Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh Narrator: Angela Dawe
Series: Psy-Changeling #14
Published by Tantor Audio on June 2, 2015
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Length: 15 hours, 40 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
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.
Having originally read Shards of Hope in 2015, I took the opportunity to listen to the audiobook for my re-read as part of Books of My Heart’s 2021 Psy-Changeling read-along. This was my first time listening to a Psy-Changeling book, and I’m glad I did. I also want to mention that I jumped right into Shards of Hope without going back to the start of the series. After I finished listening and reviewed my notes, I went back and read my original review, and I have to say, I still feel pretty much the same way. Much of this review comes from my 2015 review, but I’ve edited and adjusted it as needed.
Opening shortly after the conclusion of the previous book, Shards of Hope shares the story of a post-Silence world, one which sees the fierce and deadly Arrows trying to adapt. Arrow leader Aden, along with one of his top commanders, Zaira, is taken captive by an unknown group, resulting in a temporary disconnect from the PsyNet. This opens up the opportunity for Aden to learn from a Changeling pack and begin to implement post-Silence ideas into his “Arrow pack.”
Overall, I enjoyed Shards of Hope, bringing the Psy and whole world from Silence into post-Silence. I enjoyed Aden and Zaira’s romance and feel their pairing a good one. The relationship is slow moving (which is expected being a Psy-Psy pairing), but their love began well before the start of this book, even before the fall of Silence – they just didn’t realize it. Individually, I found both Aden and Zaira strong and likable characters. I was interested in their personal growth and development, which is well-written. But at times, I feel their romance took a backseat to the rebuilding of the Arrows and the other subplots. I also found that Ms. Singh uses a lot of repetition in her writing, continually mentioning the same feelings and personality traits or how each was treated by their parents.
Ms. Singh spends a lot of time bringing readers inside the Arrows and running us through the different worldwide groups and groundbreaking changes. Aden is a wonderful leader and the perfect man to take this group of the most damaged Psy into the post-Silence world. Taking actions to mirror that of an alpha of a changeling pack, Nalini is successful in creating a relatable group for the reader.
Similarly, I enjoyed reading about the familiar powerful players work through misunderstandings generated by the mischievous Consortium. Knowing that this dangerous and dark group would have been successful in its endeavors to throw the world into chaos just a few books ago, makes the changes all the more rewarding for longtime readers of the series. As someone who has read well beyond Shards of Hope, it was surprising to see the kernels of future plots, as well as how some of the plots have yet to completely develop.
In the end, I enjoyed my re-read of Shards of Hope, and find it a worthy entry as one story in a huge series.
Narration:
Angela Dawe does a wonderful job with her performance. The story is shared from multiple POVs, and Ms. Dawe uses the same feminine narrator throughout. She alters the dialogue for every character, making each entirely unique. She transforms her voice so completely from character to character that it sounds like a full cast. She handles various accents, ages, and genders seamlessly. I was also impressed with the amount of emotion she infuses into her performance, as well as how she fits her voice to the actions – like whispering entire covert conversations.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Games:
Who said (enter the answer in the Rafflecopter, don’t put in the comments)
“Someone was counting on us not talking to each other. ”
There are other options in the rafflecopter for you to enter discussion questions and quotes to share.
The quote for Who said “They will walk into any hell; with very few exceptions, it’s how they are made. Of stubborn courage and little or no ability to be selfish. This new chaos will annihilate them unless there is a stronger force that will put Es first. ” is Zie Zen.
The villain was the Infection with a side of Ming.
Share your review/ thoughts on Shards of Hope:
I thought it might be fun to link up reviews so we can find them all easily. It can be a link to Goodreads or a blog, or wherever you have a review (short or long).
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Observations and questions you shared from Shield of Winter:
(Thank you so much for sharing!)
- Zee Zen was such a wonderful character, and I felt so sad for him and Sunny.
- I loved Ivy’s communication with the Net Mind.
- I love how the Arrows are charged to protect the empaths. I would love to learn more about both worlds!
- What will happen to Ming and how soon can it happen?
- Will the main Net and separate “Nets” merge at some point? Will the DarkMind feel less lonely?
Quotes you readers shared from Shield of Winter:
(Thank you for sharing!)
“I could not save the child, Sunny, but I will save the man. I promise you this.”
“I would have eternity with you… I’ll always be here. Even if my body goes, my soul will remain. It’s a mess, but it’s yours; it will always be yours.”
“I want them to have this life. I want them to know what it is to live without being suffocated every minute of every day. I want them to know freedom.”
“The day I feel is the day I die.”
“You are mine. Every breath, every scar, every perfection, every flaw, every light, every darkness. It’s part of you, and it’s mine.”
“They come because they know they’re welcome in our home. To men and women who have never had a true home, a place of warmth and safety, it is a treasure beyond price.”
Here’s your to-do list:
- Find your copies of these books, borrow them from a friend, get them at the library or buy them.
- Read 14.1 Romancing Drew, on author’s site.
- Read 14.2 Song of the Wolf, on author’s site.
- Read Book 15, Allegiance, by December 3.
- Make a list of a favorite quote or two as you read the book.
- If you haven’t read the books before, make a list of questions you have for the discussion. If you have read them, please don’t spoil new readers.
- Link up your review on Goodreads or your site to the post.
- Join the COYER book chat on the Sunday following the post.
- Enter the giveaways!
COYER Challenge is adopting our Read-along. You can read about COYER and join that challenge or just the Facebook community chat HERE.
Shards of Hope chat in a FB room (like we do for COYER book club) is:
November 7 at 12 PT, 2 CT, 3 ET and 9pm Europe, for a one hour chat. Remember the time change in some areas!
