The Princess Knight is the second novel in The Scarred Earth Saga by G.A. Aiken, a chaotic and brilliant adventure like no other I've seen.

It's been two years since the events of The Blacksmith Queen, yet the war is still impending. Two sisters sit on two different thrones. One fights for love and all that is right. The other fights only for herself.

It doesn't take a genius to know which sister Gemma Smythe declared her loyalty to. Even if Keeley and her can't seem to get along for even five minutes. Still, Gemma walked away from the War Monks, to protect her family and stand by her sister's side.

“Yes',' he finally stated. 'She is a worthy champion.”

The Princess Knight was somehow everything and nothing like what I expected, all at the same time. I knew that Gemma's story would be quite different from Keeley's adventure, but I don't think I could ever have imagined just how much.

Gemma is War Monk, a religious sect dedicated to taking down their foes. Naturally, that in itself says a lot about Gemma. But it is far from her whole story, as I quickly learned upon diving into The Princess Knight.

To put it simply: Gemma's story was quite a bit graphic, but it was also brilliant and intense. It had touches of humor and romance, much like the first novel in this series. Yet it very much stood on it's own as well, showing off all of the differences between two strong and fiercely determined sisters.

“All your scars, however, are 'Not only am I lucky to have survived, but I destroyed everything that was in my way and salted the ground my enemies walked upon.”

I ended up really enjoying this read, not just for the insight into Gemma's character, but for the fact that I got to see more of this world. It's a world I would happily read a dozen more books about. So you can't really blame me for hoping to see more from this series.

On that note – I can't wait to find out who will be the main focus for the next book. Given the pattern established, I can only assume that it will be another one of the many siblings in this family. I have a few theories on who that might be. Granted, I may be wrong entirely about that as well. Either way, I'm very much looking forward to finding out what happens next.

The Princess Knight follows the 2nd eldest Smythe sister Gemma as she and her older sister Keeley attempt to protect the world from the treachery of their younger sister Beatrix. Gemma is the titular princess knight and struggles between remaining sidelined as sister to the queen, protecting her family, and maintaining her vows as a war monk. When temples and monasteries are pilfered and their residents murdered, Gemma decides to return to the Order of Righteous Valor to try to provide them sanctuary with her queen. The Princess Knight retains the same humor and bantering as its predecessor The Blacksmith Queen. Strong female characters remain dominant in the world Aiken has created. Many of the same characters return along with a barrage of new characters that might make it difficult to follow at times. Gemma is not nearly as likeable as Keeley, who easily opens her heart (and arms) to any individual and animal needing help, nor as likeable as she was in the first book. Gemma remains hot-tempered and retains her single-track mind (set on destroying Beatrix) despite some time having passed since the events of the first book. She isn’t as confident as she was and seems indecisive or unstable at times, which was frustrating especially with Quinn (centaur and constant companion) having to step in repeatedly.

The Princess Knight is for those who like humor in their fantasy and sword-wielding female characters who are not afraid to get their hands bloody. I enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to the next book. (3.5 stars rounded to 4)

DNF at 18%

I received an advanced readers copy from Kensington Books. This does not change my opinion of what I have read thus far. Originally I had thought this was going well but this is not giving me neither the vibes, the freshness, nor the all consuming greatness of the Blacksmith Queen. I'm not real into the heroine being all ride or die with her religion. I very much feel this is a 'me thing' and not a book thing, but unfortunately it does mean that this book is not working for me in the way I would like it to. Instead of a grumpy heroine, Gemma comes off as more self-righteous (which ha obviously monk lol). I don't know must be a gay and a Catholic thing but priests and fantastics give me the gags and the chills. Additionally, the pacing is not doing what I thought the first did so fantastically. As in, I can't stop reading it. The pacing is slow and then suddenly jarring. There are places that end in awkward places, making the pacing odd and difficult to get into. I'm just generally rather bored, unlike the first. I may pick this up again if I feel like it but as the Blacksmith Queen was one of my favorite books of last year this was a great disappointment. I would also like to mention that as someone who has had many family members that have had to deal with alcoholism as a result of trauma the jokes about alcoholism? Not cool. Not a good look.

The Princess Knight is a great book and a great continuation to The Blacksmith Queen.

