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afoolsingenuity's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
Honestly, my feelings on this book are partially shaded my opinions as I was feeling like I was in a slump when reading so didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. But I think I also struggled because this new series involves new packs I’m not familiar with and so I’m no as connected as everything is new again. I understood the structure of the wolf and leopard pack but not this new one and I felt it. I struggled to feel connected with the story because I didn’t get the pack structure and how it all worked. Also I’d liked the bears and thought we’d see more of them.
That being said I did enjoy seeing more of the Human Alliance, I would have liked more of the inner workings. I wanted more of the mystery of the consortium too and that didn’t come until later but oh well.
That being said I did enjoy seeing more of the Human Alliance, I would have liked more of the inner workings. I wanted more of the mystery of the consortium too and that didn’t come until later but oh well.
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
This review assumes you've read the previous books in the series. There will be unavoidable spoilers for the previous story arc
Ever since it was discovered that the chip some humans had implanted in order to prevent Psy mind invasion has an expiration date, Bowen Knight, leader of the Human Alliance, has been searching for a fix. Unfortunately, being a prominent figure, he didn't get very far before he was targeted by those opposed to the Trinity Accords and what they stand for.
Saved by the changelings of BlackSea, Bo seemingly gets another chance at life, albeit in the form of an experiment. Bo agrees to let the BlackSea scientists study the implant and see if they can figure out a way to keep it from self-destruction. Luckily he's protected under the guise of lab rat, because when proof surfaces that the Human Alliance might be behind the vanishings that have been happening within BlackSea he's quickly considered persona non grata especially by Kaia Luna who's childhood friend has recently become one of the missing which reminds her of the similar loss of her parents at a young age, and hurts her deep within her soul.
However much Kaia wants to keep her impressions of Bo restricted to that of enemy, she can't help also being drawn to him. As she gets to know him, she begins to realize that he would never be a part of such a heinous plot. What also becomes clear is that there is a traitor somewhere in their midst, and with time counting down on Bo's chip remaining viable, they'll have to work fast.
Ocean Light is the second book in Nalini Singh's new story arc within her Psy-Changeling world and we finally get a BlackSea changeling book! I have been waiting and waiting for a BlackSea book since they were first introduced what feels like eons ago and Nalini Singh also took this opportunity to tie up some of the more pervasive story threads that have been running in the background for quite a few books now. Namely, the vanishings within BlackSea and the human mind chip malfunctions.
I felt like Ocean Light took the opportunity to resolve and / or make a big headway in resolving these things without adding extra layers as previous books in this series have done. For example, the vanishings themselves were a side story in a previous book (I'm sorry I can't recall which book at this time) in the series, but there's really none of that here. Instead the focus remains on the missing changelings and trying to figure out a way to help the humans with the implants, which also intertwines Kaia and Bo's own stories as they are effected by what's going on.
While I enjoyed the story overall, I found it took me a little bit longer to get into it than previous books. I don't know if it was the more sedate feeling pacing - despite Bo's brain being on a countdown - with much of the solving of the mystery happening closer to the end, or the fact that it takes Kaia a little bit to fully open herself up to Bo that had me taking my time with it. There's so much dedicated time to BlackSea, I almost felt like other pressing matters (i.e. The Consortium) in the Psy-Changeling world fell away for the moment.
Regardless, I loved that most of the action takes place in BlackSea. It really hits home how different BlackSea's world is even from other changeling groups. The sea below is so vast and unknown. I feel like we've only broken the surface of this changeling group and I hope Nalini Singh doesn't make us wait too long before we get to revisit them.
It's been awhile since we've had a human and changeling pairing, but I felt like Kaia and Bo really embodied the world this series has become after everything that happened in the first story arc now with the start of the new trilogy. I don't want to say too much more because Nalini Singh takes her time developing these characters, especially Kaia, but I really loved their romance. It felt really different from what I'm used to reading in this series, yet it's still incontrovertibly the Psy-Changeling world.
As I said, I hope this book is a starting off point to get even more stories about BlackSea. Like with DarkRiver and SnowDancer, there are secondary characters who beg to have their own stories revealed, and as I said, the sea is so vast. Plus, there are some undeniable repercussions I can see arising from events in this book, I can't wait to see where we go next!
