Reid has spent her whole life pretending to be a man so she can inherit her father’s estate, but when a chance encounter threatens to expose her lie, she is forced to risk everything.

In the kingdom of Marsden, women are subservient to men and land can only pass from father to son. So when Reid Ellington is born, the fifth daughter to one of the wealthiest landholders in the kingdom, it’s announced that Reid is a boy.

Eighteen years later, Reid struggles to conceal the fact she’s actually a young woman. Every day, her secret becomes harder to keep. When one of Marsden’s princes sees her sparring with a sword, she is forced to accept his offer and lead her father’s soldiers to the border. Along the way, she discovers a covert organization within the army known as the Knights of the Realm. If Reid wants to save her family from being arrested for treason and robbed of their inheritance, she will have to join the Knights and become a weapon for the crown.

To protect her family, Reid must fight like a man. To do that, she’ll need the courage of a woman.- Goodreads

Jumping right into this. Reid was a horrible character that only knew how to fight but did nothing else to deserve to become part of the Knights of the Realm. I would like to also add that she only became Knights of the Realm because SHE WAS A WOMAN and can be used as a spy. If she was a man they would have ate her alive and disregarded her bones for the dogs. 

The author takes this book to focus more on that fact that in Reid's kindgom, women are second class citizens and should know their place. There is less focus on actually developing Reid's personality, internal conflict and morals. The author constantly brings up in words not actions that Reid is a woman and the frustrating part of this is the fact that Reid is outspoken (because she has played the role of a man) and this is going to be looked at how progressive she is when in actuality Reid does nothing but get caught, pass out and get upset she can't have what see wants, when she really doesn't know what she wants. 

I know this is an extreme rant but I didn't enjoy the book as it didn't provide the intensity, adventure, betrayals or even a good enough romance (completely forced, came out of no where, didn't fit or make sense in the book/felt like an after thought).

The thing about this book is that I know there are readers that will enjoy this and that is fine. I just didn't like it. 

I wanted so much more from this. I wanted Reid to become brutal, use the fact that she was playing two roles to reach crazy heights but she didn't deliver. How I finished the book not sure because that ending.... -_-

1 Pickle

#RealmOfKnights #NetGalley

publisher description: Reid has spent her whole life pretending to be a man so she can inherit her father’s estate, but when a chance encounter threatens to expose her lie, she is forced to risk everything.
In the kingdom of Marsden, women are subservient to men and land can only pass from father to son. So when Reid Ellington is born, the fifth daughter to one of the wealthiest landholders in the kingdom, it’s announced that Reid is a boy.

Eighteen years later, Reid struggles to conceal the fact she’s actually a young woman. Every day, her secret becomes harder to keep. When one of Marsden’s princes sees her sparring with a sword, she is forced to accept his offer and lead her father’s soldiers to the border. Along the way, she discovers a covert organization within the army known as the Knights of the Realm. If Reid wants to save her family from being arrested for treason and robbed of their inheritance, she will have to join the Knights and become a weapon for the crown.

To protect her family, Reid must fight like a man. To do that, she’ll need the courage of a woman.

I love this author and with that said I had high exceptions for this book. But I am pleased to let you know Davis did not disappoint!! This novel is so phenomenal that I have read it more than twice already! I love Reid's character and how smart and adaptive she is to any situation she is in. The plot has a lot of twists and turns and the ending was.... Wow! I can't even put it into words without a spoiler, but lets just say I read and re read it and I have a lot of theories. I CANNOT wait for the next book!! So GOOD!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Reign Publishing for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. The ideas and thoughts are my own.

WOW, this book, i just have no words.
First of I've been a massive book Rut for over 4 months, i have not been able to finish anything. EXCEPT this book. I think this is what i was waiting for.
Reid is so awesome and such a bad ass. I Need book 2 Now.

I was excited to read this book based on the synopsis, and I enjoyed it, but it was by no means the greatest novel I’ve read. The first quarter of this book was a bit hard to get into. It felt like it focused too much on sexism issues, and not enough on the story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to see issues like this addressed in novels. That’s what makes them relatable. However, I felt like it did more talking about sexism than showing the sexism our main character Reid faced.

