Nalini Singh Psy Changeling Characters
Chieko Boteler
Janine: I was frustrated and frankly, bored with the first 70% of the novel because the plot revolved around three tropes that have already gotten a lot of play in the series, from the Psy heroine who discovers the warmth, love and emotion of changeling life (Sascha in Slave to Sensation, Zaira in Shards of Hope) to the Psy character who must, at all costs, remain Silent (Faith in Visions of Heat, Judd in Caressed by Ice), to the character facing the possibility of impending death (Sascha in Slave to Sensation, Katya in Blaze of Memory, Vasic in Shield of Winter).
has been an avid if often frustrated romance reader for the past 15 years. In that time she's read a lot of good romances, a few great ones, and, unfortunately, a whole lot of dreck. Many of her favorite authors (Ivory, Kinsale, Gaffney, Williamson,Ibbotson) have moved onto other genres or produce new books only rarely, so she's had to expand her horizons a bit. Newer authors she enjoys include Julie Ann Long, Megan Hart and J.R. Ward, and she eagerly anticipates each new Sookie Stackhouse novel. Strong prose and characterization go a long way with her, though if they are combined with an unusual plot or setting, all the better. When she's not reading romance she can usually be found reading historical non-fiction.
I think the series could be injected with freshness with new tropes or with a changeling pack that behaves differently, or by fast-forwarding some years into the future or giving us characters that are different in age or background (I would love to see the story of how Kit starts a young pack, for example). A different structure is just one of many options.
@Janine: I had a lot of issues with Kenji in that story, particularly since he never apologized for his behavior. I had sympathy for him, but he deliberately hurt Garnet and continued to do so for years. I expected an apology at minimum.
First I have to say N.S is one of the authors that I read and enjoy. However, I really did not like this book at all. I felt like I already read it a couple of times previously. I had to take it apart to see why I felt this way.
1. Psy Heroine and Alpha Hero (read this before numerous times)
2. Psy H that most certainly will die if she brakes silence (red this before numerous times)
3. Alpha h with pain because his pack struggles on some level (read this before)
4. Psy H that is in danger from Psy (read this before numerous times)
5. Psy H that comes from silent but loving, protective family ( I think Fay had the somewhat if not very similar family )
6. Psy H interacts with extremely cute and adorable baby bears ( I was actually surprised there were no twin bears LOL)
7. The bear pack is very loving, living together and working together (wolfs)
I think for me the start was extremely slow and truly I did not learn anything new or interesting. I do not feel like this book brought anything to the table except a new Bear pack. I also feel like the bear clan was somewhat cartoonish. They liked to drink a lot of vodka (a stereotype that I do not appreciate), they like to decorate their drunken pack mates with glitter , and the twin brother although very dominant like to fight with each other in their spare time (I am rolling my eyes ).
Now I was born in former Soviet Union and speak fluent Russian and I absolutely hate when authors use Russian language in books because most times they do not do a good job. I usually feel that unless you are Ilona Andrews do not use Russian in your books. However, I have to say Nalini did an admirable job, for the most part the language was used correctly. There were only a couple of words that did not work as intended in the book and took me right out of the story, and I can really see why she thought she can use them.
Now for the Bear names, I am fluent in Russian, I am familiar with all the names but the variety of names drove me nuts and confused me. Pasha, Yasha, etc, etc. Too many names I could not keep up.
I really hope her next book in the series will be much better than this one. Like I wrote before I really like the author .
ETA: BTW, I love that you use capital H for heroine and lowercase h for hero, in contrast to all the people who do the opposite. I usually just say h/h or spell out the words, but yours is a refreshing change.
@library addict: Yes, Kenji should have let Garnet make up her own mind about them. It was her decision to make and he had no right to take it away from her, no matter how kind his motives. Also, I think that premise was ableist. So I agree that he owed her a heartfelt apology at the very least.
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Aarya Marsden is a pseudonym for an Indian-American college student and long-time romance reader. Her favorite authors include Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Lucy Parker, Kresley Cole, Alisha Rai, Lisa Kleypas, Alyssa Cole, Tessa Dare, Meredith Duran, Mina V. Esguerra, Kate Clayborn, and many more. You can follow @Aarya_Marsden on Twitter, where she gushes about romance novels and laments about her senior honors thesis.
But when there is a discussion about the most disliked characters in the P/C world, and the top answers are always, always women, then it might be a time for everyone to examine the internal biases and internalized misogyny that can lead to this rage-inducing phenomenon.
Of all the complaints re: Talin, the #1 complaint seems to be that she lied to the hero for almost twenty years. Poor Clay. Here he was, suffering and mourning for his lost friend/potential mate and living a half-life. How dare that evil Talin torment him so when he saved her life?
There are three species in the world: changeling, Psy, and human. Only changelings can develop a mating bond with any of the three species, though changelings often form relationships and live happily in the absence of a mating bond.
This is such an unfair standard because heroes are like that ALL THE TIME and we love them for it. Readers specifically ask for recs with grumpy/icy/gruff heroes who have trouble emoting (I certainly do!).
The Psy with dangerous combative powers must join a secret assassin squad called the Arrows. Even more than other Psy, maintaining Silence is integral for the Arrows. If they lose control of their powers, people will die.
I think about the number of contemp or paranormal romances where the hero is the only character on the cover of the novel. Right from the cover it feels like we are being sold on the hero, not the heroine. Even in the three examples discussed here specifically, the heroine is missing.
I remember being disappointed with Ms. Singh and disliking Clay and Tally so much when I first read their book. Ironically when I reread their book after years, I became far more sympathetic towards Tally but my dislike of Clay remained. I remember sobbing for Adria, I felt her pain so deeply and hell, I adore Zaira BECAUSE she was so broken inside.
@Azure: You should absolutely reread the series, TBR be damned. ? I always enjoy rereading these books because I often find something new (e.g., foreshadowing for future books). Nalini Singh is a plotting genius.
@Susan: I have friends who have never gotten on board with the Adria/Riaz pairing for precisely the reason you state. I personally love them, because I can really tell how tortured Riaz was in the beginning and how much he changes throughout the book. And I kinda love that they chose each other (without the mating bond). The scene at the end (with them watching the old human couple dance) always makes me cry.
Your reaction to MTP is 100% valid and probably would have been my reaction as well had I first read it today. But I somehow love it even in rereads because I get nostalgic (it was my first PNR and introduction to the P/C series). I hope you enjoy SHARDS OF HOPE. That book has a special place in my heart because of Zaira.
Re Alice/Zaid, I 100% believe they were lovers based on the textual evidence but I never considered that he might still be alive! This is my new favourite headcanon. I had been kinda shipping her with Samuel Raine, but maybe they should just be in a scientists-recovering-from-traumatic-brain-injury support group.
Sure! If you've written a review for a romance that you think might interest the community or you'd like to rant and/or squee about a book, and you haven't published it elsewhere, please email Sarah. She'd love to hear from you!
It's my pleasure today to interview Nalini Singh about her latest Psy-Changeling novel, Shards of Hope. Some of my favorite characters in this long-running series are members of the Arrow Squad, starting with Judd in Caressed by Ice, and continuing with Vasic in Shield of Winter. I've been eagerly awaiting the story of Aden, the rebel Arrows' leader, and this book certainly doesn't disappoint.
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I'm back in New Zealand now, but I'm always plotting new trips.
So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher, and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency, but I call it grist for the writer's mill.
I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings, and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.
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