Really fun premise. However, the book felt like it was trying to do too much.
People who really like this myth might enjoy it.

The Princess Knight is a medieval fantasy that draws inspiration from Legally Blonde. After Princess Clía is rejected by her assumed betrothed, Domhnall, she travels to the most prestigious military academy to prove him wrong and win him back. She desperately wants this marriage in order to strengthen her kingdom.

This book excels in several areas. It has great LGBTQ+ rep, use of Celtic lore, lovable found family, and unique fantasy elements. It ended up having higher stakes than I was anticipating from a "cute" fantasy book (which I thoroughly enjoyed). While Clía's budding romance in the story was a joy to watch, I enjoyed her personal journey even more. Her character had great development.

I will say that this book is classified as adult but could definitely be placed in the YA genre. That is not a complaint (I like both YA and adult fantasy) but rather a better measure of the type of content to expect in this fantasy book.

I would love to see the fantasy elements in this expanded upon more because they have such promise! The Gifts of the Treibh Anam sounded so interesting but were only briefly mentioned. I am curious if they will continue this as a series? If so, there is so much room to go from here!

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book will be featured on my TikTok @alireadsanywhere both in my "Booked & Busy" summer reading series and a full review after the release date!

✨ 3.75 stars ✨

This had all the ingredients for a story I could love — an underdog heroine, an unlikely friendship-to-romance , and a kingdom on the brink of change. And while I did enjoy it overall, there were a few things that didn’t fully land for me.

Clía and Ronan’s bond started off strong — the kind of dynamic I love watching develop. But once romance entered the scene, it felt a bit rushed. I wanted more time with their tension, the almost moments, the slow unraveling. The side romances suffered from the same abruptness, which left me slightly disconnected from their emotional payoffs.

The pacing was uneven: slow in parts, then suddenly full-speed — which made certain developments feel less earned. I also struggled with Clía’s lack of preparation (girl, it’s a military academy, not a school for vibes??). Still, her determination was admirable, and Ronan was a soft, steady highlight throughout. His portrayal of chronic pain was well-written and added so much depth to his character.

I really appreciated the representation and loved the worldbuilding ideas, even if they weren’t fully fleshed out.

In the end, it felt more upper YA than Adult fantasy, which may be perfect for the right reader — just not fully the story I was hoping for. But I’m still intrigued by the ending and would definitely pick up a sequel if one’s in the works.

Pleasantly surprised! The Legally Blonde inspiration is there but it’s more subtle than I expected. The story is definitely fun but there’s more meat on the bones than I expected. The characters are fun and likable and have satisfying arcs. Rounded up, no real complaints

3.25 ⭐️

The overall storyline was fun and cute, but I never really connected to the characters so I didn’t feel super invested in the story. I wish there had been a more comprehensive prononciation guide at the beginning. Between all the characters names, kingdoms, groups of people, etc. (and not knowing how to pronounce them) it felt overly complicated and a bit confusing for the first chunk of the book. There was a good cast of diverse characters, which I appreciated. I did feel the romance was a bit underdeveloped. There wasn’t as much on paper development of feelings as I would’ve preferred. The whole book reads more YA than adult. Overall this was fun read, but nothing outstanding or super memorable in my opinion.

Decided to branch out on my reading and I wasn't disappointed. This isn't my normal go to, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cutesy story!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was thoroughly surprised by this fun and quirky story! Taking inspiration from Legally Blonde, Cait Jacob’s has done a fantastic job in twisting that into an enjoyable fantasy read. Including the perfect amount of Irish lore, world building, romance, plot twists, and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, I found myself quickly absorbed into Clia’s story and not wanting to put it down. While it ended on a perfect note, there is definitely more to be told, so I really hope Cait plans on continuing this story! If you’re looking for a fun, not too serious (read: stressful) read, definitely give this one a try!!

This book was sillier than expected, which isn't really my vibe. It was a good lighthearted romp to balance out my other books on my TBR, though.

I have been following Cait since 2020 on tiktok. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more.

I was really in the mood to be transported to a medieval-style world with castles, a princess, and knights, and this book gave me exactly what I wanted. Princess Clía is set to marry Prince Domhnall, her longtime friend, but when he abruptly breaks off their betrothal because he doesn’t believe she’s “strong enough” to be Queen, it lights a fire in her. Determined to prove him wrong, Clía enrolls at his elite military academy with plans to win him back. Things take a turn when she meets Ronan, Domhnall’s loyal guard and best friend, who agrees to train her with a little encouragement from his father figure. There’s political tension, war brewing, sword fighting, mystical jewels, and even adorable otter creatures. It had everything I wanted and more. I didn’t even realize until the end that it’s a medieval Legally Blonde retelling, and now I love it even more. I’m so sad it’s a standalone because I could read a whole series about these characters. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC. Release date is 10/14/25.

