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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Solid teen romance/equal rights story, with a medieval twist.
The setting: a medieval-themed family restaurant. The hero: a heroine, waitress/serving wench Kit. The plot: with a wastrel vanished father leaving Kit, her brother and mum with little to live on, Kit and Chris help out with their wages - Chris earning significantly more as a knight, fighting in staged battles that Kit dreams of joining. The kicker?: she's a girl, so of course she can't be a knight.
The scene is thus set for some modern-day equal rights fighting, some family drama, and with a best friend who's also an employee at this same medieval restaurant, a potential spark of a love story.
This was a fairly typically structured YA story, with a sweet/sassy lead who's struggling to realise her academic dreams, keep (and even better) her job, not lose her best friend over a silly crush, and spearhead a snowballing feminist campaign. I liked Kit, I cared more about the subplot of her knightly ambitions than her relationship with her best friend, though her family situation does make you care how things are going to turn out for them all.
A good time-passer for me, though I'm clearly not the target audience (probably also why the teen romance didn't really hit a nerve with me). Liked the medieval theme.
The Audible narrator did a great job bringing Kit's voice to life, nice and clear, a strong young woman which transferred fairly well when having to voice the male characters.
For ages 12 and above. A few themes/scenes involving discussion of drug taking, poverty. No sexual/swearing content.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
The setting: a medieval-themed family restaurant. The hero: a heroine, waitress/serving wench Kit. The plot: with a wastrel vanished father leaving Kit, her brother and mum with little to live on, Kit and Chris help out with their wages - Chris earning significantly more as a knight, fighting in staged battles that Kit dreams of joining. The kicker?: she's a girl, so of course she can't be a knight.
The scene is thus set for some modern-day equal rights fighting, some family drama, and with a best friend who's also an employee at this same medieval restaurant, a potential spark of a love story.
This was a fairly typically structured YA story, with a sweet/sassy lead who's struggling to realise her academic dreams, keep (and even better) her job, not lose her best friend over a silly crush, and spearhead a snowballing feminist campaign. I liked Kit, I cared more about the subplot of her knightly ambitions than her relationship with her best friend, though her family situation does make you care how things are going to turn out for them all.
A good time-passer for me, though I'm clearly not the target audience (probably also why the teen romance didn't really hit a nerve with me). Liked the medieval theme.
The Audible narrator did a great job bringing Kit's voice to life, nice and clear, a strong young woman which transferred fairly well when having to voice the male characters.
For ages 12 and above. A few themes/scenes involving discussion of drug taking, poverty. No sexual/swearing content.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
dembury's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun, feminist read, and I enjoyed the infusions of all things medieval. Kit's enthusiasm about women in history as well as her want for a workplace that allows anyone to become a knight provides a great drive for the story.
The biggest downsides are that 1) I felt like a lot of subplots and messages (Kit's dad, selling the house, the narrative on being poor, choosing college, feelings for her friend, etc. etc.) just became a bit overwhelming and drowned out the main plot. Each new chapter felt like a fresh problem for Kit and it made it difficult for any one point to get a truly satisfying wrap-up. Speaking of which, that brings me to 2) the conclusion of the book happened SO. FAST. There was hardly any drama/consequences, just a big moment of "wow, this worked out so great in all this various areas of my life!" Spoiler alert here, but such a huge part of the book was that Kit was going to have to deal with what corporate thought of her ideas for the Castle, and in the end they're just like "omg we love it!" with no consequences. Subsequently, because of that, it gave off the impression that corporate only agreed because they could make money off of female knights and not because they actually cared to have a more diverse workplace. It felt cheap at the end.
I still enjoyed the book, and think it had a lot of heart! I just wished it had some more solidity in choosing a narrative and then giving THAT story all it could be.
The biggest downsides are that 1) I felt like a lot of subplots and messages (Kit's dad, selling the house, the narrative on being poor, choosing college, feelings for her friend, etc. etc.) just became a bit overwhelming and drowned out the main plot. Each new chapter felt like a fresh problem for Kit and it made it difficult for any one point to get a truly satisfying wrap-up. Speaking of which, that brings me to 2) the conclusion of the book happened SO. FAST. There was hardly any drama/consequences, just a big moment of "wow, this worked out so great in all this various areas of my life!" Spoiler alert here, but such a huge part of the book was that Kit was going to have to deal with what corporate thought of her ideas for the Castle, and in the end they're just like "omg we love it!" with no consequences. Subsequently, because of that, it gave off the impression that corporate only agreed because they could make money off of female knights and not because they actually cared to have a more diverse workplace. It felt cheap at the end.
I still enjoyed the book, and think it had a lot of heart! I just wished it had some more solidity in choosing a narrative and then giving THAT story all it could be.
caitlin42's review against another edition
5.0
Page Street Kids was kind enough to send me an ARC of this book, and I'm so glad they did! It is funny and fun and delightful and heartfelt and intersectional. It is somehow a cheery teen romcom romp and also a book about struggles with poverty and also about the romanticization of the Middle Ages and how that affects society. It is GREAT. Kit is a champion.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
4.0
4/5
Serving wench? Jousting? Feminism? Count me in! I loved the feel of this book. Watching the events unfold was like watching a movie. The LGBTQIA+ rep was good. The only reason why I didn’t give it five stars is because I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would, still a good book though, I would totally recommend!