Once you get past the first quarter of the novel, things start to get interesting. It seems everybody in the royal family has a different scheme going on and multiple people are vying for control. The reader is unsure of whom Reid should trust, and that makes it intriguing. There is a dash of romance thrown in which mixed things up a bit and added to the story.

However, there were a few scenes where I felt more description was needed. Near the beginning of the story, it didn’t feel like the world was described well enough. By this I mean physical description. It felt like it told the reader what things were instead of using adjectives to show what they were. This made it difficult to imagine in my head what the character’s surroundings looked like.

There were also one or two scenes where I was confused about timing. It wasn’t very clear how much time had passed. This threw me off a bit, but eventually it became clear as I read on further.

Despite these issues, the ending to this novel was brilliant. You are left reaching for a book two. If political schemes or strong female characters are of an interest to somebody, I would probably recommend this novel to them.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Reign Publishing for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I first read the description, I immediately thought, hmm, is this a Mulan retelling of sorts? And to be honest, there was a Mulan vibe throughout when it came to our heroine Lord/Lady Reid Ellington. She's intelligent and brave and I wanted to be her.

I'm only just realizing as I write my review that there wasn't any magic, at least not that I can recall. And yet, it felt so magical. I am sure it had to do with the medieval-like setting in which the plot unfolds.

There were so many twists and turns in the story, it seemed like a neverending mystery. Even now, having finished the first book, I think I have an idea of what direction the plot is going in, and yet at the same time, I cannot wait for the second book so I can find out. Davis has created an interesting world -- the Kingdom of Marsden -- that is heavily sexist, and I'm sure readers will find that Axian is just as interesting a place. I've seen some reviews that complain about the sexism, however, I found that it's simply part of the society Reid lives in, despite it not being fair in the least. Frankly, this aspect of the story made me feel an abundance of emotions: anger, disappointment, resentment to name a few; all feelings that Reid shares, as well. At the end of the day, it worked for me as a reader.

While the faults weren't enough for me to warrant this story anything less than 4.5/5 stars, I understand other readers who may be bummed that the story wasn't longer or that the plot was a bit slow in the beginning. Seeing that this was the first book, I personally was alright with it since it was finding its footing and providing some background information for the books to follow. I hope to see Reid continuing to develop as a fighter and figure out her identity. I also hope readers get more insight into the Knights since we didn't learn much about them either---what's their history, for example?

All in all, this was an exciting read and stopped at one heck of a cliffhanger! Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long to find out what happens next.

I give this book 3.5-4 stars. This book is an interesting read, not one that I am used to at all. The story follows Reid Ellington an 18-year-old who is the heir to her father's estate. The only problem with this is that the rest of the world knows her as Lord Reid Ellington. Desperate to save his land from being taken by the king after his death, Lord Ellington says that his fifth daughter is his son when his wife dies in childbirth. Everything is going well with the scheme until two of the King's brothers arrive in Ellington and command Lord Ellington to provide soldiers and that Reid must go with them. It is discovered that the princes know of the lies that Lord Ellington has been telling and he has no choice to listen. It is this command that sends Reid on an adventure she would never have imagined, an adventure full of secrecy, sword fights, and the question of who is really the antagonist of the story.

While this is a decent read, there are a few things that I have found to be annoying or that drew me out of the story. The first is that there is a pacing/plot issue about 30% of the way through the book. At one point it seems like there is one thing happening but then you're thrown a curveball that doesn't 100% make sense. Both the first 30% and the last 70% make sense, but they don't fit together all the way. A few of the background and secondary characters don't feel real either, such as an older sister that acts much more like a 2D younger sister and a childhood friend whose reaction to things don't always make sense.

All this being said, it's still a book that has an engaging plot, interesting premise, and makes one think about everything they believe about society.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because, despite it's flaws, I did enjoy it. It was fast paced and entertaining with just enough mystery to keep me turning the pages. I read some of Davis's other books and this has the same feel. Twists and turns and leaving me wanting more and very curious as to what comes next. I will definitely be reading the next book.

