REVIEW: Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh

In Shards of Hope (Psy-Changeling #14) by Nalini Singh, Commander Zaira Neve has come a long way since the feral girl she was back when she entered the Arrow training program, but with the fall of Silence, that rage and darkness keeps threatening to return. Squad leader Aden Kai is the only person who can keep Zaira relatively sane. Aden knows she would never willingly harm him, but allowing herself to feel emotions has Zaira in a constant state of turmoil.

“Who is it you want? Aden, or the leader of the squad?”

Shifting so close that their bodies pressed along her entire length, she slid her hand into his hair, gripped it in a fist. “The squad means I have to share you. I don’t want to share you. You’re Aden and you’re mine.”

So when Aden and Zaira get caught in a deadly situation where they have no access to their psychic powers and are on the run from a group threatening to overturn the Arrows, they must rely on the assistance of a local changeling pack. The eye-opening experience allows Zaira and Aden the chance to see emotional bonding firsthand which they long to implement not only in their lives, but with their fellow Arrows. They can only hope that they can win the battle against their unknown enemy and then see where their growing attraction takes them.

“You are written indelibly on my soul, Zaira. Nothing will ever alter what you are to me.”

Nalini Singh knocks another one outta the park with Shards of Hope. With two genuinely heroic characters you just can’t help but root for, this paranormal romance captured my attention and my heart from page one.

By book fourteen in some series, the storyline can be played out or feel a bit repetitive. Such was definitely NOT the case with this novel. To me, the story continues to progress at just the right pace. And while it was still a very, very complex plot, things started to come together, with the characters showing their true colors. In other words, it’s really starting to heat up and get more interesting than ever before. Having said that, if you’re new to this world, you might want to start from the beginning for it all to make sense.

There is an intelligence behind Ms. Singh’s writing I have come to expect, especially from the Psy-Changeling series, which was still absolutely apparent with not only the story itself, but also with how complicated Zaira and Aden were as individuals. Their backstories were heartbreaking and at times horrific. What they both had overcome through the years was amazing. But most of all, they were perfect for each other.

I truly felt that connection between Aden and Zaira. He was ever the protector in her life after they met as children in the training camps, never understanding, though, what she really meant to him. The same could be said for Zaira as well. She protected Aden and thought of him as hers. She might not have understood love or affection, but she certainly felt that for him. Their emotional evolution after the fall of Silence was heartwarming and helped pave the way for others around them, which was so wonderful to read.

Shards of Hope was a stellar paranormal romance. I hope fans who have been waiting to learn more about Arrow squad leader Aden are just as satisfied as I was with this unbelievable story.

Book Info:

Published June 2nd 2015 by Berkley | Psy-Changeling #14

The “smoldering heat, epic romance, and awesome action” of Nalini Singh’s New York Times bestselling series continues as two Arrows find themselves caught in a chilling conspiracy that spans all three races…

Awakening wounded in a darkened cell, their psychic abilities blocked, Aden and Zaira know they must escape. But when the lethal soldiers break free from their mysterious prison, they find themselves in a harsh, inhospitable landscape far from civilization. Their only hope for survival is to make it to the hidden home of a predatory changeling pack that doesn’t welcome outsiders.

And they must survive. A shadowy enemy has put a target on the back of the Arrow squad, an enemy that cannot be permitted to succeed in its deadly campaign. Aden will cross any line to keep his people safe for this new future, where even an assassin might have hope of a life beyond blood and death and pain. Zaira has no such hope. She knows she’s too damaged to return from the abyss. Her driving goal is to protect Aden, protect the only person who has ever come back for her no matter what.

This time, even Aden’s passionate determination may not be enough—because the emotionless chill of Silence existed for a reason. For the violent, and the insane, and the irreparably broken…like Zaira.