Monday, June 9, 2014

Review: Shield of Winter

SHIELD OF WINTER
Psy-Changeling #13
Nalini Singh
Adult Paranormal Romance
448 Pages
Berkley Romance
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Assassin. Soldier. Arrow. That is who Vasic is, who he will always be. His soul drenched in blood, his conscience heavy with the weight of all he’s done, he exists in the shadows, far from the hope his people can almost touch—if only they do not first drown in the murderous insanity of a lethal contagion. To stop the wave of death, Vasic must complete the simplest and most difficult mission of his life.

For if the Psy race is to survive, the empaths must wake…

Having rebuilt her life after medical “treatment” that violated her mind and sought to stifle her abilities, Ivy should have run from the black-clad Arrow with eyes of winter frost. But Ivy Jane has never done what she should. Now, she'll fight for her people, and for this Arrow who stands as her living shield, yet believes he is beyond redemption. But as the world turns to screaming crimson, even Ivy’s fierce will may not be enough to save Vasic from the cold darkness…


MY THOUGHTS
Shield of Winter is the thirteenth installment of Nalini Singh’s brilliant Psy-Changeling series, one that follows up the emotionally gripping and long-awaited story of Councilor Kaleb Krychek with that of an equally ice cold and lethal Arrow. As is often the case with books that come after a particularly captivating predecessor, Shield of Winter suffers just a touch in comparison, Vasic similar to Kaleb in enough ways that we can’t help but feel the utter familiarity of the romance’s overall progression. The slow thaw of Vasic’s rigid conditioning once he meets Ivy echoes that of Kaleb’s even though the relationships themselves are quite different, leaving us a bit more on the outside looking in than we were with Kaleb in Shield of Obsidian. That being said however, Ms. Singh on the whole never disappoints, and even with the similarities between the heroes of this book and the one before, entertains with every page as pivotal game-changing events unfold.

Ivy is a classic Nalini Singh heroine, full of a fire and steel that challenges the difficult man in her life at every turn. She’s a delightful combination of shy and bold, hesitant around Vasic in the beginning but never afraid, and once she spends a bit more time with him she's the one to make the first charming (and mortifying) move. Vasic, as mentioned previously, is as cold as his Arrow training demanded he be, simply existing day to day until the moment when the experimental gauntlet fused to his arm will inevitably malfunction and take him out in a fiery blaze of glory. He has little hope that life has anything good left to offer him, so it’s nothing short of satisfying to watch as Ivy acts as a lighthouse that guides his broken and battered ship home.

The highlight of this story (aside from Ivy’s dog Rabbit who has a delightfully starring role) has to be the sexual innocence of both Ivy and Vasic, and the sweet awkwardness that results when they finally decide to explore the attraction between them. As both Ivy and Vasic are Psy–having had their emotions stripped from them in the most brutal way possible in their youth and taught again and again that physical touch is to be avoided at all costs–they’re both adorably unsure of themselves when it comes to intimacy, with Vasic repeatedly consulting a variety of manuals to help him figure out what to do. He also has the hilarious tendency, as a teleporter, to lose control of his ability in sexual moments, relocating them all over the world and back again in a matter of minutes. With so many romance novels featuring love scenes consisting of virile men exhibiting unheard of levels of sexual prowess and skill, the cute fumblings and open honesty between Ivy and Vasic as they talk about their wants and needs together is a breath of fresh air.

Though Vasic and Ivy are the prominent couple in this story, it’s very much an ensemble book (more so than many of the previous installments), the length of it granting us time with beloved characters as well as those who we can only hope will have their own books in the future. Overall Shield of Winter, while not as strong as Heart of Obsidian, is still a highly enjoyable addition to the Psy-Changeling series, leaving us with the landscape of the PsyNet irrevocably altered and a door for what are sure to be interesting developments in future books wide open.

Rating: 4/5
 

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

29 comments:

  1. Want, I should remind my friend who has them all ;)

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  2. I haven't read anything by Nalini Singh yet, but I've heard some great things about her books. I love the sound of the couple in this book. Typically, in UF books you have the bold and sexually confident characters, so it's quite interesting and refreshing that the couple in this book are more innocent. I need to try this series! You've definitely convinced me! :)
    Lovely review!

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    1. I hope you give her a try one day Nick! She writes really amazing characters who will make you fall madly in love with them:) I adore both this series and her Guild Hunter series.

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  3. wow it's already book 13? *sighs* I'm soooooo behind!!!! Yes because I need to read book 4 or 3 LOL yeah that behind. I'm glad you had a good time with it. Great review!

