**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from the publisher.**
I’d like to begin by thanking The Fantastic Flying Book Club and the publisher for choosing me to be a part of this tour. Please check out the other stops along the tour for other reviews, playlists, and other fun posts about this book and the author, Jamie Pacton.
Check out the full tour schedule here!
GIVEAWAY
Prize: Win a copy of THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY by Jamie Pacton (US/CAN Only)
Starts: May 5th 2020
Ends: May 19th 2020
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86497/
Title The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly
Author Jamie Pacton
Release Date May 5, 2020
Publisher Page Street Kids
Description from Amazon
Kit Sweetly slays sexism, bad bosses, and bad luck to become a knight at a medieval-themed restaurant.
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.
Initial Thoughts
I was super excited to be chosen for this tour. Tagged as a gender bent retelling of A Knight’s Tale, I loved the premise. I also always love to see books about young girls who fight against sexism.
Some Things I Liked
- Tons of representations. I loved that this book had an extremely diverse cast of characters. We got to see characters of different socio-economic status, ethnicities, and gender identities. And, they all found common ground and formed friendships. There were also jerk characters who I didn’t love, but I think they rounded out the story all the more. The cast of character that the reader is meant to love really banded together to fight for what they believed in.
- THAT 👏 DOWAGER 👏 COUNTESS 👏 REFERENCE 👏
This book had so many excellent references but my absolute, hands down favorite was the reference to Downton Abbey. The Dowager is my favorite character on that show and I loved that Kit knew her well enough to reference her in such a clever way. - Real problems. This book isn’t just a story of a girl who feels slighted about gender roles at her job. Kit’s story is filled with emotion, problems, and not often enough, solutions. Kit received tons of disappointing news and I loved seeing her journey of how she coped with that. Kit’s life was not easy but it was so refreshing to see a story of “glass half full” rather than here’s an easy answer and now everything is perfect.
- Medieval Times as a setting. I’ve never been to Medieval Times but this story made me super curious about it. The writing was rich with detail and it definitely makes me wonder if Jamie Pacton ever spent time working at a place like that. The story felt incredibly authentic and it ignited a curiosity in me about the historical time period and the role playing company itself.
Series Value
I think this story has spin-off value. As much as I’d like to see more about Kit, there are tons of other characters that I think could have super interesting side stories. I’d love to see more set in this world.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. I normally don’t read many contemporary books, but this was a breath of fresh air. I loved Kit’s attitude, the witty references and dialogue, and the messages this story included.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Well Met by Jen DeLuca – if you liked the “Medieval Times” or historical facility as a setting, try this series by Jen DeLuca. It’s an adult rom-com but there are many of the same vibes.
- Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon – if you liked the themes of going off to college and senior year stress, as well as a main character who fights to be considered equal to the boys, try this July 2020 release.
Author Bio
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.
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44779658-the-life-and-medieval-times-of-kit-sweetly
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WwyYVN
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-life-and-medieval-times-of-kit-sweetly-jamie-pacton/1132911545?ean=9781624149528
iTunes: https://books.apple.com/br/book/the-life-and-medieval-times-of-kit-sweetly/id1477062480
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-life-and-medieval-times-of-kit-sweetly
Google Books: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Life_and_Medieval_Times_of_Kit_Sweet.html?id=NICoDwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y
AUTHOR LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19025294.Jamie_Pacton
Website: https://www.jamiepacton.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamiepacton
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiepacton/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/jamie_pacton/
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Enjoyed the post, sounds good!
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Thank you! There’s a giveaway widget for a copy of the book as well as a separate Instagram giveaway. Check out my page @books_over_everything for another chance to enter 😊
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