Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a family dark with shadowy secrets, as the world of the Psy teeters on the edge of a final catastrophic collapse...

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...

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series!
For book one, Silver Silence, click HERE.
For book two, Ocean Light, click HERE.
For book three, Wolf Rain, click HERE.
For book four, Alpha Night, click HERE.
For book five, Last Guard, click HERE.
For book six, Storm Echo, click HERE.

 

 

Book 8
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Hardcover (US)  ~  Berkley Romance

Audiobook (US)
Narrated by Angela Dawe

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I have been waiting for this book since book seven.

Auden Scott. The daughter of Shoshanna Scott and Henry Scott. A broken Psy even before the PsyNet began to fail. Auden, who had carved out a somewhat simple life, is now on edge as her brain injury seems to be getting worse.

Remi Denier, the Alpha of RainFire, is a dominant – alpha – feline who finally accepted the mantle of leadership and formed his own pack. Buying land in the middle of nowhere Colorado, his plans for his pack are to lead a simple life – staying away from trouble.

But what happens when trouble finds him? News of Auden Scott inheriting the property adjacent to him makes a cat curious. Auden is not what he expects, even for a Psy. She's distant, almost as if she isn't processing what she's actually seeing. As if someone else is staring out of her eyes.

Auden doesn't know what is going on with her. She doesn't remember a lot of things that have been happening to her since the death of her mother, including getting pregnant. But she knows that her child is the answer to the question she doesn't remember.

The continuing world-building in this series is nice, but it also limits the story between Remi and Auden. I would have like to have seen more development between the main and supporting characters. The cameos of characters from other books gives added depth to Primal Mirror.

I really enjoyed this book, staying up late to read it all in one night. Then going back for a re-read the same week.


Erica – ☆☆☆
Primal Mirror is the eighth installment in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series as well as the 23rd installment in the Psy-Changeling Series. Primal Mirror cannot be read as a standalone. However, it can be read out of series order if familiar with the overall world-building, where you've read the majority of the series.

I need to preface this review by stating how I feel as if the overarching world-building and backstory is overly complex and completely buries the story attempting to be told. Added in with the female main character suffering from a brain injury, the beginning of the novel was nearly impossible to enjoy, filled with nothing but confusion, the need to make a spreadsheet to order events, and not much of entertainment value. It was purposefully confusing, not truly focused on either of the main characters, overshadowing any romance or connection the main characters may or may not have felt to one another.

I adored this series, as well as all of the other series Nalini Singh has written. I know this series like the back of my hand, not confused by events that have taken place. But there is an overall chaotic, end of days feeling to the novels as of late, which erases any feel-good emotions and entertainment value I may experience. Reading this series has become stressful, so it's difficult to root for the main couple in each novel, as their romance and connection is completely smothered by the never-ending plot arc that binds these novels into a series.

This series has become a slog, no longer pleasurable to read and enjoy as a couple finds their way to one another. I love angst, drama, and suspense, not one for in-my-face romance, but the overly complex world-building and backstory are drowning the main plot in the past few installments.

Auden Scott inherits the land next to Leopard Alpha Remi Denier's pack lands. She is suffering from a debilitating brain issue which stems from her family utilizing medical procedures outside of her consent, added in with the fact that she is also pregnant, which was a medical procedure outside of her consent, without her knowledge, which adds into the inability to remember events.

Auden Scott is a difficult character to connect with, not only because of the abuses she has suffered at the hands of her family, but the fact that she doesn't even remember these abuses, remember much of anything really. The ultimate of an unreliable narrator. How can the reader know Auden when she doesn't know anything about herself either? I could empathize and sympathize, but I was left feeling as confused as she was.

Remi Denier is easier to understand, especially since he is a reliable narrator. His narration easier to digest, but it is still overshadowed by all the hundreds of plots coming together to where the reader doesn't get to know him well enough to connect with him.

I wanted to love Auden and Remi, but I never got to know them. I wanted to ship them as a couple, but they barely shared any time together on the pages to develop a connection with one another and to the reader. A slow-burn vibe with no passion, no connection, or sexual attraction. Auden is suffering across the board, pregnant, and dealing with issues with her family and the PsyNet, she had no room for romance, so what little romance there was seemed oddly misplaced and paced.

This novel did not work for me. Auden and Remi used as a vehicle to continue to slog through the tangled, overly complex, anxiety-ridden, chaotic backstory and world-building, which I personally do not find very entertaining.

