This Knight Topples Empires

by Ry Herman

In this raucous, tongue-in-cheek fairy-tale retelling from the author of This Princess Kills Monsters, a knight embarks on an adventure to thwart an invasion, save the most beautiful woman in the world, and finally get away from their sisters.

Jules is tired of running low-stakes errands with their five magically mismatched sisters, whose skills include killing plants, inducing sneezing, and making smaller windows … slightly larger. Blessed with a poorly controlled ability to make flowers bloom, Jules longs for a mission where they can actually prove themself. And when the siblings stumble upon a rival kingdom’s plot to overthrow their royal family, Jules sees an opportunity.

What follows is a whirlwind of botched disguises, accidental heroics, talking animals with surprisingly strong opinions, and one very inconvenient crush on the most sought-after princess in the land. And through all this, Jules learns that happy endings are indeed possible, even if you’re not quite Prince Charming. A cozy yet epic retelling of a Romanian fairy-tale, This Knight Topples Empires proves that the greatest victories of all are love and self-acceptance.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Adult, Queer, Fiction, Cozy Fantasy, Cozy

Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 3, 2026

About the author

Ry Herman is the author of This Princess Kills Monsters, Love Bites, and Bleeding Hearts. Born in the US, they are now a permanent Scottish resident. Ry is bisexual and genderqueer.

Their upcoming book, This Knight Topples Empires, is a raucous, tongue-in-cheek spin on the Romanian fairy tale "The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy". A knight attempts to thwart an invasion only to get caught in a whirlwind of botched disguises, accidental heroics, talking animals with surprisingly strong opinions, and one very inconvenient crush on the most sought-after princess in the land.

Ry has worked at a variety of jobs, including submissions editor, theatre technician, and one job which could best be described as typing the number five all day long. Ry acts and directs, and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Their hobbies include baking bread, playing tabletop roleplaying games, and reading as many books as humanly possible.

Reviews

[Maeghan 🦋]

HUGE thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for a chance to review this arc!! I’m sooo excited for this 😻

Such a delight! I love this author’s writing & ideas so much. I hope they continue writing in this world because I can’t seem to get enough.

This sequel follows Jules, one of Jacqueline’s (from the previous instalment) look alike. She never quite felt like her own person. She’s been forced to be with one of her sister (they have powers that saves one another) 24/7 since she was 12, so her life never felt her own. She longs for solo adventures & just something to have for herself.

The sisters go on a cozy epic quest across the kingdom, where nothing is off the table. The pacing for this one was a bit on the slower side but I still really loved it.
The romance was really unique because it wasn’t the ‘traditional’ type of romance. I like how it ended and appreciated that the story didn’t follow societal norms.

I really recommend reading book one & this second instalment. They’re very cute & lovely cozy fantasy. I will come back on publication date with my quotes!

[lost in epilogue | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ .]

To reach the end of the story, you have to be the right kind of hero. Well. Fuck that.

i quite enjoyed this!

i didn’t really lock in until some point after 35%, with the latter half feeling stronger, but i think that was prob largely due to having read the previous book too many books ago to remember specific detail.

It picks back up not long after book 1 and follows one of the title-mentioned minor characters, Jules. It expands more on them and their complicated, magical family. Herman takes many traditional fairytales and flips them on their head, adds a fresh twist, and makes the world a little queerer.

the humor definitely makes this a fun read. you never know where the story is going to go, and various character reactions often caught me off guard into a good chuckle.

i think my only complaint is shared by a few other reviews in that the romance is not very prominent till the last quarter, but i still really liked the pairing. If book 1 was up your alley, i expect this would be as well!

a lighthearted, queer fantasy that rewrites our favorite fairytales 🧚🏽

an honest arc review ♡

[jenny reads a lot]

I didn’t even know they were writing another book in this universe!!!! SCREAMINGGGGGG!!!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

| IG | TikTok |

[mtrics]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First things first: while this book can be read as a standalone, it is definitely a sequel to This Princess Kills Monsters (many familiar faces!) and will unapologetically spoil the first book if you aren't familiar with it. I wish the book listing appropriately reflected this!