The Princess Knight follows Gemma, a War Monk that has dedicated her life to a War God, Morthwyl. One of their powers is raising the dead. She has vigorously trained and fought for her God. I liked seeing what happens from her perspective.

I really liked seeing the storyline be built upon from The Blacksmith Queen throughout The Princess Knight. While this book is focused on Gemma, Keeley is still the main character. However I really enjoyed reading about Gemma as well as from Quinn's perspective.

I loved Gemma as a character and loved seeing the relationship between Quinn and Gemma. As well as the family dynamic and why it is what it is from what we read in The Blacksmith Queen.

The characters that were introduced in The Princess Knight was great and I cant wait to see what happens throughout the series.

I loved diving back into this incredible world and I will definitely have to start reading G.A Aiken's original series

Overall I really enjoyed reading The Princess Knight and I can't wait to read the next book.

I loved the first book, but I really struggled to get into this one as the sequel. I realize that it was Gemmas story, but I missed Keeley. Perhaps it was because I read the first book over a year ago but I couldn’t remember everything and just struggled through this one! Maybe after I reread the first and try this again.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been waiting for this book ever since I finished the first one. Gemma may not be the oldest sister or a queen, but she is just as brave, loyal, and snarky. Her epic adventure with a ragtag team, including the hilarious and loveable Quinn, is quite the page-turner. Fans of the author's Dragon Kin series will love the little teaser at the end.

This book is a wild ride through so many battles your head spins. Gemma is a War Monk and brutally efficient. I loved Quinn and his snark. The whole story is dysfunctional, brutal and yet funny at the same time.

4.5 stars

The Princess Knight had pretty much everything I like to see in a sequel, character growth, plot progression, a few twists and turns, and an extra plus with this series...loads of smartassery and humor!

We get to know Gemma much better in this one. While I missed Keeley being front and center, I still really enjoyed the spotlight on Gemma. What makes it extra great to me is that Keeley is quite frankly much easier to like right off the jump, while Gemma takes a little more time to really warm up to, but the storyline is continously strong and the more you get to know Gemma the better you like and connect with her. I was so glad to get a closer look at the War Monks in general! It was nice to see the inner workings of this other life Gemma had outside of her family. It also helped give us a fuller picture of her as an independent character. I liked Quinn too. He is honest to a fault, loyal and outgoing. It was a nice balance to Gemma's brash, distrustful, standoffish nature.

The romance element was interesting and not as predictable as many I've read before. I kinda liked that it was mostly in the background and how the frienemies unobtrusively just become more one day. Aiken did such a wonderful job laying the foundation and making that so strong that once the romance did click into place it felt comfortable and right and all the typical bells and whistles frankly weren't necessary so I didn't ever miss them. You could easily see the trust and knowledge of each other they had in every single battle and their interactions with each other, even when they were poking at one another.

Like with the first book, I absolutely loved the familial banter! It is a shining light in this series. The way they drive each other nutty but have so much love for one another is heartwarming and entertaining as all get out. I could listen to the sisters messing with each other all day long. Beatrix being the obvious exception because that girl does not play well with others. I find myself more and more curious about her motivations though. Another great thing is even the side characters are immensely intriguing. There's really no one-dimensional filler in this story. You get a good feel for the unique personalities from initial meetings and it only grows from there. It was enjoyable meeting so many new characters in this one. I look forward to seeing more of them in following books.

The ending was truly spectacular! I'm dying to see what happens next! It is going to be torture waiting for book 3.

The Princess Knight by G.A. Aiken is the 2nd book in her The Scarred Earth Saga series. I am a big fan of G.A. Aiken (aka Shelly Laureston), and as I have said before, I will read anything she writes; as she is one author who I look forward with high anticipation to read her books, which are fun, exciting, enjoyable and so much laughter along the way. The Princess Knight is no different, as always it is another one of Aiken/Laurenston’s trademark of wild, crazy and wonderful characters.

In the Princess Knight, Gemma (sister to previous book heroine, Keely) is the main focus, but the storyline continues, with Queen Keely, the wonderful Centaurs (Quinn, Caid, Laila) and Princess Gemma (she is a war monk). I have to say I absolutely loved the demon wolves, who are loyal and adore Keely. The story picks up two years after Keely became Queen of the Western Lands, and Gemma protecting her sister from the evil Beatrix (Queen of the East). Gemma being a war monk, is always ready for danger and has no qualms of killing Beatrix. I did get a kick out of their younger sister, Ainsley, who is excellent at shooting an arrow. I hope she gets a story in one of the future books.