 

 

New York Times bestselling author NALINI SINGH is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

Connect with Nalini Singh!

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of Primal Mirror (Psy-Changeling Trinity #8) by Nalini Singh to read and review.

Archangel's Lineage by Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s dangerous and beautiful world of archangels, vampires, and mortals has never faced a threat this cataclysmic…

Raphael and Elena are experiencing their first ever year of true peace. No war. No horrors of archangelic power. No nightmares given flesh. Until… the earth beneath the Refuge begins to tremble, endangering not only angelkind’s precious and fragile young, but the very place that has held their most innocent safe for eons.

Amid the chaos, Elena’s father suffers a violent heart attack that threatens to extinguish their last chance to heal the bonds between them and make sense of the ruins of their agonizing shared history.

Even as Elena battles grief, Raphael is torn from her side by the sudden disappearance of an archangel. But worse yet is to come. An Ancestor, an angel unlike any other, stirs from his Sleep to warn the Cadre of a darkness so terrible that it causes empires to fall and civilizations to vanish.

This time, even the Cadre itself may not be able to stop a ticking clock that is counting down at frightening speed…

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Guild Hunter series!
For book #10, Archangel's Viper, click HERE.
For book #11, Archangel's Prophecy, click HERE.
For book #12, Archangel's War, click HERE.
For book #13, Archangel's Sun, click HERE.
For book #14, Archangel’s Light, click HERE.
For book #15, Archangel’s Resurrection, click HERE.

 

 

Book 16
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Paperback (US)
Berkley (PRH)

Audiobook (US)
Narrated by Justine Eyre

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Archangel's Lineage is the 16th installment of the Guild Hunter series. It cannot be read as a standalone and all 15 previous novels must be read in order.

A sense of finality upon completion. A warmth that all is right in the Guild Hunter universe. I have no idea if this is the final installment, but I can't see how the series moves forward unless in a different era or focusing on different characters. The stage is set for Vivek, which I would be ecstatic to read.

Archangel's Lineage felt like old-school Guild Hunters with how Elena revisits past characters not shown often in later novels.

Time has passed since the Cascade and wars. Some peace has been found by the awake Archangels in the Cadre, but all those recent events shifted the balance. A balance that needs to be reset.

A series of natural disasters occur as Elena sits at her father's bedside. While these two events do not connect, they inspire similar emotions and mindsets.

Bittersweet wistfulness. A sense of urgency to right past wrong, heal old wounds, clear up miscommunications, and give forgiveness. A gamut of raw, real emotions.

Elena is discovering the price to no longer being mortal, as the passage of time slowly draws her family from her. Elena's younger sister is experiencing age-related issues, as they watch the youngest sisters grow into adults and have children of their own. The eldest niece and goddaughter are grown young women now. Elena and her family come full circle in the loss of their matriarch and two elder sisters, something that has ridden shotgun since the opener of book one.

Information on the ancients comes to light, which adds to the mythology of their creation and existence, as well as their place in not only the world but in time as well.

The Cadre must come together in unity with the help of an unlikely yet surprising ally.

A wonderful addition to a favorite series of mine, even if Singh overcomplicates some portions unnecessarily and adds many points of view (some only a paragraph in length) that probably lend more value versus confusion on a reread.

I had planned on a reread, but I think I'll try the audiobook version next. I'm curious to hear the series brought to life.

 

 

New York Times bestselling author NALINI SINGH is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

Connect with Nalini Singh!

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of Archangel's Lineage (Guild Hunter #16) by Nalini Singh to read and review.

Archangel's Resurrection by Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into the dangerous, haunting world of archangels... and a love that is legend.

For thousands of years, the passion between Alexander, Archangel of Persia, and Zanaya, Queen of the Nile, burned furious and bright, seemingly without end. But to be an archangel is to be bound to power violent and demanding. Driven by its primal energy, Alexander and Zanaya fought as fiercely as they loved, locked in an endless cycle of devotion and heartbreak. It is only Zanaya’s decision to Sleep that ends their love story.

Eons later, the Cascade of Death wakens them both. The passion between them a flame that yet burns, Alexander and Zanaya stand together in one last battle against the ultimate darkness. But even a warrior archangel cannot win every war. Alexander’s scream shatters the world as Zanaya falls, broken and silent... only to rise again in a miracle that may be a devastating curse. For is it truly the Queen of the Nile who has been resurrected?

