Review: Storm Echo by Nalini Singh

Storm Echo
(Psy-Changeling: Trinity #6)
Nalini Singh
Release: August 9, 2022
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NYT bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into the hearts of two fractured people in a world on the brink of a psychic Armageddon . . .

Silence has fallen. The Psy are free to feel emotion. Free to love. But Silence was never a prison for Ivan Mercant. The biggest threat to his future lies dormant in his brain—a psychic monster that wants only to feed. And now, the brutal leash he’s kept on that monster is slipping. He prepared for this day, for the end of Ivan Mercant . . . but that was before he met Lei.

As primal as she is human, this wild changeling brings color into his life, laughter to his soul. Then the dream shatters in a rain of blood, in silent bodies in the snow. Lei is gone. Vanished without a trace . . . until he meets strangely familiar eyes across a busy San Francisco street.

Soleil Bijoux Garcia is a healer who has lost everything. She exists in a world of desolate aloneness . . . till the day she finds herself face-to-face with a lethal stranger. The animal who is her other half knows this man, but her memories are tattered fragments. Sorrow and a need for vengeance are all that drive her. Her mission? To kill the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack.

But fate has other plans. Soon, a deadly soldier who believes himself a monster and a broken healer might be all that stand between life and death for the entire Psy race.

Review:
I don't know how Nalini Singh does it but each new book in this series is just as good or better than the last one! I loved it so much! Not only did we get to see another Mercant fall in love, we got to revisit the DarkRiver pack! I love the leopards so much!

One of the things I'm loving about this Trinity arc is that we get to see the rare and unique Psy gifts that will hopefully help mend the PsyNet! I am finding them fascinating! And I'm loving seeing more Psy-Changeling pairings! I absolutely adored Lei and Ivan's romance! Even though their back stories tugged at my heartstrings. They both deserve each other after everything they've been through!

I'm not usually a fan of the amnesia trope but it is so nicely done in this book! I'm worried about the PsyNet. It's getting better in small increments but we really geot to see how the Scarab's are tearing it apart in this book. I'm still not sure how it can be saved but we're getting closer to an answer and loose threads from previous books are starting to be tied into the bigger picture. I want it to be known that I totally called the identity of The Architect.

I can't wait to see what happens next in this series! It's going to be a long wait for the next book. I foresee a whole series reread in my near future to bridge the gap.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

    

  5 / 5 Stars

My reviews of other books in this series:  

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh
Ocean Light by Nalini Singh 

Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh
Alpha Night by Nalini Singh
Last Guard by Nalini Singh

Review: A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance
Foz Meadows
Release: July 26, 2022
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“Stolen me? As soon to say a caged bird can be stolen by the sky.”

Velasin vin Aaro never planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead.

Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock.

With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love—as both will learn—is quite another.

Byzantine politics, lush sexual energy, and a queer love story that is by turns sweet and sultry. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is an exploration of gender, identity, and self-worth. It is a book that will live in your heart long after you turn the last page.

Review:
Y'all, I finished this book back in July and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. It is hands down one of my top three favorite books of 2022 and as of right now it is tied with A Lady for a Duke as my favorite of the year. The thing is I haven't been able to write a review for it. How do I describe what I loved about this book without spoilers and with adequate words to portray my feelings?

Honestly, I haven't figured it out beyond saying I loved it! And go read it now!

This book, y’all. It made my heart full. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It even made me gasp out loud. And it was beautifully and delightfully queer. And the slow burn romance! Totally swoon worthy! Someone please tell me there’s going to be a sequel or companion novel or something because I need more! More of this world and more of these characters! 

That being said there are some heavy topics in this book and the TW/CWs  (see below) should definitely be paid attention to. I will say that these topics were treated with the kindness and respect they deserved without sugarcoating them. I can only applaud Foz Meadows for her treatment of them.

Well. That's it. That’s the review. Go read it and come talk to me about it in the comments!

TW/CW: sexual assault/rape (on page), suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide/self harm, homophobia, PTSD/trauma, violence, injury/injury detail, blood, murder, animal death (horse).*

*There are probably more but these are the major ones that I remember.


ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

    

  5 / 5 Stars

Recommended for fans of:
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske