Evil Omega by S. Rodman

Release Date: January 14^th

I loved the premise of this story! An evil, badass Omega as opposed to the usual kind and submissive ones. Awesome!

And in many ways, the read did deliver.

So, Silas Northstar is a shifter and a necromancer. Outcast, despised, and feared. He also has a propensity for getting captured and that’s how the story begins. With Silas having been captured by the Westlake Pack, and Dean – a pack alpha – literally dragging Silas off of the pack head Alpha. It’s a strong start to the story, and gets even more interesting when Silas’ heat starts when he’s in Dean’s custody.

The dynamic between Silas and Dean was great. Silas is self-sufficient, stand-offish and prickly – for good reason. Dean is laid back with no need at all to assert any kind of dominance. Instead Silas takes the lead and Dean is happy to follow. Their inherent alpha/omega traits were still there, but didn’t define them as individuals which is almost always the case with ABO stories. And I can’t express how happy that made me. This was a whole new take on shifter/ABO dynamics making the read much more interesting in my eyes.

As Silas and Dean keep circling each other, in some kind of Romeo-and-Juliet-esque kind of way (with which I mean they’re totally into each other but can’t really be together mostly because of Dean’s pack), more of Silas’ backstory is revealed. And – to no one’s surprise – it turns out Silas might not actually be evil.

But there’s the pack to contend with, and all the people who are afraid of Silas.

Anyway. The storyline is interesting, the universe too with all kinds of different paranormal races.

What didn’t really measure up was the storytelling. The writing is strangely paced. Some pivotal scenes are rushed and almost glossed over, while others – scenes that are similar but not crucial to the story – are overly long and detailed. It didn’t really make sense and took away from the overall reading experience. I get the feeling that it’s a patience issue.

I recently read another of Rodman’s books – Omega Alone – but I didn’t realize it was by the same author until checking Rodman out on Goodreads. But I see the same issues with Evil Omega as I did with Omega Alone. Rodman clearly has great stories to tell, she creates interesting characters, interesting plots and universes. But she doesn’t take the time to really expand on her ideas. Much like a reader might be eager to jump ahead to know what’s going to happen next, I got the feeling Rodman does the same while writing. The result is a book with some very well-written scenes and contexts glued together by shorter, less worked-through scenes. However, it’s obvious the potential is there. And I think if Rodman decides to write a longer story, taking her time doing it, it could be truly awesome.

As it is though, Evil Omega is a fun, short read. 3.5 stars.

* A free e-copy of this book was kindly provided by Gay Romance Reviews *