Only one thing is clear: This is the last beat of their passionate, angry dance. The final song for Alexander and his Zani...

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Guild Hunter series!
For book #10, Archangel's Viper, click HERE.
For book #11, Archangel's Prophecy, click HERE.
For book #12, Archangel's War, click HERE.
For book #13, Archangel's Sun, click HERE.
For book #14, Archangel’s Light, click HERE.

 

 

Book 15
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
Berkley (PRH)

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆
Archangel's Resurrection is the fifteenth installment in the Guild Hunter series. This cannot be read as a standalone. Even if you've read/reread the entire series, the inundation of past and present characters is still confusing. I couldn't imagine someone new to the series finding enjoyment without knowing the foundation of the world building.

This novel is not a romance, nor is it some complex relationship that evolved over eons. Alexander said to Zanaya. "Our love isn't a madness! The things we’ve done together, Zani. The adventures we've had, the discoveries we've made!"

It's too bad in 400 pages, the reader experiences neither discoveries nor adventures between Alexander and Zanaya. If something other than the madness buried with filler had been shown, maybe I'd believe the love that was told.

Commentary added to the review after reading a third, half, and upon completion of the novel. I wrote these parts in an email draft, waited days as I allowed my frustration to abate, then decided to order my thoughts without allowing my emotions to create a harsher review.

Well, it looks like a book but it doesn't read like one...

The format for this novel is the most bizarre I've ever read – and no, that isn't a compliment. Every scene felt like an introduction. I kept waiting for the story to actually start. Page after page, thinking NOW the story will begin... and it was yet another instance of Singh TELLING the reader what happened instead of allowing the characters to SHOW the story.

Truncated. Zero emotional impact. One-to-three-page scenes featuring overly complex world building, that are basically nothing but filler, fused together into hundreds of pages and called a novel.

Millennia covered in the 30% I've read thus far: told in dual narration. The hero and heroine saw each other TWICE (once from a distance) over a thousand years, speaking ONCE for 30 seconds (if you cut out the hundred pages of inanity, it would have taken 30 seconds to read too). Then, they see each other, immediately kiss (which was written out for a paragraph), then "dance" in the sky (not fade-to-black, the reader blinks and it's over).

In what is the most drawn-out (a millennia) yet insta-love (30 seconds of interaction and they're having sex) romance ever written.

The next page is 300 years later. Two pages later, they fight for a page. Next page, they've been broken up for a decade. Next page, two years later and Alexander decides his brother covering all his windows is an important plot point (yes, this scene does tie in but it was also entirely unnecessary and could have been added/written differently).

That was 30% of the novel, minus inane filler and mind-bleeding info-dumpage the reader did not need. There is zero character development (if you wouldn't learn your lessons when you're over 10-20 THOUSAND years of age, you CANNOT, and nothing I'm told will convince me otherwise, especially with no responsibility taken and no closure).

Archangel's Resurrection is not a free-flowing story. At. All. No emotion. It's basically a list.

Cliff Notes is more detailed.

While I appreciate what Singh attempted to create, I was left frustrated, bored, and confused, while caring very little over the story nor the characters.

I'm at a loss, wondering why the editor didn't say "why are you focusing on that when it has no impact on the overall story?" On. Every. Page. Editors are notorious for commenting "Show, don't tell" This novel was entirely TELL.

I keep waiting for the story to happen. It's the only reason I haven't DNFed. I keep wondering if there was a method to this madness, which had me turning the page... but when I did, the next page was hundreds of years later, truncated in half a sentence (the reader doesn't even get a full paragraph).

I'm at a loss. At what point will this read as a novel? (Answer, around the halfway mark, but it truly never flows like a novel.)

Singh tells us Archangels struggle to be near one another, so the angst should be through the roof between Alexander and Zanaya since they are soul mates, unable to be near one another.

Eons old, Alexander is possessive, jealous, and unreasonable. Slightly younger, but in the grand scheme of things, what is a thousand years among so many thousands of years? Singh states (using all the characters), how unreasonable and stubborn Zanaya is, yet I never saw a single example of this. At. All. It was quite misogynistic to assume Zanaya was the one getting in the way of their happiness by not submitting when they are equals. All they had to do was see each other, do their archangel duties, see each other, repeat. The issues stemmed when Alexander was stomping all over Zanaya's boundaries, with everyone blaming her for being stubborn. Added to that, the reader is to focus on Zanaya repeating history like her mother, but I saw zero obsession on her part toward Alexander, only loyalty, understanding, and love. (You don't want to know what look is riding my facial expression right now.)

