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A review by watermelon_pepperoni
Broken Knight by L.J. Shen
1.0
1.5
God this book was messy as fuck.
I started out the book knowing I had to be in the mood to ready something angsty and likely melodramatic. So, I prepared and only gave it a shot when I was ready.
But it wasn't good angst. I was just frustrated and unsurprised. Like, I understood WHY the story unfolded as it did, but I didn't feel it. It was too shallow and mean. I couldn't root for the main ship. I just rooted for Luna to get away.
I could rant forever about why this, as a romance, failed me. Knight sucks. I kinda hate him, and that's after reading a book that attempted to redeem him.
I could also rant about how, as a book, I just didn't think it was it. The only compliment I can give is that it's better written than Paper Princess (as in word/vocabulary) but no better plotted, executed or characterized.
On a personal note, I found it queer-baiting that Luna has a kiss w/ a girl, thinks her liking it might mean something SIGNIFICANT but the author never picks it bavk up. What, being queer doesn't matter cuz she's gonna be with Knight, a man, anyway? Classic straight.
I could also point out themes similar to Paper Princess, and others like this. Girl hate, toxic masculinity, bringing real issues to the table for melodrama then dropping them when the author decided they ran their course, and glorification of obsessive, all consuming, self destructive "love".
But I'll instead say, the parts w/ Rosie and Dean felt real. I liked that part. I'm also not stone-hearted enough to not have been sad reading the end. I'll say I liked Luna, even if her reason for muteness is laughably melodramatic nonsense. I laughed once. It was Knight's donut joke.
HOWEVER, this didn't save the book for me. I'm glad I read this book, I have a good feel for LJ Shen as an author and crossed off an item on my to do, but no matter how positive I try to be, this was an objectively weak book. Will not be reading another by this author ever again, I can't do it.
God this book was messy as fuck.
I started out the book knowing I had to be in the mood to ready something angsty and likely melodramatic. So, I prepared and only gave it a shot when I was ready.
But it wasn't good angst. I was just frustrated and unsurprised. Like, I understood WHY the story unfolded as it did, but I didn't feel it. It was too shallow and mean. I couldn't root for the main ship. I just rooted for Luna to get away.
I could rant forever about why this, as a romance, failed me. Knight sucks. I kinda hate him, and that's after reading a book that attempted to redeem him.
I could also rant about how, as a book, I just didn't think it was it. The only compliment I can give is that it's better written than Paper Princess (as in word/vocabulary) but no better plotted, executed or characterized.
On a personal note, I found it queer-baiting that Luna has a kiss w/ a girl, thinks her liking it might mean something SIGNIFICANT but the author never picks it bavk up. What, being queer doesn't matter cuz she's gonna be with Knight, a man, anyway? Classic straight.
I could also point out themes similar to Paper Princess, and others like this. Girl hate, toxic masculinity, bringing real issues to the table for melodrama then dropping them when the author decided they ran their course, and glorification of obsessive, all consuming, self destructive "love".
But I'll instead say, the parts w/ Rosie and Dean felt real. I liked that part. I'm also not stone-hearted enough to not have been sad reading the end. I'll say I liked Luna, even if her reason for muteness is laughably melodramatic nonsense. I laughed once. It was Knight's donut joke.
HOWEVER, this didn't save the book for me. I'm glad I read this book, I have a good feel for LJ Shen as an author and crossed off an item on my to do, but no matter how positive I try to be, this was an objectively weak book. Will not be reading another by this author ever again, I can't do it.