Order of the Omni

There were things I liked about this book, and there were things I didn’t like about it. Let’s start with the bad so we can end things on a positive note, shall we?

I pretty much only had two issues with Order of the Omni .

First, as we all know (or maybe not) I’m unforgiving and uncompromising when it comes to SPaG, so I took issue with how this novel was littered with little grammatical errors of the his/he’s, your/you’re variety and badly used punctuation (lots of periods —or full stops— where there should’ve been commas). These types of mistakes are virtually impossible to bypass/miss when you’re an avid reader in conjunction with not being a native speaker who’s had to study many years to learn and perfect a language. And while I get some errors are to be expected (I mess up too when I write), that’s what text correctors and editors are for.

Second, I had a hard time believing there was an actual emotional/physical connection between Elita and Leo (the main characters and titular couple). For one, Elita’s relationship with her best friend Topher came across as so much more meaningful and deeper when contrasted to that of her and Leo. I think the story’s fast pace was largely to blame in that respect. Normally, I’m all for break-neck speeds and stories brimming with excitement and adventure, but on the flip side, you also gotta know when to slow down to achieve balance and harmony. Time is needed to build emotional depth. I think a big reason why this book didn’t resonate emotionally with me was because the rushed storytelling didn’t give the characters the chance to slow down and stew in their feelings for a bit.

For another, this novel perfectly executed the slow-burn trope (which I was happy and excited about), only to then do a fade to black scene when the actual sex happened. I felt cheated. Also, it was such a lost opportunity to show closeness, intimacy and vulnerability between the leads. Sexual tension needs to be resolved in an explicit way for it to be satisfying. Teasing readers with sexually charged encounters between the main couple to then not deliver when they finally give in to their baser urges is lame.

In any case, while that was a disappointment and the writing could have used some polishing, the mystery that ran throughout the novel kept me firmly hooked throughout. What’s up with Elita’s OMNI mark and special powers? What’s going on in the supernatural world? What’s causing there to be an uprising? What role does Leo play in everything? All these questions and more kept me consistently turning the page.

Another positive aspect to this book was the characters. I liked them all individually and found them interesting and compelling. Even Topher was a great character. It was quite hilarious how he was completely onboard the SS “Leolita” and fully shipping them from the very first moment. But I also loved how Elita was super wary of Leo and of blindly trusting the extremely secretive, suspicious, conspicuously un-human man she’d just met.

It was great.

I also liked how she purposely, and not so purposely, strove to be a major pain in Leo’s butt. Keep that man on his toes, girl! Then again, she was rash and impulsive and didn’t have much of a sense of self-preservation, so I totally got where Leo was coming from when he got frustrated to high heaven with her. It was a fun dynamic that was established between them.

I’ll for sure be reading the next book in the series because I’m super curious to know where the story will take us and what crazy developments are in store. So, while I still have some bones to pick with Order of the Omni , and future installments will determine whether the overarching plot will live up to my expectations, at least for now, I fully believe this is a fictional universe well worth diving into.