I wrote about Legally Blonde in my dissertation for undergrad, so the original title Medievally Blonde had me instantly hooked—and the book more than lived up to the promise.

The Princess Knight is clever, fun, and just the right amount of unhinged. Clía is a delight: dramatic, determined, and fully committed to her petty mission of winning back the prince who dumped her by following him to a brutal military academy. Naturally, things don’t go to plan—because she accidentally becomes a warrior in her own right, falls for someone else entirely, and maybe saves the realm along the way. All while looking great.

The pacing is tight, the banter is top-tier, and Ronan is exactly the kind of grumpy swordsman I love—brooding, competent, and totally doomed. Clía and her adorable, otter-like pet fully stole my heart.

This was such a joy to read. More fantasy rom-coms like this, please.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars ⭐️

Thank you Harper Collins for the e-arc this was one of my most anticipated October releases!! I am recently in my lady knight era, and I loved the character development of Clía who is a princess that becomes a knight through training at an academy after she follows the prince who refused to propose to her. The book felt like a fantasy twist of Legally Blonde which was really fun. Clía may be blonde and cute, but reminded me of that quote “not fragile like a flower, fragile like a bomb” because she becomes very powerful and full of rage. I always love a good training scene in books. And she delivers quite a punch at the end. I have a soft spot for her.

The setting and names for this book had Irish roots. I also loved the creatures, especially Murphy who is the otter-like pet (my favorite animal).

I loved the found family in this book. There were so many wonderful characters, but don’t get too attached 😢the story is very heavy on character development, learning what you really want and making the choices needed to get there.

The romance in this book was sweet and it didn’t have much for spice. Which is actually what I prefer. I loved Ronan’s character who wants Clía to feel like she’s powerful but also has support.

My favorite quote from the book was: “ It was a choice that must be made in small moments, to hold fast to the bright points and the people you loved.” I also loved the quote: “It’s okay to have limits. We all do. It’s not a reflection of who you are. But when you keep pushing yourself, despite knowing you shouldn’t, you’re only hurting yourself and those who care about you.”

Overall, I’d definitely recommend. There were some small things here and there that I would’ve liked some more depth from like specifics about her knighthood. But I thought it was really cute- especially that epilogue!

Jacobs has been vocal about the inspiration that The Princess Knight takes from Legally Blonde, and it's a tribute both to the strength of that movie that the story of a young woman who loves pink being underestimated is such a timeless story, as well as how universal the experience is. I may not be a princess, or a knight, but I think the idea of believing in yourself, and treating your compassion as a strength, is something that resonates.

I got confused sometimes between the various kingdoms and politics allying and opposing in the book, but it certainly doesn't detract from the story - Clia, a princess who loves designing clothes, joins a warrior academy ostensibly to arrange a beneficial marriage with a neighbouring prince, but more specifically to be a better ruler for her country. Everyone - except handsome knight Ronan - underestimates her, but Clia's kindness and resilience eventually save the day.

Were there many surprises? No. Did I have so much fun just existing in this world and hanging out with these characters? Absolutely. I'd recommend this to fans of Olivia Dade or Brigitte Knightley. Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for the early copy.

Seeing my friends become authors is truly the best thing ever💜

This book was so beautiful, I enjoyed reading every second of it. It’s so new to anything I’ve read before in fantasy. Filled with humor and heart, I just could not put it down. Equally whimsical as it is fantastical.

Every charcaters you’ll meet in this book will grip your heart. Trust me when I say this is a must READ BOOK!!!

5 stars – Loved every second of it The Princess Knight completely swept me away. I didn’t expect to get so attached to the characters, but wow—Cait Jacobs knows how to write people you care about. The main character is strong without being over-the-top, and her journey had me rooting for her the whole way. The romance was slow-burn perfection, and the dialogue felt real and funny.

ARC Review
Overall rating: 3.25

This was quite a fun read for what it was. I do think it fell a bit victim to my slump, but other than that I thought it was a fairly cozy and easy book to read.

The first 60% of this book was definitely my favorite because it felt very cozy and low stakes. We knew there were higher stakes going on in the background, but I really liked the way we got to slowly develop different friendships and integrate into a new setting . I think the academic atmosphere and smaller side missions also made the book feel cozier and more like a heartwarming read. For me though, the book kind of fell off after that 60% when we started to get more action and battle heavy. I usually really enjoy those types of high stakes scenes, but for some reason they felt out of place for me in this book. The flip from having a cozy academic setting to intense battle felt very disjointed to me and like it didn’t fit in with the book as a whole.

