Sandy M’s review of Shards of Hope (Psy-Changeling, Book 14) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 2 Jun 15
There’s not many series out there, especially those with numerous books over, say, the 10 mark, that can keep a reader’s attention book after book after book. Nalini Singh does so, however, effortlessly. Her imagination seems to know no bounds. Though we’ve gotten glimpses of other Changeling packs in previous stories, we get to meet several new shifters here as we also get to see the ultimate power of the Psy as they try to rebuild after the fall of Silence, all the while keeping a new enemy at bay.
Aden and Zaira have been together since they were children undergoing the horrible rigors of becoming Arrows. Aden knows about her past, what she had to do to survive. He also knows how tight a rein she keeps on her emotions, especially her rage. So it’s fitting this book opens with them being captured, having an implant slapped into their brains so that their tie to the PsyNet is now totally blank. The scenes where they turn on the men holding them, their race through the woods to put as much distance between themselves and the enemy as possible, all the while trying to dig those implants out of their heads are some of the best suspense I’ve read in a long while. Even though you know these are your main characters, there’s points where you think, “Are they going to make it?” They’re also Arrows, and there’s still plenty of the book to read, so, yeah, they definitely make it.
It’s the RainFire alpha, Remy, who discovers them and gets them immediate medical aid. I enjoyed meeting this new shifter pack, especially Jojo. She’s the cutest cat cub and the first to teach Zaira about the happiness and innocence of children, and Aden learns quite a bit about being an alpha from Remy. You can see the trust begin to build between them all during the time Aden and Zaira recuperate, hoping their connection to the PsyNet returns. It’s also during this time everyone begins to suspect something isn’t quite right between the three species, when little by little details of seemingly normal everyday things come to light a bit off kilter. It’s a good thing trust is part of their lives now, even in the minutest amount.
As Aden learns more details and communicates with SnowDancer and DarkRiver, along with BlackSea changelings, whose members are the hardest hit in the revelation of this new conspiracy, he knows it’s Zaira who he’s going to need at his side to continue to lead the Arrows. Zaira is skeptical, though, because she can’t give in to any emotion – her rage is let loose and she’s afraid she’ll once again turn into that little girl who had to do the unthinkable to survive. Aden is patient, however. I love how he never pushes her in any direction more than she can take, and he just knows what that limit is. Their search for a young BlackSea child, Zaira leading the team, is what will break things open for her – one way or another, depending on the state of the child when she’s eventually found.
Not only do we catch up with all the Changelings, but Dev and the Forgotten, Kaleb and Sahara, along with Nikita – who is thrown into a twist you don’t expect – and Anthony and other former council members are brought into the fray for one big brainstorming around to figure out how to combat an unseen enemy. It’s a huge eye-opening time to see how all of these characters are now working together to bring down their common enemy, an enemy who is much more prepared that Pure Psy ever was and more intelligent this time around. An enemy that is still on the loose at the end of the book. So it seems as though even bigger things are coming in the next release. Thought I’m not sure what’s bigger than Aden’s psychic ability once he’s forced to truly use it. Wow. Ms. Singh and that imagination of hers never ceases to amaze.
This is a series that I’m sure will stay fresh and grab the reader with every future book. I’m looking forward to every one of them, and I hope it’s a lot more to come after meeting so many new Changelings and watching the Psy get used to life without Silence. I’m ready to read them forever if Ms. Singh is ready to write them forever.
Grade: A+
Summary:
Nalini Singh’s New York Times bestselling series continues as two Arrows find themselves caught in a chilling conspiracy that spans all three races…
Awakening wounded in a darkened cell, their psychic abilities blocked, Aden and Zaira know they must escape. But when the lethal soldiers break free from their mysterious prison, they find themselves in a harsh, inhospitable landscape far from civilization. Their only hope for survival is to make it to the hidden home of a predatory changeling pack that doesn’t welcome outsiders.
And they must survive. A shadowy enemy has put a target on the back of the Arrow squad, an enemy that cannot be permitted to succeed in its deadly campaign. Aden will cross any line to keep his people safe for this new future, where even an assassin might have hope of a life beyond blood and death and pain. Zaira has no such hope. She knows she’s too damaged to return from the abyss. Her driving goal is to protect Aden, protect the only person who has ever come back for her no matter what.
This time, even Aden’s passionate determination may not be enough—because the emotionless chill of Silence existed for a reason. For the violent, and the insane, and the irreparably broken…like Zaira.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
