ARC Review + Giveaway: Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh

“… it wasn’t quite the book that I was both expecting and hoping for.” ~ Under the Covers

Was anyone else desperate for Aden’s book? He is the quiet unassuming leader of the Arrows, the Psy hit squad, but we all know that still waters run deep, especially in the romance universe. So I was expecting another instalment in the Psy Changeling series blazing with passion and romance as another Psy has his Silence shattered. However, it wasn’t quite the book that I was both expecting and hoping for.

In terms of the romance, Aden and Zaira were great together, they were both Arrows, so both have that icy demeanour going on, even post Silence. But, I found Zaira’s constant droning on about how broken she was so therefore they couldn’t possibly be together yada yada very repetitive and annoying. Even Aden’s seemingly endless patience eventually just made me want to shake him. How they ever actually did get together remains a mystery, and I wasn’t as invested in these two getting together as I would normally be.

I believe part of the reason I found myself ambivalent towards the main couple was because a lot of page time was spent on politics and some of the inevitable fall out now that Silence has been broken. I did like reading about this, and I also loved the chance to catch up with some of the couples we haven’t glimpsed for a while; however, it did make the romance seem a little incidental.

It is inevitable with a series as long as this that there are going to be some books and couples that you prefer over others. In this case, although I have been looking forward to Aden’s book since we first met him, my high expectations have not been met. But it won’t stop me looking forward to reading the next book, I have my fingers crossed for a Changeling romance!

Click on the covers to buy the books

Book 1	Book 2	Book 3	Book 4
Book 5	Book 6	Book 7	Book 8
Book 9	Book 10	Book 11	Book 12
	Book 13	Book 14

excerpt

EXCERPT from CHAPTER 1 of SHARDS OF HOPE

“Arrows aren’t so easy to break.”

“And you aren’t fully Silent, Aden. You never have been.” Another strained breath. “Everyone in the squad knows that—now someone outside the squad has figured it out.”

Aden decided he would correct her about his Silence later. “Conserve your strength. I need to be able to count on you when we escape.” There was no “if.” They would escape.

“If you can get me a weapon,” Zaira said, “I’ll cover you as you go. I’m weak, will slow you down. You’ll do better on your own.” She said that as if it was a simple fact, as if she wasn’t talking about the end of her own life.

Leaning in until their noses almost touched, until she could see his eyes as he could see the jet-black darkness of hers, he said, “I don’t leave my people behind.” He knew what it was to be left behind, and though it had been done for the best of reasons it had marked him on a primal level. “We’ll go together.”

“You’re being irrational.”

It was a complaint he’d heard multiple times from her. And not because her own Silence was flawless.

The truth was that Zaira had never needed Silence. What had been done to her in childhood had caused her to retreat deep into her psyche, shoving her emotions into a dark hole in a bid to survive. In their place had grown an iron will and a harshly practical mind. Silence had only ever been a tool she used to create a civilized shell.

Without it, she was close to feral but no less ruthless, her brain having learned long ago to put survival above all else.

It made her the perfect soldier.

Some would say it also made her a psychopath, but they didn’t understand—unlike a psychopath, Zaira had the capacity to feel the full range of emotions. That capacity was in permanent cold storage, but it gave her a conscience regardless. It also gave her the capacity for unflinching loyalty: because Zaira’s violent survival instincts didn’t always equal her own survival. She’d already walked into the path of a hail of bullets aimed at him during an operation three years before, had barely survived her injuries. He wasn’t about to allow her to sacrifice herself for him again.

“You should’ve toppled me from the leadership years ago,” he said as he moved to lift up the bandage, see what he could make out of the wound. “My irrationality where my people are concerned is apt to continue.”

“I thought about it, but I don’t have the patience for politics.”

He knew that despite her icy words, Zaira would take down anyone who challenged his right to lead the squad. For him to lose her loyalty, he’d have to do something so horrific, he couldn’t even imagine what it might be.

END OF EXCERPT: Full excerpt available at nalinisingh.com

[about-author author=”Nalini Singh”]

What did you think of our review?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

♡ Don’t want to miss any of our posts?
Follow Under the Covers: Facebook | Twitter | Tsu | GoodReads | Email ♡

33 Comments

Thanks for the review Suzanne

I love this series!! I am so looking forward to reading this book!! <3 Thank you for your review 🙂

Thanks for the review, I have read this series but I have started the Guild Hunter series.

WOW only 3 stars! This has got to be one of the most anticipated books of the year so it’s a good thing that won’t deter me from one of my favorite series. Fingers crossed…

I love the psy-changling series. I have read them all, except for Shield of Winter. Love the diverse characters and unique world she write.

At this point in the series, I’m actually far more invested in the world building/events than the main romance. Sigh. Great review!

Interesting review. I’m curious if I’ll have the same reaction and how the book will rate, for me, compared to the others.

Fantastic … thank you for this chanc e

I’m a bit behind on this series but I’m savoring the books 🙂 thanks for the great review and giveaway!

Thanks!!!

This is such a great series

I enjoyed your review. I have read some of her stories, and have loved them. I need to play catch up, and purchase/read the ones I am missing.

In any given series, when one is invested in it, one knows that certain books within the series are more favorable than others. Yet one continues reading the series because they love it, flaws and all.