REVIEW: Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh

In Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh, StoneWater bear Yakov Stepyrev has had visions since his teens, courtesy of his great-grandfather having been a foreseer. It’s always the same beautiful blue-eyed blonde. A woman he’s never met in real life. As Yakov gears up to investigate a possibly defunct Psy rehabilitation Center, his partner is none other than his dream woman: Theodora “Theo” Marshall. He should be ecstatic to find out the Psy is not a figment of his imagination. But Yakov’s visions of her have recently turned darker, showing her being badly harmed. Hoping he can protect Theo and somehow change their future, he tries to enjoy every moment of his time with her, showing her all the love he and his clan have to offer the rage-filled but warm-hearted woman.

“Your clan seems rather wonderful, Yasha.”
Yakov could suddenly see her in the heart of the den, surrounded by cubs. He groaned. “Theo, the tiny gangsters are going to take you for all you’ve got. You’re not going to be able to say no, are you?”
“No,” she said, without any sign of that being a problem.

Theo is aware she’s basically a ticking time bomb thanks to rage left over from the hellish punishment she endured at her grandfather’s hands as a child. Since the fall of Silence and then her grandfather’s death, she knows it’s now okay to show her emotions–like Theo once did as a child with her twin brother Pax. When they dig in and learn the dark history of their family’s involvement with Psy Centers, specifically one brutal facility in Moscow, she travels there to investigate. Little did Theo know it would change the course of her life forever. Because the bond she feels with Yakov is like nothing she could have ever imagined. Not that she feels worthy of the bear’s love, given her horrific past. But maybe by doing right by those her family once tried to harm, Theo can allow herself to be pulled into Yakov’s clan–if the elders, tiny gangsters, and his twin brother Pavel will allow her, that is.

‘At times, she wanted to scream at fate until she had no more voice, and then she wanted to burn down the world, the rage in her an inferno.’

Overflowing with exquisite emotions, RESONANCE SURGE was a beautifully crafted story furthering Nalini Singh’s beloved Psy-Changeling series where stunning love, comfort of family, and laughter (because bears) offset the darkness of the turbulent storyline itself.

‘It didn’t matter how many times that nightmare vision tried to convince him of failure, he wasn’t about to buy into it. No one was going to take Theo from him. A vow that came from the primal heart of the bear within.’

Content warning: View Spoiler »Murder, child abuse, drugging & medical experiments. « Hide Spoiler

I feel like a broken record at this point, but RESONANCE SURGE was another absolutely epic installment in the Psy-Changeling series I adore so very much. And I wouldn’t expect anything else from Nalini Singh. Even here at book twenty-two overall in the series (book seven in the Trinity/Season II) the overarching storyline remains compelling, with each new novel continuing to unravel the threads Singh has so carefully woven. Having said that, I would encourage readers to start the series from the beginning if possible as each book picks up where the previous left off.

It was fun to be back in the StoneWater bear den–and to learn more about Yakov Stepyrev as well as his twin, Pavel. The bear clan just tickles me to no end. They’re mischievous, stubborn, unerringly loyal, and much cleverer than given credit for. Yakov and Pavel included. It wasn’t all jokes and bear shenanigans, though. While there’s always a balance of light and dark to Singh’s work, the themes were a bit heavy this time, particularly about our heroine Theo’s upbringing. She was basically a Psy who wasn’t fully Silent. And she ended up paying the price for that well into her adult years.

I just loved watching Theo blossom under the adoration and attention from Yakov and the rest of StoneWater. As someone who had never felt safe–aside from with her twin brother, Pax, who will be an important part of the next book–she began to understand that what was done to her, what she was forced to do as a child, didn’t have to define her now. And as with other Psy we’ve seen finally give in to their emotions, once Theo realized her love for Yakov, she was as relentlessly protective of him as the bear was of her.

Yakov and Pavel were completely wonderful. And completely different from one another, which we saw while they found and settled down with their mates. Well, Pavel had already been dating Arwen Mercant, but this book shows their lovely relationship more in depth. *happy sigh* Yakov’s visions made for an interesting spin when he finally met Theo. Years of seeing her in his dreams made him think he knew her in some respects. But when the visions turned dark, showing her demise, and he got to meet her in real life? Yakov was uber diligent in watching out for Theo. Theirs was a tough, hard-won happy ending, but most certainly worth everything they went through to get it.

QOTD: If you’re a fan of shifter romances, do you have any favorite groups? (Bears, wolves, leopards, etc)

Book Info:

Publication: Published: July 18th, 2023 | Berkley | Psy-Changeling Trinity #7

Where are the broken? A propulsive question that unleashes a world of secrets in New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s Resonance Surge . . .

StoneWater bears Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev have been a unit since birth, but now Pavel’s life is veering in a new direction, his heart held in the hands of Arwen Mercant, a Psy empath—and the only man who has ever brought Pavel to his knees.

This is it. A point of irrevocable change. For Pavel . . . for Arwen . . . for Yakov . . . and for another pair of twins whose bond has a far darker history.

A low-gradient Psy, Theodora Marshall is considered worthless by everyone but her violently powerful twin, Pax. She is the sole person he trusts in their venomous family to investigate a hidden and terrible part of their family history—an unregistered rehabilitation center established by their grandfather.

Places of unimaginable pain designed to psychically wipe minds, leaving the victims shells of their former selves, the Centers are an ugly vestige of the Psy race’s Silent past. But this Center was worse. Far, far worse. And now Theo must uncover the awful truth—in the company of a scowling bear named Yakov who isn’t about to take a Marshall at face value . . . especially a Marshall who has turned his dreams into chilling nightmares.

Because Yakov is the great-grandson of a foreseer . . . and he has seen Theo die in an unstoppable surge of blood. Night after night after night . . .