I have not watched the movie that was the inspiration for this story (Legally Blonde), so I am sure I have missed a lot of references. However, I still enjoyed this sweet story that comes with a lot of heart and humor.

Celtic mythology meets military academy meets stubborn princess meets medieval setting - in a delightful queer normative world and featuring chronic illness rep.

Honestly, that's basically all you need to know going in. If you love the above, you will love this book.

I liked the characters - some of them easier to approach (like the title heroine) and some harder to understand (like the prince that refuses her).

There's a sweet romance at the heart of it, and a lot of swordplay and banter.

While this story wasn't groundbreaking or made my head spin, I had a really great time with it - and anything that feeds into Lady Knight Autumn is an automatic win!

3,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @HarperVoyagerUS for the eARC!

#PrincessKnight #LadyKnightAutumn #Netgalley #Bookstagram

I gave this book 4/5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the subtle plot parallels between Princess Knight and Legally Blonde. The world, diverse group of characters, and creatures that the writer created for the story possessed depth and purpose, were well written, and relevant to the plot. I think the only criticism I have is how hopelessly pathetic they made the female main character at the beginning of the story. When comparing her character to the character of Elle Woods (an optimistic, competent, powerhouse of a woman) Clia fell a bit short for me. Elle at least had the brains and ability to get into Harvard on her own. Her admission wasn't handed to her. I felt that the handicap they gave our new FMC was a bit unrealistic and severe. Fortunately, she was able to redeem herself and only slightly impacted my enjoyment of this enchanting and refreshing soft fantasy.

I DNF'd around 33%, I just really couldn't get into it unfortunately. I came back to it multiple times trying but I wasn't super connected to any characters and it felt regurgitated fantasy a little bit.

ty netgalley for this arc 💗

i tried my best to get through this book because the concept of this book was good but i couldn’t really get through it all. (DNF 40%) The representation through the book was amazing to see. I loved the book but at the same time was not my cup of tea

Thank you for this Arc! I loved the representation for neurodivergent folks! I love that I could see things I deal with with in Clia our FMC! Lots of Irish lore and creatures! Very fun story!

Clía! Queen!! This is basically a medieval interpretation of Legally Blonde. Clía is a princess who is practically engaged to a prince in a neighboring kingdom, but when he calls off their arrangement because she isn't strong enough, Clía takes action. Heading off to train to be a warrior alongside the prince and his Captain of the guard, Ronan, Clía is determined to prove she's more than a princess obsessed with court and sewing. As she learns that's harder than it looks, Ronan offers to take her under his wing. As they train and grow closer they learn things about the brewing war and what it means for them. I adore this book!! A lady knight in pinks with blonde hair??? Obsessed! Clía really struggles and doesn't just get handed advantages by the plot. Plus all the characters are super fleshed out, the plot follows logical and steps, and it doesn't just end with no reason. My only real issue is that this book uses a lot of Irish words (or words and names I assume originated in Ireland) but never explains the nouns. Like what was Murphy? I just think it was a tad frustrating to see words with no context.

DNF at 40%, this felt like a slog unfortunately and I couldn’t find a reason to care for Clia other than just being told she’s our main character. She needed more personality and fire, she was much too surface level and not even ditzy in a funny or charming way. Meh.

Somewhere between 4 and 4.25 stars!

Overall, The Princess Knight is an enjoyable fantasy debut -- with many bonus points for being based on Legally Blonde (we love to see it!)

I liked (most of) the characters and also enjoyed the training aspects -- I always love a good military academy story! I also overall enjoyed the romance -- it was cute without being too overbearing and taking over the rest of the plot (as is common in the Romantasy genre, from my experience)! I also liked the chronic pain representation -- that's something I don't see much in books in general (and especially not in fantasy), so it was a welcome inclusion and added to Ronan's character for me.

My biggest complaint is that the villains felt very one-dimensional and the betrayals were predictable for me (this is maybe because I associated Kordislaen as the equivalent of Callahan from the start, so I was expecting that he would end up being bad, but alas, I wish his motivations in particular were articulated more).

Regardless though, I still quite enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a fun fantasy!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for a review!!

This novel had a really cool concept. It is a Legally Blonde retelling set in the medieval era which is super fun. Given my love of Legally Blonde, I did have high expectations going into The Princess Knight, particularly because this is such amazing concept for a book. First, I want to mention I loved the artwork on the cover. It is so beautiful and it cemented what the characters looked like as a read. And, I loved the wide range of diversity in this book: POC, disability representation through chronic illness, and queer representation. The romance was cute enough and I enjoyed the character growth between the main leads, but I felt something was lacking between them at the same time.

Although this maybe more common in romantic fantasy, there was a lot of background knowledge and a tiny bit of too much world building being told to me upfront and less being woven into the story so it flowed much better. I strongly prefer novels that interweave the details of the world and background as the story is being told. It allows for smoother transition, at least for me. However, the details did allow for a better understanding as the story progressed, but I still felt like this was a hindrance to the those who don’t have the patience to deal with it and would DNF before they got the the meat of the story. And, this did not have as much comedy and humor as I was expecting. I felt bored several times as I read throughout.