So this angst/drama was extremely childish. It could have been hard-hitting and emotional if written differently. The fact that it continued for tens of thousands of years makes it all that much more ridiculous, especially since the reader was dragged along on that ride over the eons.

32% now. They've broken up twice and gotten back together twice (Alexander bedding others, because he loves Zanaya SO MUCH), along with a major change for Zanaya. Hadn't seen each other in a century... Wash. Rinse. Repeat... in 2% of the novel. Maybe two pages. I'm not exaggerating or being sarcastic.

Epic love story, where the reader has experienced three minutes (reading time) of them interacting with one another (95% of which are disagreements), but was told by the author how many escapades they've had with others, which took up more page-time than they've shared. Also told, never shown, so there is zero emotional attachment between the characters or the reader to the characters.

Still 32%. They've broken up and gotten back together innumerable times over 7000 years now (I'm not being sarcastic), and I feel ready for "sleep" myself, as aged as I've gotten reading this.

In my opinion, all of that should have been cut from the novel. If so proficient in truncation, just tuck two or three pages of a backstory info-dump. It's not as if we actually "experienced" their love story anyway. We were repeatedly TOLD and it wasn't entertaining. Like a sentence every 50 years. Just toss the first third and tell the reader now (Cascade forward).

If all that was meant to form an emotional attachment between the characters, all it succeeded in doing was turning my frustration into anger, along with a strong dislike for Alexander. At this point, after hours of frustration, I'm asking myself why I'm still reading.

34%... Cascade.

Did my impatience pay off? Should I get excited?

This better be where the Cliff Notes end and an actual novel begins.

Zanaya wakes in the Cascade. Seems to be reading as a novel now, but they're bickering during a cadre meeting, which seems like the last thing they'd give AF about. Time and place, end of the world is not for petty squabbles, flirting, and Alexander being Alexander (Apparently their love was so epic he had kids with someone else. That's super romantic.). And Singh is using Zanaya to give us a rundown of Alexander's second and third in command (not sure how Zanaya knows this info – she was asleep and all), as if I'll even remember characters who will NEVER see page-time. (Book finished, I was right. Never interacted with them.)

50% mark.

There were good parts, even if they were unneeded. The bad parts were all Alexander and Zanaya. He was a good archangel and a horrible lover. She was a strong archangel who had to fight to keep her lover from consuming her identity. Since they're not real people, Singh created this dynamic that ruined the story. It wasn't romantic or star-crossed lovers. It was cringe because of the execution.

The Zanaya I've read doesn't seem unreasonable in any way. Strong. Places down reasonable boundaries. Intelligent. Wise. Empathetic. Compromising. Good-humored.

Why is everyone (Singh) saying Zanaya is bad for Alexander. That puts the onus of his misbehavior on her instead of him taking responsibility for his own actions and emotions.

There's no such thing as mutual abuse. There is the abuser and the one reacting to abuse. Alexander is arrogant, patronizing, jealous, petty, and controlling; let's not blame Zanaya for striking back at Alexander with Singh calling it daddy issues. Ad nauseam, the reader is told they are mutually toxic, blaming Zanaya for being stubborn... I just didn't see anyone but Alexander being unreasonable, as well as being stubborn.

When the book starts to flow linearly, it reads as if this was Singh's original starting point and all I wanted cut from the story was written afterward.

Awakened by the cascade, Alexander is NOT treating Zanaya well – he's ragey yet they're immediately back in bed again, pretending it'll be different this time. It won't because he hasn't changed. If he had changed, he wouldn't be angry

Alexander is angry Zanaya went to sleep. Zanaya did the ultimate in self-care to ensure her existence. (If Archangels don't sleep, they will become mad, go berserk on the populous, and then will be put down.) So controlling, Alexander thought he should dictate when Zanaya should or shouldn't sleep, as if he knows her body better than her, and the reader was gaslit by Singh to accept this misogyny.

Irony upon irony, funny how no one is mad that Alexander eventually slept. In fact, Zanaya is relieved to discover this. What did Alexander want? For Zanaya to go mad, to where he'd have to put her down? It's like blaming someone for getting medical care. I do not get this "drama" at all.

