book.
What I liked:
I was stunned by the betrayals.
Fabric. As a retired sewist, holy moley! Fabric!
Tropes:
⚔️ Fighting & Wartime
💘 Love is a battlefield
🤔 Subterfuge & Mystery
💕 Found Family
♿️ Disability Rep
♾️ LBGTQ+ Rep
Congratulations to Cait Jacobs on her debut book! And thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Scoville Spice Scale: ½🌶
I was thrilled to get an ARC of this book based off the author's excitement and our mutual booksta-friends. I knew the title was previously another name but I really didn't put a lot of eggs into that basket so that didn't impede my reading "glasses" so to say.
This is coming of age tale of a princess scorned not just by her intended prince but by so many people who underestimate her tenacity and determination. The story centers on Clia and Ronan - a Princess of one kingdom and the Captain in charge of guarding the Prince who was her intended. As their story unfolds, so does intrigue, mystery, ancient artifacts, blossoming love, war, betrayals. Clia must navigate through this and her feelings for Ronan. Ronan has his own challenges thrown his way.
What I loved:
I loved that Clia never gave up being herself. She even found a way to have armor that was fashionable.
I love that Ronan never closed off lines of communication with Clia about their relationship. He always said how he felt about her.
I loved how relationships with Clia and other charaters grew and changed over the book.
What I liked:
I was stunned by the betrayals.
Fabric. As a retired sewist, holy moley! Fabric!
Tropes:
⚔️ Fighting & Wartime
💘 Love is a battlefield
🤔 Subterfuge & Mystery
💕 Found Family
♿️ Disability Rep
♾️ LBGTQ+ Rep
Congratulations to Cait Jacobs on her debut book! And thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, War
Minor: Vomit, Kidnapping, Death of parent
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
First off I want to say Legally Blonde is one of my favorite movies ever. I’m also super in ‘medieval’ knights and princesses all of that so as soon as I saw this was being published I had to request it.
The main character, Clía, follows Domhnall the Prince who she thought she was going to marry to a military academy after he backs out of his proposal and tells her she isn’t strong enough to be his Queen. From there on we see her do what she was told would never happen and starts getting help with her training. The story doesn’t end the way she planned for it to but it ends up being the right thing for her.
I did really like the characters even though I got annoyed by one almost every time he opened his mouth for a while there. I personally feel like the story wrapped up nicely even tho I would love a holiday novella with all the characters.
Definitely would recommend this to my friends who also like the movie it was inspired by.
First off I want to say Legally Blonde is one of my favorite movies ever. I’m also super in ‘medieval’ knights and princesses all of that so as soon as I saw this was being published I had to request it.
The main character, Clía, follows Domhnall the Prince who she thought she was going to marry to a military academy after he backs out of his proposal and tells her she isn’t strong enough to be his Queen. From there on we see her do what she was told would never happen and starts getting help with her training. The story doesn’t end the way she planned for it to but it ends up being the right thing for her.
I did really like the characters even though I got annoyed by one almost every time he opened his mouth for a while there. I personally feel like the story wrapped up nicely even tho I would love a holiday novella with all the characters.
Definitely would recommend this to my friends who also like the movie it was inspired by.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
I truly loved The Princess Knight. This book is such a fantastic NA fantasy romance. The world Cait has created lives in my head rent free, and the romance is spectacular. I finished this book in one sitting because of how fast paced and intriguing the plot was!
One of my favorite aspects of the book is the character development of Clia. She starts the story yearning to be loved and be married, because that had been ingrained in her since she was young. Then, we watch as she overcomes her grief and accepts the idea of not being good enough to be desired by the one person she thought she’d have forever with. Once Clia learns who she is and realizes men ain’t shit, she comes to terms with who she is as a person.
I don’t think I’ve read a book that quite captures neurodivergence as well as this one has. Clia’s struggles related to my own, and being able to read her experiences felt so therapeutic.
