This was such a fun read and very different than the first book! Honestly, I couldn’t stop laughing most of the time!

The focus of this book is Brother Gemma. Although it's hard to call her "brother" at the beginning of the book because she feels abandoned by her god and is hardly worshiping him. In fact, everyone thinks that she's drinking like her cousin. However, when someone (not Beatrix!) starts attacking religious sects (starting by slaughtering almost all of the peace monks), Gemma is not especially excited about helping but she saddles up along with her squire Samuel, her sister Ainsley who Gemma and Keeley seem to always forget, and two of the Amichai Laila and Quinn. Quinn is a thorn in Gemma's side though he is definitely a good fighter.
First, they travel to Gemma's past to visit the place where she trained and the other War Monks. There, we learn a bit about why Gemma is the way she is as well as more about the politics of the War Monks. We also get to meet Ragna, another War Monk; one who is even more dedicated to the cause than Gemma. She is the one who ultimately gives Gemma a list of sects to pick up including temple virgins, witches, divine assassins, war priests, a truce monk, and a nun (the Abbess Butcher). Oh, she also gets back her horse Kriegszorn. The one she lost in battle and had to raise (battle monks tend to win battles by bringing the dead back to life.) So what if he's only half normal horse and half rotting corpse? It's her horse!
We do get to see Queen Keeley (who gained such love from me in the first book that I had trouble switching over any to Gemma) and how she's building her kingdom. There are glimpses of Beatrix and what her evil plan is ultimately going to be. And then, a brief glimpse at some special guests who are going to be in the next book.
Definitely start with the first book in this series. This is an Aiken book through and through with characters that go so far beyond zany that you have to love them because they are so well-definied in their own brands of crazy. The beginning was actually a little slower than some Aiken books but it picked up nicely.

Four stars
Follows The Blacksmith Queen
This book comes out November 24th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The battle between sisters, Queen Keeley and Queen Beatrix, wages on. With some new players in the mix.

What I enjoy about this series is the strength of the female characters. Keeley and Gemma have proved their worth on the battlefield. In addition, we are introduced to a new force, their sister, Ainsley. Her skill and ability to be at the right place at the right time, was invaluable.

What I struggled with in this book was the reintroduction to this fantasy world. If you are going to have a lot of plotlines and characters into a sequel, I need some sort of refresher. I was desperate for a recap of the characters and their backgrounds, hopefully that is part of the released copy. And because my memory isn't great, I would have loved for the author to include subtle reminders about book one.

There are some new discoveries and alliances in this book, but Queen Beatrix's big plans are only briefly covered near the end of this book, likely setting up book three to follow. I'm undecided on whether I'll continue with this series. It is well written, but a little too complex for me.

As I'm not a big fantasy reader, take this review lightly. If you are a fan of this genre or author, it is still worth checking out.

Well, what can I say....... once again I was not disappointed!! The Princess Knight not only lived up to my expectations but as only Aiken can do..exceeded them and left me in anticipation of the next installment. The Princess Knight is set in the same world as Aiken's dragon kin series but has its own character and allure. I appreciate the front row seat into Gemma's past which helped to form the war monk you can't help but love and root for. Then there is a capricious Amachi and a blindingly loyal horse thrown in to keep things interesting along with a sociopathic sister teetering on megalomania ( who probably should have been left in the wild as an infant.... oh who are we kidding if that happened she would have cultivated an army of wolves and that is a whole different bevy of problems).

The long-awaited sequel to The Blacksmith Queen! This book is in no way a standalone, so go read the first book or you may get confused. G.A. Aiken has the best dry wit commentary by characters and has the ability to elevate common dialogue to the hysterically funny level - you don't want to miss it!

