Review: Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

It had been over 365 days since I read a new full-length Psy-Changeling novel and I did my best to refrain from impatient whining. As a reward for my uncharacteristic, albeit reluctant, acceptance of delayed gratification, the Book Gods saw fit to grant me a boon. Enough about me, though, as I know you want to know about the book, so let's move on to the pretty-much-spoiler-free-because-it's-all-my-reactions review.

Heart of Obsidian reminds me of those long, quiet, hours that mark off time before night slips into the dawn. Change is happening, anything is possible, and a new day is breaking. Still, this is not an easy book. As much as one could claim the main theme is rebirth, there's no denying the traumas that perpetually ripple throughout the book. It will be a trigger for some, especially given recent events, and, by the end, parents may reconsider the wisdom of letting their teenagers fly too far from the nest.

Despite the heaviness, this is one of Nalini's simplest books. It could almost be a stand-alone, if the reader was familiar with the sociological and political framework of the Psy/Changeling world, as it focuses very tightly on the hero and heroine. The SnowDancers don't appear at all and only two of the previous heroines make cameos. However, just like I said in my Tangle of Need review, starting with Heart of Obsidian will do you a disservice. Nalini has brought together disparate threads to reveal a stunning tapestry that finally shows what she has been working towards during the past eleven books. There are clues as far back as Slave to Sensation and jumping to the end will rob you of the grand reveals.

With Tangle of Need, I was willing to cryptically answer questions, but I'm not going to do that with Heart of Obsidian. As I said previously, the book is so tightly focused, a hint about one thing could also apply to everything. so feel free to speculate in the comments, but I will not confirm or deny anything. However, I will tell you that my personal theory about the Ghost was very wrong. Oh, and the hero. I'll tell you the hero.

Don't highlight if you don't want to know.


Seriously.


Last chance to back away.


Here it comes.


I give you the first sentence of Heart of Obsidian: "Kaleb Krychek, Cardinal telekinetic and a man no one wanted to meet alone on a dark night, had been searching for his quarry for seven years, three weeks, and two days."

I know there are some die-hard Kaleb fangirls out there and you are going to be very happy. Nalini took a cryptic blank-slate-could-go-either-way character and turned him into a fascinatingly complex man. And, dayum, he's also scorchingly hot. There was one bit on page 131 that had me cranking up the AC. 


Heart of Obsidian releases on June 4th. If you buy the e-book from Barnes and Noble, steeling yourself against Penguin's WTF ebook pricing, you should be able to download it around 1am on the 4th.

Review: Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Three things you probably know about me by now: 1) I am incapable of keeping things to myself when I'm excited. 2) I am an avid Nalini Singh fangirl. 3) I have PTSD.

Something you may not know, I prefer Nalini's Psy/Changeling series. It's Rafael, man. All the Archangels. They are scary-ass beings and I don't want to be in their vicinity, let alone in their heads. The idea of living in a world where the planet's well-being is in the hands of these Archangels is terrifying. If these books weren't written by Nalini, there is no way I'd still be reading the Guild Hunter books.

Up until this point, my favorite story in this series was Jessamy's and Galen's. Probably because Galen wasn't about to go out and slaughter anyone by tearing their wings off, and Jessamy was a born nurturer. However, Jason just shot to the top of my favorite Nalini Singh characters list.

The best analogy I can come up for PTSD is that it's like your soul is a bone and the traumatic event shatters that bone. Sometimes it shatters into so many pieces, it never heals right. Sometimes your soul just fractures and given enough time, it mends. However, like a healed broken tibia in a skeleton, years later, the bone continues to show evidence of the break. That's what PTSD does to your soul. You can learn how to manage the fear, to break free from the darkness, quiet the screams, get yourself to a place where you can live again, but your soul still bears the scars.

"Yet she also knew that the man in front of her was not that boy, had not been that boy for hundreds of years. She couldn't wipe away his pain and tell him that everything would be all right.

"Jason had learned too well that sometimes, nothing could fix what was broken."

I had to stop reading for a bit after that last sentence. I stared up at the ceiling for a while before I began again.