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ever since it was discovered that the chip some humans had implanted in order to prevent Psy mind invasion has an expiration date, Bowen Knight, leader of the Human Alliance, has been searching for a fix. Unfortunately, being a prominent figure, he didn't get very far before he was targeted by those opposed to the Trinity Accords and what they stand for.
Saved by the changelings of BlackSea, Bo seemingly gets another chance at life, albeit in the form of an experiment. Bo agrees to let the BlackSea scientists study the implant and see if they can figure out a way to keep it from self-destruction. Luckily he's protected under the guise of lab rat, because when proof surfaces that the Human Alliance might be behind the vanishings that have been happening within BlackSea he's quickly considered persona non grata especially by Kaia Luna who's childhood friend has recently become one of the missing which reminds her of the similar loss of her parents at a young age, and hurts her deep within her soul.
However much Kaia wants to keep her impressions of Bo restricted to that of enemy, she can't help also being drawn to him. As she gets to know him, she begins to realize that he would never be a part of such a heinous plot. What also becomes clear is that there is a traitor somewhere in their midst, and with time counting down on Bo's chip remaining viable, they'll have to work fast.
Ocean Light is the second book in Nalini Singh's new story arc within her Psy-Changeling world and we finally get a BlackSea changeling book! I have been waiting and waiting for a BlackSea book since they were first introduced what feels like eons ago and Nalini Singh also took this opportunity to tie up some of the more pervasive story threads that have been running in the background for quite a few books now. Namely, the vanishings within BlackSea and the human mind chip malfunctions.
I felt like Ocean Light took the opportunity to resolve and / or make a big headway in resolving these things without adding extra layers as previous books in this series have done. For example, the vanishings themselves were a side story in a previous book (I'm sorry I can't recall which book at this time) in the series, but there's really none of that here. Instead the focus remains on the missing changelings and trying to figure out a way to help the humans with the implants, which also intertwines Kaia and Bo's own stories as they are effected by what's going on.
While I enjoyed the story overall, I found it took me a little bit longer to get into it than previous books. I don't know if it was the more sedate feeling pacing - despite Bo's brain being on a countdown - with much of the solving of the mystery happening closer to the end, or the fact that it takes Kaia a little bit to fully open herself up to Bo that had me taking my time with it. There's so much dedicated time to BlackSea, I almost felt like other pressing matters (i.e. The Consortium) in the Psy-Changeling world fell away for the moment.
Regardless, I loved that most of the action takes place in BlackSea. It really hits home how different BlackSea's world is even from other changeling groups. The sea below is so vast and unknown. I feel like we've only broken the surface of this changeling group and I hope Nalini Singh doesn't make us wait too long before we get to revisit them.
It's been awhile since we've had a human and changeling pairing, but I felt like Kaia and Bo really embodied the world this series has become after everything that happened in the first story arc now with the start of the new trilogy. I don't want to say too much more because Nalini Singh takes her time developing these characters, especially Kaia, but I really loved their romance. It felt really different from what I'm used to reading in this series, yet it's still incontrovertibly the Psy-Changeling world.
As I said, I hope this book is a starting off point to get even more stories about BlackSea. Like with DarkRiver and SnowDancer, there are secondary characters who beg to have their own stories revealed, and as I said, the sea is so vast. Plus, there are some undeniable repercussions I can see arising from events in this book, I can't wait to see where we go next!
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
khardan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
maggpiebymoonlight's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ekateclark's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
indecisivesailorscout's review against another edition
3.0
2nd read, 5/8/20: I'm in that weird place with this book where I feel like I enjoyed it more the second time around, but I am also knocking it down to 3 stars because everything I already said still applies. I'm not wild about instalove, but I did enjoy the exploration of the BlackSea changelings. The biggest thing is still the complete lack of plot. It's just all Bowen. Which is...fine. But I wanted more Consortium. Just something...more than what we got.
1st read, 11/18/18: Weaker than the last few novels by a landslide. I'm glad to see Bowen happy, but we're no closer to figuring out why the BlackSea changelings have been kidnapped, what the Consortium has plans for next, and how they're going to fix the issue of adding humans into the PsyNet. All of these things were studiously ignored in favor of the burgeoning romance and the issue behind the chip in Bowen's head until the last 30 pages, and even that was a weak effort. The only reason this book gets four stars is because Nalini is a great writer who hooks you in deep with the romance stories she spins. But the plot! THE PLOT. I miss it and I wish it would surface sometime soon...
