This book was sooo good. I love legally blonde so I knew this book would eat. I absolutely loved Clía and Ronan both together and individually. I appreciated the small tender moments they shared together. And this was a good slow burn romance, I appreciated how the romance was shoved down your throat. Like you can feel the romance through small connections like holding hands or hugging 😩

Ronan is such a respectful lover boy. Sometimes we don’t need a morally grey man as the love interest sorry not sorry. I felt like I was really able to understand WHY Ronan really loves Clía and when he was describing it, it was about her characteristics and who she is as a person. Which I just adore. I wish he was the one that ended the kordislaens life and not Clía. I appreciated the struggled Ronan faces physically and emotionally due to his past.

Clía was so hard working and determined and I kept cheering for her. Although it was a little hard to believe she was THAT skilled of a warrior with little experience. And I was able to understand why she holds her heart so close to her and why she has low confidence in herself as a warrior. Everyone around her besides Ronan was just assuming she’s a ditzy girl but she’s more than that.

I was obsessed with all the side characters as well. I’m just a sucker for found family and I need them to reunite again.

On the other hand, I found some of the key plot points easily predictable and I’m a little sad with the way it’s being taken.

I honestly don’t see why the ratings for this are so low. It’s cute! And fun and Romantasy.

I really enjoyed this. I could see the Legally Blonde themes running through the book, which is one of my favorite movies. Probably why I loved this.

At first I thought Clia (the FMC) was super annoying and pining after someone she didn’t truly love. But the more I got to know her, the more I came to feel for her. She was raised to know very little and was told her whole life she would marry Domhnall. Then that all gets ripped away and she’s left with nothing. I don’t blame her for the choice she makes and that she tries to follow her heart. But I also loved that she knew her weaknesses and strove to overcome them. She became fierce and loyal in the end.

The intense story kept me enchanted the whole time. I loved the mystery of it all. Definitely can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you Harper Voyager, Avon and NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Voyager for this ARC!

For starters, all I knew going in was that it was based on Legally Blonde (this was before the name change from Medievally Blonde which I think still rocks better, but I understand probably the legality of it).
I will say that the marketing and perspective of this book weighs too much on the romance side and less on the fantasy-- this book has so much more fantasy and worldbuilding than I expected. 85% of this book is fantasy and the rest romance, which while I am not disappointed at all, I think it might do readers a disservice to expect a romantasy with A LOT of romance.

That being said, this book offers a lot of great things. First off, the main character that goes from naïve to a leader for her kingdom is phenomenal. It follows that Legally Blonde trope to a tee, and she's a wonderful main character with a heart of gold. I loved the disability representation with the male main character and I think overall he was a well-rounded character with excellent yearning. All of the characters in this book are well written and have personality, and that's something I really found compelling to care for the group of friends (and enemies, starting off at least) Clia finds herself surrounded by.
This book has two major plot-twists which was great--I also like how it did not follow the movie Legally Blonde in how in that media Elle departs from the firm given her boss'...SA behavior. The fight/fantasy scenes were great, although the ending felt a bit rushed given the nature of the battles at play and the finality of her return back to her kingdom.

Overall it was a great book I would recommend; I don't think I personally feel giddy or astounded by the material itself but I enjoyed my time with these characters and the plot.

When i heard of a fantasy book based off of Celtic folklore and Legally Blonde I knew I had to read it! While this isn’t a play by play of Legally Blonde the beginning part was very much like the beginning of the movie with hints throughout the book. The story is a YA romantasy with politics, military battles, diverse characters and women kicking butt in swords!

THANK YOU for the ARC!

An overall good premise- the marketing really got me on this one, hence the arc request. There were parts I liked (the world-building, the political intrigue, Murphy, girl-goes-to-military-academy (though... she can't hold a sword?????)), but overall this felt very YA to me, especially with the predictability. I felt like Clia and Ronan didn't have time to really develop, and their relationship as lovers sort of fell flat. Like this didn't give "adult" to me at all.

The Legally Blonde inspo was... subtle. It's a bummer because I really wanted to love this. The potential to be great is RIGHT THERE.

This one kind of fell flat for me. It was a bit juvenile and I found myself hoping the plot would accelerate quicker. I ended up not finishing it, but I do think it will be intriguing for other readers!

The Legally Blonde comp is what made me want to read this. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough of that influence incorporated into the story to keep me entertained.

My favorite part of this book was easily the writing. There’s something about Cait Jacobs' writing style that itched my brain in the right way. Considering this is her debut, I was very impressed, there are seasoned writers who can’t write nearly as well as Cait.

