The Princess Knight the second book in The Scarred Earth Saga series by G.A. Aiken. A captivating paranormal romance that pulls you in and holds your attention as if you are watching a movie. If you loved the first book, don't hesitate and pick this one up because you'll love it too!

This book is a fun, if slightly insane, runaway-train of a ride, and I enjoyed every single moment of it.
It has fantastic banter, wild action, interesting characters, and a plot that moves swiftly while making sure to hit every point and not leave any plot point untouched.
I had a bit of trouble catching up at the beginning because it takes for granted that you read the first book in the series, which I haven't yet definitely plan to. But I quickly realized that I just needed to enjoy the ride and the things I had questions about eventually explained themselves.
Much respect to Aiken for making such a complex world and then letting/getting it to fall into place and feel natural and normal even when insane things were coming out of seemingly nowhere yet feeling like they made total sense.
Definitely a series worth checking out. Particularly with this one's ending. It's not a cliffhanger, but I can't wait to see how everyone reacts to the event that takes place.


Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the read!

This is a typical crazy, chaotic and funny paranormal tale by Shelly Laurenston-G.A. Aiken. This series is more urban fantasy barbarians than romance. The first three quarters of the story is the telling of all the rabbit trails we take to get to the meat of the story that is awesome in the last 75% of the story. This story being about the Blacksmith Queen Keeley's sister War-Monk Gemma in her quest to aid her sister Keeley over the manipulations of their soulless younger sister Queen Beatrix.

Keeley has assigned the Centar Amichi Warrior Quinn as Gemma's bodyguard even though it's in doubt that she needs one. We meet lots of new characters as she gathers more warriors to aid in the protection of her territory. We also gain a new foe to fight in this story. At the very end we have the arrival of our beloved mad queen from her Dragon series as this takes place in the same world.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars-- THE PRINCESS KNIGHT is the second instalment in G.A. Aiken’s the SCARRED EARTH SAGA fantasy series. This is War monk Gemma Smythe, and centaur/Amichai warrior Quinn’s story line. THE PRINCESS KNIGHT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but for back story and cohesion I recommend reading the series in order.

Told from several third person perspectives THE PRINCESS KNIGHT follows War Monk Gemma Smythe two years after her strange and emotionless sister Beatrix became Queen of the East, and her blacksmith sister Keeley ascended to the throne as the Queen of the West. Always Keeley’s protector and guardian, Gemma would go on the hunt for Cyrus, one of the Old King’s sons, who is murdering monks, ransacking and destroying religious communes in an effort to steal artifacts for their magic and power. Along with Amichai Warrior Quinn, amassing a small entourage of warriors, witches, warlocks, assassins, nuns, monks, virgins, and a zombie horse, Gemma will discover that Cyrus is not the only enemy desperate for power but her sister Beatrix is tunneling forward to a land of dragons and magic.

THE PRINCESS KNIGHT follows several intersecting paths as Gemma and Keeley set into motion a series of events that will culminate in the discovery of a number of underground tunnels wherein Gemma and Keeley’s psychopathic sister Beatrix would eventually execute her plans to usurp power from neighboring lands.

As per G.A. Aiken’s style of writing, THE PRINCESS KNIGHT is awash in sarcasm, humor and snark, seamlessly blending paranormal with fantasy in a cross-country adventure that culminates with a wonderful twisty surprise. The humorous moments are giggle worthy; the back and forth snippy yet playful banter is fast and furious; the familial dysfunction so reminiscent of the author’s Dragonkin series, it feels like coming home.



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The Princess Knight is the second book in G.A. Aitken’s Scarred Earth Saga and as an avid reader of everything this author has written, I was not disappointed. Jam-packed with interesting and engaging characters, a fast-paced and intriguing plot, and plenty of adventure, mystery and some revenge too. Aitken has the ability to draw the reader in and keep them totally focused as the story unfolds and when the last page is turned, as you release a deep sigh, you’ll be eager for the next riveting tale. The world building is gripping and makes you feel like you’re part of this exciting and entertaining tale. I can’t wait to find out what comes next!

