Review by megsbeauty - Kiss the Villain

megsbeauty 's review for:

Kiss the Villain by Rina Kent

4.0

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Audiobook

I think I had big expectations, given how the book was marketed on social media, and, at this point, I feel a bit depleted, as those expectations were not met. Who knows—maybe if I hadn’t been so hyped before I read it, the rating would be higher.

First of all, once again, I noticed a lot of psychological dissection of both main characters. I guess writing a dark romance, especially with M/M themes, calls for more in-depth characterization. Considering that the book also covers an age-gap and professor–student relationship, it became a whole hot-potato subject.

But that’s not all. There was a lot of dub-con and/or CNC content. I have a feeling that—like in God of Malice—I struggle with the story’s lack of a clear distinction between what constitutes rape and what is a power exchange during dub-con/CNC sex play. And I guess I’m not the only one...

Nevertheless, the book kept me on my toes. Yes, it was a bit long, and I feel it was unnecessarily stretched out. Tbh, I kinda skipped the epilogues. (Look how I used an abbreviation, and I’m much older than Kayden. I understand that this “language purist” trait is part of Kayden’s characterization, but I couldn’t connect with that particular personality detail. He is not Boomer, for Peet’s sake.)

This book broaches a lot of sensitive topics regarding mental health, sexuality (including the asexuality spectrum), and outing. Both characters seem to have personality disorders (though undiagnosed). If a reader isn’t comfortable with any of these subjects, I think they should avoid this book.

And in the end, I cannot express this enough: MIND THE TRIGGER WARNINGS!

Content Warnings