I cannot wait to continue this series…and I do not say these words lightly, but this book feels like what reading your favorite comfort book for the first time feels like. Cait takes us on such a rollercoaster, I’ll be thinking about this book until the sequel comes out.
One of my favorite aspects of the book is the character development of Clia. She starts the story yearning to be loved and be married, because that had been ingrained in her since she was young. Then, we watch as she overcomes her grief and accepts the idea of not being good enough to be desired by the one person she thought she’d have forever with. Once Clia learns who she is and realizes men ain’t shit, she comes to terms with who she is as a person.
I don’t think I’ve read a book that quite captures neurodivergence as well as this one has. Clia’s struggles related to my own, and being able to read her experiences felt so therapeutic.
I cannot wait to continue this series…and I do not say these words lightly, but this book feels like what reading your favorite comfort book for the first time feels like. Cait takes us on such a rollercoaster, I’ll be thinking about this book until the sequel comes out.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC! I've been waiting to get the chance to read this book since the author first posted about it.
The haters do NOT get this book like I do. I can't believe how many low reviews I saw. This book was so creative and well thought out, I'm so impressed that this is Cait Jacobs' debut!
I loved the Legally Blonde inspiration and how creative Jacobs got with the parallels, it made for such a fun read! But that's not to say this book didn't surprise me, despite the well-known plot there were plenty of twists and unique storylines. The biggest one leaving me jaw dropped; if there's one thing I had to say Jacobs was best at writing, it would be hiding their true twists behind obvious ones.
This story is multifaceted—in a way, it reminds me of how I felt watching The Princess Bride for the first time. Like how the grandson expected one type of story going in, but was surprised how packed full of adventure, action, and betrayal it was. The care and effort poured into this book is clear, especially in the culture and folklore included. The world building felt very intricate and fleshed out, which is always characteristic of a great fantasy novel.
The only thing I wished we got more of was Clía's dynamic with her parents, specifically after she returns from Caisleán Cósta to confront them and prepare her kingdom. I feel like that was an unresolved part of her story I would have liked to see, but I have very little complaints and loved this book so much!
The haters do NOT get this book like I do. I can't believe how many low reviews I saw. This book was so creative and well thought out, I'm so impressed that this is Cait Jacobs' debut!
I loved the Legally Blonde inspiration and how creative Jacobs got with the parallels, it made for such a fun read! But that's not to say this book didn't surprise me, despite the well-known plot there were plenty of twists and unique storylines. The biggest one leaving me jaw dropped; if there's one thing I had to say Jacobs was best at writing, it would be hiding their true twists behind obvious ones.
This story is multifaceted—in a way, it reminds me of how I felt watching The Princess Bride for the first time. Like how the grandson expected one type of story going in, but was surprised how packed full of adventure, action, and betrayal it was. The care and effort poured into this book is clear, especially in the culture and folklore included. The world building felt very intricate and fleshed out, which is always characteristic of a great fantasy novel.
The only thing I wished we got more of was Clía's dynamic with her parents, specifically after she returns from Caisleán Cósta to confront them and prepare her kingdom. I feel like that was an unresolved part of her story I would have liked to see, but I have very little complaints and loved this book so much!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Death of parent
"After you murder me in cold blood, would you mind pretending I said something wise and serene when facing death?"
Domhnall and Clía are an ideal match—or so everyone says. They are prince and princess of neighboring kingdoms. An alliance the gods will smile on. Until Domhnall ruins everything by refusing to propose because he needs a warrior queen, not just one "with a pretty face." Heartbroken but determined, Clía makes the perfect plan: Follow Domhnall to Caisleán Cósta, the military academy he’s attending. Show she can protect her kingdom. Secure the betrothal.
Warrior Ronan promised himself he’d never lose his focus. He fought and sacrificed for his place at Caisleán Cósta, and he has no time for blonde princesses who waltz intro arenas like they’re attending a ball. He doesn’t want to be intrigued by Clía. But her hunger to prove herself is something he understands. He tells himself there’s no harm training her. Even if his heart does race around her. Even if Domhnall is his best friend.
