tul's review
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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? No
4.0
Sweet and hopeful growing up story.
nvthemist's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emdowd's review
3.0
This was a quick, fun read! I love Kit and her enthusiasm, her relationship with her brother (though I wonder what cringe-y 90s grunge name his is short for?), her love of history and her determination.
I really liked the attempts to bust some medieval myths but the follow through just wasn't there for me. I guess it's the history nerd in me, but I wanted to learn more about the actual middle ages. Several times Kit said/thought things along the lines of "this isn't how it actually was" but we never got sufficient detail for a book whose character is a middle ages nerd.
Something that worked extremely well was the description of Kit and her family's financial situation and the subtle ways she (or the author working through her) explains why poor people make the seemingly illogical decisions they often have to do (like having the "extravagance" of a cell phone, or keeping broken things on the lawn).
The only thing this lacked for me was a why. I understand why Kit loves the Castle, but not why she loves history or the middle ages so much. It doesn't seem to fit with her plans (buy her mom a big house, get out of poverty) or have much of an impact on her motivations.
I really liked the attempts to bust some medieval myths but the follow through just wasn't there for me. I guess it's the history nerd in me, but I wanted to learn more about the actual middle ages. Several times Kit said/thought things along the lines of "this isn't how it actually was" but we never got sufficient detail for a book whose character is a middle ages nerd.
Something that worked extremely well was the description of Kit and her family's financial situation and the subtle ways she (or the author working through her) explains why poor people make the seemingly illogical decisions they often have to do (like having the "extravagance" of a cell phone, or keeping broken things on the lawn).
The only thing this lacked for me was a why. I understand why Kit loves the Castle, but not why she loves history or the middle ages so much. It doesn't seem to fit with her plans (buy her mom a big house, get out of poverty) or have much of an impact on her motivations.
unacalle's review
4.0
Actual rating is probably closer to a 3.5 but there were just too many nerdy references for me not to give it a bump.
jenni_veeve's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
3.75
kt01's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.25
L** (f)
D *
Bit cringe/too much in places, but an easy read.
D *
Bit cringe/too much in places, but an easy read.
Spoiler
And I disagree with Jet’s reasoning for waiting until she was a knight to be in a relationship.Spoiler
mzdeb's review
3.0
I received a digital ARC from NetGalley.
Cute premise--I used to be involved in medieval circles--even though this is more like a group of actors/employees than people who truly enjoy medievalism as a hobby (except Kit, who wants to study history at Marquette University). I liked the whole smashing the patriarchy thing--really fighting against being the underdog all around (overworked mom, absent dad, just scraping by). With all the various subplots going on, Kit crushing on Jett (even before he became sort of the documentor of the wenches' training adventures), doesn't quite have the punch that it should, but is still nice. As a librarian, not sure who I'd recommend this to , but nice to keep on the back burner.
Cute premise--I used to be involved in medieval circles--even though this is more like a group of actors/employees than people who truly enjoy medievalism as a hobby (except Kit, who wants to study history at Marquette University). I liked the whole smashing the patriarchy thing--really fighting against being the underdog all around (overworked mom, absent dad, just scraping by). With all the various subplots going on, Kit crushing on Jett (even before he became sort of the documentor of the wenches' training adventures), doesn't quite have the punch that it should, but is still nice. As a librarian, not sure who I'd recommend this to , but nice to keep on the back burner.
sarahjanespeedreading's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
womanon's review
4.0
This was such a lovely story! It was laced with nerdy, medieval quotes and references, which was probably my favourite thing. Overall, the story gave me a modern medieval vibe, and that worked really well! I enjoyed every second of it, and I can highly recommend this book.