The main issue I had with this one, the sexism was laid on pretty thick which was annoying at times. Didn't feel like we needed to be reminded every few pages that women aren't respected and are treated unfairly. It's an issue presented in many books but the execution just wasn't done well in this one.

Parts of the story felt a little rushed, a lot happened in a short time. Especially the love interest, which felt unrealistic. The two barely spoke and yet other people are able to notice how much they care for each other? Lust, ok, that would make sense. But to really care takes a bit more interaction. I felt like I missed something, like there were chapters missing that explained how this came about.

All in all I did enjoy it, maybe not enough to read it a second time, but enough to make me want to continue on to the next one.

Realm of Knights tells the story of Reid, a girls who has spent her life pretending to be a boy to protect her families estate. When the realm needs her father’s soldiers, she is expected to lead them and protect her country. Little does she know that the royal family has some different plans for her….

Yes, it sounds a bit like Mulan, and yes it’s great. I think that Davis has done a great job in creating this world and the plot. The only major flaw in this book was the pace. Everything happened so fast. This could easily have been a 5 star book if the author had taken a bit more time too built the world and characters.
Realm of Knights is to be the first book in a YA fantasy trilogy, and the ending makes that I want to read the next book right away!

4 stars.

ARC

Casey First thoughts, I love the map at the beginning.

Ahhh. I loved this book! I want MOAR, I didn't want it to end. I loved all of this book, and as a woman I can relate hard to acting like a man but being a woman. Or should I say having to "act like a man" to get respect or be taken seriously. That was the overarching theme of this book, and how the main character Reid dealt with this. She lives in a place where women must be escorted places since they cannot walk alone. They can't be alone with a man without dubious rumours going around. She can't really make decisions and she certainly can't wear pants. She <i>must</i> do all of those things however since her father raised her, the youngest daughter, as a man in order to keep his title and land. You see, without a son all of that would be taken away. In order to help her father keep all this, Reid must help out the princes, and ultimately the king. She has to do what they say and succeed with the threat of her father's treachery (hiding the fact Reid is a woman) hanging over her head. If she is successful an exception will be made, and her father will keep his lands and can deed them to whoever he chooses.

I don't even know where to start with how I felt about this book. I finished it last night but couldn't sleep after. I kept thinking and thinking about it. Fantasizing about *sigh* Gordon.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/GbOUcJM4QpEAM/giphy.gif" alt="description">

It was torture to read about the Reid - Gordon situation, but in a good way, sort of. <spoiler>Like, they had better get together later on or I'm not sure what I will do with my emotions.</spoiler>

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/fxHpSohzG4uK4/giphy.gif" alt="description">


I enjoyed the whole journey of this book, all of the characters are excellent. As the plot develops it just gets better and better. Reid experiences new, strange things but doesn't compromise who she is which I really appreciate. I seriously cannot wait for the second book to come out, I HAVE TO KNOW what happens.

5/5 loved it!

This book has a some major flaws that keep it from being a book I personally enjoyed. This was going to get a 2 star rating but the ending saved it. This is the type of book that many people will DNF not realizing that it actually gets pretty good in the last 1/3 of the book. Everything in the book is overdone as if the author doesn't think the reader can pick up on subtlety.

The elephant in the room with this book is the horribly over exaggerated sexism. Every single male character and most of the female characters think women are stupid, worthless outside marriage, and just fundamentally flawed. Women in this book have no redeeming qualities, and the main character is a woman. The main character is a female who pretends to be a male because her father needs an heir (this whole concept is insanely confusing but it fits more into the suspended belief section I cover after this one). I was completely disgusted with how this author seems to think of women that I almost DNFd the book until I realized the author was female and I had to finish it to see if there was something I'm missing. The next part is a spoiler so skip to the next paragraph if you don't wish to be spoiled. Turns out the sexism is a plot devise that was just far too heavy handed but makes a lot of sense in the last 1/3 of the book.