That said, this book was a riot. Such a fun, fun time! I enjoyed the process of reading it: I thought it was well-paced, uncomplicated, with a good rising of stakes, great conflicts and lovely character arcs. A true hero's journey packaged in a rambunctious fantasy romp! One of my complaints with the previous book was that it felt a little long, and while this one does too, I think it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Of course, the book's main strength still lies in its humor! While I thought it was more subdued than in the previous book (which had me, if I recall correctly, slapping my knee in glee), it was still hilarious. Right up my alley! I also LOVED that (mild spoiler - not about the book's plot) |we had a protagonist with no gender and a love interest with no physical features. That's truly the most romantic thing I've ever heard! The ending made me swoon.

My only (small) complaint would be about the interludes between parts. I thought some of those gave the reader too much insight into what was about to happen next in the book. I know they're a tongue-in-cheek reference to fairy tales and how these stories get distorted, also a nod to a recurring "gag"/theme in the first book, but I much preferred learning about Jules' past to the "here's what happens in the legend next..." passages. While it can be fun to compare the legend to the version of events that you see through Jules' eyes, I just felt like going in blind would have been more fun. However, I still love that fairy-tale passages were included! This was my favorite part of book 1 and I was so glad to see these interludes make a comeback!

I really hope there will be more in this series. I love this world SO much! I love how creative the author is and how their mind works. I'm sure ten more of those books would finally cure my depression, I'M SURE 😭

[Rhi]

Ohmyhgoshhh, let’s hope that this book is just as good as "This princess kills monsters" because I absolutely need more of that energy in my life and I’m not emotionally prepared for anything less.

[annotated by Noi (in & out)]

WHAT?? WHEN??? WHO???

[Brooke!]

this was so good! i loved jules soooo much. i was very interested the whole book and the plot was great. such a cute story and i just really loved them so much. definitely recommend this sapphic book when it comes out!

[ran]

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved This Princess Kills Monsters, so when I saw that there was another book set in the same universe, I was so excited and just had to request the ARC! This one revolves around one of the twelve huntsmen from the first book, Jules, and their journey.

I love how the book kept the very witty and fun writing style. Ry Herman's writing is just a delight to read and whenever I picked the book up, I ended up reading a lot. It was so easy to get lost in the story and all its silliness. The humor was definitely one of my favorite parts and I especially loved all the meta humor. There were so many moments where I found myself laughing and there wasn't a dull moment.

My favorite part in the story would definitely be Jules' relationship with Yudit, their twin who's basically attached to theor hip because of the nature of their magical gifts. Complicated family dynamics have always gotten my interest and I think this definitely delivered on that end. I really felt for Jules' frustration with feeling like they didn't have any control over their own life and having to give up things like their personal space because of circumstances they didn't even want to be in. Despite the humorous nature of the book, it was still able to explore how complicated it can be to love someone while also feeling trapped by your relationship with them.

The characters were delightful, as expected. I loved how different and unique every character was from each other, despite having quite a large cast. My favorites were definitely Yudit and Sunbeam. Yes. The talking horse. Their scenes were the ones that made me laugh the most and they were the characters who stuck with me the most after finishing the book.

On the same note, I would've liked to see Yudit's romance bud more. I already called it during their argument, if you know you know, but it was still a nice surprise when it got confirmed. I would've loved to actually see it develop on page! Their dynamic would've been really interesting to see, or that may just be the enemies to lovers fan in me talking.

Now onto the things I didn't like: I think the second half, especially the last 30% or so, was a bit weaker for me. Things started happening a bit too fast for my liking. The first half was really strong in terms of pacing and setting the tone of the story, but the romance happened quite suddenly to me. I would've liked more time to actually see the relationship develop instead of having so much of it happen toward the end.

I also felt like there was also barely any sense of urgency despite Yudit's impending doom. There was a lot of danger surrounding them but the story often felt more focused on the characters and the relationships that made it feel like the urgency the situation required was put in the backseat. And somehow, despite everything that was happening, it still felt like things worked out relatively easily.

That said, I still really enjoyed the book, I loved the writing, the humor, and especially the characters and it was just fun to return to this universe again. Jules was such a fun protagonist to follow and every single character made the experience even more enjoyable. Even the geniuses (or genii) were memorable. This was still a really run and silly read that had me laughing through.