Overall, I really did like our characters and the relationships we saw getting built throughout the entirety of the book. I thought the romance was quite cute as well, and a lot of the scenes were very cozy. I would have liked the characters even more if the book stayed with a more cozier feel, but regardless I really did like the way they were developed.

At the end of the day, I did enjoy this and it was a very fun read in the moment with quirky characters and a cozy setting!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an early copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! The story was interesting and the characters were unique.

This book reads more like a young adult novel especially given the ages of the main characters and the level of emotional depth of the romances. Keep that in mind when reading.

Overall, a fun and engaging novel! If there is a sequel, I will definitely be reading it.

I absolutely loved this book! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for giving me an advanced copy of this book!
The story follows Cliodhna, the princess of Alainndore who has always known that her fate was to marry for the betterment of her kingdom. She is expecting an official betrothal with prince Domhnall Scailca, when he instead ends all discussions of marriage. In order to prover her strength and valor, Clia follows Dom to Caislean Costa, the most prestigious warrior academy across the kingdoms. There, she meets Ronan, the captain of Dom's guard who aids her in her training and one of the only people who truly believes in her. With war on the horizon, Clia is not only working to save her betrothal, but her kingdom and its allies.
This was such a good book. I enjoyed it immensely and would absolutely adore another book in this world. I loved the way that the magic system worked and I really enjoyed just being immersed in the story. I cannot recommend this book enough. The only reason that I am rating this a 4 and not a 5 is because there were some parts that felt a little slower than others and there were a few twists that were a little predictable. BUT. I still think that this is a beautiful story and I hope to read more from this author!

I really enjoyed this book! I didn't read any summaries or genres related to this book before I started the eArc, and I was actually surprised that this book is not classified as Young Adult. It read more like a YA novel than it did an adult novel. I think I expect more in depth plot and complexities between the main characters when I am reading an adult Fantasy or Romantasy novel and this didn't have enough of that for me. The romance between Clía and Ronan had a good start to it, but I wanted a little more slow burn or tension and we just didn't get that. I did like their friendship though, and though it was refreshing to have a MMC in Ronan that isn't broody and angsty. Also, I was very distracted by trying to figure out how to pronounce the names of the characters in my head, lol. Would love a guide on this in a published book.
That being said, it was a quick light read and I enjoyed it overall. I would read another book in this series (is a series??) or at least another book by Cait Jacobs when I want a break from heavy complex fantasy!

This book was so much fun. Everything about it was right up my alley…
Cheeky medieval inspired girl-power story? Check.
Lots of world-building, history, and lore steeped in Irish mythology? Check.
Great representation, including a girly-pop autistic coded FMC who refuses to let that define her, MMC who struggles with chronic pain but still tries his damnedest every day, and openly queer and nonbinary characters (honestly, who COULDN'T love Kian?!)? Check.

I've seen this book compared a lot to 'Legally Blonde' (but make it medieval), and honestly that's not wrong, but I think fans of works like Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, or even the Assistant to the Villain series by Hannah Nicole Maehrer will be head over heels for this book. The Princess Knight is fun and whimsical, but has a serious heart deep down that you can't help but falling in love with.

My only qualm with the book is that there are some things I wish we'd gotten more of!
I'm genuinely hoping that this book was setting the stage for a series, and we will get to revisit this world and see more of these characters, even if it's from other perspectives.
I adored the sweet slow burn romance between Clía and Ronan, but I would have loved to see even more of the tension or build-up between the two of them.

If, however, this ends up being a standalone, and we do not get to visit Inismian again, I will say, I had a delightful time visiting.

Thank you to Netgalley, Cait Jacobs and Avon/Harper Voyager for providing an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

This was such a fun take on a princess becoming a warrior. I loved that it was serious but still had a good mix of light hearted moments.

Clía thought she knew what she wanted and was determined to try and get it. I loved seeing her defy the odds and work hard at becoming a warrior. Even if it did start out for the wrong reasons. Her and Ronans relationship was the perfect slow burn that was really fun to watch blossom. I appreciated that it wasn’t rushed and we got to see inside both characters heads.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The romance and plot felt well balanced. I would have loved to see more of the realm and academy. I think that was the only thing missing for me. Would have loved some more detail on the surroundings. As well as more missions. As the creatures and folklore were really fun to learn about!

