The Princess Knight

4.5 stars-- THE PRINCESS KNIGHT is the second instalment in G.A. Aiken’s the SCARRED EARTH SAGA fantasy series. This is War monk Gemma Smythe, and centaur/Amichai warrior Quinn’s story line. THE PRINCESS KNIGHT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but for back story and cohesion I recommend reading the series in order. Told from several third person perspectives THE PRINCESS KNIGHT follows War Monk Gemma Smythe two years after her strange and emotionless sister Beatrix became Queen of the East, and her blacksmith sister Keeley ascended to the throne as the Queen of the West. Always Keeley’s protector and guardian, Gemma would go on the hunt for Cyrus, one of the Old King’s sons, who is murdering monks, ransacking and destroying religious communes in an effort to steal artifacts for their magic and power. Along with Amichai Warrior Quinn, amassing a small entourage of warriors, witches, warlocks, assassins, nuns, monks, virgins, and a zombie horse, Gemma will discover that Cyrus is not the only enemy desperate for power but her sister Beatrix is tunneling forward to a land of dragons and magic. THE PRINCESS KNIGHT follows several intersecting paths as Gemma and Keeley set into motion a series of events that will culminate in the discovery of a number of underground tunnels wherein Gemma and Keeley’s psychopathic sister Beatrix would eventually execute her plans to usurp power from neighboring lands. As per G.A. Aiken’s style of writing, THE PRINCESS KNIGHT is awash in sarcasm, humor and snark, seamlessly blending paranormal with fantasy in a cross-country adventure that culminates with a wonderful twisty surprise. The humorous moments are giggle worthy; the back and forth snippy yet playful banter is fast and furious; the familial dysfunction so reminiscent of the author’s Dragonkin series, it feels like coming home.

I’m totally loving this series! Filled with so much excitement, drama, humor and intrigue, once I began I couldn’t stop. Gemma was so different from Keeley and yet I loved her every bit as much as I did Keeley. I actually appreciated the differences between them and that this was not a replica of book one but was totally original in every way. Yet both of these characters are tough heroines as in they know how to kick tail and never look back. Quinn intrigued me from the beginning. I learned to love him more as he proved to be the perfect sidekick for Gemma. The romance takes a far back seat and to be honest, this really isn’t romance at all in my opinion. The smexy times are kinda tossed in there but it really didn’t bother me. Everything else is so entertaining and engaging that I probably wouldn’t have missed it. This book introduces a lot of new characters that I suspect we’ll be seeing plenty more of as it lays out a foundation for the series to be built upon. I’m curious to see exactly what is going to happen in future installments and how many books there will be until a resolution is found. I laughed my way through so many of the conflicts and found myself getting excited when certain characters were thrown into a scene together because I knew it was going to be good...and it was, every time. And now to hurry up and wait for the next book.

I really enjoyed reading the Princess Knight. Once I realized it was second in a series, I read The Blacksmith Queen first. I would advise doing this because there is a lot of background about Gemma's and Keeley's family and general world building that the reader does not want to miss. The Blacksmith Queen is also a five star read. The Princess Knight focuses on Gemma, a war monk, who has dedicated her life to the god Morthwyl. She is a strong woman and fierce warrior who is fighting with her blacksmith Queen sister Keeley, against their evil sister Beatrix. Beatrix is brilliant and difficult to outwit. There is non-stop action, twist and turns, strong female characters, romance, witty dialogue and clever world-building. This fantasy includes centaurs, dwarves, elves, witches and dragons. The Princess Knight is also hilariously hold-your-sides-laughing funny. A great read and escape from the real world.