The concept of a lady knight book will always intrigue me because I love seeing FMCs who are capable of taking care of themselves while also knowing when to ask for help. This book does a great job of showing that, as well as the journey of how she became a knight. She didn’t wake up one day as an expert swordswoman, it took time and a lot of effort to get there.

The romance was solid. I liked that it was a slow burn, and I really enjoyed their dynamic.

While the Legally Blonde inspirations were fun to spot, there just wasn’t enough of them. I also expected this book to have a satirical, humorous edge, which it unfortunately didn’t. It ended up being more of a standard, run-of-the-mill fantasy romance. There wasn’t anything that truly separated it from other books in the genre.

The pacing at times was rough, especially between 20–40%, where it felt like we were crawling through the plot. I would have liked to see more consistent movement throughout.

I also would have liked to see more complexity in both the plot and the characters. We didn’t get nearly enough information about the world or the relationships between the kingdoms to justify all the conflict that occurred. Additionally, the “villain” was a cliché and lacked depth. I would have loved to see more complexity from that character.

Overall, this was an impressive debut, but there was nothing about it that made it stand out from other books in the fantasy romance genre.

Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for gifting me an early copy ahead of the official release!

I was so excited to read this and really wanted to love it. In theory, it sounded like so much fun: a medieval spin on Legally Blonde! Unfortunately, I don't think it was the book for me. I struggled to feel invested in the characters and their aims. I found Clía to be petulant and impulsive, while Ronan felt flat and uninteresting. To me, their relationship lacked any real chemistry or emotional depth. The world building was so dense that it was hard to get through and I repeatedly caught myself skimming. There wasn't anything about the characters or introduction to the conflict that made me want to care.

OBSESSED with the cover!!

basically legally blonde but with knight training academy setting. overall super great vibes!! loved all the characters, and clia and ronan have my heart.

THE PRINCESS KNIGHT - CAIT JACOBS

Legally Blonde, but with medieval knights? How can you not want to read this?!

Clía has her life set out for her by her parents. She's supposed to marry Domhnall, a prince from another kingdom, creating a bond that will strengthen her own kingdom's standing. When that plan falls apart, Clía decides to follow Domhnall to the Caisleán Cósta military academy to prove herself worthy of his attention.

I could see the parallels to Legally Blonde all the way through, which I thoroughly enjoyed spotting. But make no mistake; The Princess Knight is very much its own book and fully explores medieval knights, battles and war. But, like the movie, there is still a sense of lightness, with plenty of wit, a cute pet sidekick and a steamy romance too.

This was a fun read, and I really enjoyed the book's trials, battle sequences, complex characters and how Clía's journey shifts from wanting to prove herself to Domhnall to wanting to do it for herself. If you love well-rounded romantasies, you'll enjoy The Princess Knight.

It's funny how this book is over 500 pages long, yet some scenes felt a bit rushed for my liking. But it doesn't affect my overall appreciation for this story, which is a truly unique take on Legally Blonde and all the things we love about it.

Release date: 14 Oct 2025

Review score: 4/5

TWs: d*ath, injury detail, violence, s*xual content

Ahh I loved this. It was a quick and easy read. I thought this was a cute and fun fantasy with romance. I felt it was paced very well and loved the characters and felt the relationships very well done. I’m glad it can be read as a standalone but hope the story many continue.

I applied for this ARC because I'm a sucker for romcoms and this was branded by the author as medievally blonde, and I wasn't let down.

The way that Cait Jacobs writes is very slow and tender, and the story blossoms over time in a way that makes both the plot and the romance slow burn, and usually I hate when both the story and romance are slow burn, but for some reason I didn't mind that this time.

The characters are queer and disabled in a queernormative universe, and every character felt well handled, and fleshed out in ways that satisfied me.

I think that the author handled sensitive topics well, on topics that are hard to get right without hurting the community they represent. I was stoked that there was a male character with a disability, as a man whose own disability mirrors Ronan's almost perfectly. I love it when I can resonate with a character like that, on a deeper level.

I loved Murphy, and Clia was such a sweetheart, and I related heavily with her people pleaser tendencies.

If I had to change anything, I think it would be the way the "evil forces" seemed a bit downplayed in the end for how much they were talked about both in the book and in the description.

Thank you so much NetGalley and publisher for an eARC copy of The Princess Knight!
DNF at 30% sadly.
I did make the difficult decision to not continue with this book after hitting the 33% mark :( I was very excited going in to this book and sadly realized that it very much was not at all what I was expecting, and became a chore to continue on. I love supporting a debut novel, but unfortunately this just truly was not made for me!

I was expecting a fantasy book with a romance subplot that followed a princess who attends a military academy in order to become a knight essentially! Because of this I anticipated hard training and battle sequences, a strong reasoning/push for this princess to want to attend such a place, some yearning between the her and this mysterious warrior.

