Veena’s review of Primal Mirror (Psy-Changeling Trinity, Book 8) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 23 Jul 24
Ooh, I love being back in the world of fangs and claws, but, as seen in the more recent books in the series, it’s not black and white anymore. All the races are starting to mix again, particularly the Psy, along with the Arrows and the Changelings.
Alpha-in-training Remi Denier and the Raintree pack are in the thick of the action, particularly when they spot Psy activity around the cabin where their new friends, the Arrow leaders, were once imprisoned. There is something about Auden Scott that fascinates Remi, even as her scent alters in disturbing ways. Then he finds out she’s pregnant and is determined to protect her cub from the machinations of the Scott clan.
The story that emerges is chilling only in the way Ms. Singh can write it. The depths of depravity of the Psy, and most particularly the Scott leadership, takes my breath away. At the same time, you are swept up into the charm of the leopard pack and particularly Jojo, one of the cubs most readers have fallen in love with from before. The Psynet is failing at an alarming rate and plans are being made to figure out how to save as many people, especially children, as possible. The sentience that is the Psynet has increasingly become erratic and yet it continues to take an inordinate interest in Auden Scott’s child to the extent of burning itself out to save the unborn child against all odds.
All of the beloved characters that we’ve met in previous books in the series make their cameo appearances and it’s great to catch up on what’s happening with them in brief. Will Auden’s cub save the day and give the Psy a small respite to gather their resources and continue to look for new solutions?
Once you’re on this roller coaster, there’s no getting off, though there are so many moments that are sweet, tender, charming, and scary in equal measure. What a wonderful addition to the series. I can’t wait to see where Ms. Singh will go next with this story arc.
Grade: A
Summary:
Daughter of two ruthless high-Gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby . . . a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an unnerving depth of interest from her dead mother’s closest associates.
Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies . . . and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy . . . but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, and Remi’s feline heart is as fascinated by her as his human half.
Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death. . . .