[Raelene]

I loooved This Princess Kills Monsters last year, so I was very excited to see that Ry Herman had another book coming out! Especially so soon, and even more especially with another gorgeous cover! This isn’t marketed as an inter-connected standalone, but I believe that it should be. I think that readers of This Princess Kills Monsters will appreciate all of the ties to the first book and characters from it. While this can be read by itself (or before that book), I think there would be moments or references that seem random to someone who doesn’t know that story.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love this. The humour seemed a bit over the top at times, and while there were times I laughed, most of the time it just wasn’t for me. Had the swearing and sexual references been removed, I don’t believe that the story would be any different, and it would be more like a YA book to me. This isn’t a bad thing, just not necessarily what I expected.

I love how inclusive this was. The family elements were great. The romance wasn’t too prominent but was cute when it was there. Sunbeam was a fun addition to this as well, I love a talking animal.

I read the ebook, but I saw that the narrator is the same as who did This Princess Kills Monsters and she did the accents so well for these characters last time that I’m sure that format will be excellent!

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Catriona Plum]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! I was so excited to get an advanced copy. I adored This Princess Kills Monsters, and this one is just as good!

This Knight Topples Empires is a charming and fun queer fairy tale that blends elements of different stories into something new and magical. This book is whimsical, funny, and has an amazing cast of quirky but lovable characters.

Our protagonist, Jules, is a knight in the service of Queen Jaqueline and King Gervase, who we met in “This Princess Kills Monsters”. In order to keep their cousin from having to enlist in the army, Jules disguises themself as a man to take his place. Along with an elderly talking horse and a gaggle of fairy cursed/gifted sisters, they go on a series of meandering side quests that will ultimately leave you happy and full of warm fuzzies at the end.

[Carissa]

REVIEW OF NETGALLEY ADVANCED READER COPY
3.25 ⭐️ Jules and their sisters are now working as knights of Tailliz after assisting Queen Jacqueline in winning back King Gervase by masquerading as one of 12 identical huntsmen. As children, a fairy gifted their siblings and nephew with rather unique magical talents. Flowers constantly appear in Jules' path, which requires them to be in the constant presence of their plant-withering sister, Yudit, in order to counteract both of their conspicuous powers. After the unexpected enactment of a mandatory army draft, Jules volunteers to take the place of the son of their estranged and bloodthirsty sister. This results in Jules, Yudit and a talking horse with halitosis going on an adventure to stop an encroaching army. Along the way, they encounter a soul-searching elemental creature called ‘the genius’ and the most beautiful women in the world, Ilyana the Golden. 

I had fun with this book even though it was more of a vibes book due to the weak plot. I honestly am finding it hard to explain the plot because the main conflict/goals of Jules kept changing throughout their journey. For example, at the beginning I thought Jules’ contentious relationship with their older sister would be more relevant to the story and end in some kind of resolution, but neither happened. I did love that the older sister’s whole deal was that she had been obsessed with murder since childhood yet had never successfully killed anyone despite her many attempts. Now that is a Throne in the Dark-like fun villain story just waiting to be written! 

Jules and Ilyana were a cute pair. It was so sweet that Ilyana’s appearance was always changing for Jules. Ilyana being the most beautiful woman in the world meant that she appeared differently to everyone, but her appearance was never stagnant for Jules—because no matter how she looked, she was the most beautiful woman in the world to them! Disappointingly, the development of their relationship was rushed and unsatisfying. They first encounter one another when Jules stumbles upon a kidnapped Ilyana locked in the genius' basement. Jules successfully helps her escape, and there is an inkling of a spark between them during their rather brief interaction. In their subsequent meeting they admit their feelings for one another, and then the story abruptly jumps to them boning in the mud for apparently the umpteenth time. 

Towards the end of the book, Jules is tasked with finding Ilyana again and bringing her to the Red Emperor, who is discovered to have started the draft in an effort to find his lost fiancé. Jules is surprised to hear that Ilyana is the said fiancé but blindly assumes that she was willingly engaged to the Red Emperor. This didn’t make complete sense to me because Jules had already helped her escape the genius who claimed to be engaged to Ilyana—so why would they believe that she had an attachment to an egotistical 70-year-old man?

