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A review by tani
Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh
3.0
When Dev, leader of the Forgotten, finds a battered and amnesiac Psy on his doorstep, it's a foregone conclusion that it's a trap. The wise choice would be to kill her immediately, and let nothing threaten the people that he leads. However, there's something about her, something that calls out to him, despite his attempts to leave his emotions behind. Perhaps, instead, he can use her to gain more information on the Psy and whatever they're planning next. Anything to protect his people, after all. He can always kill her later, once he finds out whatever she knows...
This book takes a bit of a sidestep from the Changelings, and instead features Dev and Katya, two characters that have made only passing appearances in previous books. I wasn't sure what to expect from that change of pace, and it turns out, I got a romance that just didn't work that well for me. Dev is only our second hero who isn't a Changeling, and that difference made some of the quirks of Singh's storytelling really stand out to me. I can grant that a Changeling would be possessive. I could even grant that Judd would be as well, given his past. But with Dev, it just grated on me the wrong way. He was too alpha, and without the excuse of any kind of mating bond. Plus, given the uncertainty of the whole situation, the way he was hot and cold with Katya really bothered me. So, my enjoyment of the book definitely suffered thanks to that failure.
On the other hand, I did really like Katya as a protagonist. She's resourceful and determined, but also terribly wounded and vulnerable, and I was definitely rooting for her all along. I wasn't really sure what to expect from her, but she absolutely exceeded my expectations. I hope we get to see much more of her in future books because I will certainly miss her sharp mind and emotional depth.
The book also does quite a bit to deepen the history of the series, explaining in much more depth the origins of Silence, the price that was paid for it, and the reason that so many were willing to pay that price. I appreciate the way that there are no easy answers here. The Forgotten resistance has not been easy, and that is certainly highlighted in this book. In fact, the Forgotten still debate whether they did the right thing, and whether they should follow in the path of the pure Psy. I felt like the complexity of the world-building was really on display in this book, and I am excited to see where that goes in the rest of the series.
This book takes a bit of a sidestep from the Changelings, and instead features Dev and Katya, two characters that have made only passing appearances in previous books. I wasn't sure what to expect from that change of pace, and it turns out, I got a romance that just didn't work that well for me. Dev is only our second hero who isn't a Changeling, and that difference made some of the quirks of Singh's storytelling really stand out to me. I can grant that a Changeling would be possessive. I could even grant that Judd would be as well, given his past. But with Dev, it just grated on me the wrong way. He was too alpha, and without the excuse of any kind of mating bond. Plus, given the uncertainty of the whole situation, the way he was hot and cold with Katya really bothered me. So, my enjoyment of the book definitely suffered thanks to that failure.
On the other hand, I did really like Katya as a protagonist. She's resourceful and determined, but also terribly wounded and vulnerable, and I was definitely rooting for her all along. I wasn't really sure what to expect from her, but she absolutely exceeded my expectations. I hope we get to see much more of her in future books because I will certainly miss her sharp mind and emotional depth.
The book also does quite a bit to deepen the history of the series, explaining in much more depth the origins of Silence, the price that was paid for it, and the reason that so many were willing to pay that price. I appreciate the way that there are no easy answers here. The Forgotten resistance has not been easy, and that is certainly highlighted in this book. In fact, the Forgotten still debate whether they did the right thing, and whether they should follow in the path of the pure Psy. I felt like the complexity of the world-building was really on display in this book, and I am excited to see where that goes in the rest of the series.