This circular relationship cycle has destroyed the novel, more so than the storytelling style. The fact that Singh believes this petty nothingness can carry tens of thousands of years of storytelling...

I get Singh wanted this dynamic, but it's not executed well nor is it as dramatic or angsty as assumed. It's childish, ridiculous, because of their ancient age, and unjust as I don't believe any of the burden of fault rests on Zanaya's shoulders, with Alexander being surrounded by people who blame her, including himself.

No matter what happens next, tragedies or miracles, there is no cure to remove the toxicity known as Alexander in their relationship, even if he changes. Tens of thousands of years cannot be erased, especially when he doesn't take responsibility for even a part of the role he played.

There is no actual reason why they're fighting, even if you add in the Archangel Proximity issue, as it's just petty squabbles that Alexander picks at Zanaya.

Alexander (who wanted Zanaya to be his equal – did he though? or was he being patronizing?) is mad because she is behaving as his equal.

Full stop.

How is that a good plot device?

Let's write that out again. He's upset that she won't allow him to control her. He also didn't want to be with her until she was strong enough to hold her own. Now that she is, he's upset she won't bow to his whim...

That's it.

Does that sound like a tragic love story or a story devoid of love and respect? How romantic, healthy, and mature, so let's blame the victim and have our friends tell her she's bad for him. (Zanaya seemed pretty isolated, without her own support system after the first of the novel, always surrounded by Alexander supporters telling her she's bad for Alexander and cadre members.)

Zanaya is rightfully mad that Alexander is being disrespectful, jealous, petty, and controlling, so we'll blame her for stepping from a toxic relationship before it imploded. Should she have stayed and allowed it to become war? I know. I know. She should have given in, given up her identity, and become Alexander's consort, and all would be right with the world. So let's blame her instead of Alexander.

M'kay!

Every page is a struggle. Tedious. An overwhelming amount of indigestible, unnecessary filler. If executed differently, written as a fluid novel, it could have been good.

I barely tolerated this new form of delivering the story during Ilium's novel. But this was all story "telling" and hardly any time where the reader is immersed in a flowing novel as if it's happening around them.

I hope this trend doesn't continue in the next book. In all the books before, we didn't need a millennia of regurgitated backstory formatted like a plot outline, and we don't need it now. I can't get through the books that are written that way.

I recommend skipping this installment. I wouldn't subject myself or anyone else to this, especially since the main plot was told in all the books before. The frustration wasn't worth wading through eons of a toxic, abusive relationship, where the reader is fed crumbs of details for events where we already know the outcome. Maybe just read the last 20%. That's it.

 

 

New York Times bestselling author NALINI SINGH is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

Connect with Nalini Singh

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of Archangel's Resurrection (Guild Hunter #15) by Nalini Singh to read and review.

Storm Echo by Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into the hearts of two fractured people in a world on the brink of a psychic Armageddon...

Silence has fallen. The Psy are free to feel emotion. Free to love. But Silence was never a prison for Ivan Mercant. The biggest threat to his future lies dormant in his brain—a psychic monster that wants only to feed. And now, the brutal leash he’s kept on that monster is slipping. He prepared for this day, for the end of Ivan Mercant... but that was before he met Lei.

As primal as she is human, this wild changeling brings color into his life, laughter to his soul. Then the dream shatters in a rain of blood, in silent bodies in the snow. Lei is gone. Vanished without a trace... until he meets strangely familiar eyes across a busy San Francisco street.

Soleil Bijoux Garcia is a healer who has lost everything. She exists in a world of desolate aloneness... till the day she finds herself face-to-face with a lethal stranger. The animal who is her other half knows this man, but her memories are tattered fragments. Sorrow and a need for vengeance are all that drive her. Her mission? To kill the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack.

But fate has other plans. Soon, a deadly soldier who believes himself a monster and a broken healer might be all that stand between life and death for the entire Psy race...

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Psy-Changeling Trinity series!
For book one, Silver Silence, click HERE.
For book two, Ocean Light, click HERE.
For book three, Wolf Rain, click HERE.
For book four, Alpha Night, click HERE.
For book five, Last Guard, click HERE.

 

 

Book 6
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Hardcover (US)
Berkley (PRH)

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Ivan Mercant believes himself to be a monster. The spider hiding deep within himself does nothing but want to take and take until there is nothing left. That's why he must keep the spider caged at all times. He must keep his shields strong at all times, ever vigilant against the evil that grows stronger within him day by day.