A part of getting Ilyana back to the emperor involved capturing a cow that would change someone’s body to the opposite sex of the one they identified with, but because Jules is non-binary, this does not impact them. Due to this premise, I was expecting more than the superficial exploration of gender identity that occurred in the book.

[Rynn]

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

Last summer, I had the pleasure to read This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman and enjoyed every moment. When I discovered Herman planned on releasing another story, which is akin to a sequel but it can still be considered a standalone, I hopped on immediately to request this ARC. Herman freaking delivered a beautiful, whimsical fairytale of the same caliber as the first.

This Knight Topples Empires follows one of the siblings that featured in their previous work: Jules. Jules is the one blessed -- or cursed -- to sprout up plants and flowers where ever they go, which causes a bit of an issue as they grow nonstop, and will occasionally strangle Jules in their sleep without their sister Yudit around to help.

Our story begins shortly after the events of the first novel, Jules and their siblings are employed by the king and queen to hunt out traitors amongst the nobility, as shady things have been happening in the kingdoms around the world. Readers of the first will quickly remember who is who as Jules takes the time to explain each sibling's power once again. New readers will follow along just nicely as the main characters of the previous novel do not feature greatly into the plot.

Although our siblings are full of magical gifts, these powers are difficult to work with and do not make this an easy feat. The siblings soon discover a plot to get rid of the ruling couple due to their dramatic reforms that put power into the people. This plot features a vizier from a war mongering nation that has imposed a levy requiring all people in power under their control to send a son to the army. Of course this is bad news bears, and concerning to other nations who want to keep their people alive and ready. Throughout this journey, Jules regales the reader with stories of their childhood that includes how they came into their powers, and why they're not so fond of their oldest, yet murderous, sister.

Herman does a magnificent job of keeping the jokes coming, while making Jules feel like a person just doing their job to keep their family alive, but finding love along the way. I love the whimsical nature of the world, and how the curses/blessings are woven into the story. Especially the trope of the "most beautiful woman" as that, to me, is a topical concern when you have other popular media featuring them and settling on one form of beauty.

If you loved This Princess Kills Monsters, there's no reason you won't love this follow up novel. It has the tongue and cheek humor present in Shrek, that I just long to see more of in my media. That makes it feel lighthearted despite the high stakes. Overall, this has cemented Herman as a new favorite author of mine and I can't wait to see what they'll put out next.

[The Sapphic Nerd]

*** ARC provided by Netgalley ***

I went into this knowing it's a second book set in the same universe as "This Princess Kills Monsters" - which I haven't read - so I expected to feel a little lost at first, but I really think I should have read the first book. There's a lot going on that seems like it was set up in the first book, even though this isn't a direct sequel. I think reading the books in order may also help with keeping track of how many characters are introduced right away. It's a struggle to remember who's who, only to forget it soon after because they won't be around for a good section of the book. But it's after we've first left those characters that we get their backstory... It's a weird choice to order things the way they did. I think the author counts on you being familiar with the world and therefore already invested, but for someone like me, getting this as an introduction is more bulk and more confusion than value.

It balances out the messiness with a lot of personality. However, there are a lot of accents, and they slow the reading pace for me in trying to sound them out. Still, you can't say the story doesn't have a unique vibe to it. It's quirky and funny and incredibly creative.

I appreciate the genderqueer/non-binary protagonist and the (mostly) queer-friendly world, too. There are queer romantic relationships in this, including the protagonist, but it's very light. There isn't any flirting or chemistry - the characters meet one night, get separated, then meet again, kiss, then cut to the narrator telling you they've been boning the past few days. We don't see anything, and the lead up is almost nonexistent. If you're coming to this interested in the romance, it's barely there at all, and I wouldn't recommend this to you.

Ultimately, this is a fairytale adventure story about a merry band of misfits saving the kingdom in unconventional ways with their quirky magical gifts. While there is a little bit of romance, it's hardly present, and I only mention it to stress that you shouldn't read this book if that's the reason for your interest. For the amount of time the narrator spends talking about their siblings, there isn't much of a bond shown between them when they interact. There isn't much character work at all, which I guess is very fairytale-like. We get much more telling than showing. The main attraction to this is the silliness of the situations and the personality in the writing. It's a fun read for someone who wants something light, shallow, and queer friendly, particularly for someone interested in seeing non-binary main character representation.