A key for me to enjoy a book is the concept of suspended disbelief. If a magic system makes sense within the story I can easily be immersed in the story; if the system's own rules aren't followed or simple aspects of human nature are ignored I'm so distracted by the inconsistencies that I cant enjoy the story. This story is stock full of these inconsistencies of human nature. A few examples, without any real spoilers: The main character is instantly trusted with life ruining secrets and missions moments after these people meet her. No leader would act like this, these people are acting like ignorant children and never face any consequences for these absurd actions. Everything just turns out exactly how its supposed to. Absurd plans just work. Characters personalities will drastically change within 2 or 3 pages and no one in the universe acknowledges the polar personality shifts.

Overall I cant recommend this book, its just too flawed for my personal tastes, but it seems like a lot of the people really enjoy it from reading other reviews. I might even read the 2nd book because the ending made me curious on how the characters would battle the overblown sexism.

This book had the potential to be great but it wasn't executed very well.

I loved the plot, It reminded me of Mulan in the sense that the MC was pretending to be a man. The difference is that her dad was the one that thought of the idea from when she was young. This is illegal in her society so when one of the Princes finds out, She was given a choice: It was either she joins the army and uses her advantage of a woman pretending to be a man, or her and her family would be punished for the crime.

What i didn't like about this was how fast-paced it was. Don't get me wrong, I hate slow books but books that are too fast are also problematic. This book brought up like 4 subplots in less than 300-pages. None of these plots were sufficiently built up so it was hard to get invested. It felt like the author was more concerned about adding new elements to the story than building up a few. I believe in quality over quantity! Even the hinted romance was all over the place.

I will probably still read the second book when it comes out because a few of the subplots were interesting enough but I hope the storyline becomes more focused!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

"Realm of Knights" is a thrilling adventure story with an exciting premise: a girl pretending to be a boy, in order to secure her family's legacy. Reid has been raised as a boy, and since she was brought up in a male-dominated society, she has enjoyed the freedoms and education that would not be normally available to a woman. Due to this, Reid now possesses a unique combination of skills that include sword-fighting and being a talented impersonator, which in turn catches the attention of two visiting princes. With them she embarks on an adventure full of mystery and danger.

This book delivered everything I hoped for and turned out to be so much fun! I love stories where the main character has to hide his/her identity, and I was getting major "Mulan" vibes from this one, so it instantly grabbed my attention. I also really enjoy reading about a woman who knows how to fight and can stand up for herself. Reid is no damsel in distress: she is brave, creative, and determined, while also being extremely loyal to her family.

My only regret with regard to "Realm of Knights" is having to wait for the sequels, I would have loved to binge this series. It is a wonderful story though, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

I'm not a stranger to Jennifer Anne Davis' books, and I have to say this might very well end up being my favourite series of hers. I really enjoyed this book. I liked that this book was used to build the world and establish introductions to characters. Not a lot of conflict was resolved in this book. However, it didn't feel like filler to me. It felt like everything that Reid did - and everyone she met - had a purpose within the story. I can't wait for the second book. I really want to find out how she is going to get herself out of her current predicament. Or, maybe she'll end up not wanting to get out of it???

I like to think of this book as a fun-time read. I wouldn't take it too seriously, although it does try to tackle some serious topics. Honestly, I'll be basing my review on this mostly on how much fun I had. That alone definitely deserves the stars I gave it.

This is a Mulan-esque type of book, but it's very different despite similar themes. Reid is a great main character! I had a lot of fun following her as she tries to navigate through her new...situation disguised as a man. Some of the scenes are hilarious, though they may not be intentional. There are many, MANY cliches and tropes going on here. With that in mind, this book is very predictable but still enjoyable.

Overall, even though this is a predictable book that doesn't bring much newness to the table, it's still a very fun read! I'd rate it 4/5 based on fun alone, and possibly a 3/5 based on content.

I gave this book a chance but i was not sure i would like it. I was pleasantly surprised by the plot of this book and i thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be recommending this be to everyone. Great Book!

