God of Fury Book Review
By Brittni Bliss / / No Comments / Review
God of Fury by Rina Kent is a MM dark romance set against a backdrop of a posh college populated by the elite upper class and mafia family progeny.
Writing: 4/5
Story: 3/5
Darkness: 2/5
Spice: 4/5
Editing: 5/5
Triggering topics: Violence & blood, misogynistic language, intimate partner violence, personality disorders & trauma, self harm, infidelity, coercive consent, drunk driving, graphic self harm, sexual assault.
Brandon King is a buttoned-up artist with a clean boy aesthetic. Nikolai Sokolov is a Russian criminal heir with a penchant for violence. Together, they are an explosive display of moody, young male drama and page-igniting lust. This LGBTQ+ dark romance book charts their relationship from punching each other in the woods to seeing stars beneath the sheets…or in a public alleyway, or a secret penthouse, or coffee shop bathroom stall….
First of all, God of Fury has the kind of narration style that you will hate to love and love to hate. It’s bombastic, witty, weird as heck, and even off-putting at times. But it sure is unforgettable. It grew on me after the first few chapters, but it was a bumpy start—particularly Nikolai’s sections.
In God of Fury, you are inside the heads of the protagonists. Every swear word, every joke, every tick or compulsion—the reader is there. The closeness can be suffocating sometimes, especially when the narration lays it on thick with the corniness, but it’s a POV that works for this particular story.
However, it’s also the kind of book you can skim pages and still understand 100% of what’s going on. The author lays it on that thick.
Brandon and Nikolai’s story is low stakes, high angst. There’s a pretty intense star-crossed lovers plotline. Their clans hate one another, and Brankolai are stuck in the middle. There is talk of mafia families, fight clubs, lots of violence, a knife fight. But at the end of the day, it’s just a book about college kids being college kids.
The world flows around the romance plot, but doesn’t take away from it. God of Fury is mostly about two people falling in lust, getting addicted to the rush, and making it work despite the obstacles. The drama and turmoil is on the micro level, with most of it taking place within the main characters’ heads.
Speaking of which, both Brandon and Nikolai suffer from what seems to be untreated mental illness. Words like hypomania and OCD get thrown around, but you mainly learn about it from the inside out. Brandon struggles with self image, nausea, needing control, and cutting. Nikolai gets in high moods that can only be appeased by violence and letting loose. The biggest battles in the book are intrapersonal—within the body, mind, and soul.
It’s also refreshing and believable. It’s grounded.
The biggest hurdle in the first half of the book is Brandon grappling with his sexuality and not wanting to be open about it. There’s also some element of how the relationship, or lack thereof, affects each man’s mental state. These are the primary conflicts. It’s tight, honed in, and focused.
That means that if you aren’t in it for the graphic gay sex, there’s not a lot here for you, though. God of Fury is fanservice of the highest order. I am the fan, and I have been serviced! I am fully locked in on burning questions like: Where will the boys have sex next? Will Brandon ever sleepover? Does Nikolai realize he’s in love?
The sex scenes are quite good, too, though the overuse of one another’s names and nicknames drives me mental. This is a chronic issue in dark romance books and I would like to speak to a manager. The dirty talk is a bit unrefined, but it does the trick. I like that you don’t have to wait too long between sex scenes, either. Kent finds a way to sprinkle them in liberally without it getting redundant.
She also uses words like balls, arse cheeks, forskin, and enema! Finally, an author who doesn’t shy away from the whole picture. Hell yeah.
I would say the “darkest” parts of the book, outside of the occasional violence, is the potentially triggering glimpse into the minds of two people with mental illness. This won’t be for everybody. There are no shadowy cabals or child killers. There are no underground organizations or controversial vigilantes. There is just the human mind in all its complexity, handled in a way that takes the kiddie gloves all the way off.
If I had to guess, the author has a mental illness herself. And if I had to guess again, it’s similar to what I have. Because she gets it too spot on to be guessing.
The boys spend a good chunk of the 3/4 point of the book getting to know one another deeper, having the kind of conversations you might read on AO3 (complimentary), and being insanely possessive. I started getting so comfortable that I thought there might not be a climax, figuratively speaking, heh).
There are a few break-up-and-make-ups for punctuated tension, of course, but there is also a final twist and a few paragraphs of vigilante-ism. If you thought this was an action book based on the first chapter, or the fire, or the kidnapping, you would be wrong. This is a book about emotions. It’s a book about how we handle our past trauma and who we show our real selves to.
There is no final war between the Heathens and preppy kids. There is no high-octane fight or car chase or threat. There is just a loud reveal of a terrible secret, and a quiet removal of the problem forever.
To be honest, it feels kind of random. The antagonist is short-lived, barely relevant to the story, and has zero depth. It felt more like a Writing Novels 101 “climax” checklist item than a valuable part of the overall plot. She’s a cartoon villain and she gets dealt with with a whimper, not a bang.
The reader is then treated to dozens of pages of characters saying sorry and confessing their feelings. Resolving tensions and overcoming bad blood. It’s a bit clunky and rushed, but, hey—it’s more about the journey than the destination sometimes. And I had quite a ride.
God of Fury vibe quotes:
“Bossy. I like it. But you know what I like more? Your posh little accent. Question. Does it sound the same when you say crude things?” (Chapter 2)
My love language is shielding those I love, my precious sister included, from the mess that is my existence. (Chapter 4)
I’m just obsessed with this man and everything about him. Some would argue it’s something a lot more dire than obsession. (Chapter 25)
I know what it’s like to be in a secret relationship where no one is allowed to know. It’s suffocating sometimes, but it’s worth it. (Chapter 25)
I cup his chin and stare deep into those eyes that have become my undoing as I say the words Grandpa said Russians take seriously and literally. “Ya nee ma goo bees tee byah zhit.” (Chapter 25)