Jason isn't 'fixed' in this book. There's no miraculous cure, no 'love conquers all.' However, just because a person is traumatized doesn't mean all emotions are shut off. Being broken does not necessarily equate being unable to love, it just means it takes an extraordinary person willing to accept the kind of love you have to give.

Mahiya, his heroine, knows what it's like to be caged, to be a prisoner. She understands that while he may be flying free through the skies, the fractures in his soul means the cage flies with him. She has faith, though, in Jason and she understands him so well, she hears what he cannot say.

Nalini has written other wounded heroes before (Judd and Dorian spring to mind), but her skill is such that she makes them damaged in different ways and therefore, their healing processes happens differently as well. Judd finds his center, Dorian finds acceptance, and Jason, well, you'll find out.

This world is still scary as hell, with violence and gore, and there's a truly creepy moment involving Lijuan. Nalini ratchets up the tension and increases the likelihood of incredibly bad things happening. Truth be told, I'm not really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, but I'm going to read it anyway. Like Emily Dickson wrote,

"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,"

That's what Jason now represents to me and even if he ends up relegated to glimpses in the background, I'll wade through the blood to see him.

More tidbits about Nalini Singh's 'Tangle of Need'

My answers to questions asked on the comment thread of my review over at GoodReads:

On Adria being Indigo's Aunt

"As far as Adria and Riaz go, Nalini does address the aunt thing almost right away and reminds the reader that Indigo & Adria are more like sisters than aunt & niece. A bigger roadblock is the situation that Riaz tells Indigo about in Play of Passion."

"I get where you're coming from on the potential ick factor. I had that in my head when I started reading, but Nalini does a great job of kinda laying it out and you're, like, okay, that makes sense. It's not exactly spelled out in Play of Passion, but Indigo and Riaz seem to have had more of a friends with benefits situation going on rather than a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship and, again, it's not clear, but I think anything between them ended before he left which was a 'couple of years ago.'

"Nalini continually underscores how important touch is to the changelings and casual short-term relationships seem to be an offshoot of that. In addition, Indigo is clearly happy with Drew so it's not like there's any residual feelings on either of their parts. The thing to keep in mind is that they're not human and, in the changeling culture, these situations appear to crop up all the time."



Sienna and Hawke

"Sienna and Hawke are very present in the book. They make excellent use of the gift the Pack gave them in Kiss of Snow. I also fell a little in love with Hawke after his reaction to a present Sienna gives him."

Lulu: I'm so excited there is lots of Hawke and Sienna! Do we learn more about their relationship and how they are managing with Hawke being alpha and Sienna just a soldier? - Yes.


The book's last line

"It's not exactly a quote, but the very last line of the book is going to send most people into a frenzy. I tried desperately to find out who the next couple is going to be and I got totally shut down. Resist the urge to skip ahead, though! It'll have more impact if you read Tangle of Need properly (and this is another reason why you should try to read it on the 29th)."

Vi: Please tell me if the last line will leave us hanging. Or is it more like the last line in Kiss of Snow?- I finally got a chance to dig out my copy of Kiss of Snow. I'd categorize the last line of Kiss like a pleasant surprise, like finding forgotten money. The last line of Tangle of Need is more of a anticipatory, perhaps shocking, surprise, like the week before Christmas when you know you got presents, but you don't know what they are yet. Except Christmas in our case would be about a year away. 

About Riaz's mating situation

Lulu: Can you tell us anything about the woman Riaz thought was his mate? Was she? Is there more than 1 possible mate out there for a changeling? - 1) Yes, but I won't, due to the aforementioned specter of death, 2) What Riaz told us in Play of Passion about her is completely true, and 3) That's a question for Dalton.

 

The Lauren Family

"Of the members of the Lauren family (excluding any SnowDancers), one is never mentioned, one is mentioned and also seen, one is mentioned but never speaks, two spend time in a kitchen, one gives forehead kisses, and one gives chocolate."

Walker and Lara

"They're in Tangle, but more as background characters. There's a little positive news about their relationship, but they don't have any real scenes. I wouldn't be surprised if Nalini eventually releases a deleted scene with them."

         

Review: Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



If I say too much, an angry mob will cross the bridges and stone me to death. Since there are entirely too many books left in my TBR to risk that, I only have the following cryptic comments for you.

