I don't know what it is about Ilona Andrews, but they always write great character focused work set against super interesting world building and I eatI don't know what it is about Ilona Andrews, but they always write great character focused work set against super interesting world building and I eat it up every time. This was a great and satisfying ending to Catalina's trilogy. ...more
This novella had NO BUSINESS being this fantastic. What the heck.
Wealthy family messiness, introducing Catalina as a main character and giving her so This novella had NO BUSINESS being this fantastic. What the heck.
Wealthy family messiness, introducing Catalina as a main character and giving her so much depth, viewing Nevada and Rogan from an outside perspective, bridezilla Nevada shenanigans, more adorable Baylor family dynamics, a certain character getting the ending they deserved...this was SO GOOD and fired on all cylinders.
I'm so excited to continue the series with Catalina now. She was so damn great as a POV character in this....more
This first trilogy has been pretty damn solid, with the fun world building I've come to love from Ilona AnThe covers for this series are hot garbage.
This first trilogy has been pretty damn solid, with the fun world building I've come to love from Ilona Andrews. They always pull through with great ideas in a fully fleshed out world, and throw very well developed characters into them.
Rogan absolutely grew on me in book 2, which was exactly what I expected and hoped for, and I loved the way his and Nevada's relationship grew in this one. They had some issues, but nothing super cringe and they always communicated and worked shit out. AND SHE MADE HIM CHOCOLATE MOUSSE!!!
I liked the way this first trilogy wrapped up, giving closure to Nevada/Rogan and opening up a lot of interesting questions and intrigue for Catarina.
Also, Arabella? HELLO???
Loved the epilogue, what a lovely tease for the rest of the series. Onward!...more
Ilona Andrews write urban fantasy like nobody's business, goddamn. Inventive world building, interesting characters, and writing that makes it easy toIlona Andrews write urban fantasy like nobody's business, goddamn. Inventive world building, interesting characters, and writing that makes it easy to eat up like candy.
I'm not sold on Nevada & Rogan, whose relationship I assume will eventually lead to a solidified romance by the end of this trilogy. This is mainly because Rogan is a pretty terrible person and I don't believe there's anything here except extreme horniness, but I'm willing to see where the Andrews take this. They have a looot of heavy lifting to do from here to make me believe in a Nevada & Rogan romance after this first book, though. Especially with Rogan as a character.
Finally jumping back into this series to hopefully finish it out soon, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this entry.
Vasic was neveFinally jumping back into this series to hopefully finish it out soon, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this entry.
Vasic was never a character I had any interest in beyond a now-shredded hope that he and Aden might have a romance in the future, but nope, this is a very straight, very alpha male series. My interest in him as a character on his own did not change in this book in the slightest. I enjoyed his romance, and I enjoyed Ivy herself as a character, but Vasic was still a blank wall of blah.
Ivy was pretty great on her own, though I think her character very quickly got overshadowed by the insta-love and lust this book throws at you. To be fair, the entire series is like that, but Vasic is such a blank, boring wall of a character that Ivy's insta-lust for him made no real sense. He has pretty eyes and is hot. Neat.
The macro plot is insane in this one, advancing the entire world in fucking leaps and bounds that I wasn't expecting AT ALL. It's absolutely bonkers how much happens in this book to change the Psy world. I really enjoyed it. ...more
Oh boy. Ohhhh boy. Super glad I'm nearing the last book (15) of this first "season" of Psy-Changeling, because at this point I'm reading for the plot,Oh boy. Ohhhh boy. Super glad I'm nearing the last book (15) of this first "season" of Psy-Changeling, because at this point I'm reading for the plot, and the romances are starting to weigh everything down. Why am I still reading, 12 books into this series, if I rarely have anything good to say about the romance, you ask? Honestly, the world and plot Nalini Singh has built up here is SO interesting.
Having two Psy characters as the main romance is definitely a first for this series, and it could have been better than it was. I think my main issue here was with Kaleb as a character. I was very much looking forward to his story, because we've had hints of the strength of his Psy powers and a huge secret he's been hiding. When the secret was revealed I was just...kind of flabbergasted. That was it? Books of build up and teasing and wanting to know, and his huge secret is that (view spoiler)[Sahara is clan Nightstar, was kidnapped and held captive for years, and...that's it? (hide spoiler)] Huge disappointment.
The reveal that Kaleb (view spoiler)[is also The Ghost was so anticlimactic. It makes absolute sense that he is considering the reveal of just how strong he is in this book, but wow. Lame. (hide spoiler)] Speaking of Kaleb's power, holy shit did he just get written into being the most powerful being in the entire fucking world? It's mentioned constantly that he could crack the Earth in half if he wanted to, he's soooo powerful, and I just want to throw my hands in the air.