The story (without spoilers): Two years have passed and this book is about Queen Keeley's sister Gemma. Gemma is a war monk with all the weird comedy inherent in that profession that we have come to expect from G.A Aiken/Shelley Laurenston. For example, Gemma constantly gets teased about her drinking problem (she doesn't drink) every time she does something out of character. My description doesn't make me want to giggle, but reading the book had me in tears from my copious laughter. Back to the story - Beatrix (one of Keeley's many, many sisters) is also a queen and is clearly up to something. Gemma is tasked with finding out what that something is, without killing Beatrix. There is also a brother of the king that Beatrix married who is going about the countryside doing evil things, which will have to be stopped somehow. Keeley manages to get a rag-tag group of warring magical leaders together in the hopes that all will be resolved. And there is a dragon in there somewhere.

The Princess Knight is another laugh-out-loud, female character driven, action-packed fantasy romp - exactly what I've come to expect from G.A. Aiken! Second in the Scarred Earth Saga and set two years after the previous book, War Monk Gemma and her motley crew set out to help her sister, Queen Keeley in the battle between the dueling realms and move the overall story along. Funny, fast paced, and full of quippy banter and kooky characters. Definitely best enjoyed if you've read the first book, The Blacksmith Queen. Eagerly anticipating the next book!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. This is the second book in a new (sub) series by G.A. Aiken, focused on a fantasy world with talking/shape shifting dragons and the humans who love them. Ms. Aiken writes funny, snarky fantasy adventures with romance and violence added in. She always has strong female characters, usually as the story main characters. As a huge fan of her work, I was very excited to read this sequel to The Blacksmith Queen, set in the same world as her Dragon Kin series.
Do not read this book without having read the first in the series or I believe you’ll be lost for the first 1/3-1/2 of the book. There’s so much going on that you need the backstory of book 1 to understand the characters, the villains, etc. This book jumps right into events occurring 2 years after the first book so there’s almost no backstory exposition. There are lots of characters and motivations to track. War Monk, Gemma Smythe, is the story’s lead. Assisted by the Amichai, shape-shifting centaur warriors, she’s supporting her sister, the ‘Blacksmith Queen’ Keeley, against their third sister, the soulless one who only cares about power. There’s a slow romance that builds between Gemma and the Amichai, Quinn. There are also sects of assassins, witches, virgins, pacifist monks, competing armies of good/bad guys, dwarves, elves… the list goes on so having the first book’s backstory will help a great deal. As a result of all the fighting parties, there’s lots of fighting, gore, death, etc in the book. As with all her stories, the end result is usually worth preserving through the gory bits.
This book sets the stage for the third book, potentially the battle between the warring sisters with the assistance of the Dragon Kin Queen of Garbham Isle, the original Dragon Kin storyline protagonist.

I did not finish this book. A quarter of the way in there were so many characters with not enough development to tell them apart. The plot developed at a decent pace but not enough to make me feel any kind of emotion other than a vague curiosity, but not enough to continue. I just cannot become vested in a story with so little character information. Thoughts, feelings, history, even the way they look would have helped. But I mainly just stayed confused and tried to stick with it to see if it was ironed out, but it never was.

Next book please!

Anytime I read a book by G.A. Aiken/ Shelly Laurenston book I know it will have characters that are over the top and this time G. A. Aiken has outdone herself.

I love the Princess Knight because Brother Gemma is all about winning the battle and protecting her sister Queen Keeley and not caring who gets in the middle of everything. You have battling sisters and battles between religious groups that don’t like each other or Gemma because they have a history with her and each other with snarky comments between them that made me laugh.

You need to read The Princess Knight if you love fantasy with a little romance, but the best part is the last scene and now I want to read the next book even though it probably isn’t even written yet!

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

The Scarred Earth Saga #2
Gemma Smythe dedicated her life to the glory of battle. With her fellow War Monks, she worshipped the war gods, rained destruction on her enemies, and raised the dead when needed. Until her sister Keeley became the prophesied Blacksmith Queen, and Gemma left her order to journey to the Amichai Mountain and fight by Keeley’s side.