1. If Kiss of Snow was the explosion that changed everything, Tangle of Need is the aftermath. Adria and Riaz are the main couple, yes, but their relationship is only part of the book's focus.

2. Re-read every book that centers on the SnowDancers as Tangle of Need is a reunion of epic proportions. DarkRiver characters make appearances, but only in very minor capacities.

3. If you have not read any of the Psy/Changeling books, do not start with this one because a) you will ruin the pleasure of watching the series develop for yourself and b) you will not enjoy Tangle of Need the way you should and I shall be forced to angrily exclaim 'I told you so.' You have 10 weeks. Read a book a week to catch up.

4. My personal theory as to the Ghost's identity remains in play and I think Nalini eliminates two more possible candidates.

5. I read a theory online about who Kaleb is searching for and now I'm pretty sure that theory was on the money, which makes my personal theory incorrect.

6. If Berkley does not make 'I heart Judd' pins to give away at the various cons & trade shows, I will be very sad.

7. I know I'm usually pretty stingy about price, now that I am discount-less, but I'm telling you, guys, I'd recommend picking this book up on May 29th when it's released. There is so much crammed into Tangle of Need and if you get spoiled, I honestly think it'll affect your enjoyment level of the book. Think of it this way, if you can save $3 a week between now & the time the book is released, you'll be able to afford it.

Best Books of 2011...So Far

I swear I had this idea before I saw it on Amazon. Doing the best books of 2010 was such a pain in the rear (did I even ever finish it? Note to self: Check on that) that I decided it'd be easier to do it in piecemeal.

My criteria for 'best' is simple. Basically, I considered a book one of the 'best' if I really enjoyed it, I bought it or would be willing to buy it, and I'd re-read it. For the purpose of this list, I'm also limiting it to books published in 2011. Sadly, there wasn't many books that met that criteria so far. I don't know if it's because I'm a bit jaded or if I just haven't been reading the right books.  In any case, my list, in no particular order, of the Best Books of 2011 so far:

1. Skin Heat, Ava Gray - I actually read this as an ARC while on vacation. Since the book was already out, I left the book at the hotel and regretted it almost immediately. Not only did I buy a copy, I also went back and picked up the previous books in the series. I've enjoyed 'mutant' books ever since the TV show Dark Angel aired and this book fits in that category perfectly. It's unique because the hero is animalistic, but not a shifter. He is also illiterate due to the experiments conducted on him, which for some reason, I found fascinating. Forgive the pun, but illiteracy is not something you read about very often, especially in romance novels.


2. When You Dare, Lori Foster - As previously stated, I don't particularly enjoy romantic suspense or military books, but this book grabbed me right away. In addition to a terrific hero and a writer heroine, there were excellently developed secondary characters. It's a bit out of character for me, but I'm really rooting for one of those characters, Chris, to get his own story, perhaps a novella. Chris is gay and, as a straight female, I can't always relate to the struggles facing a gay man, but Chris was so fabulous, I want him to have his own happy ending.


3. Look! A Book! A Zany Seek-and-Find Adventure, Bob Staake - I touched on it a bit in the February Monthly Tally, but I'll reiterate. I am 29 years old and I was captivated by this book. I'm very literal and the book is very not, so i think that was why I enjoyed it so much. If I had a kid in my life, I would totally buy this for them.


4. Tortall and Other Lands, Tamora Pierce - I have been a fan of Tamora Pierce for  a long time. This anthology is like a buffet containing offerings from all the worlds she's created. It's wonderful for the long time fan and equally great to get someone else hooked.


5. Kiss of Snow, Nalini Singh - I remember when the Harry Potter series was still ongoing and we'd used to dissect the books, looking for clues as to what would happen next. The online romance community is now doing the same with the Psy books, trying to ferret out the identity of the Ghost. Any author who invites comparison to J.K. Rowling should have automatic placement on any best books list. I will legitimately weep when this series comes to an end, but I have faith in Nalini that she will make it an awesome ride in the meantime.


