Twins Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev of the StoneWater bear changeling clan have been an inseparable unit since birth, but now their lives are moving in different directions.
Pavel is in the mating dance with Arwen Mercant, the only man to ever bring him to his knees. A Psy empath, Arwen is free to feel emotion now that Silence has fallen. While he is free to love in the open now, it doesn’t come easy. Pavel walks a fine line in loving Arwen, careful not to push him too far, too fast.
Another pair of twins, Pax and Theodora Marshall, have a bond with a far darker history. A low-Gradient Psy, Theo is considered worthless by everyone but her violently powerful and loyal brother, Pax. She is the only person he trusts to investigate a hidden and terrible part of their family history—an unregistered rehabilitation Center established by their grandfather.
The Centers, places of unimaginable pain designed to psychically wipe minds, are an ugly remnant of the Psy race’s Silent past. And now Theo must uncover the awful truth of this secret Center alongside Yakov, who certainly doesn’t trust her. Especially considering that Theo has been haunting his dreams since he was sixteen…
Yakov is the great-grandson of a foreseer and he’s already seen Theo’s death. The question is how can he stop it?
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Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader's copy from Berkley, an imprint of HarperCollins, via Penguin Random House. The following thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. Spoilers below. Read at your own risk.
I've been a fan of Nalini Singh and her Psy-Changling series for a long time. Writing is not easy, especially when writing a series. Keeping the story fresh while incorporating a full cast of characters is a juggling act that I think Nalini is very good at.
This book is a little different from previous Psy-Changeling-Trinity books. We're back with the StoneWater Bears! Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev with their love interests Arwen Mercant and Theodora Marshall, respectively. Since the book features two couples, there is alternating POV. I like alternative POVs because we see the world from that character's perspective. We see other characters that add context to the current state of the world, especially since the creation of the island on the PsyNet created by Ivan Mercant (see Storm Echo). Due to having a F-Psy ancestor, Pavel and Yakov have heightened psychic senses. Since he was sixteen, Yakov has been dreaming of Theo, however, the dreams stopped. It was only until recently that he started to have dreams of an adult Theo and her subsequent death. It certainly doesn't help that there is a serial killer running around Moscow killing women with similar hair and coloring to Theo.
The Marshall Group was something I wondered about. Lead by Pax Marshall, following the assassination of Councilor Marshall Hyde, the Marshall Group is a nest of vipers despite their adherence to Silence. Pax Marshall, is presented as a typical Psy with Silent guards, but he cares for his twin sister, Theo. I appreciated the bond between brother and sister, especially since they're twins. Pax is waging battles on all fronts, within the family and in the business world. If that wasn't hard enough, he also has Scarab Syndrome. He's a ticking time bomb. He's mentioned throughout the book and has interactions with several characters, but the scene at the end of the book makes me nervous for the future of the Psy-Changeling universe.
Back to the main couples, the romance between Yakov and Theo was quickly established. The whiplash I got from how quickly this pair got together was something else. I thought their relationship progressed too fast, but at the same time, I understand that Yakov's "known" her for some time. The initial wariness between Yakov and Theo quickly turned into a tenuous partnership and genuine affection. Moving on to the other couple: in previous books, Arwen and Pavel have been dating, but in this book, it's established that same-sex mating bonds is possible (I cannot remember if same-sex mating bonds were previously established). Nalini has written many books and all of them have featured a male-female hetero main couple. It wasn't until recently that she wrote about the relations of same-sex couples (e.g. Aodhan and Illium) and even then, it focused more on the emotional aspect of their relationship. I assume Nalini Singh is cis-het so it makes sense for her to not delve too deeply into the sexual aspect of a same-sex couple's relationship. Her same-sex characters' interactions with each other portrays deep intimacy through other physical means, rather than just sex. Sex scenes that do occur on paper are generalized and focuses more on the emotional connection, rather than the physical.
The plot of this story was decent enough. Theo is investigating an unregistered rehabilitation Center established by her grandfather, Marshall Hyde. Little tidbits from other Psy-Changeling books portrayed Marshall Hyde as an incredibly cruel and sadistic Psy, despite the facade of Silence. We learn in this book that he funded several rehabilitation Centers to have a supply of guinea pigs for mind-altering experiments. Following his death and Pax's bid for control of the Marshall Group, the discovery of the disclosed and undisclosed rehab centers got the ball rolling as more and more of Marshall Hyde's depravity and cruelty is revealed. Overall, this book was a solid continuation of the Psy-Changeling universe.
4 stars
About the Author
Photo Credit: Author's Website
Nalini Singh is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling, Guild Hunter, and Rock Kiss series. She lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing.
If you’d like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts and free short stories on her website. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, while Angels’ Blood is the first book in the Guild Hunter series. The Rock Kiss books are all stand alone and can be read in any order.
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