Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Allegiance of Honour by Nalini Singh

1 review

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-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

3.0

 
Y'all. I did it. What started as an impulse vacation read turned paranormal romance binge (to address being in a "meh' end of year mood) that ended with me being totally (and unexpectedly) invested in this series. And, fifteen books later, I have finished! I feel weirdly accomplished. This was by no means a strenuous reading experience, as the novels were all fast and easy reads, escapist to the extreme for me. But it was a three-ish month project, which is a legit time investment. 
 
This was a consummate wrap-up story. The first of the series that did not have a specific focal couple, but instead gave us final visits with the majority of the pairs that we'd met throughout the series. Although, to be fair, there were scattered letters from the past years that Father Xavier had written to his lost love, Nina, and we do get to see the way that couple's story ends (or re-begins, if you will) so I guess you could argue them as, if not a centerpiece, a connecting thread. Otherwise, we check in and get status reports, essentially, for many, along with a number of inter-species and intra-PsyNet concerns popping up that add that little bit of plot-structure/intrigue to this book, but mostly set up the primary conflicts for the next “season” in this series. 
 
I can’t say that this was a particular favorite of mine, of the fifteen, but it’s also one of those books that I am really glad was written and that I had a chance to read. It was almost like a really elongated epilogue, tying things up for us as readers, primarily with character/relationship details, and I am really satisfied by the chance to get that. This is a pretty big reading investment and I would have been frustrated to be left with loose ends, etc. I know myself. So, here we are. We get a big dose of Lucas and Sascha and baby Naya, which makes sense, as they began it all and, with Naya, have become a focal point for all species-mixing dissidents post-Silence. Seeing Lucas take lead on Trinity both makes sense and feels right. And while it’s all surface-level, because this is a “for fun” series, not a real political treatise series, there was some good and interesting discussion about the best ways to make the cooperation successful long term. I also, surprisingly, was into the insight we get into Nikita here – she ended up being a really compelling character. 
 
In addition, we get a culminating look at how far the DarkRiver/SnowDancer Alliance has come, which was super cool to see. It’s a case of having been inside something so long, you forget how it started – there really was a lot of development. And, with that, considering the adoptions of so many others into the pack(s) as mates, there is a real show of how interconnected they have all become. The many relationships and communications and trust that have formed over the years was kinda impressive in scope. Seeing it all come together in the end with the celebration for Mercy and Riley’s pupcubs was, if not high literature or writing genius, quite gratifying. (There were a couple moments during said party, one with Walker/Lara and one with Kaleb that most definitely had me tearing up – I’m emotional, #sorrynotsorry). 
 
Finally, the couple storyline/character integrations and introductions that show where the series might be headed next, in addition to the politics around Trinity. There is a major focus on the continued absence of the many kidnapped BlackSea pack members, as well as the cooperation from Human Alliance and Arrows to find them. There is the natural focus on Naya as a symbol – to be used/destroyed, mostly. There is more info given about some new Psy powers, like the Mercant family and Pax Marshall, as well as a new threat to the fabric of the PsyNet. There is more page time for the changeling pack we met in Aden/Zaira’s story, as well as some great cooperation (that we will hopefully see more of) between the Arrows and the Forgotten. 
 
Honestly, I can’t say I am not interested in reading more and seeing where this series/world goes from here. I was, have been, impressed with how much character development and world-building I ended up getting from what I figured would mostly be standalone romances. Although sometimes that meant the romance ended up second seat to the plot/drama, I was invested enough by that point to want to know what happens regardless. (And while there was a lot more death/violence/trauma than I had been expecting, I settled into that as a reader eventually as well.) However, I also am at a point where I am satisfied with where everything has been left and I think it’s a good time for a break from this and to get into other books/series (or romances that retain a little more steam, since there’s less extraneous stuff going on). But the next arc of this series will remain on my radar when I am looking for my next escapist binge. 
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