Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Knight in Paper Armor

Author: Nicholas Conley

Book Series: Standalone for now

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Guatemalan side character

Recommended For...: ya readers, sci-fi readers

Publication Date: September 15, 2020

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Recommended Age: 14+ (immigration TW, human experimentation, Holocaust mentioned, poverty, violence, gore, grief)

Publisher: Red Adept Publishing LLC

Pages: 426

Synopsis: Billy Jakobek has always been different. Born with strange and powerful psychic abilities, he has grown up in the laboratories of Thorne Century, a ruthless megacorporation that economically, socially, and politically dominates American society. Every day, Billy absorbs the emotional energies, dreams, and traumas of everyone he meets—from his grandmother’s memories of the Holocaust, to the terror his sheer existence inflicts upon his captors—and he yearns to break free, so he can use his powers to help others.

Natalia Gonzalez, a rebellious artist and daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, lives in Heaven’s Hole, an industrial town built inside a meteor crater, where the poverty-stricken population struggles to survive the nightmarish working conditions of the local Thorne Century factory. Natalia takes care of her ailing mother, her grandmother, and her two younger brothers, and while she dreams of escape, she knows she cannot leave her family behind.

When Billy is transferred to Heaven’s Hole, his chance encounter with Natalia sends shockwaves rippling across the blighted landscape. The two outsiders are pitted against the all-powerful monopoly, while Billy experiences visions of an otherworldly figure known as the Shape, which prophesizes an apocalyptic future that could decimate the world they know.

Review: I really liked this one! It was cute but it had the perfect blend of social issues and fantasy. The book doesn’t shy from the horrors of the world and the characters are well written. The world building is also well done and I loved the plot.

The only issue I had with the book is that there was a lot going on all at once. The amount of information in this book and historical/social/racial/etc issues presented in this read was great, but a little overwhelming for what would be the target audience, not to say that they shouldn’t know about these issues, it’s just too much for one book in my opinion.

Verdict: It was great!