But as they say, love is a battlefield—and unfortunately for them all, a very real war is looming on the horizon. It’s a fight that will threaten all their kingdoms…and test all their hearts.
Admiration was a jewel rarer than any diamond, and a weapon sharper than any sword.
DNF @ 45% then skimmed to 55%.
I really, really wanted to love this. This had the perfect recipe: underdog woman showing the men that undervalue her what she's really made of. Shows everybody how BA she is. Gets the guy she deserves rather than the one she thought she wanted.
Alas, while it has a good idea the execution is a little...less thought out. The military academy isn't just a standard military academy that teaches you tactics and how to wield a sword. No, this is the elite military academy with very select admittance and sends at least three-quarters of their attendees home each year. Yet...at the first bout she drops her sword, makes a disgrace of herself, and isn't sent home because she's wasting everyone's time? In fact, the unyielding master of the academy hints to his top pupil that he should train the girl on the side so she isn't as useless? And Ronan, who has worked FOREVER to get to this academy, isn't even mad that he's regulated to babysitter instead of sharpening his already formidable skills?
And let's not forget about Domhnall, the entire reason she's here in the first place. He's so wishy-washy this whole premise makes me grimace because he is HARDLY worth the effort, especially when he tries subtly sabotaging her efforts.
I was finished when she's given the title of elite warrior. A title handed out to VERY FEW PEOPLE and she still sucks at sword fighting. Nope.
Sorry, this one is a miss.
Major thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was really drawn to the original title of this book "Medievally Blonde," the idea of which sounded so cute! But it mostly fell flat for me. It had read as a very young adult book, I think it should be geared more towards young adult in general, because it may read better. I thought the writing was pretty clunky, and I struggled through a good amount of it. It feels way longer than it should be.
I didn't find myself really liking any of the characters. The whole story seems pretty vague in areas that are important (how Clia is improving at anything) and too detailed in some of the world-building, where I found myself not caring much about.
I also thought I'd be way more into the Irish names than I was. As being that I don't speak gaelic, I STRUGGLED with knowing how to pronounce things and I was miserable just accepting that I'm saying it wrong in my head, lol. But that's a minor complaint and more about me than the book.
I feel like it's a fine little fairy-tale like story, that's a cute reimagining of Legally Blonde, with very low risks and uncomplicated-feeling romance. It's just okay.
The cover for the book is beautiful, though!
I didn't find myself really liking any of the characters. The whole story seems pretty vague in areas that are important (how Clia is improving at anything) and too detailed in some of the world-building, where I found myself not caring much about.
I also thought I'd be way more into the Irish names than I was. As being that I don't speak gaelic, I STRUGGLED with knowing how to pronounce things and I was miserable just accepting that I'm saying it wrong in my head, lol. But that's a minor complaint and more about me than the book.
I feel like it's a fine little fairy-tale like story, that's a cute reimagining of Legally Blonde, with very low risks and uncomplicated-feeling romance. It's just okay.
The cover for the book is beautiful, though!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one didn't hit like I wanted it to which is unfortunate. I realize this is supposed to be (or was supposed to be) a Legally Blonde retelling and I think that hindered it. Honestly, even within that framework this didn't make sense as a Legally Blonde retelling...if anything it was trying to give Fourth Wing. This also isn't advertised anywhere as being YA and honestly, if it was YA it would probably be a better story. It didn't clear the bar of being an adult book for me personally.
This entire story felt disjointed and got progressively more Scooby-Doo like as it went on. The framework for the fantasy isn't terrible with the whole Celtic historical fantasy vibe, but none of the fantastical elements make sense at any given point of the story. Reading it felt like I was missing pages sometimes. It felt like there was a scene checklist that dictated every scene that needed to make the cut to keep the Legally Blonde framework and the rest of it had to fit into that narrative no matter what which .....didn't work.
