The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs also known as Medievally Blonde. I stumbled across this book by chance at my local bookstore and was taken in by the beautiful cover… I haven't read a romantasy book before, not really. Fantasy with romance, sure, but a fantasy book that makes it such a huge part of the story? No. And I can't believe what I've been missing out on. This book not only weaves romance and fantasy together, but myths and legends.
Jacob's debut romantasy comes out swinging, much like Princess Clía. A perfect princess raised to rule the peaceful kingdom of Álainndore. Her whole life has been laid out before her, including her marriage to Prince Domhnall of Scáilca. It's a match the gods themselves will smile on… Until Domhnall, wary of the growing Ionróiran threat, claims he needs a formidable warrior queen at his side. A queen that care for more than fashion and balls, unlike Clía.
Heartbroken, she follows Domhnall to the warrior academy to end all warrior academies: The legendary Caisleán Cósta. It is here that the Draoi, the finest warriors in the kingdom are trained. It is here that Clía is determined to prove herself more than just a pretty face. Under the intense and watchful eye of General Kordislaen, she finds herself drawn to Ronan Ó Faoláin, the captain of Domhnall's guard and favorite of the general himself. He agrees to train her, and their time together draws them closer than either expects… Unfortunately for both of them, love is not the only battlefield they will have to contend with.
The premise is based upon Legally Blonde, and the book does follow the main plot beats. A girl thought of as just another pretty face is desperate to prove herself to her ex and follows him to school (in this case, to learn combat rather than law). Along the way she overcomes trials with her fellow students and finds love in a fellow student who mentors her. A familiar undertone persists throughout the book, which I found fun, given the inspiration. There are still betrayals and triumphs, but there are also politics, war, and magic. While you may be able to guess which characters take after their counterparts, the plot itself caught my interest wholeheartedly. This book is humorous, action packed, and fun all the way through.
I would recommend this book if you're a fan of Legally Blonde (of course!), interested in giving the romantasy genre a try, are a fan of girls who don't ever know when to give up, and you like big, immersive fantasy worlds or Irish-inspired fantasy. The political machinations behind the scenes were fun to puzzle over as I tried to put the pieces together myself. And, of course, I have to shout out the chronic pain representation in this book, as well as the queer-normative world. It can be nice to see everyone exist in a space as they are, and allow the book to focus on character and plot related struggles.
SPOILERS!
GENERAL KORDISLEAN!!! The Sword of Scáilca himself!!! That betrayal hit harder than the one before it (if you've read the book, you know the one.) With the parallels I was drawing to Legally Blonde, I did NOT see that coming. I figured one corrupt mentor figure was enough! It made so much sense after the fact, I can't believe I didn't see it coming. What a great twist!
I have to shout out life at the castle, too. The training felt so authentic, you really feel like Clía fought tooth and nail for everything she learned, and for every scrap of respect that she earned. The magical aspect to her sword made me so excited, and the specialty armor where she was able to combine her passion and her desire to protect felt so right.
At this point, I have to also mention the fabric. As someone who sews, if only as a hobby, the sewing felt so true to life. There were DETAILS!
And of course, can't forget to shout out Murphy! Real Murphy fans unite…! I want a stuffed animal of him so badly. Life sized, of course. It should be too big to fit in the door.
⚠️CONTENT WARNINGS⚠️
There is one instance of animal death on page (a wild creature, not a pet), and there's going to be some mild-to-moderate violence/blood/death, on account of there being a war on. It's nothing that gave me pause in particular, and I didn't find any of it to be gratutious or excessive. It's a YA book, so it doesn't go into too much detail.