A review by youshouldreadthisif
A Necessary Chaos by Brent Lambert

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I was immediately drawn to this book by the synopsis and surprised to find, when I downloaded it to my Kindle, that it was only 142 pages long. This is one of those instances where I finished a novella needing more to be satisfied with the story, and, unfortunately, I think virtually every major element of the book suffers from its short length. There was so much world-building - so many places and groups and empires - stuffed into it that lacked meaning and that I couldn't keep straight. I was not convinced of the love between the two MCs, especially since most of the interaction between them during the first half of the book was about sex. I'm all for graphic sex in my books, even a lot of it, but here I felt that the deep feelings between the MCs that supposedly drove them to defy orders, etc. were underdeveloped. Lastly, we had characters changing motivations and switching sides and working with long-time enemies at the drop of a hat. All in all, I just don't think the length of the book allowed for enough space to do justice to everything this story is about. Which is a huge bummer, because it's an awesome premise and I liked the bones of the story.