Cover Image: The Book Knights

The Book Knights

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Member Reviews

Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

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An Arthurian retelling with a dystopian twist and some gender swap.

There were times where I struggled to go on and to finish this book, not because it was badly written per se, rather because I am not the target group for it. I may have enjoyed it more as a child.

The idea was rather intriguing, but quite superficial for me as an adult.

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This was such an interesting concept and was executed brilliantly. I loved the gender swaps and age swaps of characters. I read it in one sitting, I was completely engrossed and did not want to put it down. I also loved how it was an almost dystopian rather than a historical, so different to most arthurian books.

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The book is my shield. The pen is my sword. The ink is my blood.

WOW! What a great read! And immensely captivating, to say the least!

In a world where reading is forbidden, Arti and the new friends she gathers through fate and Merl's help, will try their hardest to bring back books, and save Arti's parents. Their foes? Morgan Fay, who, via a magic book, controls history - and her main lackey, Mordred, a cruel man bent on making his mistress's will done at any cost.

Honestly, I expected some kind of epicness, what with this being another story focused on some kid who's like the great King Arthur and the kid's friends acting as the Round Table knights and all that, but I got so much more than that! This story was fascinating from the first line right up to the last one, and the characters really draw you in with their antics and their brilliant souls!

My personal favorite was Gal. She was adorable and so brave and selfless and loyal. The usual urchin that turns into a wonderful person once the right companion is found. And I screamed when I saw which knight she represented - Galahad is my favorite of the knights, after all. Gwen was sweet, too, of course, and so ready to sacrifice herself for the cause, and Arti was pretty nice as a leader - and let's not forget the dreamy Lance - but Gal really spoke to me as a character. Especially when Arti was teaching her how to read - her reactions to everything she read were just too much!

Also, I loved how easily one can hate the villains of this story. Sure, I've seen more dangerous and vicious bad guys in books - and let's be honest, I've read adult fantasy, Morgan was nothing like other baddies I've read so far - but there was one particular detail that could make any true reader hate her with a burning passion: the woman burned books and banned reading. And that's the ultimate crime in the eyes of a reader, trust me....

As for the ending... Good God, what was that?! I got literal shivers! Freaked out of my mind and still loved the damn thing! Should I hope for another installment in this story and take this ending as yes? Because I would love to see some more knights added to Arti's table!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

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I always have to appreciate bookish stories. If you're interested in Arthurian legends and enjoyed the movie The Kid Who Would Be King, I have a feeling you'll enjoy McKenney's take on the classic legends.

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This was a delightful modern young adult take on an old tale rewritten by Malory in 1485 with the most patriarchal slant imaginable. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend to anyone fr an enjoyable evening or so with a story. At the same time, there is an underlying theme that strikes close to the current situation we are facing in society that is a new form of dark ages Instead of people thinking for themselves they are suppose to go borg and rely on the herd mentality and propaganda of their group that they spew mindlessly,not a good thing. I have always been a voracious reader and feel it is necessary to help create a better person to read, assimilate and think about and then impart to others

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Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

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I tried to enjoy this book, but as I continued to read, I was unimpressed with the lack of intrigue the whole book had. I love the idea of retellings, but an Arthurian retelling with a dystopian twist just came across poorly. Nothing really fit, and I just couldn't continue without interest in it.

Unfortunately, because of my uninterest in the story as a whole, I couldn't push myself to a halfway point.

I guess the characters were okay – I didn't finish this book but the writing was good. I think it was the idea and plotline behind it that didn't interest me.

It's unfortunate but maybe one day I will give it another shot.



2/5

DNF at 31%

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i absolutely loved this book! it was so simple yet so much fun and had so many great tropes! such an enjoyable read!

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2.5 Stars

The second I saw gender-bent King Arthur retelling revolving around books, I knew I wanted to read that story.

I found the magic system and the added element the written words power to be intriguing however I thought other aspects could use a little more polishing.

If you have any familiarity with the King Arthur legend you can see the direction certain relationships will take or how the endgame will play out based on everyone's roles in the original story; which I think is my biggest criticism of the work, the author didn't really take the story and make it her own.

There was a section in the middle of the novel where a controversial relationship begins to take shape that I just wanted to skip over, the instalove in that situation was just a bit cheesy and nauseating.

There were some threads I wish had been tied up that no explanation was given for and there were definitely areas of the lore or world-building which I wish had been elaborated on or explored further.

