Thursday, August 9, 2012

Review: Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changeling #7) by Nalini Singh
Synopsis (Goodreads):
Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she's dangerous. Charged with protecting his people's most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It's a task he's never hesitated to complete...until he finds himself draws to a woman who might prove to be the enemy's most insidious weapon yet.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die...
My Thoughts: This book... took me by surprise. I'm not quite sure if I mean that in a good way or a bad way. On one hand, I was disappointed that one of the main characters wasn't a Changeling because the Changelings are the highlight of this series for me. Then, there's the other hand - the one where the heroine had been tortured and nearly killed by someone who the Psy look to for guidance. That's creepy and I liked it.

Let's face it, due to the months of torture she's been subjected to, Katya is screwed up something fierce. She doesn't know if she can trust any of the desires that pop into her head - from using her mental gifts to her need to travel North to her desire to kiss Dev - because she doesn't know if they were implanted as a way to get close to her target. Second guessing herself isn't enough. She's third and fourth guessing and she still doesn't know if she can trust herself. Yet, she can't keep from taking the comfort - both physical and emotional - that Dev offers her.

Now I said that I was disappointed that we didn't get a Changeling this time around but Katya exhibits some of the traits that make the Changelings so irresistible to me. She craves human contact the way the Changelings do. She has practically zero emotional filters. Her conditioning has been so compromised by her torture that emotion is practically an energy source for her. Okay, not exactly, but she does draw strength knowing that she's not alone and that she has someone to lean on. In a lot of ways, Katya is the Changeling of this pairing. Although Dev gives her a run for her money with the constant possessive MINE that pops into his head whenever she's around.

I did enjoy this book overall but I still find the constant political maneuverings of the Psy Council to be a lot to take in. I like that they're an adversary for the Changelings and the rogue Psy but I never know who to trust. All the backstabbing and triple crossing gets hard to follow. That's probably just me, though. Anyway. I'm ready for book 8. Let's do this!

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Books in this series
1. Slave to Sensation
2. Visions of Heat
3. Caressed by Ice
4. Mine to Possess
5. Hostage to Pleasure
6. Branded by Fire
7. Blaze of Memory - Paperback | Kindle
8. Bonds of Justice
9. Play of Passion
10. Kiss of Snow
11. Tangle of Need

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

6 comments:

  1. This sounds interesting. I don't think I've ever read a book about changelings. I've seen the movie -- does that count? :)

    Katya sounds like a great character!

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    1. The Changelings are pretty much shapeshifters with an awesome name. They rock. Hard.

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  2. Eff. I have Visions of Heat on my AS,AS list. I should read that. Your review makes me want to dive back into the world.

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    1. Get your swim cap on! And your synchronized swimming suit. Go. GO!

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  3. I was hesitant about this book too until I read it. Katya became one of my favorite Singh heroines and I really got into her journey. I do agree that the Psy Council stuff gets a bit overwhelming, but it still fascinates me! Great review.

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    1. Katya broke my heart. She was so fantastically broken and Dev was an outstanding counterpoint to her. I kinda <3-ed them hard.

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