What I actually read however did not at all meet that expectation. Due to the blurb I expected a level of humor and campiness (also due to finding out this is a Legally Blonde retelling)..this however I feel was completely inaccurate. The pacing and writing felt horribly jumpy in combination with a fantasy world and magic system that was completely glossed over the entire beginning portion of this book (presumably when you would expect to learn where you are, and what you are doing within a story)- even though there was a huge glossary at the beginning as well as a ton of original words/terms. The attempts of writing a "soft princess" unfortunately only succeeded in making her seem very whiney and naïve- which make it extremely confusing and unbelievable that she decided that she was going to join this very prestigious military academy with absolutely no previous training at all. There was no moments that really truly made you feel connected or understanding of the characters, they would go off on this horribly dangerous mission, luck into something, and then time jump to the next section. What I presumed to be a potential love triangle, turned into the prince seeming to be a huge jerk, the warrior being instantly infatuated with the princess, and her just finally getting someones attention.

I feel very confused that this is marketed as an adult romantasy and not YA? This read incredibly juvenile and like we were trying to add too many things/tropes to one story where it felt very disjointed.

I think that if you are someone whos looking for a YA style, romance with surface level fantasy this could be a nice quick and easy read! Unfortunately I was looking for something with a bit more depth and substance :)

This was a fantastic debut and I'm really excited to see what's to come from this author! I will say this that this is a lot more dense and lore-rich than I was expecting, which is NOT a bad thing, just different. It isn't quite as cutesy and fun as its marketing would suggest and as long as you go in with the right expectations I think this is a great read!

I was sold on the description and gorgeous cover of this debut fantasy. Princess turned warrior to save her kingdom? Love it. I was eating up the Legally Blonde vibes, with her deciding to attend a military academy to prove she can be a strong warrior for her betrothed (the Prince of a neighboring kingdom) after he tells her she’s too weak for any potential alliance and can no longer propose to her.

As soon as she makes it to Caisleán Costá it’s clear what everyone thinks of the princess joining the academy. After several humbling moments she seeks help from Ronan, her ex-betrotheds best friend and the captain of his guard, to train her to duel. As her training progresses, so does their closeness and while I wanted to love this pairing, the whole thing felt tepid at best to me. I couldn’t pick up any true passion in the romance aspect of this story.

The plot had promising progression in much of the book and I was hooked enough to want to finish, but there was a good 15% that I fought to get through. I could’ve done without the chapters of major scenes going directly into a new POV chapter of the exact same scene… it felt repetitive and often didn’t add anything fresh to the storyline for me.

Overall I’m happy I was able to read this one. The FMC proved to herself that she is strong and there were enjoyable moments. I also really appreciated how the author touched on Ronan’s chronic pain. The quote below and the scene it’s from really sat me with me and touched me:

“I’ve been dealing with this for half my life. If I shut down every time I was in pain, I wouldn’t be here today.”


**Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, as well as Cait Jacob’s for the opportunity to arc read The Princess Knight in exchange for my honest review.**

I didn’t know what to expect when I started the ARC for this novel. The cover art was gorgeous and the premise, a delicate princess joining the ranks of a military academy to win back a betrothal to a prince, was intriguing. I’m a sucker for training montages!

I was pleasantly surprised by how great this novel was. Clia was an inspiring heroine and I loved seeing her growth into a true warrior princess. I’m glad there wasn’t too much focus on the love triangle because that trope I am not a fan of whatsoever. It didn’t bother me here at all. Ronan was a sweet, yet shockingly naive love interest. It was all very cutesy and sometimes that’s what you need to read. I feel like the ending dragged a little bit but overall it was an enjoyable,albeit predictable story. I would definitely recommend it for a lighter read. 3.75 stars rounded to 4!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

(Thank you Harper Voyager US, Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC).

This book was an absolute delight! I tackled this read with the expectation that it was going to be a fun, lighthearted pseudo-retelling of Legally Blonde—as was advertised on Instagram, Tumblr, and TikTok—and I was immediately hit with complex world building, political intrigue and lush mythology that distinguishes The Princess Knight as its own unique plot. Sure, there are scenes that definitely mirror certain scenes in Legally Blonde, but I otherwise got completely swept away by this incredibly interesting world and its charming characters. The dialogue is stellar in my opinion, and the Celtic influences sprinkled throughout endeared this story to me even more as someone who has been obsessed with Celtic mythology since I was a child. The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs has easily become my top read for this year, and will proudly stay on my fantasy shelf until my next reread 😂

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

3.75

First off, I love a stand alone and I loved all the subtle Legally Blonde references. I'm impressed she even got a "bend and snap" in there.

