Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changeling Series #7)

Its Getting Better!

This is one of my favorite books in the series. The story between Dev and Katya is endearing. There is a little history lesson shared of the psy going silent. The details are all here. And, as usual, there were parts that made my heart beat faster! This one is not to be missed. Damn the council!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Review for this book

I love Nalini Singh's writing. I am enthralled with this series. I, though, tried to love this book. It was tough. I was not successful. I found it formulistic and very strange in a negative way. It is the first book in this series that I did not enjoy and have in fact not reread. The story line was so hard to believe. I know that sounds strange but the author has set up her own world in this series and there are rules to this world. The plot was not enthralling and I think I have come to expect excellence from the author and it was not found in this book. I know authors can have books that are not so stellar and I feel this is one. I find this book unnecessary and easily skippable. I will buy her next in the series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well-worth waiting!!

Are you already a fan of Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series, like me? If your answer is "yes", I´m sure that you have been eagerly waiting for "Blaze of Memory", book 7 in the series.

To avoid the suspense, let me tell you first that this book is well-worth the waiting period. As the other books that come before it, this is a well-written paranormal romance novel that combines action and interesting characters, fitting seamlessly with the rest of the series, and the original world that Nalini created. In this case, the main character is Dev Santos, the Director of the Shine Foundation and a man whose main task is to protect the gifted children that some in the Psy Council seek to destroy. But what will he do when this need to protect clashes with his attraction to Katya, an amnesic Psy woman that might well be a covert assassin sent to kill him and his people?

If you don`t have the faintest idea what that very fast summary was about, you are new to the series. If that is the case, don`t worry, you can always catch up, but I suggest you to begin by reading the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, "Slave to sensation". I suppose you could read "Blaze of memory" as a standalone, but by doing so you won`t be able to appreciate the textured world Nalini Singh created, or understand so well dynamics that are explained in the part of the story arch covered in previous books.

On the whole, "Blaze of memory" is a great book in an excellent series that deserves to be read in order, so that you can fully understand and enjoy it. Highly recommended...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The latest Psy-Changeling urban fantasy moves the overarching theme forward,

Steely Shine Foundation chief Dev Santos is absolutely certain the waif he has found outside his door is a trap set up by his enemy the Psy. Still Dev cannot kill her even though he knows he should or even ignore the battered female.

She suffers from starvation and total memory loss. Her mind is deteriorating without access to the Net Mind although she receives enough feedback to barely hold onto her tenuous grip of reality; the Silence being unbearable. Katya as she is called and Dev know she is probably a deadly weapon programmed to kill by Ming and the Council with him and his organization who protect the Forgotten as her probable target(s).

The latest Psy-Changeling urban fantasy not only moves the overarching theme forward, but Nalini Singh provides insight into the Silence. The story line is fast-paced as Dev cannot figure out why he feels protective of what is obviously a conditioned killer who's most likely coming for him. Fans will appreciate this super entry as love and determination battle against devastating preconditioning brainwashing that literally washed the heroine's brain clean and replaced her past with a future imperative (think of The Manchurian Candidate) in a great entry.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good but one of my least favorite thus far in the series. I've

Good but one of my least favorite thus far in the series. I've gotten lost in the other stories from the start and often couldn't put them down but this one took me days to get into. Once it got going, I enjoyed the story but never felt it as much as I did with many of the others. I don't know why - maybe because neither character was changeling and thus wasn't as passionate from the beginning or maybe because both characters were essentially unknown. At least in most of the other stories, we've started to learn a little bit about each of the other characters in the book or books prior to it. We met Dev and Katya both briefly in Shaya's story but maybe not enough. I do have to admit that I was to tears toward the end of the book and couldn't help but smile as we learned more about Noor and Keenan so I did make a connection to the book but I would have enjoyed feeling more for the characters from the beginning.

