Deviant King had a really strong start and pulled me in straight away, but somewhere along the way the pacing started to feel… off. The relationships somehow moved both too fast and too slow at the same time. New characters and bits of information kept appearing out of nowhere, and I found myself stopping to figure out if I’d missed something.

I spent most of the book waiting for the big moment where everything would explode, only to reach the end and realise the story is really just getting started. It definitely reads like the first half of a much bigger story rather than a complete one, so I’m reserving judgment until I’ve read the next book.

Some moments between the characters felt believable and emotionally engaging, while others just didn’t quite make sense to me. There were decisions and interactions that took me out of the story because they didn’t feel grounded.

That said, I’m still optimistic. I’ve already read one of Rina Kent’s later books, so I know her writing and this universe get stronger from here. I’m hoping Deviant King is mostly laying the foundation for everything that’s to come, because the potential is definitely there.