REVIEW: Broken Knight by L.J. Shen

Broken Knight by L.J. Shen: In the darkest of nights she was the moonshine that he needed to survive as his kingdom crumbled, but what happens when the one person that always brings light to your life no longer can? Luna and Knight have been best friends from the time they could crawl and somewhere along the line Knight realised that Luna was his home, his forever love, the only problem being convincing Luna to take the jump into the unknown with him.

“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.”

This book recked my heart! I think Broken Knight was hands down the most emotionally charged book that Shen has ever written. This book was so different from all of her other books and in the best way possible, I just could not get enough of the emotionally heart breaking love story of Luna and Knight. I don’t even think I have the words to properly express how much I loved this book.

Luna was absolutely brilliant, she had so much of character development as the book progressed that it made it hard not to love her and the woman she became. At the beginning of the novel Luna comes across as this weak, meek mute girl that needs saving, but as the story builds and Luna is exposed to more change she realises that she needs to stand on her own two feet and be her own saviour and protector. I loved that she realises that there is an imbalance in the power dynamic between her and Knight and she fights to change this, to be seen and treated as his equal. As strong as she grows to be my heart still broke for her and some of the hard decisions that she had to make. Luna truly had a heart of gold and her love for Knight was so pure and unconditional. I love the role that she played for not only him but the entire family when things got rough and they all needed some support, this entire part of the book broke my heart and had me in tears.

“Our love always had a pulse. Sometimes it was faint. Sometimes it was beating so hard I couldn’t hear anyone else. But it would never die. It can’t. I won’t let it.”

As much as I loved Luna, it was Knight that truly stole my heart. This guy was so in love with his best friend that he would do anything for her. He was such a protector and his name truly fit him. In fact the title of this book could not be more perfect, it was the perfect description of our hero and the turmoil that he came to face. Gosh did my heart break for him, from having to deal with his feelings for Luna and then the loss of someone so important in his life, Knight did not have it easy. As much as I loved Knight there were moments that I wanted to slap some sense into him, I will say that he did do a few pretty stupid things but I think we can all give him a pass seeing as his life was pretty much crumbling around him. I do think that it is important to acknowledge the fact that he does learn from his pain and his mistakes and ultimately Knight lives up to his name of being a hero.

The connection between Knight and Luna was insane, these tow dance around the unrequited love trope but also boarded on the forbidden love story trope at the same time. There was so many layers to their love and the hurt that they caused each other. I think the thing that made their story so beautifully painful was the fact that they loved each other so much they didn’t realise that sometimes they were actually hurting each other. Knight and Luna were two side to the same coin, they could not exist without each other, they just fit and I loved seeing their journey finally come full circle to a happily ever after.

Broken Knight was truly the most heart breakingly beautiful book that I have ever read by Shen. I could not get enough of the painfully beautiful love story that was Knight and Luna. This book will have you crying more than a few time but gosh it is a damn brilliant read!

Book Info:

Publication: October 17, 2023 | Bloom Books | All Saints High #2

Not all love stories are written the same way.

Theirs has torn chapters, missing paragraphs, and a bittersweet ending.

Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower.

Sweet. Caring. Charitable. Quiet.

But it’s not real. Underneath the meek tomboy exterior is a girl who knows exactly what―and who―she wants. Namely, the boy from the treehouse who taught her how to curse in sign language.

Who taught her to laugh and to love, shielding her from the world when her mother abandoned her.

Except Luna is not the young, defenseless girl she used to be. And she doesn’t need his protection anymore.

Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero.

Gorgeous. Athletic. Rugged. Popular.

But that’s not real, either.

Beneath the daredevil, hell-raising mask, he’s fighting his own silent battles. And while it might seem like he could knock a girl up with his gaze alone, he’s only ever had eyes for the girl across the street: Luna.

When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes, and sometimes, the only way love can flourish is if two people learn to grow apart before they can grow back together.

But by the time they both learn that lesson, their forever might be too broken to repair.