Rating: 5/5 stars
Before I start, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a completely honest review. All the opinions and thoughts are my own, and unaffected by others. At first, I was worried that this book would not be able to live up to its absolutely wonderful prequel, but THIS DUOLOGY FOREVER HAS MY HEART!! The Princess Knight was the perfect ending to its stunning prequel!! There was sibling relationships, an enemies-to-lovers romance, a fantastic plot and storyline, a super descriptive setting, need I even go on? The chemistry between Quinn and Gemma, even while they were enemies, and still while they were lovers was gripping. The sibling relationships between all of Gemma's brothers and sisters (including Gemma of course), was relatable and got you hooked. Literally. I couldn't stop reading. Although some of them fought a lot, you could see through their actions and words how much they really cared about each other. The romance between Gemma and Quinn was flawless, and I'm so glad that in this book we saw so much more of each of the supporting characters. There was literally nothing wrong with this book. I just wished that we could have seen a bit more of Caid and Laila, and I didn't love Keeley's character development. It wasn't bad, but in a few scenes, she was a bit too grumpy and moody for my taste. And Quinn, Quinn, Quin, where do I even start with you? This book has a ton of blood, guts, war, and gore, but I still found myself laughing until I got hiccups, all because of Quinn - he is hands down THE MOST hilarious character I have read about. It's not like Aiken is trying too hard, or that Quinn is the "class clown" - but his attitude towards life, his relationships with his friends and family, and just the way he communicates with them will have you laughing.

Quinn is my spirit animal, and precious morally grey centaurs are now my thing 🥺🥺

You know when you read a book and it's so good that you want to tell everyone you know about it - whether or not they read that genre, or even read for pleasure at all? Well, this is that book. It felt like my heart swelled with happiness while I was reading it, I loved it so much. I also laughed a lot as it is full of humor.

This book continues the story began by The Blacksmith Queen, and if you haven't read it yet, I recommend that you read it first. The Princess Knight, Gemma, is the focus of this book. Gemma is a war monk, one of a group of warriors that are almost universally feared on this world. She is the sister of Keeley, the Blacksmith Queen of the first book. I love this world, which is inhabited by humans with and without magic, witches, centaurs, dwarfs, dragons, demon wolves and horses, and more.

While they are finding allies to fight a common enemy, Gemma and Keeley know that they must also defeat their ambitious and ruthless younger sister, Queen Beatrice, who has married their enemy. There is an added delight in store for people who have read G.A. Aiken's Dragon Kin series.

Thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an advance reader copy of this book. These are my honest opinions of the book.

AWWWW. This was such a sweet romance story. Well, if you believe that than you have never read a G.A. Aiken book. The Princess Knight had the usual kick-ass woman and strong adorable men. There was blood, guts, war, terror, and so much laughter. I always wonder how I find so much humor when there is so much blood, guts, war, etc. The writing is so good. The world building is so incredible. Shelly Laurenston/G.A. Aiken is who I turn to when I am feeling sad. Her books always make me laugh out loud. I love her characters, there are so well thought out and insane.

This is Gemma and Quinn's story who you met in The Blacksmith Queen (1st book in the series). They now have to go on a quest to assist Keely their new Queen. Of course there is much chaos that ensues. This book does not disappoint.

And wait for the ending - WTF!!!!!!! AWESOME.

Received as an ARC from Netgalley and Kensington. Thank you so much.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

Reading the first chapter of this, I really didn't think I was going to get into it. Once I realized this was actually the 2nd book in the series and I went back and read the first one- I am SO glad I gave it a chance! SO much detail and all the characters are so easy to like. There were a few times where the slap stick humor was maybe too much, but over all I loved this! Can't wait to see what happens next.

This is the second book in G.A. Aiken’s The Scarred Earth Saga. The series takes place in the same world as her Dragon Kin series.

I loved this book just as much as I loved The Blacksmith Queen (first in the series). It is laugh-out-loud funny in the same slapstick way that Monty Python movies are funny. Just over the top, bizarre, hilarious creativity and imagery. It’s a fantasy story with a minimal hint of romance (super minimal). There are a ton of characters- a family of blacksmiths (sisters star in the first two books of the series), centaur siblings, dwarves, witches, warlocks, war monks, virgins, deadly assassins, demon wolves, magic, and two warring kingdoms.

In this story we get to know Gemma better, a War Monk, and Quinn, one of the centaurs. I 100% recommend starting with the first one in the series to get everyone’s back story. This might read ok as a stand-alone, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Also, content warning, there are tons of battles and killing and all out brawls in these books- and somehow (for me) it’s okay and actually really funny because it’s so over-the-top.

Thanks to the NetGalley and the Kensington Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am all in on this series! But you absolutely need to read the first book before approaching this one.

The second book in the Scarred Earth series focuses on Gemma Smythe, war monk and sister of the Blacksmith Queen. It's just as bloody, funny, and raucous as the first book, though it took me a little while to place myself among all the characters and is somewhat more complicated storywise.

I appreciate Aiken's strong (and I mean strong) female characters. Keeley and Gemma's shoulders are repeatedly remarked upon, and women kick more butt than men in this book. This story also introduces us to Ainsley, the 19 year old sister who is deadly with a bow and I expect to be the lead of the next book.

