Review Of Deviant By Dani Rene

This book was not what I expected it to be. It was a package full of twists, surprises and shocks. Too many to count actually and that both worked in its favor and also didn't. So though overall it was an enjoyable read, if left me with more questions than answers.

I was really curious to find out how the whole student-teacher scenario would play out. I always had a thing for taboo romance and this book had it in abundance. But still despite having so many elements it still felt lacking in the feels. It was hot, and teased a lot, increasing our anticipation but it when it comes to actually delivering it felt too rushed and too many secrets came out, and instead of making me feel intrigued, I felt more disconnected with all characters except for Arabella. I honestly didn't care of half the characters introduced because they didn't server much to character development and for few of them I didn't even get their importance or relevance. I wished the author had invested more in developing the characters and non sexual chemistry between them rather than trying to squeeze in so many twists and turns. And the whole 'him' and 'her' chapters left me feeling very confused. I made few guesses about how they would tie to the whole story but I was way off the mark. And rather than leaving me surprised it felt me feeling deprived because I couldn't get myself to truly invest on them.

Ahren as a character had a lot of potential but stick between Elian and Arabella he didn't get a good story arc. The whole triangle between the three didn't take either of the two courses I was hoping for it to take. Even the whole student-teacher arc didn't have the tension or the taboo element to it. It seemed a little too convenient for them and also the revenge arc felt a little too forced. I was hoping for more struggle and angst but this book focused more on revenge and the pile of secrets kept mounting and mounting. And towards the end their were too many secrets revealed and honestly I was a little lost and confused on what I felt about them. Most importantly I couldn't make out the bad guys from good ones. Even if they were in the grey, I wasn't clear on who I should be cheering for.

Some scenes were really hot and I also loved the chemistry between Elian and Arabella, but I wasn't too satisfied with how everything was tied up together at the end. I think it would have been better if the book was divided into two then at least it would have given me enough time and reason to truly invest on the characters.

Overall a 4 star read.