The Princess Knight

This was a great book with a lot of strong female characters, and was done in a very well-written way. Sometimes authors feel the need to really emphasize that their characters are strong without offering any substance to back it up. Aiken simply lets the male and female characters blend together in a very cohesive manner. I also like how one of the main characters is a female blacksmith. I first balked at this idea because in history female blacksmiths are almost unheard of, but in a book with magick, centaurs and gnomes, why can't there be female blacksmiths? In addition to all the strong characters there's also witty dialogue and stories being told from the viewpoint of multiple characters. I read this book without reading the first book in the series, "The Blacksmith Queen", and was able to understand what was going on, which I always appreciate in a series. A few thoughts on the cover of the book. The cover it stunning, it has beautiful colorwork and a nice soft-touch feel to it. However, at the bottom of the cover there is a review from "Smexy Books", which I never heard of before, but that review made me worried as to what type of book I would be reading. This is a plot-driven book with only one sex scene (that is not overdone), so don't let that review give you doubt to read this book.

*SPOILERS* (Abbreviated review-original was much This story reminds me of adventure sagas I read back when paper was still a thing(😸). It's a fast-paced adventure with a fair amount of twists, including throwing many gender norms on their heads❤. An absurdly strong, talented blacksmith never dreamed she'd be told she will be/is queen of the realm. She doesn't want it, and the adventure commences. But things kept kicking me out. Beatrix's story makes very little sense - a sociopath/psychopath from an isolated farm grew this vast array of conspirators and convinced them to betray their values, all while under the supposedly close watch of loved ones? How exactly does she manage to marry into the paranoid royals, fully intending to betray them all? The questions continue... Worse, it makes us question Keeley's character - How could someone so nurturing/ responsible fail to notice any of this? Finally, the Ainsley teaser - another who slipped through this family's cracks?

That was a simply amazing read! Perfect com-action, act-comedy? Anyways, it was a comedy that kept the action going, and everything flowed so smoothly in the story, even though there was a lot, a lot a lot, going on. It was easy to follow, it was easy to lose yourself in the story, it was easy to giggle, cringe, laugh, and gasp along with the characters. This is Gemma and Quinn’s story, sister to Keely and brother to Caid featured in the previous story. Everyone is still around, everyone is still fighting in the Smythe family way, and the Amichai and dwarves are still bashing at each other. Two enemy fronts are needing attention, and unlikely alliances are made out of necessity, and then kept out of familiarity, respect, and companionship Awesome world building, great story telling, wonderful dialogue, on-point comedy, and fast-paced action, I love everything about it and can’t wait for more!