Jamie Pacton
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Kit Sweetly slays sexism, bad bosses, and bad luck to become a knight at a medieval-themed restaurant.REVIEW
Working as a wench―i.e. waitress―at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college.
Company policy allows only guys to be knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But the Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other wenches join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval―if they don’t get fired first.
Kit's family has always struggled to get by, and now, she hoped to go to college, which would require even more money. She loved working at the Castle, but wanted to move into a role, where she would be able to make more money. A role, such as that of a knight. Though she could competently be a knight, she would never be considered for the job, because of strict gender requirements at the Castle. This Girl Knight found the policy unfair, and was ready to fight for equality. Ready or not, Castle corporate, here she comes!
I will admit, the primary reason I wanted to read this book was the setting. A theme restaurant sounded like a place with so many fun possibilities, and I was not disappointed there. Pacton let us spend quite a bit of time in and around the Castle, even taking us behind the curtain, and I enjoyed it. She captured the energy and chaos, and really showed us the ups and downs of "the business".
I also loved all the characters. There was the star, Kit, who was an immediate hit with me. She was amusing, and her love of history put her on the right side of nerdy (as far as I'm concerned). I actually enjoyed, when she would drop some historical knowledge on me, and found it quite interesting. I admired her passion, perseverance, and the way she took up the fight for equality. She never gave up, even when the cards were stacked against her.
Kit also recruited some fantastic members of her Castle family to help fight the good fight with her. This group was interesting and diverse, and each person brought something to the table. Some of my favorite parts of this book were when they were all on page together. I not only enjoyed watching them practice their fighting skills, but I liked their interactions in general. They were definitely the found-family type of friends, who were willing to go that extra mile for each other, and that is always the best sort of friend.
I am ever down for an uprising to effect change, and don't we all want endless possibilities regardless of our gender identity? Though the book went a little darker than I anticipated, I really enjoyed the focus on family, friendship, and the fight for equality.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Kit talks about her love for A Knight's Tale, and made me think about films and shows I enjoyed, which had a Medieval touch. See any of your faves?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jamie Pacton writes all sorts of books: dark, feminist YA fantasy; contemporary YA stories with a funny + geeky bent; funny MG adventure-fantasy; and, even the occasional adult rom-com. She was a Pitch Wars mentee in 2015 and she mentored YA in 2016, 2017, and 2018. She grew up minutes away from the National Storytelling Center in the mountains of East Tennessee; she’s the oldest of ten kids; and, she currently lives in rural Wisconsin with her husband, their two kids, and a dog named Lego. The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly (forthcoming May 5, 2020) is her Young Adult debut.
Do you enjoy theme restaurants?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
I've been seeing this one quite a bit on Instagram today and loved reading your review Sam, I'm a sucker for girls pushing against that glass ceiling and you honestly had me at nerdy. Definitely grabbing a copy and giving this one a read, and soon! So glad you enjoyed it Sam, brilliant review!
ReplyDeleteKit's determination is something I think people will love, even if she made a few mistakes along the way (mistakes realized and corrected), and it was easy to get behind her on this. I hope you enjoy it, when you read it.
DeleteI am actually currently rewatching Merlin at the moment so this couldn't have come at a better time! I really like the sound of this book taking place in a themed restaurant and I love that she is fighting for equality. This sounds like a fun and important book overall ^.^
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen that show in forever, but it's definitely a fave. It was a mostly fun book, and I liked the messaging
DeleteThis is unique for sure. Based on the title, I thought it was set in the actual Middle Ages, but it's an amusing twist on the girl-wants-to-be-a-knight trope instead.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun way to explore gender equality
DeleteI don't know why the cover first reminded me of Well Met by Jen DeLuca! I love the sound of the themed restaurant setting too. I'm definitely surprised to hear that the book is a little dark. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Sam!
ReplyDeleteHer family life was sort of a sad mess, and the plot line involving her father was kind of depressing for me. I guess I didn't really see why it was part of the story, unless it was to cement the family-doesn't-have-to-be-blood thing? Overall, I enjoyed it
DeleteLike you, I'm interested by the setting in this book! It does sound like quite a lot of fun can be had with a book taking place in a medieval-themed restaurant. And I'm always up for a book that tackles sexism. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the summary (there are a LOT of medieval puns that I'm not sure how much is fact and how much is fiction haha) but I'm interested to check this one out. I might make this a library book instead of purchase though, to be cautious!