[Rachel]

This is a semi-sequel to Herman’s 2025 fantasy novel, This Princess Kills Monsters, focusing on Jules, one of the six siblings from the first book and who is fairy-blessed/cursed to make flowering plants grow. Much like the first book, this reimagines various fairy and folktales alongside the main retelling of “The Girl Who Became A Boy” through a queer and feminist lens with the tone and energy of The Princess Bride and the Shrek franchise. I found this second outing to be somewhat denser than the first book, partly because of Jules’ more introspective POV and also because of what I felt like was one too many plotlines.

I really enjoyed Jules as the main character and appreciated the way Herman wove their backstory into the progress of the story. Functionally, Jules acts as the straight person to a large cast of funny folks, but they themselves are not free from hijinks and goofy decision-making. I found their gender and sexuality journey to be relatable on a personal level, and I appreciated how other characters helped Jules navigate what is really a journey of self-discovery. There’s a lot of the same thematic story beats as the first book, but there’s sufficient difference in their contents. I particularly liked the dungeon scene where Jules manipulates plants to try to break a hostage free.

The central plot with the Red Emperor is clearly a more lighthearted commentary on our times, and it’s fairly easy to map the Red Emperor and his grand vizier onto various world leaders. I was, however, more interested in the numerous (and I mean numerous) side plots and the relationship Jules has with others as these are the heart of the novel. The Red Emperor plot was both overly predictable and hamfisted, and I never really felt any narrative tension or urgency to resolve it—and neither do the characters involved, really. This unfortunately makes for a satisfying but mediocre ending. As this book is going to be published at the beginning of November, it might be what some folks need: not a total escape from the reality we live in, but one that offers hope for better outcomes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC.

[Alice]

Thank you Net Galley, Random House and Ry Herman for a copy of the eARC!

I have, sadly, not read the kind-of prequel that everyone has talked about. I happened to pick this book up because of the fun cover and description. I was not disappointed.

We have Jules, a magical knight, who spends her time protecting the King/Queen from assassinations. She, along with her 5 other siblings who are also knights, have a certain type of magic gifted by fairies. Jules is given the ability to make flowers bloom, which isn't really an amazing enough magic for a knight. She decides to prove herself by disguising as a man to enlist in the military in stead of her nephew. As she goes through the adventure, she finds out that the Emperor forced conscription has a more heinous plot.

I really enjoyed the story, even if I haven't read the first book. There was just so much humor that I was chuckling to myself as I read. Jules herself is an amazing character. One who obviously has a sort of self-confidence issue because she's amongst 5 equally magical siblings. I know as a child growing up with 3 other siblings that sometimes you just want to prove yourself. I love how steadfast and strong she is. She, along with her sisters and her horse, Sunbeam, brainstorm out of harms way. I also adore how she plays the knight in shining armor charging in to save the damsel in distress.

The side characters are also very enjoyable. My favourite is Yudit. She may drive me crazy in real life, but the fact that she's always sprouting out poems is so hilarious. All her love poems are romantic but also very vulgar which makes me cackle even harder. Sunbeam comes in second. First of all, a talking horse is already amazing. A talking horse that is HIGHLY INTELLIGENT is even better, but Sunbeam is also quite athletic. I am amazed by the bond between the sisters and Sunbeam as well. They definitely treat him as a family member.

If you are looking for something easy and fun to read. This is probably the book. I would recommend it to any friend who is just looking to get back to reading or just want a book that they can quietly chuckle at.

[Trisha]

For those who loved This Princess Kills Monsters, Ry Herman is back with This Knight Topples Empires. Similar in thematic elements and tone, Herman’s newest fairytale retelling is based most heavily around “Ileana Simziana” (or “The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy”). It carries all the delight of the first book, combining irreverent humor with poignant social commentary.

It also might be the first fantasy I’ve read with a prominent non-binary character that doesn’t read like a lecture nor an “and then everyone clapped” daydream self-insert. Just a well-done, realistic portrayal of one aspect of the human condition. Major spoiler: When the Freemartin told Jules “you are of my kind too, little human. Do not let them constrain you either,” I didn’t get the significance. When Jules gave theirself a pat-down and remained unchanged, I still didn’t get it. When it clicked randomly in my brain two hours later… holy forking shot-bells. I love the significance of that moment, of being cosmically seen by a kindred spirit. Especially immediately followed by Sunbeam and Ilyana voicing the same conclusion with love and support before Jules has come to terms with it on their own. So good!!

