DNF'd at 77%

I would give this book a 2.25 had I not been DNFing. It felt like a sparknotes version of the book it should've been. The thing I loved the most about this book were the main characters. I loved how they saw each other for who they truly were but that alone wasn't enough to continue it. And when I saw I had a little less than 2 hours more to read, I just couldn't be bothered. I got to the "plot twist" and it was just very predictable and I just really got to a point where I did not care how the book was going to end.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

2025 is officially the year of the lady knights, and I’m living for it. This book brings back the beloved princess x knight trope in the best possible way - and I need more of it, immediately.

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7515163732

I got to read this early as an ARC, and it's been one of my most anticipated reads! It was such a fun adventure. I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the author's writing style.

Ok, let's start off with what I loved about this book. While 3 stars to me means it was fine, it didnt stand out and did disappoint in some areas. However the 2 main characters did not disappoint! Clia and Ronan were so adorable. The chemistry was there, the timing was there, and the development really saved this book for me. Clia was such an a refreshing female lead and princess figure. I loved her role reversals in some major plot points of the story so much! And Ronan. He's such the good boy knight we all need in our lives. He calls out his friends, he does what's right even when it's hard and he loves gently and fiercely. These 2 are definitely a pairing I could see being happily married outside of the events that occurred and that isn't always the case with romance!

Now for what dissatisfied me. This book at times felt like a cozy medieval romance but at other times it felt very politically and action motivated. It didn’t really excel in either. It was too shallow and the writing waa too simplistic for am immersion, atmospheric medieval fantasy. And when it was trying to be a romance, it had too little side character/cast development and too much plot heavy sections. The plot was very straightforward and easy to see the twists and when characters died... there wasn't enough emotion or connection for it to be memorable.

Overall, a solid debut and quick and easy read!

Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

This was fun and cute to read. I loved the development in Clia's character and in Ronan's too. The whole book was Fluffy and nice to enjoy

Thank you to HarperCollins for the e-arc!

If you are into romantasy, this one is for you as it has everything we love to read: political intrigue, magical artifacts, female empowerment, a developing overtime romance, and learning to love and trust yourself.

When I heard about this book almost a year ago, I was very excited and I have to say it did not disappoint. For a first time author, Cait Jacobs did a great job. The characters were flushed out and did not feel one dimensional, the plot was somewhat predictable but still held itself on its own, and the writing style did not bore me. I was able to envision what was happening with who and any questions I did have were answered pretty quickly. The story is very similar to Legally Blonde, which is to be expected by the description, but I did not feel as though it was a direct copy and paste just within a different setting.

I did appreciate the guide at the beginning with the different kingdoms, but I would have also loved a map. Perhaps there is one in the physical copy, but there was not one for the digital version I received. Regardless, I would definitely recommend this book! It's super sweet with a variety of characters, and you do not have to worry about tons of miscommunication which happens so often in romance books. Any miscommunication between characters gets dealt with quickly which is great because miscommunication is one of my biggest pet peeves. The romance aspect is not a sudden love at first sight, rather it develops over time and is sweet. Love the female friendship and empowerment throughout, always a favorite of mine!

I will definitely be picking up a physical copy come October, because not only is the cover art by one of my favorite artists the book itself is lovely and I can definitely see myself rereading it.

I really love how descriptive the writing is down to the feel of rocks scraping Ronan’s face as he was in battle. It made the book so real and engaging. I liked the romance and adventure including the fight scenes. What I struggled with was the lack of character growth. I feel like she started out as a very weak character who was externally motivated by the direction of others and not much changed throughout the book. She just goes from following her parents to following Ronan. That having been said, I know many teen readers who would adore this book.

I liked this! Very fun and simple to understand for the most part. I do feel like a glossary would have helped this story. The romance needed a little more time and depth but i still liked it. World building was decent. Murphy was adorable!! Other than that I enjoyed this!

Thank you to the Author Cait Jacobs and Netagalley for the E-arc.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=2.75? | 😘=2.5 | ⚔️=3 | 15+

summary: basically Legally Blonde but it’s a princess going to knight school and this bodyguard knight guy she falls in love with and the political drama in the background

thoughts: (tbh i don’t know why this review is so long bc this really wasn’t that bad all things considered and i thought the vibes were fun sort of but then i would also get bored so like how fun could it be but also it kinda was fun sometimes! but also it took like three weeks to read this book that is not that long and in a case such as this i blame the book itself rather than me tbh bc i can usually inhale a solid fantasy novel with a strong romantic subplot quite quickly so like this isn’t on me ok)

- so. like. this is… pretty boring? and I’ve been trying to figure out why because the main characters, individually, are interesting, and the elevator pitch is charming and then i realized it’s that i neither cared nor was able to keep track of any of the background politics of the many countries or any character over the age of, like, 21 (and there are several key players on different political sides but my brain just like… did not compute?? bc what are the political sides??). so like maybe this is on me but also maybe it’s on the author bc it’s their job to entertain me without rendering the external portion of their plot inscrutable, not my job to pretend it isn’t inscrutable. however admittedly my ARC doesn’t have a map in it and i think that published copies have a map so maybe that would’ve helped? but basically during the political discussions and fight scenes it felt like the author was hunched over their laptop, fighting for their life, wincing with every word typed, and they would sooooo rather have written a romance novel in a vaguely fake historical setting and not have to deal with all of this contrived political nonsense but they were forced against their will by Story Gods to create external plot conflicts alongside internal ones because this is a Fantasy Novel. like bestie you can write a romance novel if you want!! no one is forcing you to put a bunch of politics in it!!

