KNIGHT OF THE GOD KING, by Lauren Blackwood, Wednesday Books, Oct. 20, 2026, Hardcover, $22 (young adult)
A powerful knight and her handsome squire must stop the deadly schemes of a savior king in Knight of the God King, by Lauren Blackwood.
Calliope’s wish has always been to become a knight, an elite healer and protector who uses music to summon magic. Yet despite her exceptional skill, she’s stuck lifting up her talentless cousin, whose family begrudgingly took Cali in as a child. But when an opportunity to become the royal knight of the immortal God King arrives, Cali finally gets a chance at a fairytale life – until her cousin blackmails her.
Forced to bring her cousin to court so she won’t share Cali’s shameful past, Cali immediately snubs Beric, the alluring, handsome squire tending to her. Now she must contend with his ire, even while feeling helplessly drawn to him. If that wasn’t enough, her duty means accompanying the king into The Dark, a demonic entity that only the king’s magic is powerful enough to battle – a fight he has been waging for centuries. She must also keep the king’s secret under pain of death: He’s not a god at all, and the only thing keeping him alive is the magic held by the royal knight. It seems serving the God King isn’t a fairytale at all, and when people start dying around her, she and Beric realize that they have no choice but to take their fate – and that of an entire kingdom – into their own hands. —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
Lauren Blackwood’s Knight of the God King is a YA fantasy with lots of potential but kind of peters out at the end.
Pros:
- Slow-burn romantasy that builds nicely throughout.
- Strong leading and supporting characters.
- Intriguing magical system.
- Some excellent twists, including one that comes as a complete shock.
Cons:
- Magical system is intriguing but never fully explained.
- One brief visit to The Dark — a problem with it being the central issue.
- Rushed ending where everything is tied up a little too neatly.
- Elements of God/Christianity felt discordant with the story. They felt like they were added to make appoint rather than further the story.
Blackwood’s prose is easy to fall into, and the plot of Knight of the God King is exciting. I was fully invested but left feeling lackluster. It’s a fast-paced read with lots of merit but could have used some revision to fully realize its potential.
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