The book has more pop-culture references than I remember picking up from This Princess, which I didn’t enjoy as much as all the fairytale Easter eggs. Still plenty of fairytale references here, too, but they’re often deep cuts.

Overall, if you liked This Princess Kills Monsters, then This Knight Topples Empires is more of the same in all the ways you want, with a fresh and unique storyline that goes deeper into the lives of the side-character Huntsmen.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book!

[Y.N.]

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the eARC

3,5/5

‘This knight topples empires’ can definitely be read as standalone but it will spoil you ‘This princess kills monsters’, and you might be slightly lost. Beware that it could be seen as an independent sequel, with lots of familiar faces.

Now that this is out of the way, where do I start. I definitely preferred ‘This princess kills monsters’, for a couple of reasons. First, the humour felt more gleeful, and the story had a stronger direction. The main character also felt more solid, which made the romance also a little bit stronger, at least for me. That being said, I understand why Jules might feel less defined given their all arc, intrinsically linked to their gender’s question.
Added to that, ‘This knight topples empires’ is the kind of story where to goal shifts as we progress, making for a less clear cut storyline, pieces moving around to create new threads to follow, kind of discarding the older ones in the process. With the interlude, it makes for a more meandering tale, one for which we have enough clues to know what will happen, if not the details.

I also have a small gripe with having Ecossia as a land. Probably because I am French and Scotland is called Ecosse. Seeing a word so similar to our own (and knowing the author lives in Scotland) is breaking the immersion a little, but well, that is not a big issue.

All that being said, the story has its charm. Colourful characters, queer theme and exploration, good use of fairy tales, fun dynamics between people. I could have done with a little more fleshed out characters, a little more complexities and inconsistencies, but it might not have worked as well for the fairy-tale silliness going on.

Still, I had quite a nice time, and I’m sure people looking for a humorous book will be happy with this one!

[Alyssa Phillips]

I received a copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I'm happy to give this book 4.5 stars and round up.

It's got all the staples of a good heroic adventure - knights and magic and quests, an evil emperor and spies and tournaments. It also has quirky reference to Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, and more that I probably missed. It's an interesting vibe, but one somewhat akin to Dark Lord Davi, and just as enjoyable. I'm also a sucker for gender stuff and queer acceptance (in this case, not totally broad normativity, but easy acceptance among the central characters), which usually gets me to round up on any story.

Jules in a pretty down-to-earth character, and their journey and growth were enjoyable to read and go through. Their romance, while still pretty solid, takes a slight backseat to their relationship with their family, which honestly was very fair and felt honest in a way - those things should balance, not one totally overrule the other. Illyana and Yudit play excellent second-chairs to Jules, and both are capable in their own rights. Jules' sisters were also fun to see their powers and personalities in action (though I could have done without the written accents, but it wasn't as bad as some I've read before, it's just never something I enjoy).

Overall, this is a great story, strong on the folklore and genderqueer themes, that doesn't take itself too seriously and wants to bring readers along on a worthy adventure and laugh a little along the way. I do recommend this one!

[Steph]

DNF @ 20%

I read This Princess Kills Monsters last year and found it charming if imperfect, so I was happy to get approved for an ARC for what is, despite not being advertised as such, its sequel. I'm not sure why it's being treated as a distinct thing, and I really don't think trying to make This Knight Topples Empires read as a standalone is doing the book any favors. It mostly lends itself to infodumping.

To that point, I knew this wasn't going to be for me when the pace ground to a halt around 18% to infodump about the Empire of the title, which mostly rehashes information we've already gotten leading up to this point.

The other problem I'm running into is that the writing feels very... young. I'm under the impression that this is an Adult fantasy, but I feel like you could drop Jules into a contemporary YA and they wouldn't be that out of place, minor magic ability aside. It's also very jarring how many pop culture references there are? There were references in the first book, too, but the ones I remember were to fairytales, which feels more appropriate for the kind of story being told.