In the end, this was a decent and okay read for me. I think this is still a solid read. And, I think a wide range of people would enjoy reading this novel because of it being a solid read and still entertaining despite the things I did not enjoy myself.

I would give this a 3.25/5 stars, rounded to 3 stars! It was still a good read to me. I would recommend giving this novel a chance. As I continued reading, I definitely grew on me. I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars rounded up.
Recommended for fans of YA fantasy with pseudo-medieval settings, non-toxic romance, queer cast and uplifting coming of age story. It's theoretically adult, but the contents align much closer with those typical for YA fantasy. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Pluses:

* heartwarming story of finding confidence and self-worth outside of people's expectations and external approval
* sweet, non-toxic romance (tbh I thought when a big reveal hit, they should have had a bigger fallout than what they had...)
* bullies are taught a lesson
* casual representation: both mcs are bi, fmc is autistic, mmc has chronic pain (possibly arthritis?), there's a non-binary side character, a bi demi-romantic POC side character and a gay side character
* cute animal side-kick
* found family
* interesting Irish-inspired worldbuilding
* easy to read prose

Minuses:

* there was a worldbuilding infodump at start that was hard to get through, generally it feels like if a book needs a glossary / dramatis personae list and it's not a thousand-page epic, then the author crammed too many names into the book
* overall name confusion: there were so many similar names, especially beginning with D- or F-, I was mistaking them all the time, additionally some characters were sometimes called by their first name and sometimes by their last name. In one group assignment there was this D-something person I couldn't for the love of me figure out was this a recurring character or a new random from the school...
* there isn't anything groundbreaking in this story - it's a perfectly serviceable entertainment, but doesn't feel especially original

Things I don't mind but you might:

* fairly low magic setting; there are gifts from the gods, but they are more things of legend, maybe once or twice these come into play; there are "Draoi" who are some form of priests / druids who know medicine, bless crops and even craft supernaturally strong fabrics, but again it's all mostly in the background
I don't mind, when it comes to "sword & sorcery", I'm more on the sword side. This is indeed more knights, warriors and princesses setting than a magical one.
* the plot was fairly predictable
I don't mind because it's not about guessing who's a bad actor, it's about a character journey when you realize you can't blindly trust everyone and put them on a pedestal and be a total people pleaser.
* It reads very YA:
- the whole coming of age and getting your own worldview rather that following authority figures and external expectations;
- the very sweet romance with one barely open door scene depicted in a very vague gauzy way;
- violence is glossed over, we know people are injured and killed, but it's not depicted in a drastic or gory way;
- mcs being 19 and still excelling above their age and obtaining honors / positions above their age;
- lots of plot armor and mcs seemingly going on despite exhaustion, injuries, lack of sleep as if they were indestructible;
- Clia going from zero to hero in under a year.

Anyway, I feel Harper Voyager has a "brand". Despite being an adult fantasy imprint, they keep publishing YA-adjacent titles like this one and: Forged by Blood, The Prince Without Sorrow, The Dollmakers, The Blood Trials, Sun of Blood and Ruin and so forth. They usually have easy to read prose, young characters who act young and uplifting narratives.

As an avid reader of YA, I really vibe with this brand. A lot of actual YA drifted away from what I loved in it, I'm not a fan of dark academia / magical schools (here we have a military school but there's very little focus on lessons or typical high school dynamics), fae, Bachelor-style tournaments, horror/gothic-leaning fantasy and whatever else seems to be popular in YA rn. But so far I liked the Harper's titles I picked up. I would read more titles like the Princess Knight even if they don't break the mold just for the pure entertainment of it.

I also liked that while Clia was stubborn and determined, she wasn't stupidly stubborn and she wasn't a damsel needing constant saving, the contrary. And while Ronan was a classic tall, muscular, calloused, best warrior of his generation, he wasn't cocky or mean, he was caring, responsible, and struggling with his own problems like internalized ableism and grief / survivor's guilt.

The romance felt more of a sub-plot, with the main plot centering on mcs wanting to prove themselves in the military school and their struggles with self-worth. The romance was helping them find self-confidence, but wasn't the main driving force in the story. It's refreshing to see a couple where they don't hate each other for no reason, don't have a dragged-out miscommunication, aren't bickering about irrelevant issues, and they try to be reasonable about their feelings rather than get distracted by them to the point of failing at their tasks, and only defy orders when it's the life of their loved one at the line.

Also while Murphy was an interesting addition, I wanted to see more of our animal side-kick in action instead of it mostly lounging in a lake off-page. Felt underutilized.

Btw the writing style reminded me a bit of Tress of the Emerald Sea so if you liked that book, try this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC.
I hope you will have more of these in stock in the future.