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    1. I know, there are a lot of books. BUT each book is a different couple, so could pick and choose if you wanted. The later books need to be read more in order than the early books, so you could start with book one and then wander around in the middle until you got to the later books:)

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  4. I'm glad that Shield of Winter was an enjoyable read. It's always hard to follow up on an excellant book, but it sounds like this one manage well. I would love to start this series someday. *sigh* I've read her Guild Hunter series and really like those! I imagine I would need to start at book one?? Wonderful review, Jenny :)

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    1. YAY! I love her Guild Hunter series too. Raphael is, ahem, something else:) I think you'd really like her Psy and Changeling men too!

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  5. I haven't picked up this series by Singh since her Guild Hunter (is that the title??) series didn't work well for me, but I'm definitely curious about these and am going to bump them up my TBR. Fantastic review, Jenny!

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    1. Yes, her Guild Hunter books are the angel books. Hope you give this series a try!

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  6. Well, I'm kinda left wondering if any of these books can be read as more or less standalones? Because I don't think I have the free time to start reading 12 more books to get to this one!! O_o *eyes TBR list* But you've made this book sound so great, and I do trust your taste a lot, Jenny, so maybe I'll just read this one?? Damn, I dunno!

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    1. They can for sure Pili! The earlier books more so than these later ones though. I would start with book one for sure so you get a feel for the world, but then you could pick and choose a bit in the middle. This couple you would understand with no problem, but the other characters (who've already had books) and the issues with the PsyNet would be a challenge I think without having any kind of foundation.

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    2. Thank you, Jenny! I think I'll probably read book 1 & 2 and then read this one!

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  7. VERY hard to follow up Shield of Obsidian (OMG. Weak in the knees just thinking about it) but Shield of Winter was (of course) awesome. Like you, I'd give it four stars for sure. I loved the innocence between them -- not something I expected but I certainly appreciated it.

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    1. Yes! Same. I thought Vasic was adorable with all his teleporting at inopportune moments. I read this back to back with Heart of Obsidian, so I think two ice cold Psy heroes was a tiny bit much for me, but if I'd waited in between books the similarities wouldn't have been as obvious.

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  8. "Vasic repeatedly consulting a variety of manuals to help him figure out what to do." Lolz. This is a book that I should have already read, but I've been putting it off b/c as Mary pointed out--VERY hard to follow Kaleb Krychek. BUT I'm feeling hopeful now. Great review, Jenny!

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    1. LOVED KALEB! Vasic held his own though, he just had a really high bar to try and meet:)

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  9. I may be in the minority, Jenny, but I really struggled with Kaleb's book. I hard time warming up to him and take him seriously as a love interest (esp. the virile male you mentioned), but I'm curious to learn more about Vasic. I really like this series and I hope we get back to the Changelings soon. I adore the Snow pack. :)

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    1. That's okay Rummanah! The books with Psy heroes are always more of a challenge for me than the Changeling ones, I just like the warmer more tactile nature of them, but I did love Kaleb. I have a thing for dark and damaged:)

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  10. It does say something that after 13 books you can still rate this one 4 stars. Can you believe I have never tried this series Jenny?

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    1. I know 13 books is an intimidating number Ali, but you should definitely try book one at some point and see what you think! You at least have to meet Hawke. I couldn't love him more. His book isn't until later (lots of heartbreaking buildup), but you meet him in book one:)

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  11. Whoa! You and Mary with your long standing series. Though this one is companions, correct? Those are much more manageable for me. It's hard when the previous book was better, but it sounds like you enjoyed this. And I love getting a chance to see previous characters. I love how you describe the romance and vulnerability between these two. But I have a very long want to go if I'm to get to this book! Great review.

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    1. Sent you an email! Yes, each book is a different couple, which keeps a series fresh for me. Love these books so much!

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  12. Oh sure... tell me the dog has a starring role! You knew that would get me. ;) Oh man WHY haven't I started it? I do want to do this series from the beginning. Yes, you hear correct... in order. *gets Jenny some smelling salts* :D

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  13. Wow...another great review for a book that is part of a huge series! I have commitment issues! lol

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  14. I don't think I understand much from about this story as this is the first time I see the series. And holy macaroni- 13 sequels. Now that's a bit too much. I'm really glad that you still enjoy this story even after that many sequels. That tells a lot. Great review, Jenny :)

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  15. Still going strong on book thirteen! I know you are big fan of this series and I need to try it, but I am always leery to start a series this far along. I guess I just need to give it a whirl!

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  16. I'm glad you are still enjoying these! This is one series I haven't read yet but if you like them then it's one I probably would enjoy as well!

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  17. I, of course, haven't even finished the Guild Hunter series so I haven't started this one yet. Book 13, I will never get there!! Sorry it suffered a little, but glad that Book 12 was so awesome! lol

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