Scan barcode
acesarrows's review against another edition
5.0
SWOON!
I heart Judd. Judd 4Eva. Team Judd.
(This book and [b:Shield of Winter|17159944|Shield of Winter (Psy-Changeling, #13)|Nalini Singh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384968780s/17159944.jpg|23584227] might be my two favourite books of this entire series).
I heart Judd. Judd 4Eva. Team Judd.
(This book and [b:Shield of Winter|17159944|Shield of Winter (Psy-Changeling, #13)|Nalini Singh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384968780s/17159944.jpg|23584227] might be my two favourite books of this entire series).
rissahoo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An enjoyable read with some significant holes. Like, Brenna is a wolf in name only - and I’m not talking about her difficulties with shifting. The wolf aspect of her character is so underdeveloped that I think she must have been originally written as non-changeling. And the evolution of Judd’s Tk-cell ability - how is it supposed to make sense to him or to us that 20th century psy never did anything with it but kill their spouses accidentally? Still, as I said, an enjoyable read. Judd and all three Kincaids are some of my favorite characters in this series - actually, The Ghost is another of my favorites too - so it’s kind of the book equivalent of an all-star cast as far as I’m concerned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse
kenziewol's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
mags_2's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
heabooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
This one is my 2nd favorite of the whole series and it’s the perfect mix of damaged and vulnerable characters, forbidden love, learning to trust, and finding the good in yourself.
I absolutely loved Judd Lauren; he was tough, brave, just damaged enough to keep him interesting but also incredibly sweet and gentle with Brenna. He knew when to push her and encourage her to be stronger but also when to hold her and comfort her. His past and upbringing were sad to read about and being a part of his journey to find the good in himself was beautiful to read. Judd only saw himself as a violent weapon that didn’t deserve happiness, but once he has Brenna in his life he knows he can’t give her up, but if he wants to keep her he’ll have to find a way to accept himself and his powers.
Brenna was also a great character who is struggling to find herself after her attack. Reading about her recovery was inspiring and at times heartbreaking. She was horribly hurt and violated and now that she’s back with her pack she just wants to be treated like the strong woman she used to be. I also loved how she never gave up on Judd and was willing to fight for him and accept him no matter what his past contained. As usual, Singh makes the reader feel a wide range of emotions and deftly guides the story through all of them.
We also got a more in-depth look at SnowDancer and it’s members. I look forward to reading about more of the wolves, especially Brenna’s brothers, Riley and Drew. Lucas is still my favorite Alpha but Hawke definitely piqued my interest. The structure and dynamics of the SnowDancers is similar but also very different from DarkRiver and I’m impressed at Singh’s ability to make each pack unique in its own ways while still maintaining the key tenants of the Changelings.
Content Warning: References to past torture, severe PTSD
I absolutely loved Judd Lauren; he was tough, brave, just damaged enough to keep him interesting but also incredibly sweet and gentle with Brenna. He knew when to push her and encourage her to be stronger but also when to hold her and comfort her. His past and upbringing were sad to read about and being a part of his journey to find the good in himself was beautiful to read. Judd only saw himself as a violent weapon that didn’t deserve happiness, but once he has Brenna in his life he knows he can’t give her up, but if he wants to keep her he’ll have to find a way to accept himself and his powers.
Brenna was also a great character who is struggling to find herself after her attack. Reading about her recovery was inspiring and at times heartbreaking. She was horribly hurt and violated and now that she’s back with her pack she just wants to be treated like the strong woman she used to be. I also loved how she never gave up on Judd and was willing to fight for him and accept him no matter what his past contained. As usual, Singh makes the reader feel a wide range of emotions and deftly guides the story through all of them.
We also got a more in-depth look at SnowDancer and it’s members. I look forward to reading about more of the wolves, especially Brenna’s brothers, Riley and Drew. Lucas is still my favorite Alpha but Hawke definitely piqued my interest. The structure and dynamics of the SnowDancers is similar but also very different from DarkRiver and I’m impressed at Singh’s ability to make each pack unique in its own ways while still maintaining the key tenants of the Changelings.
Content Warning: References to past torture, severe PTSD
lindoforbes's review against another edition
emotional
medium-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
kzelak's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
Where the last two books had Changeling male protagonist, with the whole alpha-male thing going on, and Psy female protagonist, this one is the opposite. Which is a very good thing because we don't want to get repetitive.
The story follows Brenna, who was saved from a psychotic serial killer after she was tortured for days and is now learning to adjust to normal life once more, and Judd Lauren, one of the Psy who are in hiding from their Council after their entire family was given what is basically a death sentence, for no fucking reason. Brenna likes Judd and would like him to feel the same way. Judd is afraid that if he breaks conditioning and starts to feel, he'll turn into a psychotic killer thanks to his very specific skill set.
In between their relationship problems, we have the Psy council trying to eliminate both the wolf and leopard packs and there's a serial killer gunning for Brenna. And Brenna, who is totally not a psychic, is having weird visions.
So yeah, a lot of stuff is going on. And that kind of didn't work in the book's favour. But more on that later.
First, we got even more info about the Silence, when it came into play, the process behind it, how kids are conditioned and the Council's newest evil plans. Seriously, the council is hella interesting but so completely evil that the "good" member would be the one who only murdered for political gain and power plays. Don't even get me started on the bad ones. And that new guy, Krychek, I have no idea what to make of him. Except that he's really smart. And then we have the rebel who's going by the name "the ghost" which makes the whole things even more curious. Basically, the overall plot of the series is great.
And in this case, the book's plot is really good as well. Both Brenna and Judd are great characters and the problems in their relationship are genuine. Brenna, despite being awesome and strong, is still struggling with what was done to her. And Judd is totally not kidding about the possibility of him turning into a murderer if he breaks conditioning. He didn't his research.
I loved their relationship and how there was effort to make the relationship work, on both parts.
Where I had problems was the pace. For one, the book had a lot going on and the various tangents felt like they were not entirely necessary and were stretching the novel. And there were fillers between different major events that stretched it even more, making the book fell very long. That's my only complaint. And that little thing that happened with Brenna in the epilogue.
Overall, this was a really good installment and I'm super happy with it. Totally the best book in the series so far.