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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
ARC provided by NetGalley for a fair and honest review.
This was cute, but I wanted to like it so much more than I did. It was extremely predictable and I had to fight to keep interest in it. I love books with healthy culture but I do need more cheat sheets with those books. This had an explanation of the different kingdoms in the front but there wasn’t a single glossary for all of the different names and I always want to make sure I’m pronouncing them correctly. I hope the finalized book includes a key for this. I would recommend it for a quick, light read, but it didn’t hit the nail on the head for me.
This was cute, but I wanted to like it so much more than I did. It was extremely predictable and I had to fight to keep interest in it. I love books with healthy culture but I do need more cheat sheets with those books. This had an explanation of the different kingdoms in the front but there wasn’t a single glossary for all of the different names and I always want to make sure I’m pronouncing them correctly. I hope the finalized book includes a key for this. I would recommend it for a quick, light read, but it didn’t hit the nail on the head for me.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
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
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this arc!!!
“Legally Blonde meets Medieval Fantasy” SIGN ME UP!!
This book was amazing! The pacing was just right, and the plot was both strong and relevant. The characters were fantastic, and I particularly appreciated the long list of queer representation. While the love story was just okay, I really liked Clía; she was incredibly inspiring, stubborn, witty, and authentically herself. Ronan, on the other hand, felt somewhat flat and didn’t offer much to the story. Although the plot became a bit plain towards the end, overall, this was a great debut novel. I look forward to reading more from Cait Jacobs in the future!
funny
inspiring
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
I loved this book! It was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. This was the perfect mix of Legally Blonde, Clueless, and Ella Enchanted which are the movies that shaped me as a person. It did follow the major plot points of Legally Blonde, but this was originally titled Medievally Blonde so like I knew what I was signing up for. I thought that the ending dragged a little bit and could have been cut down a little bit, but overall I am still really happy with this. There is definitely a door open for this to become a series and I really hope it does.
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Thank you to HarperCollins for this free ARC!
The Princess Knight is Legally Blonde meets Celtic Mythology. This was such a good translation of the modern day movie into a medieval world. I could track the key moments of the movie while enjoying the new things added to the story. I also didn’t feel overwhelmed by the Celtic mythology that was thrown in.
There were a few points where I felt it was dragging, but never enough to disinterest me in the story. I enjoyed Clia and Ronan’s romance and how inclusive the world is. It was very queer-normative and it was nice for the queerness to not be persecuted or complained about.
Definitely recommend this book.
The Princess Knight is Legally Blonde meets Celtic Mythology. This was such a good translation of the modern day movie into a medieval world. I could track the key moments of the movie while enjoying the new things added to the story. I also didn’t feel overwhelmed by the Celtic mythology that was thrown in.
There were a few points where I felt it was dragging, but never enough to disinterest me in the story. I enjoyed Clia and Ronan’s romance and how inclusive the world is. It was very queer-normative and it was nice for the queerness to not be persecuted or complained about.
Definitely recommend this book.
adventurous
challenging
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 NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC, here is my honest review!
I’ve been following Cait since 2020 so I was soo excited for this! And I’m honestly SO impressed with her writing and world that she created. I can always tell when a writer is a reader, especially as a debut author.
Really wonderful characters. I adored Clia and Ronan both separately and together. I also loved Durmhall and Niamh.
I think the book fell a bit flat for me, and here is why I think so:
- The author sold it to me as a Legally Blonde retelling. And when I say sold, I meant SOLD. I was so excited for that. However, I think it might have taken a bit from me. Maybe that’s why they changed the title, also. Legally Blonde is FUN. It’s light. This book was surprisingly very dark and heavy at times. I came into this book looking for a quick, fun time, but I didn’t necessarily get that. I got that when the characters were talking, but the war talk and exposition ended up taking a majority of the book.
- I don’t think every book with a romance needs to have a split POV. Sometimes I think it actually hinders instead of helps a book. In this case, I didn’t love it. Especially in the beginning. I want to care for Clia first and her only, especially because of the prince being mean to her. But then we have Ronan being like ‘but he’s actually good!’ and I wanted to come to that conclusion WITH Clia. I think just having it be her POV would’ve helped the narrative soo much.
- A small detail, but Ronan yelled at Clia for getting into this school because she was a princess. He only got into the school because he was the Prince’s Guard? So that point was a bit mute. I wish that Ronan and the Prince didn’t know each other, so that his position there fully FELT earned instead of him earning it as he went.
Because of these details, I didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would. Again, still so impressed by the debut novel. I’d definitely pick up other books by her.
I’ve been following Cait since 2020 so I was soo excited for this! And I’m honestly SO impressed with her writing and world that she created. I can always tell when a writer is a reader, especially as a debut author.
Really wonderful characters. I adored Clia and Ronan both separately and together. I also loved Durmhall and Niamh.
I think the book fell a bit flat for me, and here is why I think so:
- The author sold it to me as a Legally Blonde retelling. And when I say sold, I meant SOLD. I was so excited for that. However, I think it might have taken a bit from me. Maybe that’s why they changed the title, also. Legally Blonde is FUN. It’s light. This book was surprisingly very dark and heavy at times. I came into this book looking for a quick, fun time, but I didn’t necessarily get that. I got that when the characters were talking, but the war talk and exposition ended up taking a majority of the book.
