[Book Review] Broken Knight By LJ Shen

They said not to judge a book by its cover. Yet I went ahead and still did because holy hell. I've been swooning over that cover(model) the moment I laid eyes upon it back in August 2019. It's safe to say that from my mere 700 books saved on GoodReads, this got to be the most beautiful cover. I can stare at it for hours.

After reading the blurb and staring some more at the gorgeous cover, I knew this got to be an awesome book. I could feel it. Yet I didn't jump on the hype-train and read it when it got released. Instead I (im)patiently waited for the final book of the series. I'm a person that prefers to read or watch a movie when all the episodes/sequels/trilogy has been released because I hate having to wait in agony for the upcoming books.

I spend the time waiting for Angry God to be released in feb' 2020 by reading the previous series that are interconnected with All Saints High. I made the grave mistake to read Pretty Reckless first before diving in to the stories of the parents. I'm really, really glad I did end up reading the pre-series because without it I don't think I'd have enjoyed Broken Knight as much as I did. I gave Pretty Reckless 4/5 because of the many (at that time unfamiliar) characters at the start I had a hard time keeping up with. Knowing the backstory, the impact of Broken Knight hit me twice as hard. Especially since Dean's story was my favourite out of all the Sinners of Saint.

What I've noticed is the change and improvements of the author transitioning from Sinners of Saint to All Saints High. The latter feels like it has more 3-dimensional characters and the perfect mix of angst and romance that I've been craving for in my books. I like to read about the character/romance development but I love the story even more if there are additional conflicts that are (in)directly connected to their relationship. It gives the romance much more depth and a touch of realism.

That aside, let's review the book by using my usual template.

Spoilers ahead, you've been warned!:)

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1) The story keeps me on my toes.

Yes and no. Having read books from her before, I knew it would have a happy ending. The fact that Luna decided to go to a faraway uni didn't do me much either. I knew she was going to be near Knight in some way or another, otherwise there would be no relationship, right? I think it's because I've read this types of books before that the distance didn't faze me. They were going to reunite before I could blink.

What did piqued my curiosity is the plan that Rosie chalked up for Luna to execute. It urged me to continue reading until I found out what it was. And of course, the reveal was at the end.

Overall, the writing and dialogue flows so naturally that it keeps you coming back for more. 2) Relatable and likable (main) characters.

I loved the loyalty, the ride or die mentality between those two. The trust between them goes so much deeper than the surface. They've got history, their parents being best friends, growing up in a town where everyone knows everyone.

I couldn't really say the characters were people I could relate with. Frankly, I haven't found myself in those scenarios yet. Expect Luna's clothing style and her quiet interior/exterior we don't have much in common. But I love to read about their interactions, what goes on in their head and the decisions they make. Because I couldn't relate to them, their actions came out of a left field to me, it intrigued me.

You gotta hate it or love it, I was neutral about it. Knight's dad, Dean, used to be an alcoholic and guess what, his son ended up being the same although he was adopted. For the tiniest moment when it was mentioned that Knight didn't look like his biological parent(s) but more like Dean and Rosie, it was like a dejavu to Dean's story and I thought the same would happen and we received a recycled version of Dean's story. Thankfully it didn't.

There's something I'm wondering about the main characters. This isn't necessarily the case for Knight's story...although it kinda is. In the Sinners of Saint series, the parents of the hotholes, especially Vicious', were total asshats. So it is sort-of understandable how the child, Baron Spencer, ends up being an ass. But the next generation shouldn't be carbon copies of their parents; heartless and cold. Because Emilia and Rosie are such sweethearts, how did the kids end up like that? (not all of them though). Is it the money? to uphold their dads' tradition? 3) The emotions it stirs inside me.

Oh man, with books from LJ Shen I rarely have to worry about the emotions and feelings her stories evoke from within. It's always a rollercoaster of laughing, crying, utter sadness and devastation, loving and so on.

As far as I can remember, this is the only book that I've read where I forgot about the time. It was 11PM 5 minutes ago, how can it be 1AM already? The story also manages to give me goosebumps or a clench in my chest when it's obvious they love each other but the many hurdles keep them apart. The biggest hurdle being themselves.

"You fill up the empty, dark space - like the moon owns the sky. It is quiet. It is bright. It doesn't need to be a ball of flame to be noticed. It simply exists. It forever glows." He'd call me Moonshine every single day since.

I got to applaud the author's talent for controlling my emotions like a puppet. For the realistic feeling of really being with them in the moment. The heartwrenching moment of loss and the flippant feeling of another one's death that, without the context, should be just as sad. Or the moment when Luna started talking and everyone got speechless or the tearjerker moment when Luna spoke to her dad for the first time. I really felt that.

4) Other remarks

The thing that didn't sit well with me is how Luna lost her V-card to some dude at her college. He wasn't necessarily a bad guy but the story would unfold so much more beautiful (to me) if the main characters would lose their V-card together. What Knight mentioned about this did surprise me though. Then again, if Luna didn't do what she did, the relationship dynamic and the feels would've been less of an impact considering Knight is a girls magnet and all. College helped her grow a backbone so it wasn't totally in vain.

Another thing that I felt was kinda unnecessary is how Luna kissed a girl. It's not really my thing and I felt uncomfortable when reading this. It didn't feel like a contribution to the storyline. But to each their own.

I've read comments from other people before and I agree; with all the grief and bittersweetness hanging in the air and of course college, they shouldn't be thinking about kids at all. Let alone conceiving one at the age of 19-20. Although sweet, it's too soon.

What I did love is how romance isn't the only (main) topic of the story. There are many wise life lessons shown in the book and in some way it gave me insight on how I should or could handle situations if I ever found myself in that scenario. I've never thought about it but at least now I know what I could -somewhat- expect.

I was glad Knight's biological mom didn't turn out dark and twisted, considering what happened to her. It's a refresher after many stories about the parents abandoning the child and only returning to beg for money.

Because I've read most of the Sinners of Saint series (up until Scandalous) I've felt a great deal of nostalgia when all families reunited for parties and holidays. That's why it's 1000% worth it to read the previous series first. Even though I like All Saints High just a tad more but that's a personal preference:3

Overall this story gets a solid 5/5 with a spot on my GoodReads favourites shelf:)