6. Blood of the Maple, Dana Marie Bell - This book totally tickles my fancy. It's about a vampire who's cursed by a witch that he can only drink the blood of plants. His best friend's a ghost and he ends up moving to a town of supernaturals where he falls in love with a dryad. It's like Bunnicula crossed with Halloweentown. I don't know why Bell hasn't crossed over into mainstream yet, but she has major, major potential. 


7. Kiss at Your Own Risk, Stephanie Rowe - I can't begin to tell you how many romances I've read over the years, but I swear the number is probably at least four digits. As a result, when I find something new and interesting, I feel the need to adopt it and give it lots of love. It's even more gratifying when it's a book by an author that I've read before and wasn't too thrilled by. I feel about Kiss at Your Own Risk the way I did when I read The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter. Depending on the other two books in the series, this has the potential to be Rowe's breakout series.


8. Magic Slays, Ilona Andrews - What I love about Andrews's books is how they can feature the same characters, but still be fresh and new. The plots are always advancing and, for all their mystical/magical gifts, the characters act like real people. Kate and Curran don't automatically fall into bed. They worked for their relationship and now that they're officially mated, they're still working at, learning how to compromise. I love strong heroines and the heroes that let them be strong.


9. Nightfall, Ellen Connor - If you follow my personal Twitter account, you will have seen me be very flustered by this book. I don't like apocalyptic books because the world is unstable enough and I don't need to think about it ending while indulging in 'escapism.' However, despite all that, I felt compelled to finish this book and even now, months later, bits of it still float through my mind. A review at Dear Author takes the book to task for having too many apocalypses, but if you're willing to believe that people will spontaneously shift into animals due to a disease, why is it out of the realm of possibility that an electro-magnetic pulse happens at the same time? In addition, Connor (aka Ann Aguirre & Carrie Lofty) introduces, as a throw-away, the possibility of insect shifters. Aside from the spider shifters in the Sazi books (C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp) and a few bird shifter books, the majority of shifter books focus on mammals. Any book that lingers on in your brain and makes you think deserves to be on a list like this.


10. Small Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers, Debby Maugans - Okay, confession time, this mainly made the list because I had nine titles and that troubled my orderly soul. However, I did buy two copies of this book, one for me and one for my sister-in-law. The idea behind this cookbook is awesome and, while I have yet to try out any of the recipes firsthand, I will definitely do so in the future.

Honorable Mentions

• Eternal Rider, Larissa Ione - Okay, I love Larissa Ione, but her books have been getting progressively darker and darker. The hellhounds introduced in this book are no cuddly puppies either. Still, it's a well-written book and a good series opener.
• Treachery in Death, J.D. Robb - I didn't particularly love the previous book so I enjoyed this one simply because it was better. I also love the supporting characters so I liked the emphasis on Peabody. However, it doesn't rank as a best book because it's not as good as previous works.
• Demon Song, Cat Adams - I love this series, but it didn't make the best books list because it was very dependent on the books before it. If you haven't read any of the other books, you will not be able to fully appreciate this one. Plus it's in first person, which I normally hate, but I forgive the authors for it because the book is so full of awesome.
• Lover Unleashed, J.R. Ward - This is an honorable mention because I don't know if I'll ever buy it, but I finally forgive Ward for the crap she pulled with the end of Vishous's book.
• Savage Nature, Christine Feehan - I haven't been crazy about the Carpathian series for a long time and, while I'm still a fan of the Ghostwalker series, the rest of her books have been hit and miss for me. However, I liked this one. I think that has more to do with the unusual bayou setting than anything else.

Also, I didn't put it on the list as I'm a hundred percent biased, but I think we all know my feelings about Thea Harrison and Dragon Bound. 

Waiting on in 2011

I'm in an unique position with regards to book publication dates since I receive & read so many ARCs. Still, there are some books that I won't get due to the fame of the author or because it's not a romance.

The biggest book that I'm looking forward to is Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh. I twigged onto Hawke & Sienna back in book 3 and I'm dying to see how Nalini writes them. I was a little hesitant about tthhe relationship due to the age difference, but my faith in Nalini is such that I know all my doubts will be swept aside. At RomCon, Nalini talked about how Kiss of Snow brings the first overall series arc to a conclusion. I can't wait to find out more about the Ghost and how Silence is going to fall. I also think Sascha gives birth in Kiss of Snow and I'm dying to meet the first member of the new generation.

