Title: Shards of Hope
Series: Psy/Changeling bk 14
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal
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.
Thoughts: It’s no surprise to anyone that I love Nalini Singh, so when I say that this is probably one of the best books in this series I’m not lying. I don’t know how she manages to do it, but with every book she manages to take us to new heights in this amazing world she’s created.
There is a lot going on in this book, so I’m going to take it story line by story line.
Aden and Zaira…ever since we were introduced to Aden we’ve known there was more to him, than what we’d been shown. There had to be something more to him than a simple medic who fueled a silent rebellion against a Councilor. In Shield of Winter we got to see more and more of him and the little bits we got just made us want more (at least they did me) but let me tell you he is so much more than I ever suspected he’d be. I don’t want to give anything away about him or his power, just know that it when it happens you’re going to go yeah, I can see that. Plus there’s Kaleb’s reaction to Aden’s power that is one of my favorite scenes in the book.
Zaira is one of those Arrows where I was never really sure what her power was, and yet without the Arrows she’d have died as seven year old. It took me a while to warm up to her as a character, but even more as the mate of one of my favorite characters in this series. Once her walls started to come down I totally got why she was so important to Aden.
As we see the end of the story arc introduced in Slave to Sensation, we also see the beginning of the next story arc in this series. The set up is fantastic, and allows for the next progression in a post Silence world. We see alliances coming about that wouldn’t have happened in a Silent world…and all those story lines that drove us nuts because they didn’t seem to make sense at the time all come a closure so awesome you are left slapping your head going duh.
One of the story lines that has intrigued me more and more (and I don’t think I’m the only one thinking this) has been Nikita. At the onset she seems to be 100% Silent, but with each book she does something that makes you is she? In Shards of Hope there’s a scene where we almost get an answer to that question. I really want that answer.
Then there’s the friendship that happens between Aden and last person I ever expected. Combined with an extended file that has been passed from Judd to Vasic and now Aden, we see a side of Aden that we all knew was there and couldn’t wait to read about.
From the first page to the last page Singh had me clued to the pages of Shards of Hope. As soon as I finished the last page and went back and read it again.
Grade A+
