Angry God

4.5 stars

Like so many people, this book was one of my most anticipated books since it was first announced. I needed to know know what was at the root of what made Vaughn tick. From the first introduction in this spinoff series I knew there was something different in him, I just had no idea what or why. Never, and I mean NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think it was going to be what it turned out to be. NEVER.

I thought the angst and the connection between Lenora and Vaughn was out of this world. I was 100% engrossed in the story trying to decipher where this animosity was coming from. Even with this hate-fueled banter between them, I still felt their connection. It was reminiscent of Vicious and Emila but only it felt even more raw and show more visceral. I adored Lenora and her ability to banter with the comebacks that she did. She truly was the perfect match for Vaughn. Their chemistry was off the charts.

I liked that the author tackled some pretty heavy topics here and handled it with such care. This book was darker in some aspects, (not in the typical kidnap or dubcon type of way that most think of when they here dark) but rather in the setting of the story. It needed to be in order to cover the reasons for the story itself. The title couldn't be more appropriate for a book than this one. There was a particular scene where it was explained that left me in awe with this author's ability to craft a story like a present making the title like the bow on top. Also, there is a certain letter that might also be one of the best things that I have ever read that made this book extra special.

All of that being said, was this my favorite book by this author? No. There were a few areas that I wanted further explained such as MG and also how everything clicked at the end during the pinnacle of the story. Even though it wasn't my favorite, it still was well worth the wait. It is bittersweet to see this spinoff series end.

I look forward to where this author goes next. Anything that she writes is an automatic one-click for me. show less

Lenora has had a rocky relationship with Vaughn since childhood, from being friendly acquaintances to enemies when she saw something she shouldn’t have. When Lenora is uprooted from London to California, her path once again intersects with Vaughn, the reigning figure in their high school.

Lenora's determination to pretend she doesn't know Vaughn and to keep his secrets is met with resistance as Vaughn embarks on a mission to make her life a living nightmare. Their rivalry is further fueled when they both vie for the same spot at an art school, leading to a complicated entanglement when Vaughn wins the scholarship and Lenora becomes his assistant. As their relationship deepens, they uncover secrets more profound than they initially show more thought, propelling them toward a path of destruction.

“Angry God” by L. J. Shen was one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. I was so emotional with all the trauma and my heart broke for Vaughn towards the end of the book. It seriously took turns that I saw coming but absolutely didn’t at the same time. I cannot explain how amazing this book actually was and will forever have a place in my soul. 5 out of 5 stars and I’d give it more if I could. show less

Some aspects of this book I felt a little too much like Vicious 2.0 and like yes ok he's their son but we like to see the kids stand on their own ! But I will say that Lenora felt like a more emo Emilia to me and I loved their relationship and push and pull. Also loved the cameos of the parents and Knight even though my son is... absolutely useless... we love him anyway

tw: child abuse/rape
I'm totally against this policy that we shouldn't give trigger warnings because they spoil books, if someone can be triggered it's something we should speak loudly about and warn them off and fuck off who doesn't think the same.


I really enjoyed this book, Vaughn and Lenora are definitely my favorite couple from this spinoff. I loved the angst, the built up. My favorite part was definitely the Spencer family. Vicious and Vaughn, Emilia and Vaughn, Emilia and Vicious melt my heart and gave me life.
I wish we could've seen more of the other couples, but being set in another country it totally made sense for them to not appear.
I can totally predict this book will have polarizing opinions, but personally, I really had a show more great time with it. show less

for the first 60% of the book, i wasn’t completely sold, or not as invested as i was for the previous books in this series, but WOW did the last 40% make up for it!! i loved reading vaughn’s story and can’t really articulate everything i’m feeling towards it right now!! lj shen does it again, and i’m not sure i’m ready for this series to be over 🥲

I love this series! I was waiting for this one to come out because I love Baron "Vicious" and wanted to see how his son was. As it turns out, he is more complicated than we thought. Incidents from his past have caused him to behave the way he is today.

Like all of the books in this series you have a dark "secret" that is pretty heavy. Of course we don't know what it is until near the end.

Other than that you have a lot of the same "bully" type of romance/hatemance, the formula isn't broke so L.J. isn't going to fix it. I will say however, that her characters have a very colorful vocabulary.

I can see aspects of this book that would be really interesting. The characters have a lot of potential.
I was recommended this book because I adore etl and morally grey characters, but I don't think I was the target audience for it. I don't expect it from the author, but there was an entire chapter that I had to skip that desperately needed a TW or a tl;dr instead of graphic depiction. Author did a good job wrapping up loose ends though.