What a feminist masterpiece! The cover drew me in but I love the story too. Girl power and true love forever.

I desperately wanted to love this book. Like, I tried SO hard. I went into it with a lot of enthusiasm because Legally Blonde x Romantasy?? It sounded right up my alley! However, this just was not the book for me.

For starters, I had a hell of a time trying to pronounce any of the character's names. This might sound like a small issue, but after a while it became pretty frustrating and I feel like it ultimately kept me from connecting with the characters.

Then comes the plot, since this story was based off Legally Blonde it felt like a lot of it was driven primarily by trying to adhere to the original source material. I wish the author would have taken more creative liberties and followed her own path, while still taking inspiration from Ms. Elle Woods.

I LOVED the concept of this, but unfortunately it just fell flat for me.

This book made me think of Legally Blonde, but with a medieval twist. It’s witty, kind-hearted, and engaging from sparkly opening to dramatic finale. Perfect if you want a book with big character growth, representation woven in, and a heroine who wields her armor—and her heart—with style. The FMC goes from a pampered princess to a warrior, all while staying true to herself. I enjoyed the character growth. Overall, this is a feel good book that you want to keep going back to.

I couldn’t bring myself to get further than the first 9 chapters, and rather than read the entirety out of spite and leave a scathing review, I’m pulling my stake out early to rationally explain my reasoning.

Audience classification? Is this YA or Adult? If it had been YA, I wouldn’t have requested it as someone not interested in the usual tone of those books, but since it was classified as Adult literature, I’d been interested and then ultimately disappointed. A big difference between YA and Adult fantasy is the tone and the writing’s style. Both are perceived by readers in the first couple of chapters. With the young characters in their teens, their social insecurities, and the heavy handed character descriptions, it reads like a young adult book with the emphasis on the authors intent to tell us rather than show us. Writers should focus on allowing the reader to inference meaning, but especially if the audience is to be adults. So much of the introductory world building would have been great, if it was spaced out and explained half as much. If you’re going to shove 95% of the world building between present moments under the guise of a character just thinking about it, you might as well just start the book earlier in time and allow it to play out naturally.

The character of Clío is also victim to this “telling” by the over explanation of her traits and beliefs. The entire first chapter is about her love of fashion and making this gown for her engagement to be “perfect”. Fine on its own, but then we get the explanation behind her actions as if we are unable to inference that her nerves are soothed with this task and focus, that information is then just handed out in statement after statement all hammering the same mundane point. Not a “spoiler” per se, but don’t introduce a dual perspective if it entirely negates an introductory plot point. Why do we get Ronan (the guard not the prince) chapter before the prince can even call off the wedding? Make us believe the wedding will still happen; the entire point of her being nervous is about this engagement, so rather than getting that point of view from Ronan, it could have focused on the time spent waiting for the prince to arrive, and the engagement ending would have started Ronans first perspective, reorienting the reader to the new love interest. We watched the prince and Ronan be attacked on the road, while more and more world building was shoved at us, just for us to hear it all again when they called for the meeting with Ó Connor. Pick one not both, keep the reader confused or they will walk away.

Dual perspective works as long as it’s done at the right time. I often find that the longer the book focuses on one person and their misunderstandings of someone, when that second perspective comes in finally it shifts the entire tone of the book and propels me forward. My biggest recommendation is to space those perspectives out just for the first 10 chapters or so.

The chemistry should be non existent when two people don’t know each other, yet Ronan literally sides with Clío internally after his best friend (the future king, mind you) dumps her. Just an interesting insta-lust choice.

Overall, it’s not a bad book, especially since I didn’t finish it, so take this with a grain of salt, but it’s not for me. I didn’t feel propelled forward by the plot or did I feel that there were any mysteries for me to solve since so far all my questions have been answered in the same, if not next sentence.

Clía has lived her entire life learning how to win her parents’ favour and knowing she will be married to Prince Domnhall to secure the favor of the Drain and protect her kingdom. But what she never expected was chasing that desire to Caisleán Cósta, the military academy that Domnhall and his captain of the guard, Ronan begin attendance at. Slowly, Clía learns her worth and develops unexpected bonds, strengthening her during the brink of war.
THIS book was truly excellent! I loved the Legally Blonde themes and adored the slow but beautiful development of relationships with the characters. I definitely had the Legally Blonde soundtrack in my head at different parts. The story material itself was very dense but I did love the Irish culture background that played into it! A special note to the depiction of Ronan's dealings with chronic pain throughout too - I think this representation was so crucial for the storyline and also people living through the experience to be able to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this EGalley to review!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this more than i anticipated. I felt the world building was immersive and the characters were well rounded.