Ena Mercant saved him both from the streets and from himself. She believed in him when he didn't believe in himself. She gave him a family that is both a blessing and a hindrance – especially since the fall of Silence. His cousins are well-meaning and protective of him, as he is of them. If they only knew of the spider within him.

Lei Garcia is broken in similar ways. Losing her loving parents at a young age left her in the care of her paternal grandfather and his ocelot pack. Her grandfather was openly hostile towards her and made it known that she was less as her mother was human. She has never felt at home with the pack, leaving her feeling alone when being a member of pack should have meant being with family.

As the PsyNet seems to be imploding upon itself, an island has formed in which Psy minds are trapped. The physical bodies are comatose, and their vital signs are failing. Ivan somehow manages to bridge the divide and only Lei was able to bring him back, thanks to her cat's bond with him. Ivan can see the chaos on the island, there is no order, no net mind, and it seems that the Scarab queen is draining the psychic energy from the Psy who are trapped on the island's psychic plane.

Lei believes that her bond with Ivan will allow him to return to the Psy Island to rescue the Psy minds that are trapped there and to help cage the Scarab queen. Ivan is afraid to set loose the spider but knows that Lei's faith in him is stronger than his fears.

I'm amazed at everything we have learned in this book and where we will go next.


Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Storm Echo is the sixth installment in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, as well as the 21st installment in the Psy-Changeling series. I would strongly advise against reading as a standalone or out of series order.

From the get-go, I was apprehensive. Amnesia plot lines mixed with insta-love are not my cup of tea, nor is the depressive fall of PsyNet, but after 21 novels, I'm invested in the characters and the universe where they reside. Drug-use and drug-abuse are plot devices.

On the plus side, a handful of our past favorites have cameos, as they're connected to the new characters being showcased. Another plus for me is second-chance romance.

Ivan has a painful past, suffering several abuses as a child. This darkness told from the perspective of a child may be difficult for some readers. Nalini Singh has never shied away from the darker sides of human nature, and this book is no exception when it comes to Ivan's past.

Ivan and Lei come into contact, and the connection is instantaneous, only for it to be ripped apart by tragedy. With the absence of a year, the vibe of insta-love is lessened. In this time, the romance takes a backseat, allowing character growth, along with some complex world building to be spun, so complex that most of the time I just rolled with it, otherwise I'd be confused. Once they reconnect, Ivan's amnesia means he doesn't recognize Lei anymore.

A member of the Mercant family, as their security specialist, Ivan was a complex character, ruthless yet beneath an injured child who doesn't believe he deserved kindness, intimacy, or would ever find a mate. Lei is a healer, the perfect counterbalance to Ivan's struggles.

Lei has her own past struggles. Protective and fierce, Lei has gone so long without a pack, she'll never let go of anyone she deems hers.

The romance and connection between Ivan and Lei takes a backseat when they're drawn into the battle to keep PsyNet from falling.

While I enjoy this longstanding series, the romance and conflict are a bit wash-repeat from book to book, and I find the eruption of new world building to often times be confusing and convoluted, like rushing from A to Q without truly connecting, where I just roll with it to avoid frustration. At this point, all these new Psy types, all super rare and finally revealing itself. While I want current narrators to be unique and special, their rareness just feels similar to the last rare trait, and so on.

A good addition to the Psy-Changeling Trinity and Pay-Changeling series. Recommended to fans of the author, the series, and paranormal romance.

 

 

New York Times bestselling author NALINI SINGH is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

Connect with Nalini Singh

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Storm Echo (Psy-Changeling Trinity #6) by Nalini Singh to read and review.

Last Guard by Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to a world devastated by change in her award-winning Psy-Changeling Trinity series, where two people defined by their aloneness hold the fate of the Psy in their hands...

Termed merciless by some, and a robotic sociopath by others, Payal Rao is the perfect Psy: cardinal telekinetic, CEO of a major conglomerate, beautiful—and emotionless.

For Canto Mercant, family and loyalty are everything. A cardinal telepath deemed “imperfect” by his race due to a spinal injury, Canto cares for the opinions of very few—and ruthlessly protects those he claims as his own. Head of intel for the influential Mercant family, he prefers to remain a shadow in the Net, unknown and unseen. But Canto is also an anchor, part of a secretive designation whose task it is to stabilize the PsyNet. Now that critical psychic network is dying, threatening to collapse and kill the entire Psy race with it.