The characters were all cardboard cut outs with 0 depth. Clía is somehow more ditzy than Elle, and she seemingly never gets the point of why things need to be serious or understand that the military isn't a game. At least Elle quickly gets the point that she has to be better than Warner but Clía never gets there.
She has to come to this military school to "become stronger" in order to get her fiancé Domnhall back, even though it's never really explained how them being married will actually help their kingdoms and it's never explained exactly what she needs to become stronger at. For the entire story, characters tell her she's improving and becoming stronger but you don't really ever see her doing anything that impressive (compared to other characters) until she's suddenly able to kill people and ultimately kills the villain because ...ofc she does.
The romance between Clía and Ronan was bland and unbelievable. They didn't have any chemistry or tension, but had multiple declarations of love from Ronan that felt like they came out of nowhere and it sort of continued to feel that way through the end of the story. The romance definitely needed more beef to make me believe it. Honestly, Clía and Naimh should've been wlw and that should be the romance. They had way more chemistry together than Clía did with any of the men in this story.
The main villain and his motivations felt very mustache twirling and unbelievable. Almost every adult professor/general in this military school was somehow unable to figure out this this man was a villain but the NEW students were able to figure out his entire plan and kill him? What? This guy was threatening people in public, poisoning students, and doing everything under the sun that be ~evil~ and no one got the picture until like 85% in.
The whole war they're trying to prevent didn't feel that urgent, and honestly them needing to be in military school didn't even make sense because we never really see anyone going to class or learning....anything. The only learning we see is them meeting to get instructions and Clía and Ronan training by themselves for most of the story. There is also a hint of magic that I guess is supposed to be important but it's poorly (not at all) explained so you're like "sure I guess". This is another aspect of the story that needed more time to cook.
Idk, this one wasn't a winner for me and the cover is immaculate so I was hoping it would be. I think overall this entire story needs more time to bake and more of like...everything. None of the elements of this story really felt necessary or well-explained. I'm willing to read it again when it comes out to see what was changed because I think it has the potential to be interesting but the version I read wasn't the best.
This entire story felt disjointed and got progressively more Scooby-Doo like as it went on. The framework for the fantasy isn't terrible with the whole Celtic historical fantasy vibe, but none of the fantastical elements make sense at any given point of the story. Reading it felt like I was missing pages sometimes. It felt like there was a scene checklist that dictated every scene that needed to make the cut to keep the Legally Blonde framework and the rest of it had to fit into that narrative no matter what which .....didn't work.
The characters were all cardboard cut outs with 0 depth. Clía is somehow more ditzy than Elle, and she seemingly never gets the point of why things need to be serious or understand that the military isn't a game. At least Elle quickly gets the point that she has to be better than Warner but Clía never gets there.
She has to come to this military school to "become stronger" in order to get her fiancé Domnhall back, even though it's never really explained how them being married will actually help their kingdoms and it's never explained exactly what she needs to become stronger at. For the entire story, characters tell her she's improving and becoming stronger but you don't really ever see her doing anything that impressive (compared to other characters) until she's suddenly able to kill people and ultimately kills the villain because ...ofc she does.
The romance between Clía and Ronan was bland and unbelievable. They didn't have any chemistry or tension, but had multiple declarations of love from Ronan that felt like they came out of nowhere and it sort of continued to feel that way through the end of the story. The romance definitely needed more beef to make me believe it. Honestly, Clía and Naimh should've been wlw and that should be the romance. They had way more chemistry together than Clía did with any of the men in this story.
The main villain and his motivations felt very mustache twirling and unbelievable. Almost every adult professor/general in this military school was somehow unable to figure out this this man was a villain but the NEW students were able to figure out his entire plan and kill him? What? This guy was threatening people in public, poisoning students, and doing everything under the sun that be ~evil~ and no one got the picture until like 85% in.