While the basic bones of this story has real potential, the execution left something to be desired.

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* I received this as an arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion*

this book was just alright. Nothing stood out to me that will make it completely memorable. I thought the idea was ok, but like I said nothin suck to me.

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I loved the originality of The Book Knights. The Arthurian Legend has been really cleverly retold in this story of the timeless battle between good and evil.

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<em>I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</em>
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars

I really liked the premise of the The Book Knights—Fahrenheit 451 meets Arthurian legend.  As a massive book nerd, The Book Knights was a dream to read, it offers a secret order of librarians, Grail Tomes, word fighting, and magical pens that rewrite the future. But while I really enjoyed the premise of the novel, I felt the execution was lacking. I found the portrayal of characters and the world building confusing. This book also felt more geared towards younger audiences than towards young adult readers.



I loved the portrayal of Arthurian characters in a modern world, which is definitely the biggest strength and appeal of the novel. The bond between main character Arti Penderhagen and her friend Gal (modern day Arthur and Galahad), was really special and something I enjoyed immensely. Arti promised to teach Gal how to read, something strictly forbidden in Morgan Fay’s dystopian world, if Gal taught her how to survive on the streets, where Arti found herself after the imprisonment of her reading parents. I really adored how each character came to love books in their own unique journey—something that every reader experiences, but was more intensely felt in this dystopian universe, where books were outlawed and burned and its readers persecuted.



I especially loved the characterization of the villains of the novel. Morgan Fay sought to rid the world of the power of words, burning all books she could find in order to reach the final page of her Grail Tome. Once on the final page, Morgan could write the future to her own liking, which would be very, very bad for lovers of the written word and the rest of the general populace who would be forced to worship her. Mordred in this book, Morgan’s captain of the Incendi police, was a very compelling villain. Mordred wielded words, known as the Verses, as deadly weapons and hunted for the Challenger—the one who could stop Morgan—Arti.



Arti and her (Book) Knights of the Round Table were all female except Lance, based on Lancelot. I felt it odd that that he was the only male Knight and thought he stuck out like a sore thumb. I am guessing the author made him male instead of female simply so he could have an eye roll inducing instalove with Gwen. I would have much preferred that the author kept with his motif of female knights and then just included a lesbian romance. Instead, this hetero romance felt like a cop-out. On the other hand, I was also expecting a love triangle as per the classic Arthur-Gwenevere-Lancelot tradition, but there was none, which also felt like a letdown. However, the fact that the Knight’s Round Table was in a motorhome was so freaking clever and characteristic of the enjoyable quirkiness of the novel.



The decisions about the characters were not the only thing that confused me, I was also perplexed by the world-building in the novel. I was puzzled by the description of the areas in the novel. Even after finishing the book, I am uncertain whether the entire world took place in the Isle of Avalon, which may or may not have been just a city? Though the author states that Merl, the Merlin of this tale, travels far and wide to procure books, the details of which were not explained.



I did feel that the writing style of this novel was not as detailed or complex, and was in fact, a little cheesy and focused on telling, rather than showing. For instance, when Arti and Gwen finally start bonding, it is described as, “From that moment on, despite the four years that separated them in age, Arti and Gwen were like friends at a sleepover, whispering stories well into the night.” I find this type of “telling” unnecessary, but it is something that younger readers may not mind. For older readers, it may be a turnoff.  And though the book attempts to give each character a deep background with complex motivations, it feels superficial and like it only scratches the surface. This is something else that would not be as big of a problem for younger readers.



Similarly, I did not care for what I felt was an overly perfect ending, with Arti being almost magically reunited with her formerly imprisoned parents and the immediate adoption of Gal as her sister, but honestly, the epilogue sounded amazing! I would read the next book in this series, but know to expect a light, fun read that would be more suitably geared towards younger audiences.

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A fun adventure story that's an interesting riff on the Arthurian legends. I like the use of words as power (a trope I always have a soft spot for), not to mention the different ways that they're used: the fighting styles of Lance and Mordred vs the more spell-focused usage Merl and Morgan use. Every character has their part to play too, loosely inspired by their namesakes in the original legends. Gal in particular was a fun take on Galahad. Although I'm not going to lie, I was sad that other than falling in love with Lance, Gwen didn't have that many parallels to Guinevere. Not the best Arthurian reimagining I've read, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

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The Book Knight is a work that charges straight into your heart. Author J.G. McKenney was able to bring forth a pure sense of adventure and magic from the heart of an Arthurian legend. Arti champions a great love of reading that is sure to resonate in the hearts of dedicated readers. This is a work that you won't want to miss!