Quinn, our hero, drives Gemma crazy, but though he pushes her buttons, he is always there to protect her. We know there is a slow built relationship developing, but romance is in the background. I did love Quinn, as he was funny, annoying and totally adorable and he was perfect for Gemma.

What follows is a non-stop action adventure filled with bloody battles, deaths, intrigue, power struggles and so much humor that has us laughing even in serious situations. With Gemma bringing her war monks to help Keely, we get to see witches, nuns, monks, warlock, assassins and Gemma’s dead horse who is wild but still alive (though missing various parts lol). Ragna is another crazy leader of the war monks who help fight the upcoming battles, and her interactions with Gemma and Keely are a riot.

The Princess Knight was a fun filled, exciting amazing ride, with fantastic characters that Aiken creates so well. The epilogue blew my mind, and I so look forward to the next book in this series wondering where Aiken will take us. If you enjoy Aiken/ Laurenston, you need to be reading this series.

G.A. Aiken knows how to write funny, chaotic and interesting characters in a magical world. The Princess Knight grabbed me from the first chapter and the rest of the book went by far too fast. I love the family dynamics, friendships and quirky personalities that we meet in these books and this one was no exception. Overall this was a hilarious adventure that you don't want to miss! Thank you so much to the publisher for granting me this arc - I loved it!

I loved this laugh out loud fantasy romp. Gemma Smythe is a war monk and sister to not one but two queens. When things go south this is more than a family squabble. Gemma and Quinn kept me laughing through all the troubles and strife. I can’t recommend this series enough.

Wonderful read! Great continuation of the series, a hilarious, action-packed adventure with the most amazing heroines!

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

Strong women, hillarious family banter, excelent plot and world building. A must read for fans of the genre!

5 stars!

This series is for those who love complex worlds where an unexpected twist is always just around the corner and is populated with a cast of completely unforgettable characters. This time we learn more about Gemma and her history plus we get a lot of references (and hopefully future crossovers) with the Dragon Kin books.

Well, that was really what the doctor ordered after this interesting year. I laughed so much while reading G.A. Aiken's second installment in the Sacred Earth Saga. I've really come to enjoy Aiken's writing style, especially the humor, and the characters. All of them feel like real-fully fleshed characters something that I find that can sometimes be lacking in fantasy (in regards to the side characters).

When we begin, we find Keely, now Queen, still trying to defeat her sister Beatrix with the help of her family and new friends. This time the story is told through Gemma's perspective and the two sisters could not be anymore different in narration. Gemma is much more serious and focused but not any less lovable and entertaining. I appreciated this difference between the two sisters and it brought more depth into the world and story.

Then, there's Quinn. I was always fascinated with him from the first book so it was a joy to see more of him. Seeing their friendship develop was really the frontrunner in this story and their romance took a back seat. Which was fine with me. In all honesty, I wouldn't even categorize this book as a romance and I would have been fine Quinn and Gemma remaining friends. Again, their relationship was so charming and entertaining, that the romance aspect wasn't even missed.

I cannot wait to see more from all the characters and to see where this journey leads them. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to those looking for a laugh, amazing banter, beautiful world-building and memorable characters (I, mean Keran is just a gem!).

Thank you to Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Nov 24, 2020

The Princess Knight is book two in The Scarred Earth Saga, and once again G.A. Aiken are full of things I have come to expect from them. Lots of strong women, guts and gore tenfold. The main characters normally have a quirky sense of humor, and I normally find myself laughing out loud. This book in my opinion wasn't nearly as funny as the previous one in the series. I didn't really feel the chemistry between Gemma and Quinn like I have in previous books by this author that is my one complaint about this book. Overall the book is a extremely good read, and I would recommend it to others.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and Kengsington Books and am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

This book was so much fun. I was laughing all the time! This author's characters are always just so off the wall and insane, that it's usually hard not to enjoy it.

