Review: God of Malice - Rina Kent

Review: God of Malice - Book #1 Legacy of Gods Series - Rina Kent - July 2022

You know that feeling when a book series sits on your shelf for ages—taunting you with its hype, but you’re just not in the right headspace to dive in? That was me with God of Malice by Rina Kent. I’d heard whispers about the Legacy of Gods series, knew deep down I’d probably love it, but I hesitated. Maybe I was scared it wouldn’t live up to the buzz. Spoiler alert: it absolutely did. And then some.

This book swept me right back to the early days of New Adult Bullymance—think Paper Prince by Erin Watt, C. Hallman’s gritty romances, and that delicious tension between danger and desire. Rina Kent nails that edgy vibe, and God of Malice reminded me why I fell for this genre in the first place.

We meet Glyndon (yes, I kept wanting to call her Gwyndon too), standing on a cliff where her best friend supposedly took his own life. That moment hit hard. It’s raw, unsettling, and sets the tone for a story steeped in manipulation and emotional fallout. Enter Killian—dark, dangerous, and downright psycho at first glance. Their initial encounter made me cringe, but as the story unfolded, Killian’s layers peeled back to reveal a twisted kind of vulnerability. His heart may be black, but it beats for Glyndon in its own chaotic way.

The dynamic between the English and American factions on campus added a fun rivalry, and I appreciated the subtle nods to neurodiversity in some of the characters—it felt authentic and refreshing. The emotional depth, the morally grey characters, the slow unraveling of secrets—it all came together in a way that kept me hooked.

This book isn’t for the faint-hearted, but if you’re craving a return to the gritty, addictive world of early Bullymance, God of Malice delivers. It’s messy, intense, and unapologetically dark—but also deeply compelling. I’ve already lined up Book #2 and can’t wait to binge the rest of the series.

Sometimes, the books we’re scared to start end up being the ones we can’t stop thinking about. This was one of those.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4pbNld2