Overall, I'm disappointed. I think the thing I appreciate most about this book and the series in general is its queer rep. It doesn't come up in the part I read, but my understanding from other reviews that that is more apparent later on, and I'm mostly sorry the rest of the book wasn't strong enough for me to want to get that far.

[Sally]

3.5 stars

Jules is on a journey to stand out and save the day, that's kind of hard to do when you're one of six identical siblings. It's made even harder by the fact that Jules depends on one of them to not die every time they go to sleep.
In this story we follow Jules trying to navigate the intricacies of a functioning dysfunctional family. There's a talking horse with an abundance of sass, there is political intrigue and trying to track down assassins. Jules decides to Mulan their way into an army and the quest that snowballs from there is so much fun.

This book really leans into discovering non-binary sexuality and the absurd humor of the logic of fairy tales. It's a fun story and is well written but the characters lack the depth of the first book. Near the end we really get a look into who these characters are underneath the surface of their abilities and limitations.

I really love the author's note and getting an inside look into Ry Herman's research and inspiration process. It's so interesting to see all the different myths and folklores that contribute to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Abbi]

I received this e-book ARC from the publisher through Netgalley.

Ry Herman's second book in their fairy tale retelling series is even better than the first one (This Princess Kills Monsters). Jules is a fantastic character, and her journey as she figures out herself and her connections to her sisters is wonderful. I think the plot moved just a bit better and smoother than the first book, and the only reason it took me two days to finish was because I'm too old to stay up all night reading anymore.

There were a lot of moving parts in this book, I think partly due to the journey Jules was on, both literally and figuratively, but it never got overwhelming or hard to follow. It was nice to see more of her and her sisters and the impact their odd powers has had on their lives. And Ilyana was delightful as a match for Jules and her inability to curse (I bet Ry had so much fun coming up with alternative curses). And Sunbeam the horse just about stole the show.

If I had one criticism, it was that the ending felt a little abrupt. I swiped the e-book page expecting one more chapter, or an epilogue, and got the Author's Note. But even that wasn't enough to detract from the five stars I'm giving it.

[Ashley Sawyer]

Thank you to Ry Herman and Random House Publishing Group for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book just as much as I loved This Princess Kills Monsters! We follow Jules, who has always lived in the shadow of their sisters and dreams of having an adventure of their own. When they finally get the opportunity to step outside of the life they’ve always known by investigating a rival kingdom’s plot, Jules finds themself caught up in a much bigger adventure than they could have imagined. I really loved Jules as a protagonist, especially their desire to prove themself and find their own place. Their struggles with self-insecurity felt genuine and made it incredibly easy to root for them throughout various challenges they were put through.

I also really enjoyed Ilyana and Jules’ sisters! Ilyana had such a unique personality and genuinely made me laugh in the scenes she was in. I loved watching her and Jules interact and seeing their relationship develop throughout the latter part of the story. Jules’ sisters were also so interesting, especially with their unique, fairy-tale-like powers such as making others sneeze. Overall, this was such a fun and playful fantasy read with characters I really enjoyed following, and I can’t wait to read more of Ry Herman’s work!

[Sarah]

I received an eARC of This Knight Topples Empires courtesy of Netgalley.

This Knight Topples Empires further dives into the world of This Princess Kills Monsters by spotlighting Jules and their sisters. This is a great story about family, specifically about sibling relationships. I adored the dynamic in particular between Jules and Yudit.

Overall there's not too much romance in this one, compared to This Princess Kills Monsters. The love interest, Ilyana, isn’t introduced until about a third into the book and then disappears for a good chunk after. I did like Jules and Ilyana’s relationship though some aspects felt a bit rushed in their dynamic given that they don’t have quite enough on-page time to build up their romance.

Now while I enjoyed this story overall it did take me longer to get into than This Princess Kills Monsters. Additionally there were too many modern pop culture references that threw me out of the story on many occasions.

Overall though I found This Knight Topples Empires to be an enjoyable, light-hearted read and I look forward to reading more stories set in the same universe!

[Jessie Embrey]

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

I was SO excited to get to read the follow-up to one of my favorite books of the last few years: This Princess Kills Monsters. It was a lot of hype to live up to, and in many ways it succeeded. I loved getting to spend time with the Ecossian siblings, to read so many terrible puns ("The Power of A Tourney" is wedged in my brain now), and to follow Jules through their journey of self-discovery.

