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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I originally wanted to read this book for the disability representation but got hooked for sooo many other reasons! I truly enjoyed the ex’s friend/betrayal, forbidden love, one tent
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
It's worth noting before my review that I have followed the author of this book, Cait Jacobs, on Tiktok for several years, seeking out her particular brand of quirkiness and vivid storytelling when it came to book recommendations—so when it came to her own book, I wasn't shocked to find the same, lovely thing.
The Princess Knight takes the bones of a familiar story—a girl, perceived to be weak, and superficial, and, well, blonde, scorned by the man she thought she'd marry, going off to learn the skills to be worthy of his love, all while finding new love and her true path along the way—and gives it a fantasy twist. The book focuses on Clia, a princess who has been raised for as long as she could remember to marry Domhnall, a prince from a neighboring kingdom, for political alliance purposes. They're friends, anyway—so she's hardly expecting it when he says that, with war looming, he needs a stronger bride, and that's just not her. Needless to say, she follows him to the prestige warrior academy, where she finds her own inner strength, and a kinship—and more—with the Captain of the Prince's Guard, Ronan.
There was so much I adored about this book—the way the story found its footing and beats in a fantasy world, making it both familiar and fresh was so lovely. The cast of characters were also utterly charming—steeped in interesting personalities and back stories I could have spent even more time on.
I do think the book has a few bumps in the road—sometimes not knowing if it wants to be a true, epic fantasy novel steeped in lore and magic and war, or the lighter rom-com homage it was billed as, and there are moments where I think that could have been blended a little better.
But overall, Cait Jacobs' debut is full of rich potential and a clear passion for stories and characters that break the box.
The Princess Knight takes the bones of a familiar story—a girl, perceived to be weak, and superficial, and, well, blonde, scorned by the man she thought she'd marry, going off to learn the skills to be worthy of his love, all while finding new love and her true path along the way—and gives it a fantasy twist. The book focuses on Clia, a princess who has been raised for as long as she could remember to marry Domhnall, a prince from a neighboring kingdom, for political alliance purposes. They're friends, anyway—so she's hardly expecting it when he says that, with war looming, he needs a stronger bride, and that's just not her. Needless to say, she follows him to the prestige warrior academy, where she finds her own inner strength, and a kinship—and more—with the Captain of the Prince's Guard, Ronan.
There was so much I adored about this book—the way the story found its footing and beats in a fantasy world, making it both familiar and fresh was so lovely. The cast of characters were also utterly charming—steeped in interesting personalities and back stories I could have spent even more time on.
I do think the book has a few bumps in the road—sometimes not knowing if it wants to be a true, epic fantasy novel steeped in lore and magic and war, or the lighter rom-com homage it was billed as, and there are moments where I think that could have been blended a little better.
But overall, Cait Jacobs' debut is full of rich potential and a clear passion for stories and characters that break the box.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
The "Legally Blonde but make it a fantasy" basis of this book reads loud and clear - especially if you're a fan of the musical. Because of that, each story beat follows the source material closely enough to be predictable but still fairly entertaining, if not just a bit too on-the-nose at times.
Clía was a likeable enough protagonist, and while her personality shined in her sewing passions and the way she incorporated fashion into her deadly warrior training, I wish we had seen a little more from her character-wise.
Ronan was a standout, with much more in-depth backstory and hidden strengths built into his character and revealed throughout.
The rest of the cast rounded out some dynamics nicely. While I felt the fierce female friendship dynamics from the source material weren't coming off as strongly as I'd hoped, they were still very much present. A cute side romance and a Not-As-Big-Of-A-Jerk-As-You-Could-Have-Been award going out to our Warner Huntington-equivalent character definitely were positives I enjoyed.
There is subtle normalized queerness throughout this entire main cast - nonbinary, demi, and bi/pan rep is all present and very welcome. Our MMC also serves as a wonderful rep for disability and chronic pain.
After getting past the steep learning curve of heavy information spilled at the start of this book explaining the universe's history and lore, I expected all of the names and places we learned about to play a bigger role, but the story was mainly contained to Clía's training and studies.
Lastly, while the romance was a believable medium-burn, the book does take place over the course of several months, creating some pacing issues. The reluctance and fear preventing the happily-ever-after from happening until the very end felt a bit contrived, and the love story could have benefitted from building some more natural chemistry and conversation first.
Overall, an enjoyable read despite my above qualms. Anyone who enjoys the inspiration and a fantasy romance will at least smirk at the way full lines from the movie/musical were able to be snuck in word-for-word in a context that made sense. I know I did.
Clía was a likeable enough protagonist, and while her personality shined in her sewing passions and the way she incorporated fashion into her deadly warrior training, I wish we had seen a little more from her character-wise.
Ronan was a standout, with much more in-depth backstory and hidden strengths built into his character and revealed throughout.
The rest of the cast rounded out some dynamics nicely. While I felt the fierce female friendship dynamics from the source material weren't coming off as strongly as I'd hoped, they were still very much present. A cute side romance and a Not-As-Big-Of-A-Jerk-As-You-Could-Have-Been award going out to our Warner Huntington-equivalent character definitely were positives I enjoyed.
There is subtle normalized queerness throughout this entire main cast - nonbinary, demi, and bi/pan rep is all present and very welcome. Our MMC also serves as a wonderful rep for disability and chronic pain.
After getting past the steep learning curve of heavy information spilled at the start of this book explaining the universe's history and lore, I expected all of the names and places we learned about to play a bigger role, but the story was mainly contained to Clía's training and studies.
Lastly, while the romance was a believable medium-burn, the book does take place over the course of several months, creating some pacing issues. The reluctance and fear preventing the happily-ever-after from happening until the very end felt a bit contrived, and the love story could have benefitted from building some more natural chemistry and conversation first.