Other than taking a little while to re-orient myself to characters, I was also occasionally caught off guard by shifts in perspective. Never lost by them, but caught off guard and it made me take a moment.

There's a lot going on, but it's ultimately about different approaches to power. It's definitely a five star read for me. I screamed when a certain character showed up at the very end. I cannot wait to read more of this series!

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is book 2 in the Scarred Earth Saga and I would absolutely read the previous book as it has a much larger story ARC and that books leads into this one. I would also recommend reading the Dragon Kin series if you haven't already. Although you can always go back and read it after this one. Gemma Smythe is a war monk who worshiped the war gods. When her sister Keeley became the Blacksmith Queen, she left her order in order to help her sister and protect her family. But when the war monks declare themselves for her younger sister Beatrix, she has to go back and try to persuade them to fight for what is right. Quinn is the leader-in-waiting for the Amichai warriors. He is irritating and irrevant but he will not allow Gemma to go alone. And if she can't persuade the grand master's to change their minds, maybe he can.

I absolutely loved this installment!!! Gemma made me laugh with her antics throughout the whole book along with a lot of the things that she says. Not only does she kick butt but she has this snark that I absolutely loved! Quinn says things that just completely cracked me up at times! I honestly didn't think these two would be good together but I am so glad that I was wrong on that score! They are perfect for each other!! And while this book isn't your classic romance story-it just sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. There is just something about this author's books that I absolutely love! I honestly can't wait to see where this series goes, especially after that ending!!!

Gemma, war monk and the newly crowned Queen Keely’s sister, joins up with the Amichai warrior Quinn in the second book in this series. Queen Keely, her family, and her allies are still trying to figure out what their sister, Beatrix, is up to, and in the process uncovers another enemy that wants to destroy them.

Gemma is a very interesting character. She has fought in many battles and killed many foes; she is not afraid of violence at all. When the war monks ask her to leave, she feels adrift and has to find a new purpose for herself. Quinn is very devil-may-care pretty much all the time. But he does come through in a fight when he is needed. Gemma and Quinn constantly snipe at each other, and it seems that there is no love lost between them, but they can’t seem to stay away from each other either. When they do get together, my thought was finally! The back-and-forth between them is funny and engaging most of the time, some of the time it comes across as childish.

There are loads of epic battles, lots of magic thrown around, and things don’t always go the way our heroes want them to go.

I give it a three, because I wasn’t all that enamoured of the writing at times, and the dialogue tended to devolve a bit. It is a very interesting world, nonetheless, and I would love to continue the series.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

***5 ‘Raging Insanity’ Stars***

*does a Carlton-esque happy dance*

Ok that ending...that I’m totally down with!!

*squeee in absolute delight over what is to come*

But first my thoughts on this addition to the series…I’m going to sound like a broken recorded because I think I say basically the same thing about all the books by this author...this was all kinds of snort/laugh OTT crazy chaotic goodness! With all the unique characters, their strange and hostile (most of the time) yet loving (some of the time) relationships with each other, it’s hard for me not to love it all.

Now for Gemma and Quinn, well this quote from the book sums it up pretty well
”Both of you are too annoying to be with anyone else”
But outside of what they are to each other, they are both stubborn, protective and truly want to do the right thing, even if it means annoying the hell out of each other and everyone around them.

As for the series story arc, a lot of ground was covered in this book when it came to all that Beatrix was up to and just how much Keely, the Blacksmith Queen and those who are loyal to her are actually facing, and I’m totally making grabby hands at the next one in the series because the chaotic goodness is going up exponentially!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

I ended up rereading The Blacksmith Queen before reading The Princess Knight. I would say that it is necessary to read the first book to understand the world and events of The Princess Knight. It was great to go from Keeley’s POV of Gemma to Gemma’s in this story. Gemma’s motivation for why she became a warrior monk is landed out far better in this book. The Princess Knight isn’t for the faint of heart. It is bloody and rough and everything you’d expect from a fantasy medievalesque story. There is death, betrayal, religious fanaticism. However, in the midst of all that, there is humor, family, and love. Gemma is very much like her older sister, Keeley, which is why they butt heads so often. She is fiercely loyal and devoted and protective. She is also bent on revenge against Beatrix and it is up to Quinn, the funny and irrelevant and crazy centaur, to curb her impulses. Gemma and Quinn end up on multiple journeys in this story, that take them deep into dangerous territory where they need to depend on each other. While there is a bit of a slow burn between the two, the attraction is clearly there and simmering. Once they finally act on it, how perfect Quinn and Gemma are for each other is so clear. This book is the perfect distraction from the real world. The characters are over the top and completely out there and yet so loyal and loving. G.A. Aiken especially excels at writing sibling relationships, ones with crazy fights and conflicts and yet undying loyal running underneath. The Princess Knight was an excellent contribution to this world and I found myself anxiously awaiting the next installment!