- both of the MCs are interesting but for some reason their love story is so so so sooooo bland? like there’s built-in tension on a lot of levels that you can totally do something with—class differences, bias, from different kingdoms, don’t-date-your-coworker-sort of—but there was literally nothing? I was not convinced that they were in love??? like i knew they were in love because they were the main people in a romantic fantasy novel not because they have any reason to be in love with each other?? the yearning was not yearning

- basically this book very much reads as the debut that it is because I believe a more skilled author could have taken this and made it something really special but instead i was pretty bored and do not understand the political drama and also the random magic sword stuff thrown in there? like a sword blessed by the gods?? but like why is it there and why should i care? actually all of the gods stuff was really random and i think you could have taken out literally all mentions of the gods and it would make no difference

- i know that the main Legally Blonde equivalent is that Clía is a feminine princess who sews and likes fashion and goes to a not-that-feminine fighting school or whatever but i think it would have been so fun if somehow Ronan had to sew something or like make a dress or just something so that he would acknowledge how that is also difficult labor. like he didn’t show any signs of misogyny or anything like that, but i think it could’ve been fun? write a literal fashion emergency! work with me here!!

- [Ok also i don’t think we ever got a moment where Clía realized that her letters were being stopped from going to her parents by one of the Big Bad Guys idk which one but anyway this is kind of important! and also she never confronts her parents at the end about how much they suck at ruling a country?? which could have been a satisfying character moment?? bestie. (hide spoiler)]

- (also this is one of those fantasy novels that mentions adrenaline and sexy romantic sparks of electricity but bestie you canNOT say that kind of thing!! even if your book isn’t an actual historical fantasy, it is clearly inspired by centuries far before electricity was discovered and used, let alone adrenaline!!!!! to me this is far more egregious than the champagne-in-fantasy debate ever will be)

2.25 ⭐️

Let me just start off by saying that I’ve never watched Legally Blonde so that may or may not affect how the humor and tone landed for me.

I think the story started off promising but the writing was too simplistic for my taste especially in the action scenes. I had a hard time getting into the fight sequences, and Clía’s motivations struck me as flimsy at best. You’re telling me this girl that has never exercised or lifted anything heavier than a sewing needle her entire life, enrolls in a military academy which will entail practicing swordsmanship and war tactics all because a childhood friend she barely had feelings for rejected her?

What made it worse is that the person who practically raised her, a military commander and academy graduate, apparently gave her zero preparation. No advice, no tips, not even a “hey, maybe try holding a sword before you get there.” For someone who’s supposed to be a father figure, he’s shockingly absent and indifferent.

Her first time holding a weapon is when she’s thrown into a duel with a fellow student? That’s not just implausible…it’s downright ridiculous.

Frankly, I would have kicked her out on the spot when she stood there dumbstruck. She couldn’t have been that stupid. I mean, if you lived in the same castle as knights and warriors wouldn’t you have at least watched a spar? Maybe attempt to vaguely mimic a stance no matter how terrible? At least do something!! It’s one thing to be a fish out of water, but this felt like a complete lack of common sense.

It also pisses me off how this girl had it soooo easy in a brutal, high stress and “extremely” challenging military academy. You’re telling me that she breezed through just like that? She had one challenging opponent and one difficult mission then graduated? She only really practiced with two people and one of them clearly pulled his punches. The victory against her childhood friend was completely unearned, especially when it was chalked up to him underestimating her. That’s not development; it’s a shortcut.

I can see why some people enjoyed this; maybe because of the parody, or because of the inclusive worldbuilding, or just for the romance (which to be fair, was decent). But for me, the character arc lacked depth, the stakes never felt real, and the story just didn’t land emotionally.

Murphy was definitely the highlight for me though. I just wish he was more than just a cute mascot. He’s described as a man-eating, otter-like monster so why not have him accompany her on missions or defend her in meaningful ways? He could’ve been a symbol of her growth, loyalty, and inner strength. Instead, he was sadly underused, which felt like a missed opportunity.

Legally Blonde but make it medieval…and give the initial love interest a redemption arc…oh and for a little bit of fun, instead of a legal trial how about an impending war the like of which has not been seen before?

A strong group of characters with low-key diversity, who are consistently reminded that just because you can do it alone doesn’t mean that you should have to. A princess who learns that she can contribute more to her kingdom than just an advantageous marriage. And a chronically ill warrior who isn’t magically healed midway through the story because this isn’t a character flaw.

Overall a pleasant read with rich characters and romance but if you are well versed in the plot of Legally Blonde be forewarned many of the plot twists you’ll see coming from chapter 1.