Serving wench? Jousting? Feminism? Count me in! I loved the feel of this book. Watching the events unfold was like watching a movie. The LGBTQIA+ rep was good. The only reason why I didn’t give it five stars is because I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would, still a good book though, I would totally recommend!
rainbowbookworm's review
5.0
This one was released last week and features a fierce female protagonist who is dealing with economic issues at home and feminist issues at work. Follow Kit and friends (through liberal references to [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566425108l/33._SX50_.jpg|3462456] and A Knight’s tale) as they join forces to eliminate the rule that only cis men can be knights at The Castle (a Medieval-Times-esque dinner theater venue). Why am I recommending the book? Besides the fact that it was great, Kit’s best friend Layla is bisexual and a coworker is NB. (Alex’s pronouns are they/them.) Visit my Instagram, Rainbow.Bookworm to see the book’s cover and my favorite quotes.
oblatecordon's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
itsjustcali's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
readingrobin's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A cute, quirky rom com featuring a determined teen hoping to smash the glass ceiling at the Medieval
Times adjacent experience that she works at. While I thought that the feminist angle of this book didn't really go hard enough, I really appreciated that, when Kit began to include her friends in her crusade for female knights in the show, the group included her trans, gender-nonconforming, and women of color co workers. It brought some intersectionality to the issue and I'm glad that the endeavor didn't solely focus on Kit.
It's one of those YA romances where you can sit back and enjoy its silliness and simplicity. Kit faces many hardships, sure, like poverty, a deadbeat dad, and trying to get into a good school, but it never tries to be anything complicated. It strikes a good balance between showing Kit struggle and receiving so much support from her friends and family. You could really get a sense of how devoted they are to each other.
While the ending was incredibly rushed, I did like the more realistic beat it ended on, that not every plan is achievable, even the ones you put so much effort and time into, but there's still one for you.
Times adjacent experience that she works at. While I thought that the feminist angle of this book didn't really go hard enough, I really appreciated that, when Kit began to include her friends in her crusade for female knights in the show, the group included her trans, gender-nonconforming, and women of color co workers. It brought some intersectionality to the issue and I'm glad that the endeavor didn't solely focus on Kit.
It's one of those YA romances where you can sit back and enjoy its silliness and simplicity. Kit faces many hardships, sure, like poverty, a deadbeat dad, and trying to get into a good school, but it never tries to be anything complicated. It strikes a good balance between showing Kit struggle and receiving so much support from her friends and family. You could really get a sense of how devoted they are to each other.
While the ending was incredibly rushed, I did like the more realistic beat it ended on, that not every plan is achievable, even the ones you put so much effort and time into, but there's still one for you.
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly is so much fun and just what I needed while I'm stuck at home during the current pandemic. It's cute and entertaining, and while it's a light read, it also deals with sexism, poverty, and some tough choices.
Kit works at a cheesy, medieval-themed restaurant, where she's stuck as a serving wench (that's what they call the waitresses). She wants to be a knight because it pays better and also because she has a knight obsession, but women aren't allowed to play that role. One night, she takes her brother's place as a knight and she can't resist revealing her identity (stating "I am no man" from Lord of the Rings). The "girl knight" quickly goes viral, and Kit tries to push for a change in the company's sexist policy, forming a band of people who want to change to rules.
Kit is in a tough place. She wants to shake things up, but she also desperately needs her job because she and her family are the working poor. Her dad left after stealing the money her mother had saved for the kids' college funds, and he doesn't pay child support. Her mother never finished high school and works two jobs to try to keep up with the mortgage. Kit's older brother also works two jobs and goes to community college. Kit has a plan to get ahead, but she needs money for college and her path out of town is starting to look impossible. The author does an excellent job showing how tough Kit's choices are and how grinding poverty can be.
Kit is a likeable, imperfect heroine. She doesn't always make the best choices, but her mistakes make sense in the context of the story. She's a tough feminist who's been dealt a rough hand in life, but she's doing her best to make things better. This is a very fun book with an important message. It's also pretty diverse: Kit's love interest is half Indian, her best friend is African-American and bi, and one her co-workers is nonbinary.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
Kit works at a cheesy, medieval-themed restaurant, where she's stuck as a serving wench (that's what they call the waitresses). She wants to be a knight because it pays better and also because she has a knight obsession, but women aren't allowed to play that role. One night, she takes her brother's place as a knight and she can't resist revealing her identity (stating "I am no man" from Lord of the Rings). The "girl knight" quickly goes viral, and Kit tries to push for a change in the company's sexist policy, forming a band of people who want to change to rules.
Kit is in a tough place. She wants to shake things up, but she also desperately needs her job because she and her family are the working poor. Her dad left after stealing the money her mother had saved for the kids' college funds, and he doesn't pay child support. Her mother never finished high school and works two jobs to try to keep up with the mortgage. Kit's older brother also works two jobs and goes to community college. Kit has a plan to get ahead, but she needs money for college and her path out of town is starting to look impossible. The author does an excellent job showing how tough Kit's choices are and how grinding poverty can be.
Kit is a likeable, imperfect heroine. She doesn't always make the best choices, but her mistakes make sense in the context of the story. She's a tough feminist who's been dealt a rough hand in life, but she's doing her best to make things better. This is a very fun book with an important message. It's also pretty diverse: Kit's love interest is half Indian, her best friend is African-American and bi, and one her co-workers is nonbinary.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.