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luna_bear's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
paigereitz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
katykelly's review
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
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
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.