The romance was fine. The reveals of Kaleb's past in the course of the romance was pretty good, filling in gaps and giving a lot of backstory I really did enjoy.
Lots of world changing events happen in this one, which is 95% about the Psy world and all the stuff happening with Pure Psy and their terrorist acts. I loved that this was 50/50 on plot vs romance, it made for a much better reading experience than most of the last 5 or so books. HUGE changes to the world at large occur. The climax with them thwarting (view spoiler)[Vasquez's attack on San Francisco was sooo lame (hide spoiler)] but I enjoy the idea of allowing for room for this plot thread to continue in the future.
In the end, the romance ends up (view spoiler)[BONDING KALEB AND SAHARA IN THE PSY NET LIKE THEY'RE CHANGELINGS LMFAOOOO. OK! Sure! Go ahead and do that here too, I guess! Kaleb is just that fucking special! (hide spoiler)]
3 more books to go...and I was way too optimistic in hoping for a Vasic/Aden side romance, because apparently they have their own hetero romances in the next 2 books. ...more
This entry gave me so much of what I've been wanting in terms of moving the macro world plot forward, but the trade off was SO MUCH FILLER.
Adria and This entry gave me so much of what I've been wanting in terms of moving the macro world plot forward, but the trade off was SO MUCH FILLER.
Adria and Riaz's set up as a couple faced something that is an interesting question in this universe: Riaz found his mate, but she was already in love and married. Adria is not his mate, but they have a pull toward each other and eventually get together. So what does that mean, in the grand scheme of things?
Obviously they stay together because this is a romance after all, but I liked the questions it brought up about who fate picks and who they choose as their partners. Because Riaz is hurting about his mate, however, made his actions and the way he lashes out at Adria in the beginning INCREDIBLY AWFUL. I was mad, fuming at him, and he did not apologize anywhere near enough for my taste. They just let their hot flaming passion take the wheel. I did like that they both eventually came into the relationship being open about their hurt and their pasts, but that first tinge of rage at Riaz didn't really clear up for me. I loved Adria, though. Loved everything she was going through, loved how she decided to love herself and Riaz, loved her reintegrating into the pack, loved it all.
Ostensibly this is a book about Riaz and Adria. Both were living away from the Den and are reintegrating back into pack life so it makes sense that there is a LOT of pack stuff, but so much of it could have been cut. In this book, we: learn about the sea changeling consortium and an alliance starting to be brokered; catch up with the Human Alliance and what they've been up to; continue with Sascha & Co. and their project; follow the Arrows as they continue to do whatever weird shit they're doing and learn a LOT more about them; follow Kaleb as he continues to hunt whatever the fuck he's hunting; follow Hawke/Sienna as they adjust to being mated/talk about the future/deal with Sienna being targeted by Ming; learn Riley and Mercy are pregnant...it goes on and on.
(There was soooo so so much Sienna/Hawke and I have already made my feelings on that pairing known. Spoiler alert: this book continues to have the characters/narrative tell us that Sienna is soooo grown up and mature and strong for her age to be paired with the much older Hawke. Barf.)
I do love the world and pack and family building MUCH more than the romances, but wow there was so much in this. A lot of the extra world stuff could have been cut or some of it started two books ago. (Especially in Play of Passion where nothing else was happening.)
As for the ending with Kaleb...good thing I found out his book is next in the series because WHAAAAT THE FUUUUCKKKK IS GOING ON THERE???...more
Trying to sort my feelings on this entry in the series...on one hand, I haaaated the romance between Hawke and Sierra. On the other, it really kicks tTrying to sort my feelings on this entry in the series...on one hand, I haaaated the romance between Hawke and Sierra. On the other, it really kicks the war into gear and SO MUCH stuff happens on the macro plot level, which is the driving force behind why I'm still reading this series so voraciously.
No matter how much the narrative and every other character says Sienna is adult and mature and had to grow up fast, or that she can "handle" how alpha Hawke is, it doesn't change the fact that she's 19 pushing 20 and he's what, in his 30s? At the youngest? He became the pack alpha at 22, and it's taken a decade for the pack to stabilize, so he's 32 at LEAST. Add the dynamics of Sienna being a soldier in a pack where he's her alpha, and the Sexy Dominant Alpha Male trope that's the bread and butter of the romances, and it all gets gross for me.