This is obviously Gemma's book, but I loved how we still go back to numerous other characters. Which is important because our groups are not always together here. It's been two years since Keeley became a queen and while Beatrix hasn't done anything overly suspicious during that time, one of the old king's heirs, Cyrus, has started going around destroying all other religious groups in his fanatical obsession with making his god the only one. Of course this has Keeley offering sanctuary to any and all who seek it. Gemma personally decides to be the one to go to her order to make the offer. Even though she knows it could very well be a death sentence. Quinn goes with her and from that point on these two are hardly away from each other. Which was fantastic. At the start Gemma hates Quinn and Quinn goes out of his way to annoy Gemma and make her angry. But somehow thru all the battles with enemies and all the bantering and all the bickering, these two end up falling for each other. Of course, not in the mooshy romantic sense, but in the more "okay, maybe I don't actually want you to die" kind of way. Hard to describe, but it totally works for these two.

Anyway. When Gemma gets back to her order it's only to receive some devastating news. Then on top of that she learns the new guy in charge has already decided to align with Beatrix. It's just one thing on top of another until she challenges him to a fight. After which even more hell breaks loose when Cyrus's army shows up to destroy them. Gemma is forced to flee, leaving half of her brothers behind to die. And on the way back to Keeley's she's given a new assignment. One she is not happy about at all. But it was super fun for the readers! Gathering up a couple people from the other religious sects and safely getting them to safety is an exercise in patients and self control for this group as they all pretty much hate the others for some reason or another.

When Gemma and her group finally make it back to Keeley's castle, the new comers don't quite know what to think of Keeley. She is nothing like they expect and their first encounter with her is her swinging around her giant hammer smashing assassins up. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for them to decide to stick with her.

Though we don't really get a lot of time with him, I am liking Keeley's new blood assassin friend. He's got that mystery behind him, he's powerful, and best of all, Keeley's demon wolves like him. Plus with his help, they now know where Cyrus is and can plan to defeat him. Keeley decides to take her human army with her and she does a great job doing what she does best. She even gets to speak to another god, which makes some people angry with jealousy.

While Keeley went off to fight Cyrus, Gemma and her smaller group make their way to the old king's castle to try and find out what Beatrix is up to. Gemma also hopes to kill her sister, but that ends up being harder than she expected. What she finds out about Beatrix's actions though, leaves her sick and she wastes no time putting a stop to it.

The ending was fantastic in that I got way too excited when Annwyl actually shows up. After the dragon showed up in the last book, I was seriously hoping for a crossover. I just never expected it to happen so soon. And now I have to wait for what will feel like forever for the next book. So unfair.

OK, even though Gemma and Quinn are the "couple" for this book it encompasses much more and I loved it , we get to see our blacksmith queen Keeley a lot and then there are a few more insane characters and some mysterious and some just crazy. This is like the DragonKin books in many ways and I laughed out loud more than once. This is one of those books you probably either love gloriously (as I do) or can't see why anyone would want to read about such chaos and insanity. This was a great read that I could not wait to get back to anytime I laid it down but the last few pages made me crazy (no spoilers) that I never saw coming and I LOVED it but I want the next book NOW!!!

Gemma Smythe is battle worn and field tested. It is her campaigns and leadership that has given her insight into the folly of her younger sister. Bound by fidelity to the throne and an insight into the need for strength and diplomacy Gemma navigates a delicate balance knowing the future of the realm is at stake.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for offering me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Princess Knight, by G.A. Aiken (who I'm told is a pen name for Shelly Laurenston), is one of those brilliant, genre-bending books you don't encounter often. For starters, it's funny. Like, Monty Python funny. I dare say there are characters and passages in this book that will give you Sir Terry Pratchett vibes and I do not make this comparison lightly. G. A. Aiken has crafted a story that's irreverent and quick-witted and hilarious — the dialogue alone will have you laughing out loud.

But this book s also serious, suspenseful and filled with gore-ish creatures and violent battle scenes. It has dark themes and poses moral questions. It's also filled with flawed, multi-dimensional, arresting characters — definitely some of the most amazing female MCs I've ever encountered, And some kick-ass hammer yielding Thor would be jealous of.

Finally, the Princess Knight is a high fantasy tale that transports you. It has magic, mayhem... it even has frigging centaurs. Oh, and a swoon-worthy romance as a bonus (although the romance is not the driving force of the story, it's a solid and satisfying sub-plot).

My only regret is that I hadn't read book 1 in the series before, as there were some instances I would have liked a bit context, but overall the story wasn't that hard to catch up with. And I'll be definitely checking out this writer again!