- I don’t think every book with a romance needs to have a split POV. Sometimes I think it actually hinders instead of helps a book. In this case, I didn’t love it. Especially in the beginning. I want to care for Clia first and her only, especially because of the prince being mean to her. But then we have Ronan being like ‘but he’s actually good!’ and I wanted to come to that conclusion WITH Clia. I think just having it be her POV would’ve helped the narrative soo much.
- A small detail, but Ronan yelled at Clia for getting into this school because she was a princess. He only got into the school because he was the Prince’s Guard? So that point was a bit mute. I wish that Ronan and the Prince didn’t know each other, so that his position there fully FELT earned instead of him earning it as he went.
Because of these details, I didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would. Again, still so impressed by the debut novel. I’d definitely pick up other books by her.
medium-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
came for the legally blonde references, stayed for the plot 🤭🫶
🩷 thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc! 🩷
3.5/5 stars
Like 99% of the other reviewers, I've been excited for this book since its OG title and rip it will be lovingly missed. However, I think The Princess Knight fits better! This definitely has Legally Blonde elements but overall it reads more as a YA fantasy with some more subtle nods to LB. If you weren't aware of its original title and don't LOVE LB, you probably won't notice them!
I want to shout from the rooftops how much I love this book for:
- being queernormative (without any weird notes that you sometimes see w/bi characters like "yeah, I've been with women, so what!" ykwim??? they're just queer and existing and it is beautiful)
- having chronic illness rep
- having autism rep
- having nonbinary, sapphic, and ace rep as well
I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to read about characters who can speak about love and attractions and none of it is shameful or hidden. It makes my tiny, cold queer heart so happy 🩷
HOWEVER . . .
I had a few issues.
Normally I'm good at ignoring ages and pretending everyone's aged up in my mind, but going into this with the notion of it having some LB themes I was s h o c k e d when the MMC said he was 19. Literally put the book down and reflect for a moment levels of shocked. And (correct me if I'm wrong) we don't really know anyone else's ages but it's fair to assume they're all around that age, no? The idea of all of these teenagers being at an elite warrior school just felt weird. Like, wouldn't that theoretically be more in line with law school? Not everyone's good enough to get in and you need to spend years training to be accepted, putting you at least early to mid twenties??
And overall, the romance between Clía and Ronan felt a little flat to me. I wanted more stolen glances, Mr. Darcy helping Elizabeth into the carriage and we get THAT moment after they touch hands, slow burn vibes but instead it felt more like a ........ situationship turned lovers?
I think the most interesting part of the book is the twists and the plot itself. The romance felt a little underbaked and I could have done without in all honesty. But those TWISTS?? Hooked, baby, HOOKED. I was so distracted by what I thought was a very obvious villain that another person snuck under my radar and caught me by complete surprise.
The fight scenes were beautiful, such a good balance of witty quips and brutal reality of the loss of war. And Cait Jacobs has a wonderful way with words; I was highlighting things left and right. Almost every chapter I had a "oh, that's beautiful/moving/sad" moment 🫶
🩷 thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc! 🩷
3.5/5 stars
Like 99% of the other reviewers, I've been excited for this book since its OG title and rip it will be lovingly missed. However, I think The Princess Knight fits better! This definitely has Legally Blonde elements but overall it reads more as a YA fantasy with some more subtle nods to LB. If you weren't aware of its original title and don't LOVE LB, you probably won't notice them!
I want to shout from the rooftops how much I love this book for:
- being queernormative (without any weird notes that you sometimes see w/bi characters like "yeah, I've been with women, so what!" ykwim??? they're just queer and existing and it is beautiful)
- having chronic illness rep
- having autism rep
- having nonbinary, sapphic, and ace rep as well
I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to read about characters who can speak about love and attractions and none of it is shameful or hidden. It makes my tiny, cold queer heart so happy 🩷
HOWEVER . . .
I had a few issues.
Normally I'm good at ignoring ages and pretending everyone's aged up in my mind, but going into this with the notion of it having some LB themes I was s h o c k e d when the MMC said he was 19. Literally put the book down and reflect for a moment levels of shocked. And (correct me if I'm wrong) we don't really know anyone else's ages but it's fair to assume they're all around that age, no? The idea of all of these teenagers being at an elite warrior school just felt weird. Like, wouldn't that theoretically be more in line with law school? Not everyone's good enough to get in and you need to spend years training to be accepted, putting you at least early to mid twenties??
And overall, the romance between Clía and Ronan felt a little flat to me. I wanted more stolen glances, Mr. Darcy helping Elizabeth into the carriage and we get THAT moment after they touch hands, slow burn vibes but instead it felt more like a ........ situationship turned lovers?
I think the most interesting part of the book is the twists and the plot itself. The romance felt a little underbaked and I could have done without in all honesty. But those TWISTS?? Hooked, baby, HOOKED. I was so distracted by what I thought was a very obvious villain that another person snuck under my radar and caught me by complete surprise.