I spotted this and couldn't resist because it's a girl dressing as a boy trope and frankly I was reminded certainly initially of Mulan. Now there the similarities end because Lord Reid ( or do I mean Lady Reid ? ) is just pretending to be male due to old-fashioned ideas about who can inherit.
Initially the author had me convinced that Reid was fighting on the right side but as this story progressed both this reader and indeed our protagonist Reid starts to get serious doubts ! I enjoyed the juxtaposition of it all but sadly at times things did feel too easy and a little trite. I guess I just wanted more from Reid although I'm aware this is the first in the series so clearly introducing the situation and the characters.
Oo the characters are sneaky and I liked that and even though this isn't a romance the author does dangle possibilities although I'm pretty sure Reid's newly discovered libido has been barking up the wrong tree and perhaps any future ideas she gets will involve someone who could well be at this time far from Reid's romantic yearnings.
This certainly grabbed and kept my attention and I loved the way it ended as now I'm desperate to discover exactly what Reid gets up to next.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Realm of Knights follows Reid Ellington, who is a woman pretending to be a man so her fathers duchy can stay in their family. Under Marsden law, a female can not inherit land - so Reid's father made the difficult decision to force Reid to be a male in public. Reid's secret almost gets out when the Princes of the Realm come knocking on their door - blackmailing Reid into riding with them to the capital. Prince Ackley has a special mission that only Reid can accomplish. Reid is quickly swept away into a world she has no experience in, but is uniquely qualified to succeed in.

I adore reading about knights, kings, queens, and epic quests. This sub-genre of book is what first captivated me and made me love reading. Add in a woman pretending to be a man, and I am SOLD. I loved the plot, the twists &amp; turns, and all of the characters. The budding love story is such a slow burn, with an element of being unrequited as they are unable to be together. All told, this is a very well constructed book.

One critique I have is that I wanted more. I felt like the plot could have been expanded upon to explain more. The book is fairly short, not even hitting 300 pages. I would have loved to see more, and I can only hope that she will write longer books as the series continues. I will definitely be coming back to read sequels. After that ending, I need to know who the good/bad guys are!

For fans of Tamora Pierce, Jennifer Anne Davis weaves a tale straight out of Medieval times, with a hint of progression towards modern age thinking. If sword fights, political intrigue, and wily Princes get your bookworm senses tingling, I suggest you give this one a try!

This book was received as an ARC from Reign Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was by far the most inspiring YFantasy novel I have read this year. Reid and Mulan in my opinion have similar stories but by far, Reid displayed more bravery and more courage than anyone ever before. In order to inherit her father's land, Reid must be passed as a boy and her whole life she has been acting and pretending to be a boy so she can be the one that gets the fortune. But when her secret is threatened to be exposed, she has to step up more than ever and show courage and fight for her family's legacy. Once I began this book I could not stop reading. Such an enticing and thrilling book that is bound to leave you glued to the page until the very end.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Blast. I should've known this was going to be the start of a series, but when I saw Jennifer Anne Davis had a new book coming out, I wanted to read it. I haven't read anything of hers since her True Reign trilogy, but I remembered enjoying it so I wanted to read her again.

This was a quick read for me. Slightly predictable in some aspects, but there was enough intrigue to keep me hooked because I wanted answers. Of course, there are no answers to be had at this point.

The romance aspect of the story was unique, a different take than I'm used to, but I have a feeling I will like how every turns out.

One thing in particular that annoyed me was how often Reid lamented about the inequality of women and how differently they are treated compared to men, etc. Completely understandable and relatable feelings; however, it became redundant for me.

All in all, I'm looking forward to the upcoming installments of this series. I just wish I didn't have to wait.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Predictable and easy to read. Reid, the main character, is not really fleshed out but I like how the author highlights her struggling with her gender role and her frustration with how women are treated.

But everything is just too easy....like Reid, who has this superrrr serious secret she needs to keep you know SECRET, happens to take a bath out in the open and the visiting prince who happens to need someone like Reid with missions, finds out shes a woman. Dun dun dunnnnnn!

And Gordon, who just happpensssss to love outspoken, strong women, cuz you know, men in this world just love that since you know, they don't allow women to do anything or own land, is interested in Reid. And Reid, who is used to being around men all the time somehowww finds this one MAN attractive.

And c'mon, Reid seems like the least manly looking gal around--how did people not figure it out? Because they knew her forever? Yeah, cuz not having a mustache in what I am assuming, a European/Medieval setting is sooooo believable.

Overall, the book is too safe but quick to read.