Overall, an enjoyable read despite my above qualms. Anyone who enjoys the inspiration and a fantasy romance will at least smirk at the way full lines from the movie/musical were able to be snuck in word-for-word in a context that made sense. I know I did.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I have to start this review off with a nod to the cover art because it is amazing and definitely drew me in!
Our main character Princess Clía follows Prince Domnhall to an elite school for warriors, Caisleán Cósta, to prove her worth after he backs out of an all but sure engagement with some unkind words. There, with the Domnhall’s Captain of the Guard Ronan at her side, she discovers that the threats to her kingdom are bigger than she knew and that the only person she should feel inclined to prove her worth to is herself. Previously marketed as a Legally Blonde retelling, the influences of the iconic movie are evident, including an amazing Bend and Snap derivative.
This book had a lot of promise between the light hearted and nostalgic inspiration, the representation of chronic pain in our main male character, and the queer normative world. While the aforementioned were all done well, all together the book unfortunately fell a bit short for me. Clocking in at 400 pages there were definitely scenes that could’ve been cut or repurposed. The characters and their relationships all felt a bit underdeveloped and more ‘tell vs show’ to me and because of it the (predictable) plot twists that hinged on character actions lacked emotional impact.
All that said, the biggest miss for me was the added in elements of Irish folklore. Instead of just nod, which might’ve been fine, they felt like they were supposed to be a large point (the names, the places, the opening glossary of countries and the gods they derived from) but it never made sense to me why. Instead of creating an ephemeral and magical setting lush with the imagery and whimsy Irish folklore tales (or those stories derived from them) normally deliver, their place in this book just felt like they were there to make it ‘fantasy’ but could’ve been swapped for anything else.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the arc. The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs is set to publish on October 14, 2025.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is a cute tale of personal growth loosely based on Legally Blonde. I can definitely see the parallels. I enjoyed all the characters and representation and enjoyed the main character coming into herself. Some of the twists I saw coming but some I did not! I would classify this as a YA so don't expect any explicit spice.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
Welcome to The Princess Knight, where Legally Blonde meets medieval fantasy. After discovering she will not be wed to her prince, she enters a prestigious military school, determined to win him back. I loved the character growth throughout this story. The world building was incredible, I appreciated how backstory and history were added without being confusing or overwhelming.
I was obsessed with the FMC, she was constantly growing and changing throughout the story. I loved watching her go from a naive princess solely playing the roles her family expects, to a strong independent woman. Each character in this story was very well developed, and had clear motivations behind their actions.
4.5 stars
Welcome to The Princess Knight, where Legally Blonde meets medieval fantasy. After discovering she will not be wed to her prince, she enters a prestigious military school, determined to win him back. I loved the character growth throughout this story. The world building was incredible, I appreciated how backstory and history were added without being confusing or overwhelming.
I was obsessed with the FMC, she was constantly growing and changing throughout the story. I loved watching her go from a naive princess solely playing the roles her family expects, to a strong independent woman. Each character in this story was very well developed, and had clear motivations behind their actions.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-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:
Complicated
The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
I cannot recommend this book enough!! The Princess Knight has shot up into possibly one of my favorite stories of all time!
Get ready for Legally Blonde meets Fourth Wing… except the MFC is going to warrior school instead of law school aaaand there are no dragons 😂
The author absolutely perfected the ability to slowly build this story upon itself, brick by brick About halfway through the book, every facet deepens. The characters slowly become complex and well thought-out in a way that feels like natural growth. Each minor character was fleshed out and had their own stories continuing even if they were out of view. It is a story that is rich in politics, but trickles the knowledge at the reader in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming. Okay, maybe some of the names are a bit hard to pronounce, but don’t let that put you off!
The dual POV provided a feet-kicking level of romance that slowly grew into something absolutely earth shattering. Ronan and Clia really feel like unique outliers in the romantasy world. Their chemistry is unmatched, and I loved them every step of the way!!
I highly recommend The Princess Knight and will definitely have to order this. It just HAS to live on my shelf!! Bravo Cait Jacobs!! 👏
slow-paced
Should you compare this to Legally Blonde? I’d argue not to. It’s a cute and clever idea, but it only fit that storyline in the beginning, and it felt a bit clunky. I think Clía is a likable main character, but she doesn’t remind me of Elle.
Overall my feelings after just finishing are that it was neither bad writing, nor fun reading. It took me two full weeks to finish, which is a very long time for me, because every time I picked it up I got sleepy. It was slow in pace.
The romance was lacking in the chemistry department. That was a bit disappointing because the cover art is gorgeous! However, I appreciate that it is LGBT inclusive. I did like some of the friendships developed too, especially with Niamh. I also enjoyed adding Murphy as the pet, brought some real folklore with the dobhar-chú into the mix, which I definitely google image searched.
Overall it did read to me as YA. I could guess twists or plot points easily, so there wasn’t much excitement. The best parts were fights, battles, and occasional banter.
Thank you NetGalley for the free eARC!
Overall my feelings after just finishing are that it was neither bad writing, nor fun reading. It took me two full weeks to finish, which is a very long time for me, because every time I picked it up I got sleepy. It was slow in pace.
The romance was lacking in the chemistry department. That was a bit disappointing because the cover art is gorgeous! However, I appreciate that it is LGBT inclusive. I did like some of the friendships developed too, especially with Niamh. I also enjoyed adding Murphy as the pet, brought some real folklore with the dobhar-chú into the mix, which I definitely google image searched.
Overall it did read to me as YA. I could guess twists or plot points easily, so there wasn’t much excitement. The best parts were fights, battles, and occasional banter.
Thank you NetGalley for the free eARC!