ReplyDeleteThe puns were fun. Kit was a history lover, so she was always pointing out inaccuracies too, which I loved. I really did like the way Pacton explored gender equality, even if there was small things, that made this a bit less successful than anticipated.
DeleteKit sounds like a wonderful character. I would enjoy getting to knkwknow her.
ReplyDeleteShe was! Slightly flawed, but passionate, big hearted, and very driven
DeleteThis sounds like a fun girl power read. And the MC's love of A Knight's Tale scores her big points in my book. :) That and The Princess Bride are two of my faves.
ReplyDeletePrincess Bride really is one of the best out there. And, yes, A Knight's Tale was their comfort movie
DeleteThis sounds like it was a great read!
ReplyDeleteOverall, I did enjoy it. A few parts, here and there, that I wondered about, but there was more good than bad
DeleteRobin Hood Men in Tights, The Princess Bride and Merlin are all awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'd want to read this book because of the setting too. I love themed restaurants and dragged my husband and kid to Medieval Times last time we were in the States. We don't have anything like that here but we do get a lot of medieval jousts at castles and summer fairs which is good enough for me. :)
I have never been the Medieval Times, but I went to a Medieval dinner in a castle, when I was in Ireland. No jousting, but there were musicians and royalty and what not.
DeleteThis book has been on my TBR since I first heard about it. I assume the setting is actually Medieval Times in Chicagoland but due to copyright and the like we're avoiding proper nouns of real places. I've been to Medieval Times quite a few times with my friends (yes, as adults -- it's a shocking amount of fun) and I've always been surprised at the lack of female knights in this modern day. Perhaps this is based a bit on real life experiences?!
ReplyDeleteI have never been to Medieval Times, though I think we still have one in NJ (not sure). I did a theme dinner in Ireland though, which was in a castle. No jousting, since castles are actually quite small, but there was live music and juggles and other court type entertainers. The argument by management in the book is that there were no female knights in Medieval times. That's what Kit is fighting though, and she name drops, you know Joan of Arc, etc. I loved that part of the story. Not sure if this is fact based, there has to be some interview with the author on this tour. I have to look.
DeleteThis sounds super fun, and since I've been seeing it around a lot lately, I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteHoopla already has it through my library on audio. Maybe yours does too
DeleteI've been so curious about this book - I agree that it's the setting that appeals to me most initially.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I hate when a good setting is wasted, but that wasn't the case here. Pacton really utilized it well in the book
DeleteThis sounds like a great read. I love reading about girls who fight for what they want. Kit sounds like she was really determined. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThat was definitely my favorite thing about the book - Kit's passion and determination. The "family" aspect was another fantastic part of the book, and I loved how they supported her.
DeleteI have watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail more times than I can count. And of course, I'm a huge Princess Bride fan! And like Kit, I love A Knight's Tale, too.
ReplyDeleteWe were obsessed with Monty Python when I was in high school. The Princess Bride was another that got a LOT of viewings. One of my friends could recite every line
DeleteThis sounds like a fun read overall. And yay for seeing The Princess Bride in your list of favorites. I love that movie so much!
ReplyDeleteI never read the book, but the film was such a big part of my teen years
DeleteI'm with you, this book interested me because of the theme restaurant too. It just sounded like a fun book and I'd be interested to read. And you included Merlin in your list! Loved that show, I actually binge watched the whole thing when I was at uni because I made fun at one of my house mates for watching it so he got me to watch an episode. It was really good so I watched it all.
ReplyDeleteMerlin is such a high quality, fantastic show. I think I watched it on BBC America. Not sure if it even hit our channels, but I loved it.
DeleteI watched Merlin religiously, but i didn't have the heart to watch the last episode. I was a broken wreck long before that!
DeleteAWWW. ((HUGS))
DeleteThe setting was what drew me to this book -- i love the idea of it, though I have never been to one (and that's now on my bucket list!) -- and Kit's journey through the book? I am already cheering her on!
ReplyDeleteI have only been to one in Ireland, which was in a real castle. A bit different from the jousting places we have here. I did appreciate the messaging and thought the author did a great job with the setting.
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