The Amichai warriors are an unruly, never-to-be-tamed lot, especially Quinn. But when an enemy starts to remove all rival religions, the immaturity of her key ally is the least of Gemma’s problems. She has to get to the grand masters and persuade them to fight for Keeley and justice. If her conviction can’t sway them, perhaps Quinn’s irritating, irreverent, clearly unhinged, ferocity will win the day.

My new favorite series. DO NOT skip the first book The Blacksmith Queen. Many things in the book will not make sense if you do.
With strong women, great dialogue, humorous situations and interesting interpersonal relationships, this book is the perfect antidote for this year.

When you pick up a G.A. Aiken /Shelly Laurenston book....be prepared for wonderful craziness! The Princess Knight is the book I’ve needed during this pandemic. The crazy cast of characters are hilarious and the action is non-stop.

In this book we get to know Queen Keeley’s war monk sister Gemma and her history when she left home. The war against their sister Beatrice is heating up and Gemma and Quinn need to figure out what’s happening with all the religious sects in the land. More hilarious side characters are introduced and a huge twist comes into play at the end for long time fans of Aikens work. I highly recommend this installment and urge you to start with book one. You won’t be disappointed!

This is book 2 in The Scarred Earth Saga by G.A Aiken. I was able to read the first book The Blacksmith Daughter before reading book 2.

Unfortunately, I feel the same way say the first book that I marked 2 stars. In The Princess Knight we follow are Gemma, who is now new princess after both her sister's become queens. This book takes place 2 years after The Blacksmith Daughter and we are to believe that that the characters have been through a lot while those years have past, but it only is brought up briefly in the first few chapters.

Like the first book, there are multiple POVs with jump scenes that don't add to the story. At first, we a really only in Gemma's and Quinn's POV, but then it switches back and forth through new characters POVs and most of the time it is irrelevant and they don't get the 'screen time' again. At times, the writing style drew me out of the book. It was hard to connect to any characters and the world itself. I felt as though the characters all had the same emotions, mostly all negative towards each other and nothing changes by the end. Everyone seems to hate each other and they lash out for no reason. This book is also marked as a Fantasy Romance, yet there was nothing romantic about the book. Gemma and Quinn have a weird sort of friendship, but the 'romance' was brought up a few times and felt forced when it showed. I would also like to shed light on ALL of the battle scenes, because there was a lot. When the battles are brought up, it happens rather quickly and there are no real consequences. Each fight that has occurred in book one and two the 'good queen's army' gets away smoothly and wins every fight. Someone might get hurt a little, but they brush it off and head on to the next scene without really acknowledging the fight itself.

I do like the concept of the story. I feel as though if it was flushed out more thoroughly and we only spent time in maybe 4 POVs it would become a little more easy to follow. I also like that there are different magical character that have different gods and rules to follow.

I want to say thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC for this book.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I am loving this series so much. This book focuses more on a Gemma and his she is going to help prep Keeley for the battle with Beatrix.
Gemma is sent to offer refuge to all of the various sects who serve different gods. Knowing how personable Gemma is not, I was excited to see how she would manage. Quinn is the perfect foil to her because he tells her exactly how it is even when it pisses her off
The characters on this book are perfection. This author has such a great handle on weaving family, love, and humor throughout dangerous situations.
I have to say that the surprise at the end made my day. I cannot wait to see how these familiar characters are woven into this story with too many very strong personalities.
If you love your fantasy with lots of characters, humor, romance, and craziness, this author might be for you.

The Princess Knight by G.A. Aiken is the second book in her Scarred Earth Saga. This story has been another trip into a fantasy world filled with humans, centaurs and other mythical creatures. Queen Keely, introduced in book #1, The Blacksmith Queen, has found a place to fortify and rule her kingdom. Centaur Caid is by her side. The storyline in this book centers more around Keely's sister Brother Gemma, the war monk and Caid's centaur brother Quinn who insists on following Gemma everywhere she goes. To have her back, he says. There are many magical and yes, dangerous adventures for the four characters. We get to meet some new mythical creatures in this second book which is fun.