Who wouldn’t be enticed by the premise of a romantasy retelling of Legally Blonde? Unfortunately for me, The Princess Knight reads very YA, and I don’t think YA is for me at the moment. Someone who deeply appreciates the genre or falls in the target demographic likely won’t find fault with it. I noticed a lot of telling rather than showing which is what put me off. “There was affection behind [his sigh].” Show us the affection: is it in the warmth of his eyes, creasing of his brow, patting of a head? like give me something .. “his big eyes seemed so sad” what about them was giving sad? Little instances like this grated on me throughout my reading experience and took me out of the story.

The characters on their themselves are defined and I enjoyed them. Overall, I wasn’t blown away by this story, but I can definitely see how this might scratch an itch for fantasy and legally blonde lovers!

My best friend was really interested in this so I grabbed it as well. I think somewhere it was described as legally blonde-esque, so that piqued my interest as well.

Likes:
- This book is a pretty straightforward clean romance with a happily ever after
- I did like how the author tied Irish folklore into the book.

Dislikes:
- There were a multitude of Irish names and only the countries were given pronunciations. I kept having to stop and look up words and names, which drew me out of the book frequently.
- There seemed to be a lot going on...but the plot was going nowhere. I was at 60% before anything really started to happen.
- I liked the take on the plot of Legally Blonde, but that only lasted the first half of the book. The second half just was a generic fantasy romance book for YA. To me, it seemed there was nothing new or standout worthy in the second half.

Overall, this wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't anything new to me. The plot needed more "show me not tell me," which for me made this book easy to put down and me ready to move on.

𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙 ★★★½ (rounded up)
𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠: disappointed after being so hype for this read.

Sometimes the books you want to love most are the ones that let you down the hardest.

𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨:
✻ Legally Blonde retellings in fantasy settings
✻ Military academy romantasy
✻ Queer-normative worlds with bisexual MCs

𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒: starts strong, then drags significantly
𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑙𝑒: easy to read but lacks depth
𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑑/𝑎𝑡𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: lighter than expected military academy vibes
𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒: follows Legally Blonde beats, sometimes too closely imo

𝒔𝒐, 𝒍𝒆𝒕'𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒕...
I hate writing reviews like this. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and while I can appreciate what Cait was trying to accomplish, it ultimately fell flat for me.

It's Legally Blonde meets fantasy academia, which should have perfect.

⚔️⁠ And honestly? The beginning had me hooked. The setup was engaging, the world-building showed promise with its folklore influences, and I was ready to fall in love with both the story and characters. But somewhere along the way, everything just... stagnated.

👑 The characters became the biggest letdown for me. Clía starts with potential but never quite develops beyond her initial setup. Everyone constantly criticizes her (give the girl a break!), and while her journey from princess to knight should feel empowering, it felt rushed and unrealistic.

💔 Ronan, the MMC, has moments of charm, but their romance lacked the chemistry and tension I craved. Their interactions were sweet but felt more like friendly banter than romantic tension.

⚜️ The plot's adherence to the Legally Blonde structure sometimes worked against it, making certain beats feel forced rather than organic. While I could see the twists coming, they weren't completely obvious, just predictable enough to lose some impact.

🎀The writing itself is perfectly readable and accessible, but it lacks the depth and engagement that would have elevated this story. The pacing becomes sluggish after the promising start, and character interactions occasionally felt stiff. The world-building, while creative, felt minimal when I wanted more richness and detail.

✨ I did appreciate the queer-normative world and the casual diversity in relationships, plus the military academy setting had potential. But the execution just didn't match the ambition of the concept.

This reads much more YA than the adult fantasy I was expecting, which might explain some of my disconnect. If you're in the target age range or looking for a lighter fantasy palate cleanser, you might have a better experience than I did.

I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley and was sent a physical ARC. That you to the publisher, publicist, and author! All thoughts and opinions are my own

-thoughts immediately upon finishing-

3.5 rounded up
Initial thoughts upon finishing:
1. I expected to love this allot more than I did
2. I loved the world but felt let down by the characters
3. The writing was very easy to understand