Thank you for a gifted copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely love legally blonde so a medieval version of this sounded so fun! I really enjoyed this and the world but I feel like it would be so much better if the story continued

Great potential that has me looking forward to future books!

I was super excited to receive an ARC of this and want to thank the publisher and Cait Jacobs for the opportunity.

Overall, I think this book had a really great writing style and structure and will do amazing as a debut. I did feel that the story was quite predictable and adhered a bit too closely to the Legally Blonde storyline, but that’s my opinion.
I really enjoyed the action and lore, but I feel like some aspects could have been described better and more broadly. For example, I found myself googling a Dobhar-chú Because I couldn’t picture it well in my head based on descriptions given.

I think this world is going to only continue to improve in future books and I can’t wait to find out more about our starring couple and their possible allies and enemies!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this e-ARC!

I've been dying to read The Princess Knight since I saw its publication announcement and let me tell you, my expectations were high. That being said, starting a book with that much hype can be a double-edged sword: you either get blown away and realize that your expectations were actually low, or you feel disappointed, fast.

Sadly, the later was the case for me with The Princess Knight. While enjoyable, it took me a while to get into the story, I felt that it dragged in the training scenes and I've struggled to connect with Clía :( I'm giving four stars because the book was not bad at all, it was just not for me.

The premise of this book was what drew me to request it, but I am sad to say this book just was not for me. I think as a book it will find its audience because it is well written and well researched. I think those who read a lot of Romantasy will be disappointed, but non romantasy readers might enjoy it. As a mostly Romantasy reader I am looking for higher stakes and the FMC in this book was just absolutely not drawing me in. I think what makes Legally Blonde so fun to watch is Elle's innocent aloofness and almost annoying positivity. In this story the FMC was just plain annoying and so not in touch with her reality the whole book.

I also felt like from the beginning I knew where the story was going which made it hard for me to continue reading it. I kept putting it off and it almost was a chore to keep going. The other thing that I could not get past is that at times this book felt very much YA, targeting high schoolers in my opinion and at other times it felt like the author was being forced to make it feel more adult.

I can tell the author really put time into the world building, but this also was not very interesting to me. I think part of my disappointment with the book is that I expected much more because of the legally blonde comparison. It's a difficult task to market something inspired by a classic phenomenon because on one end it attracts an audience but on the other the expectations are extremely high.

Overall it was a cute story, but nothing about it drew me in. I need higher stakes, more romantic tension. It had the pieces to be a very interesting book but they did not come together at all unfortunately.

I appreciate the chance to read the arc by from Net Galley + Avon & Harper Voyager for the eARC!

I want to start by saying that I think the author is an incredibly gifted writer. However, there were some pacing issues in the story that pulled me out of the world she created.

I wanted so badly to love this. Legally Blonde is one of my favorite movies, so I had high expectations going into this book. The beginning was very strong, implementing a fresh take on the classic and drawing us in to the characters and their motivations. Unfortunately, the story began to lose momentum around the 40% mark. At that point, the plot became heavily focused on training sequences, which felt repetitive and slowed the pace. Around that point in the book was also when I found myself disinterested with the main characters, especially their romance, which didn't feel fully developed.

I just wasn't the right match for this book; it somehow felt too YA while being categorized as adult

4 stars

this book is pretty much exactly what it promises on the tin: legally blonde but she becomes a knight rather than a lawyer. that’s pretty much the whole bit, and it’s realized reasonably well. some story beats are followed closely, others are adapted for the sake of having a good fantasy plot (which I appreciated), and there was enough variation that I felt like there was still some surprise to be had.

it’s very much a story of growth and self-actualization, with a sweet romance as a meso-level plot. I do wish we got to see our MC earn her knighthood a little more viscerally; we got told she practiced but I didn’t have a sense of how hard she worked or how much she cared (and this actually got confusing because other characters had something to say on this subject that conflicted with what we got told).

it’s a fun, a little campy, sweet, girl-power, friendship-is-magic fantasy with a good romance subplot about a girly girl becoming a knight. pretty good if you ask me.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it - I was having a hard time with high fantasy and this really wasn’t helping me.

This was a solid retelling of Legally Blonde with a stellar cast of characters. Clia specifically was an easy protagonist to love, and I appreciated that she didn't start her story being totally all-knowing and invincible, although it did feel like that toward the end. She truly worked to become a worthy knight, not just for her ill-fated marriage, but also for her kingdom that was overwhelmingly unprepared for war. Ronan was also a fairly strong character—resilient and noble, but not without his share of trauma and chronic pain. The pair felt real, and the nature of their friendship was palpable.

The romance didn't completely win me over—something about it felt too rushed, and I found myself realizing that the two might have better friend chemistry than anything. The ending also felt abrupt; I wish the author tied up a few loose ends, especially since this is (I assume) a standalone novel. What happened to Clia's parents? What was the deal with the mystery crystal, like actually? Also, why was Domhnall such a bad friend?

I still enjoyed the overall story. If this happens to continue as a series or if Cait Jacobs writes more fun retellings, I'll definitely read them!