I don't have a ton of gripes with this story, to be honest. I had a lot of fun reading it! My main criticism is that, where TPKM started light but grew emotional weight as the story progressed, This Knight Topples Empires stayed somewhat light throughout. I was less invested in Jules and Ilyana than I was in Mellilot and Sam. The stakes felt less high than maybe they should have. Perhaps that was intentional, to avoid losing focus on Jules figuring themself out, but it made the story pack a little less punch than its predecessor.

I still highly recommend this book, and I wil definitely pick up the audiobook when it comes out to see if that changes my view at all. Big thanks again to NetGalley for the early access!

[Mag Piper]

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read!

Ultimately, this was a DNF for me around 27% of the way in. On the plus side, the writing quality is great and there's a lot of creativity here. Unfortunately, it was all just a bit too ridiculous and childish to keep me interested.

It was also not in the blurb that this is a sequel/spin-off, so there's a lot of, in my opinion, unnecessary summarizing of stuff that happened in the other book that just sort of reads like unrelated info dumps. I also went back to re-read the blurb before deciding to DNF, and it seems like the MC is meant to be nonbinary? Probably why I requested it in the first place, but this did not come across in the text at all, and I thought Jules was a woman the entire time I was reading. There are repeated references to seven sisters.

Overall, this was just too weighed down with backstory and gimmicky language for me to enjoy.

[Raven]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy.

This Knight Topples Empires follows Jules and their magically gifted sisters as they embark on an epic journey to spy on the malevolent Red Emperor to thwart the takeover of their kingdom. They and their sisters work together with their quirky magical talents to overcome several obstacles including magical dragons, "genii," and various swamp monsters.

The novel is witty and doesn't take itself seriously at all. I really enjoyed the author's sense of humor and the book's quick pace.

Throughout the plot, Jules comes to terms with their sexuality and grapples with their identity. I enjoyed the interactions between Ilyana and Jules and Jules and their family.

Overall, this book is a cozy fantasy with insightful commentary on gender noncomformity with a witty cast and fun plot.

[Pía]

First, thank you, NetGalley and Random House Dial Press Trade Paperback, for letting me get an e-ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

5/5 — starts

When I say I crave a cozy fantasy, this is what I mean. This was amazing, and the fact that I read it on a rainy day made it even better.
The story has such a beautiful vibe. It’s super creative, funny, and fast paced.

I really love reading books with non-binary main characters. I will only say that if you want to read a romance or a romantasy, this may not be the book for you. There is romance, but it takes a back seat, which I really like.

It’s a cliché, but I will always love a book where a bunch of misfits save the kingdom, and the way it was written didn’t make it feel like a cliché.

I recommend this book to everyone who is craving a cozy fantasy or wants to read a fantasy with incredible queer representation.

[Natalie]

A humorous follow-up to This Princess Kills Monsters. This book has all the elements I want to see from a cozy fantasy - fun banter, talking animal side characters, unique plot and story development.

Unfortunately, there were some big jumps in the plot that kept me from fully enjoying the story. We jump into the book in a way that made me feel like I was starting after the story had already begun. And some of the plot points with the quest and romance just didn’t quite hang together for me. Overall, though this was still a fun read and will look for more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to review this ARC.

[beccasbookscapes]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. It follows Jules, a minor knight with the power to bloom flowers. She would like her power more if she could control it. Jules who is tired of running boring errands with their five oddly-powered sisters. When they stumble upon a rival kingdom's plot to overthrow the monarchy, Jules seizes the chance to prove their worth. What follows is a hilarious, high-stakes adventure filled with talking animals and an inconvenient romance. It’s chaotic queer and laugh out loud funny.

[Izzie]

Another delightful, unserious, charmingly inclusive fairy tale from Ry Herman! I had so much fun with this, just like I did with This Princess Kills Monsters.

Jules is a great main character, and I liked seeing them blossom (HAHA DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE?) into their own person. I loooved the sister dynamics, of course, because I am first and foremost a sister. Sunbeam the talking horse made me LOL, and I’m embarrassed to report that he’s the most relatable character for me, who has hemorrhoids and shingles and various ailments.