To save those he loves, Canto needs the help of a woman bound to him by a dark past neither has been able to forget. A woman who is the most powerful anchor of them all: Payal Rao. Neither is ready for the violent inferno about to ignite in the PsyNet... or the passionate madness that threatens to destroy them both.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Psy-Changeling Trinity series!
For book one, Silver Silence, click HERE.
For book two, Ocean Light, click HERE.
For book three, Wolf Rain, click HERE.
For book four, Alpha Night, click HERE.

 

 

Book 5
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Hardcover (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
Berkley (PRH)

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Nalini Singh's world building is truly unique. In the world of the Psy-Changelings, we have met and fell in love with lots of changelings and Psy, but I have to admit that Canto Mercant is one of my favorites of all.

As a child, he was subjected to extreme cruelty in order to perfect his silence, and when one of those injuries causes him to lose his ability to walk, he is now flawed physically yet being able to maintain his psychic shields. He has memories of a child – 3K – who had saved his life and who, like he, had trouble maintaining silence as a child.

Now that silence has fallen, he's trying to hold the PsyNet together and needs more anchors to do so. He knows that Payal Rao is an anchor but doesn't know to what extent she is willing to go to help save the net in its entirety.

As Payal and Canto get to know each other, visions of the past overlay the present, causing both to wonder just how deep their scars go and if they truly deserve the happiness they both want. Payal's family is murderous not only to others but to each other and if Payal wants to survive, she must outmaneuver her own family, whereas Canto's family has built a wall – both literally and figuratively – around him to protect him from the dangers seen and unseen.

As PsyNet continues to disintegrate, Canto knows that the only way to save it, is to merge forces with other A’s and bring light to the darkness.

I truly love the world of the Psy-Changelings.


Erica – ☆☆☆
Last Guard is the fifth installment in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, as well as the 20th installment in the Psy-Changeling series. I would strongly advise against reading out of series order, as well as note that it would be next to impossible to read Last Guard as a standalone.

The blurb uses the term robotic, and I find that word accurately describes the novel from beginning to end.

The struggle was real for me. I found it difficult to fall into the story. I adore this series, as well as place Nalini Singh at the top of my favorite authors list. I've read and reread this series numerous times, skipping over specific installments, and it hurts me to admit this installment would be on the skip list.

The difficulty is when two Psys are the main characters. Their cold, emotionless personalities make it next to impossible for me to emotionally connect with characters who are emotionally disconnected.

The series shines when the coupling paired is between a Psy and a Changeling, because they create an emotional balance. When it is two Psys, the cold affect infects the novel, making it too technical, almost like reading a textbook. The world building shifts, showcasing new Psy designations, which means a ton of info-dumpage, which is hard to digest and retain. I applaud Singh for her ability to mirror her writing with the character's personality, but I don't find being hammered with world building to be entertaining.

This was the case with Last Guard, causing me to struggle from word-one, mixed into the fact that Payal and Canto are relatively new to readers as well, where we haven't experienced them much in past novels as we have with characters where we're anticipating their future novels.

Anchors, Payal and Canto were children schooled together, where Payal saved Canto's life by stopping their instructor. This portion of the novel, the backstory and how the romantic interests were connected is where the novel shined – it was what kept me turning the pages, wishing to know more. In the present, Canto is chasing after Payal, hoping she is his savior from the past, while Payal focuses on how to hold together PsyNet.

Another issue with two Psy narrators, the warmth, joy, and humor of the changelings is absent. There is this cold and depressive state as we read about the collapse of the PsyNet.

There were a few questions raised as I read Canto's backstory. A disabled Psy with how cold and emotionless they are with their genetic engineering, I felt as if there is a reason there aren't physical issues among the Psy, outside of mental issues stemming from Silence and their natural abilities, especially with their focus on science.

My issues aside, I highly recommend the Psy-Changeling series, especially the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh. While this was a solid installment, the pairing of Payal and Canto was not to my taste. I look forward to more in the series and hold out hope that it isn't another double Psy novel, and if it is, I'll be hooked from the start.

 

 

 

New York Times bestselling author NALINI SINGH is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

Connect with Nalini Singh

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Last Guard (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) by Nalini Singh to read and review. Review copy purchased by the blog.