Knight in Paper Armor

Hi guys, I hope you’re having a lovely weekend.

Today, I’m excited to be sharing my review for Knight in Paper Armor, by Nicholas Conley, a story infused with science fiction and supernatural elements.

About

The story is set in Heaven’s Hole, a small town dominated by Thorne Century, a large and oppressive corporation, who are running illegal experiments on teenagers.

Billy, a young Jewish boy with otherworldly abilities, is kept as a research subject by Thorne Century. When Billy is permitted to attend school for the first time at age seventeen, he meets Natalia Gonzales, a spunky young woman with enough heart and passion to change a nation. Together, they will become an unstoppable force for good.

Characters

Billy Jakobek is a powerful young man, able to absorb other people’s pain at a detriment to himself. An idealist at heart, he reduces people’s discomfort and sorrow whenever he can, because he can’t bear to witness their pain.

Natalia Gonzales is a brave, passionate and impulsive young woman with a talent for art. Her love for her family and others (particularly those suffering beneath Thorne Century’s cruelty) motivated her to pursue social change, no matter how much it cost her.

The relationship between Natalia and Billy blossomed gradually into something pure and beautiful, showing the caring, compassionate side of humanity.

Roseanna, one of the leaders of Billy’s research project, is a kind and empathetic woman, nurturing in a motherly way. At first I was hesitant about her motives, but over the course of the story, I came to understand her more fully and began to respect her.

Caleb Thorne, boss of Thorne Century, was a truly three dimensional human being. The story shows him frequently doubting himself and struggling with his ego as he advances his personal plans for the future. His generally sadistic, deluded and cruel nature were shown to have developed over time due to certain factors, giving a better understanding of how evil comes to form in humanity, turning us away from our own better nature.

Likes

I loved how the story was written. The sentence structure and word choice created a very emotional and tense experience. Deep meaning was imparted throughout, with emphasis on the themes of compassion vs cruelty, light vs darkness, and more.

Memorable Quotes:

As always, here are some of the wonderful quotes which helped to make this such a great story.

‘There’s a lot of hatred out there. Sometimes, when people are hurting, they get scared and they blame it on people who are different from them. The evil men come along with a lot of power and money and privilege and manipulate the scared people by using their fears. They exploit their hatred.’
‘If the little people all hate each-other or are scared, the bad guys can pretend they’re the only ones able to fix things, by pretending the problems were caused by the people who are different. Hatred makes these bad men more powerful.’
‘Even though humanity is flawed, it never stops trying to be better.’

Overview

Knight in Paper Armor is a wonderful, insightful read that explores the good vs the bad in human nature.

Two young people, suffering so much at the hands of a ruthless tyrant, but carrying on despite the odds, to prove that humanity can prevail against its darker impulses- was profound.

Rated: 5 stars, easily. A book I’ll definitely be getting a print copy of.
Recommended: To lovers of sci-fi and supernatural-inspired fiction that shows the underdogs pushing down barriers, to achieve a better quality of life for all.

A welcome change to the young adult genre. Deeply meaningful and inspiring.

To learn more about the book, Knight in Paper Armor, simply visit its Goodreads page HERE.
Or, to discover more about author Nicholas Conley, visit his official website HERE.

As always, thank you for joining me for today’s review.
If you liked it, feel free to share it across social media, or leave a comment below.

That’s all from me for now. Have an amazing weekend,
Ellie. xoxo