Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith
Age Group: Middle Grade
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: LGBTQIA+ Authors, Non-Binary Authors, Non-Binary Characters, OwnVoices Representation, Knight Characters, Magic Users, Royalty Characters, Dragons, Action, Adventure, Dragon Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Elemental Magic, Activism, Camaraderie, Coming of Age, Found Family, Quests
Series: Sir Callie #1
My Rating:
Published on: 8th November 2022
Pages: 400
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones
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In a magical medieval world filled with dragons, shape-shifters, and witches, a twelve-year-old nonbinary hopeful knight battles for the heart of their kingdom. This USA Today bestselling series explores identity and gender amid sword fights and magic, and proves anyone can be a hero.

When their ex-hero dad is summoned back to the royal capital of Helston to train a hopeless crown prince, Callie lunges at the opportunity to finally prove themself worthy to the kingdom’s "great and powerful." Except the intolerant great and powerful look at nonbinary Callie and only see girl. But Callie has always known exactly what they want to be, and they’re not about to let anything stand in their way.

Trapped in Helston’s rigid hierarchy where girls learn magic and boys train as knights, Callie discovers they aren’t alone—there’s Elowen, the chancellor’s brilliant daughter, whose unparalleled power is being stifled; Edwyn, Elowen’s twin brother desperate to win his father’s approval; and Willow, the crown prince who was never meant to be king.

In this start to an epic series packed with action, humor, and heart, Callie and their new friends quickly find themselves embedded in an ancient war—and their only hope to defeat the threats outside the kingdom lies in first defeating the bigotry within.

This book was provided for free by the Author and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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I’ve been following the process of Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith for a while now, and it was my pleasure to be a part of the street team for the book! As a young woman, books like Sir Callie just simply didn’t exist, and like many I had to work out things for myself. Much of my childhood and my teenage years were filled with my peers telling me I wasn’t normal, and as you’ll read more about in my review, the idea of being normal is one of the core themes that Sir Callie tackles. It’s a very important novel that is also a superb read, so read on to find out more!

It’s taken me a while to get to this review because I have so much to say about Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith and most of it is an emotional response which doesn’t easily translate into words. Callie is a young person stuck in a life that constantly pushes them down. Their father is a knight, the champion of the king, and all they have ever wanted to do is follow in their father’s footsteps. Their mother has other ideas, expecting Callie to fit into the role of a proper young lady. It isn’t just the idea of needlework that Callie chafes at, it’s something much more important to who they are; Callie is non-binary.

Thankfully, Callie has their dad in their corner, and he takes Callie away from that life, retiring as the King’s champion. They both find their place in their world among a community of like-minded people, yet Callie still dreams of becoming a knight one day. When their father is pulled back to the capital city to train the young prince, it looks like Callie’s dreams can finally be realised. Unfortunately, while the city holds everything that Callie needs to become a knight, it also holds everything that can hold them back.

Filled with ignorance and strict rules upheld by a bigoted chancellor who has seized power, Callie finds themselves in a strange new place and separated from their father, their staunchest supporter. They’re forced to live in the women’s quarters, to wear dresses and are misgendered constantly. When they try to fight back, they find themselves blocked at every turn. Feeling lost, frustrated and without hope or support, Callie isn’t sure what to do until they connect with someone in the city. Slowly but surely Callie begins to find allies, and when the city is in danger, it’s them and their friends who must step up to save the day.

There are many elements of Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston that will feel familiar to other coming of age stories. What makes this book unique is that being different isn’t written about as a trope; it exists as a core part of people’s identity. Likewise, difference comes in multiple ways. In this book, multiple young people struggle with not fitting in, and particularly how that means they don’t conform to the expectations of the adults in their lives.

I’ve found that some authors touch on this subject briefly, but step lightly around saying what needs to be said. Symes-Smith gets right down to the nitty-gritty and there are so many wonderful quotes in this book about being yourself, including one about what people actually mean when they talk about “being normal” (they just want you to fit in). This is a book that I wish had existed when I was younger, as it exists to reaffirm that individuality is beautiful and should be encouraged, especially in children. In the safe space of a fantasy world, Symes-Smith navigates topics that are being played out in our society and offers a way for young people to engage with their thoughts about them.

Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston offers a vast array of characters with strong backstories that will capture readers’ hearts and attention. This is an extremely emotional book, filled with heartache, frustration and joy. All set to the background of fantastic world-building. Symes-Smith is an incredible new voice in middle grade fantasy, and one that is filled to the brim with authenticity. This story of found family and being true to oneself never once felt non-genuine, and that is what makes Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston so special. It’s written from the heart by someone who wants everyone to find their true family and learn that no one should be punished for being who they are.

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About the Author

Esme symes-smith

After cutting their teeth on a steady diet of fanfiction in the South-West of England, Esme Symes-Smith wandered north to Wales for their degree in Literature and Creative Writing then promptly migrated to Missouri after meeting their wife on Tumblr.

Esme has been a ghost-writer, an editor, a frozen-yogurt seller, a caffeine dealer, and now wrangles pre-schoolers for a living.

They are nonbinary and have a severe tea problem.

SIR CALLIE AND THE CHAMPIONS OF HELSTON is their debut middle-grade novel, slated for Fall 2022 with the launch of Penguin Random House’s new imprint, Labyrinth Road, with a second book in the series coming later.

You can find out more about their work over at their website. You can browse their books on Goodreads.

Thank you for joining me for my review of Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston! It has taken me so long to find the words to write this review, and I hope I did it justice in the end. The delay at least means I get to say with pleasure that there are several more Sir Callie books on the way! So don’t delay, get your hands on book one!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my reviews if you’re looking for some more book recommendations 🙂 You can also now sign up for my newsletter to get an email each month with a list of my new reviews!

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