Not Quite as Excellent as the Others

First I must say that I love, love, love Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling Series. I rate each book that I read Excellent, Good, Ok or Bad. #1 through #6 in the series all received an Excellent. This book received a Good. Don't get me wrong the story line was good and her writing style is just as sassy. The difference was in the main characters, Devraj Santos a descendant from the Forgotten has a metal Gift, Director of Shine reads delicious and Ekatrina aka Katya was dumped on his doorsteps is battling with her broken Psy mind issues. I guess I prefer the dynamics of a Changeling main character paired off with a human or Psy. There is just something about Ms. Singh's DarkRiver Leopards and Snow-Dancer Wolf Changelings that keeps the pages turning and you yearning for more. Of course I'm going to finish reading this series and already have four books of her Guild Hunter series.

Good but not the best in this series

This was decent, but not my favorite. The love story was nice, and I did tear up at parts, but the rest of the plot wasn't as complex or interesting as I've come to expect from this series. And while it was nice see more of the Forgotten, I definitely missed the Changelings. I didn't mind Devraj's possessiveness and what-not, but given that their not Changelings I found it a little much when other Forgotten would say "she belongs to you" or "she is yours" and stuff like that. I allow my shape-shifters much more leeway when it comes to silly statements of ownership.

Another great book.

It first I didnt want to read this one. I didnt think it would be part of this series. Branded was my fave so far but this one blew my mind. Dont skip it cuz is doesnt involve a cat or wolf.

Boring, disappointing, BUT DON'T SKIP IT!

I adore this series, but sadly couldn't connect with the love story. But don't skip it because it sets up things for the continuation of the story.

Another great job!

The characters were engrossing, especially Dev. I loved the way their relationship developed, and the fact that there are so many other plot lines the author can follow up on. A wonderful, detailed story line, with so many nuances it keeps you on your toes.

Slow Start

I had a difficult time getting into this book. In the end I did like Dev and Katya's relationship but I think it is one of the weaker in the series.

Ekaterina lives!

When I found out that the next book was about Dev who we're introduced to in Clay & Tally's book (Mine to Possess), I was a little disappointed...hey, he's not Changeling so how could he possibly be sexy enough to headline one of the sexiest series ongoing? And who would his woman be? (I keep wondering if even Nalini could possibly rehabilitate the psycho twin/scientist sister of Ashaya, Amara, but if so, that will wait for another day...surely she wouldn't inflict her on the Psy drop-out, Walker? Hmm.) But I was delighted to see that Ekaterina, scientist friend of Ashaya who had appeared in two books if only briefly, had survived the wipe-out of the secret underground lab ordered by the Council. And what a pairing Dev and Katya combine to make! This is a thrillingly romantic and heartbreaking tale of Ekaterina's survival of torture at the hands of the increasingly violent Ming (thankfully this happened before the book and we see it in only bits and pieces) after which she is dumped on Shine, the organization headed by Dev Santos which helps protect the Forgotten, the Psy who rebelled against the imposition of Silence years ago and were hunted by the Council.

But what was Ming's purpose in breaking down Ekaterina's mind and what sort of plan did he program into her? Left weakened and nearly destroyed by his desecration of her mind and will, Katya ("Ekaterina is dead," she tells Dev)has little memory of much of what has gone before and no idea if she has been aimed at Shine - and Dev - as an instrument. Dev has grown increasingly hard and cold in his position as head of the organization...he's had to in order to protect the vulnerable from the threats that steadily grow around them. With humans, Psy, and Changeling societies all growing steadily more combative in their efforts at power or protection, danger can come from anywhere. That it could come in the form of this fragile, damaged woman who seems designed to strike at Dev's most vulnerable side and at the most inopportune time seems to be just the sort of plan Ming would hatch.

However, Ming didn't count on Katya's iron will and Dev's overwhelming attraction and sense of possessiveness. This couple's interactions are alternately romantic and chilling as they both fight to unlock Katya's memories and develop trust. We also get to revisit a host of familiar characters who prove helpful in unraveling the mystery of just how far the Council is willing to go in their efforts at power and the continuing cover-up of the disintegration of the Net-mind into increasing bouts of widespread violence amonst the Psy. The climax of this book had me in tears as I had to acknowledge that Dev was, indeed, a perfect choice as a hero and that Katya, tempered by the fire of her painful ordeal, was the only woman who could both soften him up and be strong enough to stand at his side in the fight. Truly lovely.

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