🎧 Berls Reviews Shards of Hope #COYER

Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Series: Psy-Changeling #14
Published by Tantor Audio on June 2, 2015
Genres: Romance, Paranormal
Format: Audiobook
Source: Scribd
Goodreads

15 hours and 40 minutes

The “smouldering heat, epic romance, and awesome action” of Nalini Singh’s NYT 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.

My top thoughts:

This series just keeps getting better and better! Each book seems to be better than the last, at least with these last 3 or 4 books. This book was very exciting and showed some incredible development for the Arrows. I buddy read with Anne and we both loved it – giving it 5 stars each.

What I liked/didn’t like:

This book starts very intensely and with lots of action. I was immediately gripped. I think it helps that I’m already very attached to both of these characters, which only intensified as the book progressed. Aiden is such a complex character, such an amazing leader, and I love that he’s clearly never been silent yet appeared fiercely so. I most love the way Aiden refuses to give up on Zaira. Zaira has so many issues from her childhood that make her feel that she cannot leave silence and Aiden won’t give up on her or push her beyond what she can handle. They are one of my favorite couples.

The other thing that makes this book so great for me is the emphasis on children – you have the cruelty with which Aiden and Zaira (and many Psy children) have been raised/conditioned, the way that Changelings care for and raise their children, and the way Arrows will raise family groups moving forward without silence. In this last area especially, I fell in love with Zaira. She thinks she’s so brutal and yet her fierce protectiveness of children and her maternal instincts are clearly not at all diminished by her life in silence.

As this book ends, I’m seriously starting to wonder how she wraps this series up with just 1 more book… but I guess the answer is that she doesn’t exactly, with the spin off Trinity series – which we also saw the foundation for in this book. I’m excited to read the final book and I will definitely be reading the spin off Trinity series as well.

Narrator thoughts:

I’ve been listening to the series, and as always I love Angela Dawe’s narration. She really does a great job with all the children’s voices, furthering my enjoyment of that part of the book.

Qualifies for COYER Fall Scavenger Hunt Item #8 – read a book for Psychangling readalong.

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