You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
The beginning was a little rough, not gonna lie. But it was definitely worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Suicide
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As much as this book was entertaining, it was very problematic.
I know the author warned us at the beginning of the book that Killian is a real psycho and it is not for the faint of heart so I know what I was getting into. However, there are just too many things that cannot be romanticised in romances (even if they're dark).
Spoilers
I, to be honest, found Killian quite tame. Like he is very much psycho (until he meets Glyndon cus ofcourse) but he is all bark and no bite. The man continues to say shit like 'I will fuck you in his blood' but he never follows up, in any kind of sense. I'm not saying I want him to do that, god no, but I'm just saying he doesn't actually do anything. Apart from raping the mc, which is an issue on a whole other level.
The first time they meet he forces her to a blowjob which is assault but continue the story and she finds it attractive??? Like at some point she even says she knew she wanted him the first moment they met, which is when he assaulted her. I just thinks it makes a joke of people actually getting assaulted.
I get the assault (and rape) is part of him being a psycho but i just hoped it would be handled differently like was the rape and assault necessary to establish him being crazy??
It was entertaining for sure, Kent knows how to write engaging stories that want you to keep reading, I just wished it didn't always have to be this toxic. Leave out the assault (and still make him psycho I guess) and would still be good.
I know the author warned us at the beginning of the book that Killian is a real psycho and it is not for the faint of heart so I know what I was getting into. However, there are just too many things that cannot be romanticised in romances (even if they're dark).
Spoilers
I, to be honest, found Killian quite tame. Like he is very much psycho (until he meets Glyndon cus ofcourse) but he is all bark and no bite. The man continues to say shit like 'I will fuck you in his blood' but he never follows up, in any kind of sense. I'm not saying I want him to do that, god no, but I'm just saying he doesn't actually do anything. Apart from raping the mc, which is an issue on a whole other level.
The first time they meet he forces her to a blowjob which is assault but continue the story and she finds it attractive??? Like at some point she even says she knew she wanted him the first moment they met, which is when he assaulted her. I just thinks it makes a joke of people actually getting assaulted.
I get the assault (and rape) is part of him being a psycho but i just hoped it would be handled differently like was the rape and assault necessary to establish him being crazy??
It was entertaining for sure, Kent knows how to write engaging stories that want you to keep reading, I just wished it didn't always have to be this toxic. Leave out the assault (and still make him psycho I guess) and would still be good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Sexual harassment
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Murder, Alcohol
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So I didn’t realize it going into this, but this is obviously a spin off of some of the author’s previous works. Like, the second generation of characters from another series. Or two. Because of that, there were a few instances where I got the impression that we (the reader) were already supposed to know something. . .and I didn’t. Not that that’s any fault of the book, but I didn’t like not being “in the know”. Dark as it was, I liked the concept of Killian’s character and I thought his chapters were interesting. The only thing is, I felt like the pacing of the story was really fast. I wish there had been more time in the transition between hate/fear to love/trust. I also thought the mystery/conflict resolution was rushed. May or may not continue the series, or go back and read the ones that came before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Stalking
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
** spoiler alert ** note to self: i technically have finished this book but i'm adding it to my reads this year as a reward for making it past 60%. this book only works if you read this from the point of view of someones who has never had a human encounter ever. its like an AI program was feed every cheesy bad boy book/tv show every made and then told to write a book with theses tropes, villain main H, non con and alpha male dumassery. every character is over the top and don't react in a way most people would to an event/problem/conversation. , the main h is dumb and never makes a smart decision and the plot is not believable or logical in anyway but if thats what you like to read then you'll love this book. anyways i'll see if i finish the book. never trusting booktok again :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I quite enjoy Rina's book and I don't have a ton of strong opinions about second-generation books, but here we are diving right in.
I haven't quite read a book with MMC like Killian with nearly every quality that'll have you thinking, why should we like this guy? Definitely won't go down as the swoon-worthy book boyfriend for many, but I quite enjoyed reading about Killian. The dynamics of this character were full of red flags, but here I am finding some likable qualities ;-)
I'd say the enemies to lovers trope goes deep between Glyndon and Killian, but even that might be an understatement because Glyn could shout from every rooftop about how much she hated Killian. But he was so unbothered by it and kept on with his day.
Their back and forth is a huge part of their story and I was enjoying every second of it!
As you get closer to the end, walls are coming down a bit, and start seeing the slightest glimpse of softness that Killian has towards Glyn. Definitely not your traditional sweet stuff, but in his way, that's how he shows how much he cares for her.
One thing I was hoping we'd get more is the relationship between Killian and his father, Asher. I wasn't looking forward to the chapter of his POV, but that scene was everything. And just the realization of what his son thought of him for a huge part of his life. Not going to lie, it made me cry a little cause despite Kill's hardshell, this was absolutely a vulnerable spot for him.
SO yeah, definitely enjoyed this rather dark and twisty standalone in Rina's new series.
Narration: When I saw all the narrators, I thought this was a full cast, but we get a few chapters from other POVs, just the one though. I'm a fan of Sebastian York, but their voice didn't seem age appropriate for God of Malice. It was off when we'd go from Josie Minor as Glyndon and then into Killian's chapters, didn't sound like a 19-year-old. I enjoyed Josie's narrations but wasn't a fan of the voiceovers for their dialogue with Killian. I enjoyed the brief cameos of Aaron, Wen, and Kylie, their voices were great for their one chapter, and will definitely be on the lookout for more by them.
Note: like most of Rina's dark romances, definitely check out the content warnings for this one.
I haven't quite read a book with MMC like Killian with nearly every quality that'll have you thinking, why should we like this guy? Definitely won't go down as the swoon-worthy book boyfriend for many, but I quite enjoyed reading about Killian. The dynamics of this character were full of red flags, but here I am finding some likable qualities ;-)
I'd say the enemies to lovers trope goes deep between Glyndon and Killian, but even that might be an understatement because Glyn could shout from every rooftop about how much she hated Killian. But he was so unbothered by it and kept on with his day.
Their back and forth is a huge part of their story and I was enjoying every second of it!
As you get closer to the end, walls are coming down a bit, and start seeing the slightest glimpse of softness that Killian has towards Glyn. Definitely not your traditional sweet stuff, but in his way, that's how he shows how much he cares for her.
One thing I was hoping we'd get more is the relationship between Killian and his father, Asher. I wasn't looking forward to the chapter of his POV, but that scene was everything. And just the realization of what his son thought of him for a huge part of his life. Not going to lie, it made me cry a little cause despite Kill's hardshell, this was absolutely a vulnerable spot for him.
SO yeah, definitely enjoyed this rather dark and twisty standalone in Rina's new series.
Narration: When I saw all the narrators, I thought this was a full cast, but we get a few chapters from other POVs, just the one though. I'm a fan of Sebastian York, but their voice didn't seem age appropriate for God of Malice. It was off when we'd go from Josie Minor as Glyndon and then into Killian's chapters, didn't sound like a 19-year-old. I enjoyed Josie's narrations but wasn't a fan of the voiceovers for their dialogue with Killian. I enjoyed the brief cameos of Aaron, Wen, and Kylie, their voices were great for their one chapter, and will definitely be on the lookout for more by them.
Note: like most of Rina's dark romances, definitely check out the content warnings for this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty
More CW: dub con