REVIEW: Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh

In Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh, Eleri Dias is nearing the final months, perhaps even days, of what her flimsy psychic shields will handle after years of entering the minds of violent criminals for her career as a Justice-Psy. Her brethren are typically cast aside and left to die from Exposure, but Eleri is determined to not only right the wrongs of her past but to ensure her found family of three other J-Psy will remain as safe as possible. It leads her to Raintree, Arizona. A place where she’s quite sure she’ll find two very different men. One, the serial killer who stalks young women and who seems to be playing a dangerous game trying to get Eleri’s attention. And the second, Adam Garrett, the falcon shifter she met in the hallway outside of a courtroom ten years ago on a day that defined both her career and her life.

“Today, why don’t we act…as if we just met in that hallway? As if the years and the choices of the past don’t stand between us.”
“Come on, then, pretty girl with the big eyes,” he said. “Let me show you my lair…and seduce you into the kiss I wanted to steal the first time I saw you.”

As wing leader of the falcon clan WindHaven, Adam is used to making tough decisions and protecting the most vulnerable. But he never thought a serial killer would be found in the heart of their desert territory, wreaking havoc on young women’s lives. Adam also had no idea if he would ever get a chance to confront Eleri. She should have been a huge part of his clan by now considering the instant connection they had a decade ago. But even though his anger is still very much present, Adam isn’t quite so sure Eleri is fully to blame for the lack of justice against his parents’ murderer. As he works with the woman who has seen him at his best and worst, all on one fateful day, he gets to fully understand what brutality a J-Psy’s job entails. Because the evil man who is threatening to harm Eleri and untold others is closer than they think. And Adam knows they’ll have to race to find the killer as well as a solution to her psychic shield issue before it’s too late.

His Eleri had never found safe harbor.
“No matter what happens from this point on”–he cradled her face–“I’m yours. And I will fight for you. For us. *I* will be your safe harbor as I should’ve always been.”
His falcon released a battle cry.

ATONEMENT SKY was a novel of light and darkness, lives intricately woven, and a second chance at a love that only needed wings to soar.

‘I have missed you all my life without ever knowing you.’

CW: View Spoiler »Stalking, murder, attempted murder, torture, suicidal thoughts, suicide, abduction « Hide Spoiler

Absolutely exquisite. Nalini Singh’s latest in the Psy-Changeling series was another knockout story. This time we explored falcon shifter clan WindHaven’s territory and the wonderful people who called the Canyon their home. Book nine in the Trinity and book twenty-four overall, ATONEMENT SKY was also the romance between the clan’s wing leader (alpha) Adam Garrett and J-Psy Eleri Dias. And oh, what a love they had! Their first meeting was about ten years ago when they were in their late teens. It didn’t end well, to put it mildly. And even now Eleri found herself in Adam’s homebase under heavy circumstances, on the path of a serial killer dubbed the Sandman who seemed to also be obsessed with Eleri herself.

But even as dangerous and dark as things got–and they most definitely did–Singh has a way of bringing hope, community, friendship, and affection into the mix in realistic ways that elevate the stories to make them an utter joy to read. There were several times when Adam, Eleri, or another character said something that came from such a deep emotional space that it took my breath away. I literally had to stop reading for a moment to let the poignancy sink in. And that’s why I knew without a doubt that when things looked bleak for Eleri and her fellow J-Psy found family–Bram, Saffron, and Yuze–that a solution, even if it was temporary, would be located.

As with the rest of the series, Singh pulled in an ensemble cast to help Adam and Eleri catch the Sandman, work on the ongoing PsyNet issue, and combine efforts creating shields for Sensitive J-Psy and possibly humans. It was complex. And it was frustrating for those involved. But it brought out the best in the changelings and Psy working toward a common goal. It also showed how strong and selfless both Eleri and Adam were–particularly when it came to their loved ones. They were another perfectly matched pair in a *long* line of Singh couples. And I think readers won’t be able to get enough of them.

QOTD: Do you prefer romances that are complex and deeply emotional or love stories that are fun and lighthearted? Or does it depend on your mood?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: July 15th, 2025 | Berkley | Psy-Changeling Trinity #9

The hunt for a stealthy predator takes a damaged J-Psy to the heart of falcon territory in this new Psy-Changeling Trinity novel from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh…

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias knows the end is near for her, her mind one step away from fatal psychic exposure. In the short time that remains, she is determined to atone for an act of omission that has haunted her for a long, cruel decade. But that decision not only means facing a powerful changeling wing leader, but also putting herself in the path of a serial killer.

Falcon wing leader Adam Garrett is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. After losing his parents as a teenager in a shocking act of malice, Adam has no forgiveness in him for the J-Psy who betrayed him, betrayed them, at the most painful moment of his life. But the evil that stalks his territory will allow him no respite, forcing him once more into contact with the J he has never been able to forget.

Everything that could’ve been between Eleri and Adam was lost years ago, a shimmering promise crushed. As they work to uncover a monster, the moment of reckoning looms ever closer. Soon, there may be no more time left for either atonement…or love…