A review by eesh25
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

4.0

This is the first novel is the very long Psy-Changeling series (I think there are at least 15 books). It's set in an alternate universe in which Psy (or psychics) and Changelings (people who can shapeshift into an animal) live in (kind of) harmony, along with humans. The Psy have various mind-related abilities (Telekinesis, Telepathy, Teleportation, etc.) while the Changelings are, you know, shapeshifters.

All Psy, from birth, are conditioned so that they don't feel any emotions and any Psy who does is unacceptable. Sascha is a Psy who does feel emotion. She's spent her entire life hiding it, but when she encounters a Changeling named Lucas Hunter, her careful facade threatens to come crashing down. For Lucas, he's wary of the Psy and her intentions and he needs to focus on getting information because there's a Psy killer on the loose who's torturing and killing Changeling females, and if he's not found soon, there may be a war between the two races.

Both Sascha and Lucas feel an attraction but they're wary of each other and have secrets. Their relationship is an interesting one. Despite the physical attraction, they have to slowly come to know each other and figure out whether they can be trusted. They're from different worlds and have been raised in very different environments.

The Psy world, without emotion, is very cold. It's all about strategy, opportunity and hard logic. The Changelings, while also plenty logical, are all about emotion, both positive and negative. They're harsh but not cold. They're straight-forward where the Psy are subtle and underhanded. I'm very happy with the world that the author has created. Usually, with Paranormal Romances, the world building is either minimal or rushed. In this case, the author took her time introducing us to different aspects. There are still many things we don't know. But having read the second book, I realized that instead of making the book feel info-dumpy, the author has decided to take us deeper into the world with every installment. I whole-heartedly approve of the method.

The writing in the book is really good. And unlike with the last two books I read by Nalini Singh ([b:Archangel's Kiss|6582637|Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2)|Nalini Singh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347971407s/6582637.jpg|6579113] and [b:Archangel's Consort|7307503|Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, #3)|Nalini Singh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348400766s/7307503.jpg|8758998]), I liked the pace and felt the story aspects to be well-distributed.

The one things that bothered me was the possessive/controlling nature that the Changeling men seem to have. They seem to constantly be trying to overrule the women's decision. And while the author did show us that men and women are equal, I would still appreciate it if the neanderthal-ness could be toned down a little.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I'm very interested in the world and I can't wait really immerse myself in it as the series progresses. I recommend checking it out.