The fight scenes were beautiful, such a good balance of witty quips and brutal reality of the loss of war. And Cait Jacobs has a wonderful way with words; I was highlighting things left and right. Almost every chapter I had a "oh, that's beautiful/moving/sad" moment 🫶
I wanted to love this book so badly, and while I did still enjoy it, it fell a bit flat to me 😢 soooo let’s get into it!
Going into this I expected a light hearted rom com set in a fantasy world, given the original title, the synopsis, & then some character collages the author posted on ig. While the first half of the book meets this expectation more, around the halfway mark the plot becomes more focused on multi-kingdom political conflicts & war, which i was not expecting. So for that reason, while I too was sad about the title change, I think it’s a good call because this book might share some similarities with legally blonde but the tone felt wildly different.
So more specifically, the things that i enjoyed:
the representation & the queer normative world
Animal side kick done in a non annoying way
The creativity of war college version of legally blonde; that’s just so fun and I never ever would have thought of it
As mentioned above, I liked the first half a lot more than the second. It felt more engaging and I cared a lot more about what was happening. Clía seemed to have stuff at stake, and I enjoyed the general vibes
Things that fell flat/didn’t work for me:
the romance… I honestly wish the two romantic leads were friends because I didn’t ever feel at all like they could be romantic. Which is fine, if their relationship wasn’t supposed to be a central aspect of the story
The world building/magic in the context of the second half: let me explain more… I felt like the world building and magic was weird because it wasn’t quite fleshed out enough to make sense, yet it wasn’t irrelevant enough for there to be minimal world building. I’ve read (& enjoyed) fantasies were the world building is not fleshed out at all, and that’s okay because the world of the story is small. The first half of the story is like this; you know there is countries and magic but it doesn’t really matter. However, the second half of the story this stuff matters and I don’t feel it was ever explored to the point where the larger “war” made sense. I also think that more about this needs to be added to the synopsis.
General over arching political plot: I knew what was going to happen the whole time I was reading. Which is fine! I don’t mind predictable if I’m invested in some other way. Unfortunately, because the relationship fell flat for me too (and Clía’s character arc felt pretty done), around the 60% mark I just wanted the story to finish up because I knew what was going to happen and didn’t felt emotionally connected enough to the characters to want to stay in the world.
Clía’s journey: at times I definitely got she worked hard. At other times it felt like certain things just fell into her lap.
The motivations of the villains: I am confused by this. It was weak reasoning and I don’t really get it.
So all in all, I did enjoy this. I found it hard to want to finish though. I would still recommend, however going into it, know it’s not a silly little rom com story. The romance is pretty minimal, and there’s more to the plot than the synopsis makes it seem. Said larger plot didn’t grasp me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t click for you! I liked this authors vibes so if they write more, I’ll def read it!
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
As the Princess of Álainndore, Clíodhna knew it was expected of her to marry Prince Domhnall, and she was fine with that. Everyone said they were a perfect match and Domhnall has always been a good friend to her, so she can imagine living a happy life together. However, all expectations for her future suddenly shatter when Domhnall refuses to propose.
Knowing she needs this marriage to protect her kingdom, and wanting to prove Domhnall wrong, Clía devises a plan to get him back. She will follow Domhnall to Caisleán Cósta, the military academy he’ll be attending. Sure, the academy has a ruthless reputation and Clía’s never held a sword in her life, but her lack of training won’t matter; she’ll prove her worth as a warrior and secure her proposal.
While training, Clía develops a special friendship with Domhnall’s best friend and Captain of the Guard, Ronan. Training at Caisleán Cósta has been Ronan’s greatest wish, but now that he’s here, he can’t seem to focus on anything but the blonde princess with the iron will. As war looms on the horizon, Clía and Ronan must prepare for the worst—both on the battlefield and in their hearts.
********************************************
The Princess Knight is a really fun read full of heartfelt romance and action-packed adventure, and I loved how it offered a fresh, medieval take on Legally Blonde. The connection to Legally Blonde was clear throughout the novel, but the author did a great job reimagining the story to offer readers something unique. I really enjoyed the story’s Celtic roots and the world-building was perfect; I felt like I got just enough explanation to make the story make sense, but not so much that I was bogged down with too much background info. I also loved the diversity and representation in the book.
Although this book is advertised as adult fiction, it seems to skew more towards upper YA fiction and I did find myself wishing the characters were slightly older. I also would have loved to see more scenes that focused on the academic/training aspects of the academy. While there was a lot of discussion regarding Clía and Ronan’s one-on-one training sessions, I would’ve liked to see some more that focused on their roles as students. My favorite parts of boarding school books—especially in fantasies—is reading about the magical, unique lessons students learn in their classes.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’m hoping there will be a sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley for the free digital copy of this book!
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 love how you can see the legally blonde influences threaded throughout but Cait Jacobs definitely wove their own unique story!! I have been obsessed with this book on concept since I first heard of it and I was over the moon when I got the NetGalley e-arc to read. If you love romantasy, pink, inclusivity, and badass heroines then this needs to be on your list.