I am a die-hard fan of anything G.A.Aiken/Shelly Laurenston writes, so it won't be a surprise when I say I loved this one. If you haven't read anything by her yet, do yourself a favor and start now, I promise you won't regret it.
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The Princess Knight is the second installment in The Scarred Earth Saga. It follows war monk Gemma, The Blacksmith Queen's sister.
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Aiken writes this story in continuity with the previous one. The transition is smooth and you easily dive back into the world she has built. Again, there are a lot of battles, magic, and some amusing skirmishes here and there. Most importantly, Aiken/Laurenston's signature rib-tickling humor is there and it keeps you coming back for more. The story never gets dull or repetitive and before you know it, you're reading the last pages.
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(Spoiler)
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I would say that this time around, the romance was kept to a minimum. It didn't bother me much, as I was quite invested in the outcome of the story. Little bonus it seems we might be getting a little series crossover as some dragons might or might not have been sighted at the end ^^
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5/5
~ #fridayinaprilbookreviews
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I loved everything about this book. I swear, no matter the name she’s writing under, GA Aiken can do no wrong! The crazy characters, the love of family - even though some are more outlandish than others, the drama that always ensues and has me laughing out loud. And then she brings back one of my favorite characters of all time?!?!?

Gemma has dedicated her life to being a war monk, until her evil sister becomes a queen, and her oldest sister also becomes a queen and needs her help. Now a religious fanatic is destroying all other religions, Beatrix is pulling off something wicked, Keeley is just trying to rule and Gemma has an annoying centaur following her around as she tries to support her sister.

It was a great book, more fantasy and less romance if you’re wondering, but I wasn’t expecting a traditional romance novel. This was a fabulous story and after that ending I’m beyond excited for the next book.

This was an excellent, well-written book. The story was fast-paced and I didn't want to put it down. It was funny, clever and sheer nonstop entertainment. I really enjoyed this book and hope there will be more books in this series. I will read other books by this author and highly recommend the author to others.

The Princess Knight is the second book in the Scarred Earth Saga. Gemma Smythe temporarily left the War Monks to help her sister become the the Blacksmith Queen. Now the War Monks have declared support for her ruthless sister Beatrix. Gemma needs to get to the grand masters and helping her is the Amichai warrior Quinn. This book has intense strong female characters with politics and fighting as well as some romance. Quinn has a devil may care attitude but is a great warrior and him and Gemmas relationship progresses in an entertaining fashion. The family dynamics at play are also fascinating. Keeley and Gemma are being forced to battle against their own sister for control of the kingdom. It’s so nice to see points of views from so many characters in a book. It’s not east to write a story with that many points of view but GA Aiken is a master of writing complicated yet humorous at the same time stories. There is intrigue, adventure, romance and humor. Gemma and Quinn make a good couple because of their different personalities and also their understanding of each other. The book ended in a way that will make longtime GA Aiken fans very happy. I’m looking forward to the next book eagerly.

Okay, first off, let me take a moment or two just to fangirl about the women in this series. They are amazing! Every single one of them is a badass in their own right and I am loving getting to know them more.

In book one we first meet Gemma Smyth as the younger sister of Keely. We saw her break away from the War Monks to journey with her sister when she became the prophesised Blacksmith Queen. She fought by her side and supported her throughout everything, snarking all the way. Now she must travel to the grand masters and convince them to join her to fight for Keely and justice.

That snark is very much still present in this book. The dialogue in these books is so snappy and, at times, downright hilarious. It’s definitely a fun romp through a fully-realised fantasy realm. Just a warning though that for all this book has its light-hearted moments it definitely has it’s gory moments too, much like The Blacksmith Queen. There’s certainly no shortage of stabbing and beheadings.

The world and characters are all expanded upon in this one, we’re introduced to new ones (including Ainsley, Keely and Gemma’s sister who I cannot wait to learn more about!) and see new places. I did think that all these introductions were at a bit of a detriment to the romance developing between Gemma and Quinn. They just didn’t have the time for their romance to fully develop properly and I found some of their scenes together to be a bit lacking.

Overall though I enjoyed this one, it was an easy, fast-paced read filled with humour and action. If you’re a fan of fantasy reads that are on the lighter side then definitely give this one a try!