Review: Blaze of Memory

Reviewed by Jen
 

As I sat down to read this and I looked over the blurb, the first though that occurred to me was: Who the hell are Dev and Katya?  It didn't take me long to put the pieces together. Despite my fears, these are not new characters... just a couple that we haven't seen in awhile.

We met Dev in Mine to Possess (Talin & Clay's book.)  He is the leader of Shine, group of Psy "Forgotten," working to find children of their kind who were neglected or abused and unaware of their heritage.  Katya is actually Ekaterina, Ashaya's assistant who was presumed dead at the end of Hostage to Pleasure.   Obviously, she is still alive, but not the woman she once was.

The councilor, Ming, has had Katya all this time. He's broken her mind, learned all of her secrets, and dumped her on Dev's doorstep. She has an embedded impulse to kill him, though she doesn't remember it.  In fact, she doesn't remember anything at first --not even who she is.  Dev is too smart to ignore the possibility she is a Trojan horse, but her abuse brings out all of his protective instincts.  He takes her into his own personal custody as they try to unravel the mysteries of her mind --and eventually, how to set her free from what Ming has done to her.

I wasn't sure I was going to like a story with both a Psy hero and heroine.  After all, those changeling men and all their touching make these stories so hot.  But Dev isn't a regular Psy. He has never known Silence, though his metallic abilities give him a cool clarity most of the Forgotten lack.  And since the torture cracked Katya's conditioning wide open, she is emotional too. Maybe even more so than Dev.

It's hard at times, watching the dichotomy of Dev the man, and Dev the Shine leader.  Sometimes, he has to be a real dick to Katya.  But I understand it. So does she.  It's hot to watch her earnest feelings and sexuality break down his barriers.   And despite my reservations about leaving the changeling packs, the book actually provided a nice change of pace.  We got to see an entirely new side to this world, while still maintaining links to the people we know and love.

Without spoiling the particulars, I'll tell you that this book made me cry in the end.  (A first for the series.) That's always a sign that the author has made me invest in the characters.   And Nalini Singh has pulled me even further into her web. Her Arrows fascinate me. (I want a Vasic story!! Tell me more about Aden! The Ghost! Xavier.)  It's so clear to me why everyone loves this series... cheesy covers, aside.

Rating: B+

Click to purchase: Amazon

Blaze of Memory

by Nalini Singh

Release Date:November 3, 2009

Publisher: Berkley Sensation