Wild that Lara and Walker got their own mini romance plot in this...but I liked that a lot more than Hawke and Sienna. I suppose having more of a focus on Walker was important, in the end.
The reveal of Sienna's power and how it's "fixed" by the end...so that's a thing. It's going to be veeeery interesting seeing that come into play in the future.
Which leads me to THE MACRO PLOT!!! War is finally here, bitches! SO MUCH happened in terms of finally kick starting the war. The alliances that have been building up for the last 4-5 books have really come into play. It's wonderful seeing everything come together like this, and incredibly satisfying.
I died at the reveal that (view spoiler)[Alice fucking Eldridge was in cryogenic sleep and is alive now. WTF??? Would the 2nd manuscript have been TOO deus ex machina-ey for Sienna, so the author just decided to have Alice herself come back instead?? I'm so here for these wild-ass shenanigans. (hide spoiler)]
Loved all the pack interactions, and seeing the huge cast of characters I've grown to enjoy over these 10 books interact and come together to defend their home.
This was an okay installment in the series. The romance didn't do it for me, and unfortunately the larger macro plot didn't do much to advance the greThis was an okay installment in the series. The romance didn't do it for me, and unfortunately the larger macro plot didn't do much to advance the greater story. The only thing I really enjoyed in that area was the final meeting, (view spoiler)[where all of the San Francisco races finally realize they need to protect their area from the Scotts and Pure Psy. And Nikita!! WHEW. I'm so interested in where she's going as a character. (hide spoiler)]
As for the romance, meh. Drew and Indigo kept getting in their feelings about what they THOUGHT the other was thinking/feeling and it got very annoying, very quickly. Good for them in the end, I guess. ...more
The awful experience that was Blaze of Memory put me off this series for two months, but I'm glad to be jumping back in with a book that didn't disappThe awful experience that was Blaze of Memory put me off this series for two months, but I'm glad to be jumping back in with a book that didn't disappoint!
As I continue this series, I realize more and more that the overall way the romances are written are not what I'm here for. The world building and the macro plot that is slowly turning into an unavoidable avalanche ready to wreak havoc on the Psy-Changeling world is what I'm here for. This world is just so intriguing and I enjoy it immensely. The macro plot here got a ton of focus and it was SO GOOD. I NEED TO KNOW WTF IS GOING ON WITH KRYCHECK. DESPERATELY.
Thankfully, there was a much greater focus on the world and the macro plot versus the micro romance plot, because this romance was so-so. It was much better than Dev and Katya in Blaze of Memory, but the bar Dev set as a romantic hero was in hell so that's not saying much. I did appreciate that Max and Sophia very quickly figured out that they needed to be open with each other and approached their budding romance in that way; it avoided most of the grosser aspects of the dominant male/submissive female tropes in this series.
The next book seems to be a wolf/wolf romance, which I'm excited for. My favorite romances (aka where I've actually enjoyed the romance instead of suffering through it for the macro world plot) have been the ones where the men and women are on way more equal footing (Judd/Brenna, Riley/Mercy). ...more
What a huge improvement for me from the last book (still mad and grossed out by Dorian.), and a nice change of pace from the past couple of dominant mWhat a huge improvement for me from the last book (still mad and grossed out by Dorian.), and a nice change of pace from the past couple of dominant male/submissive female pairings. Hmm...Judd and Brenna have been my favorite couple so far, and are now joined by Riley and Mercy. Not surprising, since the dominant changeling/submissive woman pairings don't work as well for me.
The romance was great here, pitting Mercy's uncompromising dominant personality against Riley's dominant personality. There was a lot of headbutting, a lot of passion (like WHEW, these two), and a lot of struggling with how their pairing would work in terms of their working relationship as pack liaisons and with their own incredibly important roles in their own packs. The way it was worked out in the end was great, and other than a few hiccups here and there, I think this was nicely handled on both sides. There was the typical dominant male crap that's the bread and butter of the romances in this series, but Mercy held her own and wasn't a pushover.
