The amazing Nalini Singh thrills again with book fourteen in
the
Psy-Changeling world, SHARDS OF HOPE. I'm astonished
every
time how Singh can keep this series fresh and vibrant, and
her stories are so incredibly compelling. The almost
over-the-top action along with the suspense are heightened
greatly by the intensity of emotions in the
Psy-Changeling
books. I am riveted from start to finish in Singh's PNR
books.
Silence was mandated for all Psy to keep them from all
emotion in order to help them control their psychic powers.
Silence has created sociopaths, however. The Arrows are a
squad of hitmen and women tasked with controlled those
psychotic Psy who commits acts of evil under Silence.
Recruited into the lethal Arrow squad as children, the Arrow
trainees are fashioned into killers with powerful
brainwashing and torture. Ming LeBon, the former leader of
the Arrows, betrayed his Arrow squad by drugging them to
make them into mindless automatons of killing. The Arrows
thought they were assassinating evildoers, but imagine their
burgeoning anguish when they discover they were carrying out
vendettas only for Ming's selfish personal gains! Now, the
Arrows are led by Aden Kai, who is trying to lead them out
of despair and bondage into a life of choice and safe
emotion, now that Silence Protocol has been dismantled.
Zaira Neve suffered unreal abuses as a child, and considers
herself irreparably damaged. Silence has helped her to push
her traumatic past to the back of her conscious in order to
function as an Arrow. Zaira believes she is too broken to
survive the loss of Silence, but she is determined to
support and protect Aden as he works to set their fellow
Arrows free from their previous bondage. The emotions that
Zaira is struggling with are so crushingly disabling, it
feels very visceral to read of Zaira's torment and her
gripping desire for connection and love. Singh does an
amazing job of making Zaira a sympathetic character, despite
how lethal she is at her job.
Aden and Zaira find themselves teamed up to escape from
captivity under a shadowy enemy. As they flee to the
dubious safety of a hidden Changeling pack, they slowly
discover that not only do they make great teammates, but
also the perfect lovers. My only quibble with SHARDS OF
HOPE is how
often the characters muse about how doing what is right for
the children. I did feel a bit bludgeoned with that theme,
but the remainder of the story is fantastic. Singh writes
with her usual masterful hand, creating a compelling world
of paranormal war and intrigue as well as beautiful romance.
SHARDS OF HOPE is an addictive read that joins many other
Singh stories on my Keeper shelf.
The “smoldering heat, epic romance, and awesome action”* of
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.