You do not have to join the COYER challenge to participate, only the Facebook group.
Schedule:
We are doing one book every 3-4 weeks, posting on Fridays. We should have a review for most of the books with the team here at Books of My Heart plus some of our friends.
Nov 5: Shards of Hope – Jen @ That’s What I’m Talking About
Dec 3: Allegiance of Honor – Anne
Miss a post?
Jan 1: Slave to Sensation – Stephanie @ Once Upon a Chapter
Jan 29: Visions of Heat – Rachel @ Waves of Fiction
Feb 19: Caressed by Ice – Kim @ Caffeinated Reviewer
Mar 19: Mine to Possess – KC
Apr 16: Hostage to Pleasure – Berls @ Because Reading
May 7: Branded by Fire – Kai @ Fiction State of Mind
May 28: Blaze of Memory – Sophia
Jun 18: Bonds of Justice – Angela @ Angel’s Guilty Pleasures
Jul 16: Play of Passion – Robin
Aug 6: Kiss of Snow – Jen from Red Hot Books
Aug 27: Tangle of Need – Victoria @ First of All
Sep 17: Heart of Obsidian – Linda @ Unconventional Bookworms
Oct 15: Shield of Winter – Samantha @ The Book Disciple
Be sure to enter the giveaways!!!
Giveaway:
A copy of Wild Invitation, Psy-Changeling Collection. Open Intl.
Grand-Prize Giveaway:
Tantor Audio is generously donating a set of 15 codes for the entire set on audio. Codes will work US or Intl.
About Angela Dawe
Angela Dawe is an audiobook narrator and actress living and working in Chicago, Illinois. Winner of several Earphones Awards from Audiofile Magazine and narrator of two Audie-nominated audiobooks, Angela is also an accomplished improviser/sketch comedian, and has worked with such theaters as Second City, iO (formerly improvOlympic), and The Annoyance. Among Angela’s recordings are Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh, Wild Roses by Deb Caletti, and Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts.
About Nalini Singh
I’ve been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There’s no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).
So far, I’ve worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer’s mill.
About Jen at That’s What I’m Talking About
Jen began her reading journey at a young age, when she would spend her spare change to buy books, just so she could have them on her shelf after she was done reading them. Now that she’s grown and her reading tastes matured, she finds that she’s still the same girl who likes to read and look at the pretty books on her shelf (or rather, shelves!). Although these days, she admits that she spends most of her time reading on her Kindle or listening to audiobooks than with her nose in a good ol’ book.
I founded That’s What I’m Talking About on January 28, 2010, as a place to discuss in better detail the books we were chatting about on Twitter. My blog is a project of love, and I’m so glad to share it with you.
I am a full-time mom, with a part-time job outside the home. I have two (mostly) wonderful teenage children: The Boy (a high-schooler) and Baby Girl (BG). My background is in engineering and urban planning, but now I work part-time for a small non-profit writing plans and managing grants. I would love to spend more time reading and blogging, but it doesn’t pay the bills! Joining me on my journey is also my husband and our 2 cats. We reside in the New England region of the United States.
I mostly review small-town, light contemporaries, romantic comedies, urban fantasy (UF), historical romances, steampunk, paranormal romances, and historical and cozy mysteries; but my tastes are diverse, and I do read/review in other genres. I also enjoy audiobooks, even more than my Kindle these days.
I love to talk about books and reading, so please drop me a line or find me on the web:
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- C21-Fall
I heard a lot about this series but I haven’t tried it yet. I knw I should.
I heard about it for years. On a whim, I added it to the poll for Read-along candidates and was surprised how popular it was. It is PNR but also UF. Every other Read-along has been strictly UF. I love it and am glad I chose it.
This is one that is still excellent after many titles. It’s also great in print/ebook and audiobook! I hope you find time to give it a try.
Glad to see this far in the series is still holding up! One of these days I’ll get to start.
You should! It is labeled PNR but there’s strong overall UF plot. I have come to respect all Nalini Singh’s work.
It really does hold up well. I hope you find time to enjoy the books!
I really enjoyed Shards of Hope! Aden has been such a mystery throughout the books and I love that we learn more about him and that he is able to find love with the fiery Zaira! She’s a firecracker! I really enjoyed reading more about the Arrows and the issues they have with Silence and the awakening feelings they’re trying to process. And I absolutely LOVED being introduced to another changeling clan. I hope we learn more about RainFire!
Yes! Everything you said. I really am enjoying learning much more about all the Psy and different Changeling groups but especially the Arrows who have more challenges and responsibilities.
Aden is so awesome. His powers are crazy cool and I love how he becomes such a caring leader of his “pack.”
Great review, Jen! I love Angela Dawe for audio version and this was a stellar re-read for me, too.
I’m glad to see people loving the books even 14 books into our read. I never know for sure when it is a series I have not read.
Thanks Sophia… I may end up listening to the next book (new release in 2022) now that I’ve tried it!
I loved this book; it’s one of my favorites in the series.
I agree with you Janie! It’s definitely one of my favorites too.
Ive read a few of the Psy books and really loved them. I need to go and restart the series.
I’m sad you didn’t find us sooner so you could read along with us this year. The books in the series just keep getting better and better. It was my first time reading them.
I know! Im bummed but so glad I found you. 🙂
Thank you Amber! Next year is the whole Jeaniene Frost Night Huntress world. (announcement Dec 5) I’ve read half of it but look forward to doing the Read-along with friends of the whole series.
Fantastic review Jen!
I’m still two books behind. I’m waiting for my audio copy of Shield of Winter. I can’t wait to read Vasic’s story!
Vasic is the one I was waiting for, other than Kaleb. I have been most intrigued by the Psy pairings.