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I truly enjoyed McKenney's reimagining of the Arthurian mythos. I cannot wait for my 12 yo. son to read this! I loved the shift in protecting a kingdom is down not to swords and shields, but books, and words, and pens! This book will reinforce so many life lessons I want him to know and will do so while providing a fantastical story backdrop. I hope additional books. will be written incorporating more about the characters McKenney has created.

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Arthurian novels are some of my favorites as I am fascinated by Camelot. I love how the legend is created anew and it is so much fun.

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I loved that book very very much!
I am amazed at the writing of the author and I loved the action and the characters.
The first thing that got to me was the title and I immediately decided that I wanted this book ad that I wanted to read it ^^
I am not disappointed and I hope everybody else gets to enjoy it as much as I did.

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The cover depicts what appears to be a simple goblet...or the holy grail. I believe this symbolizes the final page of the Grail Tomes. The colors chosen give a medieval times feel to this book, suiting it very well. The background even has the appearance of leather texture.


Let me begin by directing your attention once again to the last paragraph of the summary...


THE BOOK KNIGHTS is an Arthurian YA fantasy adventure in which knights wield words as weapons, librarians are wizards, and books can change the future.


How could this not pique your interest? The idea that words are actually magic and wield such power reminds me of J.K. Rowling's famous quote.

"Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic."


The theory behind this had me swooning. I am always ranting about the power of words and how much power a librarian has at their fingertips...this book brings it to life as an Arthurian tale. Arti does not pull a sword from a stone...no. Instead, she wields a pen and is meant to save the world by rewriting on the final page of the Grail Tome.



Though I did feel there was decent character development in this novel, I was disappointed by the world development. I feel there were many aspects of the world that were not fully explained.Where is the rest of the world?!? We only hear about "the isle." How does the fate of the entire world rest in this small place? Does the rest of the world also in the same predicament where books are being burned? Is Morgan Fey having her henchmen gather books from other continents to burn? I am just left lost with such a lack of world-building here.


I would have loved to learn more about the power of the Grail Tome and how writing on the last page can rewrite the future. Is it similar to the television show Once Upon a Time?



I loved that show by the way. If you have not seen it..check it out. But basically...there is a good and bad "writer," if you want to put it that way. Almost like a good and bad witch. Both fighting over who will write the final page in the book.


The pace itself is an issue as well. I believe this story takes place over the course of two months. However, the last third of the book focuses primarily on the last three days or so. The story seemed to take place really quickly, leaving me almost unconnected to some of the characters at the end. I feel the relationship between Arti and Gal was the only one that really stuck. I did not really connect with other characters, most of my time was spent wondering what Arti was going to do. I want more side stories, backgrounds, and development as the story progresses.


The overall plot and premise of the book are amazing. I really love the Arthurian fantasy with a twist. It pulled me into the book and honestly, it is what made me stay. There is great action and let's be honest...who doesn't love a magical twist on King Arthur's tale?! I will mention that this book is at the younger end of the spectrum for YA novels, maybe 10 to 14-year-old range. I was not aware of that prior to reading this.


I did enjoy this book, though there were many aspects I felt could be improved. The ending did make it seem as if there would be a sequel. Maybe it will tie up many loose ends and give some much-needed information. I would like to read it just to see where the story goes and if it is an improvement on this novel.

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The introduction to this books world broke me and I do not ever wish to ever travel to this world at that time. The beautifully descriptive writing makes this world an easy to imagine and makes the opening that much harder hitting (no spoilers!). But reading is a crime in this world! (not a spoiler)

The Book Knights is an Arthurian tale with all the characters you know and love with wonderfully inventive name play (the myths and legends geek in me laughed and loved them). The story was effortless to read, the old myths and legends that I enjoy being rebuilt in a captivating new dystopian world with new characters and old characters being reinvented was so exciting for me.

shout out to the the author J.G. McKenney for managing to get all the facts and small details together perfectly in this story, for me anyway. This book is everything I could ever hope for in a good story, it made me laugh, cry, and cheer. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this story and if you love fantastical tales or fantasy read this book.

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