The story was a fun time. I enjoyed the cast of characters, and I thought the pacing was pretty good. Sometimes a stand alone feels rushed or leaves too many things unresolved, but I found this one to be pretty balanced.

The story itself isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it was easy to read and enjoyable all the same

Thank you Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC of The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs.

I really enjoyed this book overall, though I went in with no expectations and wasn’t familiar with the author’s work before. It was my first time reading anything by her, and I found it to be a solid, enjoyable medieval fantasy—just not perfect.

The story follows Princess Clía, who is betrothed to Prince Domhnall. When Domhnall decides she’s too weak to protect his kingdom, Clía sets out to prove him wrong by attending a prestigious military academy. There, she meets Ronan, the captain of the guard and her ex-fiancé’s best friend, who reluctantly trains her. The journey is full of challenges, growth, and eventually, a slow-burn romance.

I really appreciated Clía as a character—she’s determined, kind, and motivated, and I liked seeing her work to become her best self. Ronan was also a highlight; he’s steady, loyal, and supportive, and their friendship and eventual connection felt natural. Domhnall, on the other hand, was frustrating at first, though he grew slightly by the end. I also liked some of the side characters, like Kían and Sárait, who added warmth to the story.

That said, the book wasn’t without its issues. The pacing felt slow at times, especially early on, and Clía’s sudden arrival at a military academy without preparation felt a bit unrealistic. Some parts dragged, and the romance between Clía and Ronan, while sweet, sometimes felt more like friendship than a true romantic connection.

The world-building and lore were strong. I loved the medieval setting and the nods to Irish folklore, though a map would have been helpful to follow the journey. The story was clean, wholesome, and empowering, without any spiciness, making it feel appropriate for YA and adult readers alike.

Overall, this was a charming, cozy read with great character growth and a slow-burn romance that worked well. It wasn’t perfect, and there were moments that frustrated me, but it kept me engaged and left me hoping for more adventures in this world.

It's a perfect day, and nothing's standing in Clía's way.

She's a princess. He's a prince. Their kingdoms could use the alliance. The wedding theme and the engagement party have been planned down to the last detail. Everything is PERFECT.

Until Domhnall refuses to propose. But instead of wallowing in despair, Clía comes up with the perfect plan - follow him to the elite military academy he's been accepted at, prove she has what it takes to protect her kingdom, and win him over, securing the betrothal and fixing everything. What, like it's hard?

Ronan, rising star warrior and best friend/body guard to crown prince Domhnall, is an unstoppable force of focus and temprance. Princesses playing at war who waltz into arenas like their ballrooms are not part of his five-year plan - no matter how cute they are. Not even if their determination in the face of abject failure is endearing and inspiring. Especially not when they're determined to make Domhnall love them. It's only her dogged refusal to give up that's lead him to train her, right?

As Clía, Domhnall, Ronan, and their new friends play at war, dark forces gather in the near and far corners of the kingdoms, bringing conflict, heartbreak, betrayal, and the chance to change the course of history 0 if they're strong enough to face it. The trials ahead will not only test their mettle but their hearts as well - and only time will tell if love can save their souls.

As soon as I heard their was a 'Legally Blonde'-core, "Medievally Blonde" book coming out, I HAD to be all up in it - and it was everything I hope for and more! Girl meets boy, girl plans perfect life with boy, boy ruins everything, girl squares up with Life itself to get what she wants and ends up finding herself along the way - a classic tale of female introspection, friendship, levity, redemption, and an epic fantasy to boot - it's all here, it's mystical and magical, it made me actually choke up while I was reading, and it's been on my mind ever since I finished it several months ago. I wouldn't necessarily call this a "retelling" of the classic movie - it moreso uses the framework of Elle Woods and the story we love to build something uniquely its own, but people intrigued by the premise will find a lot to of easter eggs to squeal over while enjoying this atmospheric romantasy.

I think one of the most beautiful aspects of the story here is the attention to detail paid to neurodivergence, disability, and anxiety - the MCs face various struggles with these elements throughout the story that make a huge difference in their perception and interaction with the world, and the way Cait approached what can sometimes be poorly-handled topics was tender, respectful, and relatable for anyone who has ever felt held back by forces outside of their control. I think it can be hard to write fedeival fantasy that incorporates modern terms/ideas bout health/mental wellness, and it's really well-done here, just like everything else in this book.

12/10 book and 13/10 premise, I had a wildly sweet and sassy time with this book and ran the gamut of emotions all the way through. I hope we get more of this story in subsequent works because I still have a lot of questions, and hope everyone who ever loved a girl and her chihuahua against the world fall equally in love with this princess and her otter-creature.