On the YA front, there are a lot of great sequels on the horizon. Trial by Fire, the next book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The long overdue book in L.J. Smith's Nightworld series. Kiersten White's sequel to Paranormalcy will be released in the fall. I've also been reading Colleen Houck's books. Since Ms. Houck self-published before getting picked up by Splinter, I was able to get my hands on the second book in the series. I'm interested to see where the third book is going to go.

There are also the authors for whom I'm waiting their yearly book. Ilona Andrews, for example. I can't wait to see what happens next for Curran & Kate or on the 'Edge.' Robin D. Owens' Celta book will be released during the summer and, according to her website, there may be an anthology too!  Patricia Briggs' latest book is a must-read and I'm always curious to read a new Laurell K. Hamilton, despite the erratic nature of the books' quality. J.R. Ward releases Lover Unleashed at the end of March and Charlaine Harris has Dead Reckoning in May. I'm also anxious for the next Breed book in Lora Leigh's series.

We know I've already read it, but I'm looking forward to Thea Harrison's May release of Dragon Bound. My copy is falling to pieces and I need something pretty for my shelf! If the buzz is getting you excited, Dear Author is giving away copies of the ARC to commenters.

Twitter Thursday

I've re-written this entry about four times. Perhaps it's my setting (my desk in the library), but the first paragraph keeps coming out like an introduction to an academic paper. So I'm going to skip it entirely and dive right into Twitter Thursday. There's no twitter account set up for the blog yet, but I do have a personal account where I follow a couple of book people. My intention is to feature one twitter account that you should be following. 

I am going to start with one of my top favorite authors: @NaliniSingh. I vividly remember how my love affair with her books began.  I remembered reading a review of it in Romantic Times (a magazine I found at my first Bookstore & subscribed to three months) and while I wasn't wowed by the description, I added it to my TBR journal. A week or two later, I got an excerpt of Slave to Sensation via Ms. Singh's publicist in the mail. Since I recognized the title, I read it right away. Then I proceeded to write a gushing email to the publicist and haunted the stockroom until the book came in.

Ever since then, I was hooked.  I was fortunate enough to receive ARCs for Visions of Heat and Caressed by Ice. I wrote up a review of Visions of Heat that was featured on Bookstore's internal romance newsletter. One of the final lines read: "This is definitely her breakout series and Ms. Singh will soon be one of the romance heavy-hitters." As we know now,  Ms. Singh has gone to be a New York Times bestselling author and an auto-buy for paranormal readers.

I was fortunate enough to meet Ms. Singh at RomCon2010. She actually is the main reason I went since she is based in New Zealand and rarely comes to the States for signings. We had a few email exchanges prior to this, back in 2006 & 2007, and not much contact since then until I begged (like full on groveling) for an ARC of Bonds of Justice. I expected to be one of the crowd, but she knew who I was. She remembered my reviews. I was speechless. She is incredibly nice and very warm towards her fans (I was by no means the only fangirl there).

Her Twitter account is worth following for the following reasons:

1. She rarely tweets unless it's book-related so your feed will not be cluttered with extraneous information. Ms. Singh has a blog of her own where she talks about her work in general and occasionally shares tidbits from her personal life. She is also a weekly poster at The Odd Shots, where she will sometimes make book recommendations or post some of her photographs (which are gorgeous).
2. When they release an excerpt or cover blurb, Ms. Singh tweets a link, thereby circumventing the need to continually check her website and allowing for instant gratification. She also sends out reminders about publication dates.
3. Ms. Singh checks her feed on a daily basis. She may answer fan questions or send out smiley faces. I skimmed her feed while writing this entry and now I know that Max's brother, River, will be a presence in Kiss of Snow. 

So, when you're finished with your turkey dinners (Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Americans!),  log into Twitter and follow @NaliniSingh.  I personally will probably be in bed, hiding under the covers, because tomorrow is Black Friday. It's bad enough working Black Friday, but considering Hanukkah will only be a week away? I'd rather be home reading!