Book Review :: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly, by Jamie Pacton

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton
Narrator: Jess Nahikian
ISBN: 1624149529
on 2020-05-05
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 378
Format: Audio
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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.

Last updated on 13 February 2023

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My thoughts on The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

I listened to The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly on audiobook, and it was a lot of fun.

This is a neat concept – please read the book description above as it spells out the story better than I can – and it made me want to watch A Knight’s Tale for about the hundredth time. (“It’s called a lance, hellllooooooo.”)

Kit Sweetly is feisty, and while a lot of the time she annoyed me, I did find myself starting the book and basically finishing it in one (bumped up the speed) sitting. I loved the Medieval Times restaurant and it’s always so novel (no book pun intended) when I read about or see themed restaurants like this because here in New Zealand we just don’t have them. The idea that an entire restaurant has jousting knights and horses at the centre boggles my mind. I definitely want to go there.

I can see this book being a cheesy rom-com on Netflix; you know the ones. We love to hate them. We hate to love them. They’re the Kissing Booths or the Set it Ups of this world, and we’re here for it.

There were some aspects of the book I didn’t love – the fact that the waitresses at the Medieval restaurants are called Wenches (and I know that’s part of the point, but I don’t think any place would actually call their wait staff wenches…) – but overall it was a fun read.

And seriously, it would definitely make a great Netflix movie. I might even like the movie more than the book.

What about you? Have you read The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly? What did you think?