The whole war they're trying to prevent didn't feel that urgent, and honestly them needing to be in military school didn't even make sense because we never really see anyone going to class or learning....anything. The only learning we see is them meeting to get instructions and Clía and Ronan training by themselves for most of the story. There is also a hint of magic that I guess is supposed to be important but it's poorly (not at all) explained so you're like "sure I guess". This is another aspect of the story that needed more time to cook.
Idk, this one wasn't a winner for me and the cover is immaculate so I was hoping it would be. I think overall this entire story needs more time to bake and more of like...everything. None of the elements of this story really felt necessary or well-explained. I'm willing to read it again when it comes out to see what was changed because I think it has the potential to be interesting but the version I read wasn't the best.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
Celtic mythology meets Legally Blonde. The title was going to be Medievally Blonde. I don’t know why it changed but I’m sad it did. It was a way better title.
Clia is set to be engaged to Domhnall. The day he is set to propose he tells her that she is not Queen material. He needs someone who isn’t just a pretty face. He tells her he is off to Caislean, a military academy. It’s important for her to marry Domhnall. It would create an alliance for the two kingdoms. She also wants to prove she is more than a pretty face so she decides to follow him to the academy.there she meets Ronan, Domhnall’s best friend and Head of his guard. He is intrigued by her determination and decides to train her.
I didn’t realize this was a retelling of Legally Blonde when I started to read it. I found out later when I was looking at other reviews. I enjoyed the book. I liked the characters Clia and Ronan. I liked the amount of LGBTQIA representation. I enjoyed the plot for the most part though I felt like there were a few holes. Like where did Domhnall go during their mission. He was with them when they went to rescue Ronan and the others, then he disappeared. When they get back to Caislean he is there running laps. No one ever questions him and it is never explained. Additionally, I thought the story would be funny. It’s a Legally Blonde retelling but there is not one laugh. That’s a bit of a letdown. I still enjoyed the story though and I would recommend it to others.
Solid 4 stars. I look forward to other books but this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the digital copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Clia is set to be engaged to Domhnall. The day he is set to propose he tells her that she is not Queen material. He needs someone who isn’t just a pretty face. He tells her he is off to Caislean, a military academy. It’s important for her to marry Domhnall. It would create an alliance for the two kingdoms. She also wants to prove she is more than a pretty face so she decides to follow him to the academy.there she meets Ronan, Domhnall’s best friend and Head of his guard. He is intrigued by her determination and decides to train her.
I didn’t realize this was a retelling of Legally Blonde when I started to read it. I found out later when I was looking at other reviews. I enjoyed the book. I liked the characters Clia and Ronan. I liked the amount of LGBTQIA representation. I enjoyed the plot for the most part though I felt like there were a few holes. Like where did Domhnall go during their mission. He was with them when they went to rescue Ronan and the others, then he disappeared. When they get back to Caislean he is there running laps. No one ever questions him and it is never explained. Additionally, I thought the story would be funny. It’s a Legally Blonde retelling but there is not one laugh. That’s a bit of a letdown. I still enjoyed the story though and I would recommend it to others.
Solid 4 stars. I look forward to other books but this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the digital copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
╰ 5☆ stars — Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC!
Simply put, I LOVED this book. It had me on the edge of my seat for the whole book and I was grossly invested in how the romance would play out. It was the perfect amount of slow burn with yearning that made me literally have to put the book down several times to deal with my emotions before coming back to it.
The diversity and representation presented through the characters was incredibly refreshing and done in such a unique way. I found myself getting overly attached to all of them (except Domnhall…you know what you did) and was stressed out in every battle scene because I didn’t want to lose any of them.
I found this book to be more on the political/war based side than the romance side, which is perfectly fine. It was kind of nice to have the romance be a subplot to the deeper story at hand. And the conflict was wrapped up in a way that kind of left it open ended for a continuation in the series or to leave it at one book. I would honestly love to see these characters again after they have fallen into ease of their new roles, but I am almost happy with the way the story ended as well.
This was a fantastic book and I breezed through it because I simply couldn’t put it down. 10/10 would recommend to anyone that needs a good fantasy read that is both empowering and insightful.