âNecessary Evilsâ By: Onley James
I try my best to finish series and book universes, but somewhere along the way I havenât finished the Sadenverse. I found the hockey-based books entertaining and the college hockey books fun to read, but not as entertaining as the Puckboys series. I do plan on finishing the Sadenverse, but itâs just a little boringâit feels very copy/paste, just in different environments.
Which isnât bad! I like to call it the Taco Bell method, and I love Taco Bellâthe same ingredients, just done in many different ways and ratios.
Annnnyyyywaaaayyys, Iâm going to rank the books in Necessary Evils and post my reviews with the ratings. But I would like to note that this series did have recurring issues with uneven pacing, to many plot threads being managed, and unconventional endings.
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1. Manic (Necessary Evils #7)
đđđđđ (3.5/5)
I really enjoyed this one. The author has been building up Aiden and Thomas throughout the series, and the payoff here was absolutely worth the wait. Their dynamic was everything I hoped for. I love Thomas so much.
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2. Psycho (Necessary Evils #2)
đđđđđ (3.75/5)
Psycho hooked me mostly because of August; heâs impossible not to love, and he brings a level of maturity that the previous book didnât quite have. But honestly with how much Noah and Adam annoyed me in the first book. It made some parts a little tedious to read. Even though the romance leans into instaâlove, it still feels grounded and intentional. And as always with Onley James, the story may be predictable, but thereâs more going on than just the romance, which makes it a satisfying, engaging read overall.
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3. Lunatic (Necessary Evils #6)
đđđđđ (3.5/5)
I like the depth that Archer has. Itâs very different compared to the rest of the family. Again I sometimes found the bits with Noah and Adam a bit annoying. But I absolutely love Archer and Mac how different they are.
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4. Moonstruck (Necessary Evils 3)
đđđđđ (3.5/5)
I thought I wouldnât like this one because of how Atticus was portrayed in the previous books. But I was pleasantly surprised, he and August are now tied as my favorite so far. There were some plot holes, the writing is what it is, I did find the intro of a bunch of different characters a little frustrating.
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5. Headcase (Necessary Evils 4)
đđđđđ (2.5/5)
I like it at first obviously. But then the author started using the word unalived? Which is wrong on many levels. And then Zane sometimes felt like a damsel in distress I hope they use his talents more later. It lacked a few things. And there was actually some errors in the writing. I really liked the murder aspects this time not being something regularly seen in the media like trafficking or abuse of a minor in some way.
I hated the incestual tone of Avi & Asaâs relationship. At first the author said it wasnât like that in the inner monologue. But then that drunk conversation that Zane and Asa had later was really weird.
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6. Mad Man (Necessary Evils 5)
đđđđđ (2.25/5)
I did not enjoy this book as much as the others. Donât get me wrong I hated the first book in the series. But this is a close second. It felt like there was no real plot when it came to the murder parts. But I did enjoy that this book clarified the Insect parts of the last book.
Iâm so excited for Aiden and Thomasâs book though. I really enjoyed that the author gave us more insight on them. I always enjoy reading about the other family members.
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7. Unhinged (Necessary Evils 1)
đđđđđ (1/5)
It was boring. I donât like insta-love tropes. But I did find the characters interesting and fun. This book was a little lackluster there was definitely someone lacking.
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I understand there are other books, like the anthologies, but the problem is Iâm getting exhausted from the couples I donât like. I know Iâm supposed to like Noah, but his character really annoys me. The couples I do like donât get a lot of âscreen time.â I read Family & Felonies (2-star rating), but it was so Avi and Ava-focused that I got annoyed and tired of it. I donât mind them; itâs just a lot.