As for the larger world plot...HELL YES. The macro story continues to grow, and Nalini Singh truly shines in the constant growth and expansion of this Psy-Changeling world. The alternating chapters that included various POVs from other characters in the larger plot were great. The constant machinations of all the Council members continues to delight, and I'm so obsessed with The Ghost. Who is he? Why would him breaking Silence (view spoiler)[break the entire PsyNet (hide spoiler)]?? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. Oh and Lucas and Sascha (view spoiler)[are pregnant! (hide spoiler)]
As for Hawke and (view spoiler)[Sienna...so, SO glad that the tension that was being seeded in the last few books is directly touched on here. She's too young for Hawke right now and that's explicitly stated, which I'm so glad to see. Sienna going off with Kit at the end of this one is going to prove to make for one intense book when I finally get to their story. I also LOVE that Sienna is getting some interesting story with her possibly(?) being an X-Psy...so much to mine there in terms of world building. Very exciting. (hide spoiler)]
On to book 7...I'm blowing through these on audio like they're candy....more
YOOOO THE OVERALL WORLD PLOT IS GETTING WILD I'M SO INTO THIS. (view spoiler)[FAITH'S DAD IS A NEW COUNCILOR? DOES CALEB KNOW HE'S PART OF THE REBELLIYOOOO THE OVERALL WORLD PLOT IS GETTING WILD I'M SO INTO THIS. (view spoiler)[FAITH'S DAD IS A NEW COUNCILOR? DOES CALEB KNOW HE'S PART OF THE REBELLION?? CALEB CONTROLS THE DARKMIND??? FUCK. SO MUCH IS GOING ON! (hide spoiler)]
Getting it out right away: every single one of the covers for this book have white washed Clay. Disappointed, but not surprised.
I really liked Clay and Talin, but there was one big aspect of this I didn't enjoy as much... (tw: sexual abuse) (view spoiler)[ Clay was mad at Talin for sleeping around AS A BROKEN, TRAUMATIZED TEEN/YOUNG ADULT WHEN HE WASN'T IN HER LIFE as if that was Talin cheating on him and he just accepted that and they moved on?? UUUGGGGHHHHHH. She was sexually abused as a child! She had trauma! SHE LITERALLY TELLS HIM AT TIMES SHE WASN'T EVEN AWARE SHE WAS SLEEPING WITH MEN BECAUSE SHE WAS IN DISSOCIATIVE FUGUE STATES THAT SHE DIDN'T REMEMBER AFTERWARD. SHE WOULD COME TO IN A STRANGE MAN'S BED. WHAT THE FUCK, CLAY. FUCK YOUR POSSESSIVE ALPHA LEOPARD BULLSHIT! (hide spoiler)] It ruined what I thought could have been a really great romance overall, but at least everything else about it was good - lots of push and pull and angst with the pair because their pasts left them with deep scars.
I also may or may not have screamed in realization when they figured out Talin's deal at the end. (I was in my car on my way to work this morning when I did, hopefully no other drivers saw me lose my shit.) I didn't see that coming, and it didn't feel like a random magical fix out of nowhere. It made sense! It hooked into an already established aspect of the DarkRiver world! It expanded on the history of the world as a whole! Damn, this series is good.
Judd is still a supremely unsexy name, but I loved Judd and Brenna together and the overall plot and world building is still so good and I didn't mindJudd is still a supremely unsexy name, but I loved Judd and Brenna together and the overall plot and world building is still so good and I didn't mind the romance in this one much as I did in Visions of Heat. In fact I think I was just as invested in Judd and Brenna's journey as I was in learning more about the world at large. Regarding the big romance roadblocks for them: (view spoiler)[how super great was it that Judd could figure out his power to such a level that he not only put a bullet-torn heart back together, but could also undo the Silence in his own mind? All that build up and worry from Brenna for the answer to be like half a day of him lying unconscious in the snow (dumbass, did you forget that cabin from earlier in the book??) to fix up his brain and IT'S ALL GOOD? The bond is there? Brenna can shift now?? OKAY! I like a HEA, but damn. I expected something different, I guess. (hide spoiler)]
I do want to note that I've really been enjoying Angela Dawe's narration. Thankfully, between my two library cards, I've had 0 wait time between audiobooks and she's killing it.
On to book four because this series has pulled me out of my reading slump with the delicious candy it is because I have SO MANY bigger plotty/world building questions....more
3.5 rounded up to 4 because I'm having a good time in this universe. The world building is SO GOOD, though the romance felt a little copy & paste from3.5 rounded up to 4 because I'm having a good time in this universe. The world building is SO GOOD, though the romance felt a little copy & paste from the first one. I also had issues with some of the start of the romance, particularly in the forced nature of it; the fact that Vaughn touching Faith a lot against her will is presented as a good thing to to break her barriers was icky all around.
Honestly, with these two I just skipped through most of the romance parts to get back to the plot. Though the romance bits I did listen through were pretty dang spicy. Nalini Singh knows how to write.
Onward! Loving this world so far. WHY WAS MY DUMB ASS EVER SO AGAINST THIS SERIES? ...more
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