1st read, 11/18/18: Weaker than the last few novels by a landslide. I'm glad to see Bowen happy, but we're no closer to figuring out why the BlackSea changelings have been kidnapped, what the Consortium has plans for next, and how they're going to fix the issue of adding humans into the PsyNet. All of these things were studiously ignored in favor of the burgeoning romance and the issue behind the chip in Bowen's head until the last 30 pages, and even that was a weak effort. The only reason this book gets four stars is because Nalini is a great writer who hooks you in deep with the romance stories she spins. But the plot! THE PLOT. I miss it and I wish it would surface sometime soon...
alejandra_guerrero's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Nothing happens, at all. Not with them, not with the rest of the world. Most of this takes place inside an underwater compound, so even the setting is boring. I got sick of the retcons and the repetitive plot points of “he/she is hiding something” only for that something to be quite underwhelming. Like how at the beginning the author tried to get people to think Bo had killed changelings (or ordered them killed), but she forgot the characterization she did of him. Bo might have questionable morals, but he’s not stupid.So it was extremely obvious to any reader with two neurons to rub together that someone else was trying to frame him (especially people who have followed the series from the start, which at this point it’s most of us). And she keeps retconning about the mating bond and mates in general since the Riaz fiasco.
Another thing that bothered me was the secretiveness of BlackSea. They hide things to an absurd extent. To the point of them being changelings having no impact on the plot whatsoever, since they rarely change, they don't Say what animal they are, and they overplay the generic changeling Nature to the extreme. They show nothing that sets them apart from humans. It would have been a better story if it had taken place within the Alliance; the “Big mystery” subplot (which isn’t a mystery at all, it’s painfully obvious from the start) is with them, after all. And at least the location wouldn’t be so boring.
I won’t be reading anymore of this series, Bo was the last character I wanted to read about, and it was underwhelming, to say the least. As I seem to have said about the last three installments of this series, he deserved better.
romancejunkie1025's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Cried so much but loved every second of this fast and deep romance. Can't wait to see them interacting in future books.
kate_and_books's review against another edition
5.0
Reading Ocean Light the second time around I stand by my first rating of 4.5 Stars
Bowen Knight leader of the Alliance and a descendant of Adrian Kenner has a chip implanted in his head to stop the Psy from raping him as do many other humans as well however the chip is failing. To save his sister Lily he also steps in front of a bullet for her.
He is taken to BlackSea to try experimental treatment for the chip after waking up with a mechanical heart he meets Kaia Luna, the chef of the underground station.
Bowen was a bit of a wild card for me as his motives and as a character were hard to grasp however I liked him a lot more than I thought I would.
Kaia Luna doesn't want to be attracted to Bowen but when the mating bound is involved it is hard to deny. Kaia has a huge heart and loves deeply but she needs to put the past behind her to have a future.
By reading the book again I totally forgot some of the things that happened so the refresh was good.
They both have demons to fight and an enemy that is taking BlackSea changelings. I love NS as a PNR author and I just love this series. Action packed, a lot of fun and just great to read.
Bowen Knight leader of the Alliance and a descendant of Adrian Kenner has a chip implanted in his head to stop the Psy from raping him as do many other humans as well however the chip is failing. To save his sister Lily he also steps in front of a bullet for her.
He is taken to BlackSea to try experimental treatment for the chip after waking up with a mechanical heart he meets Kaia Luna, the chef of the underground station.
Bowen was a bit of a wild card for me as his motives and as a character were hard to grasp however I liked him a lot more than I thought I would.
Kaia Luna doesn't want to be attracted to Bowen but when the mating bound is involved it is hard to deny. Kaia has a huge heart and loves deeply but she needs to put the past behind her to have a future.
By reading the book again I totally forgot some of the things that happened so the refresh was good.
They both have demons to fight and an enemy that is taking BlackSea changelings. I love NS as a PNR author and I just love this series. Action packed, a lot of fun and just great to read.