I really like the overall arc of this storyline and I look forward to the next book in the series. In my opinion G.A. Aiken is a genius fantasy author.

4.5 star read. Did I love seeing more of Brother Gemma, badass war monk? Yes. Does it contain all the hallmarks of Aiken’s snarky humor and strong, complicated family relationships? Is the romance almost an afterthought? Unfortunately also yes. But the ‘verse is interesting enough, especially after that epilogue, that I still enjoyed myself very, very much. If you love fantasy with lots of action and snarky humor with a sprinkle of romance, then you May enjoy this as much as I did.

While I enjoy this author's books as a whole and liked the previous title in the series, I could not connect to this book. I appreciate the author centering women from all kinds of non-traditional backgrounds and giving them action that would be normally reserved for men. Perhaps I was looking for more of Aiken/Laurenston's humor to come through? I'll give the book another try at a later date.

This was a highly entertaining read, and a strong second installment in this series. It didn’t have quite the same impact as the first book although I did feel that the pacing was stronger in this one, but Gemma – who was the focus this time – was a fascinating character, who more than carried the story with her personality and drive. The writing was excellent, and I particularly enjoyed the humour and banter, and that the romantic elements were not overbearing in the slight, and instead complimented the rest of the story. I was invested in all the characters and their relationships with one another, and I will forever be behind the idea of Princess Knights and badass women in general which this series more than provides.

" 'I will not accept a challenge from some low-born, low-rank nobody.'
'Hey!' Gemma was quick to remind him. 'I'm a princess now, bitch!' "

This book felt more settled than the previous installment. The satirical humor managed to bring me even more joy, and the plot flowed more smoothly. Even the romance had stronger banter and heart.

In this story, war monk Gemma must face her order after the events of the previous book. It's a heartfelt journey with delightful new characters and fresh evils to face. Even in a fantasy world, men in power shouldn't be trusted to police themselves (or anyone). ~shocker~ I was here for the commentary, especially since it kept Gemma from being framed as a victim. She was firmly slated as an avenging angel or berserking brute. Take your pick-- I like both for her.

In the latter part of the book, expect a delightful team-up of misfits most holy and unholy. It's a causal group of war priests, witches, divine assassins, temple virgins, a badass abbess, and the widely hated truce vicar. I found these sects more fascinating and amusing than the dwarves and elves of the previous book. There will be bickering and violent infighting, but there will also be drinking and unlikely camaraderie. It's delectable.

I also loved the introduction of a new sister (to the readers) in the Smythe family: Ainsley, the one everyone forgets all the time. The story increased my investment in this world and the overarching plot. I found myself cheering at some parts and contemplating the enemies' long-term motives at others.

It's an irreverent romp, and I found myself caring on top of it all.

I would like to borrow a sentence from one of the early reviewer of this book:

<blockquote>Stacey is Sassy : Blink and you will miss the love story… </blockquote>

And I totally agree with her.

It is not the usual love story that one would read, so if you are looking for that lovey dovey moments...nope not Gemma and Quinn. And that made this book an extra ordinary one.

As you read you will more likely to laugh and curse and be crazed by the antics of the characters of the series. Not to mention...

G.A. Aiken, once again delivered a book that threw us off course...and made us love her more. Who ever will the next pair be in the next book, it is definitely worth the wait.

I very much enjoyed reading 'The Princess Knight', so firstly, a huge thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Books and G.A Aiken for granting me the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was so fun to read - the humour was wonderful, and the character dynamics kept me turning the pages. I liked that while there was romance, it wasn't all consuming, and the plot took precendent. The characters themselves were charming, and I loved Gemma's strength.

This isn't the book I would usually pick up, but I was pleasantly surprised. Thank you again for the ARC!