Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh is a Psy-Changeling novel that’s not the first, second or third in a series but much further down the line. So, it’s expected that the reader will be at least familiar with the world that Ms. Singh has created. Still, it’s a book that can be easily read by someone who has only read one or two books of the series. It’s that reader-friendly.
Shards of Hope is the story of two Arrows, elite trained Psy-warriors that can endure the worst torture and still keep going. Aden and Zaira wake up kidnapped in a strange prison. They know very little of what is going on because they have been cut off from their psychic abilities. That’s one of the reasons why the book is really welcoming to a reader new to the series. They learn what has happened to them one bit at a time, and the reader can go along with them and learn as they do.
Their journey takes them to the home of a changeling pack that’s a heaven for them and where they start to heal and regain their Psy-abilities. Slowly, they lean on each other and learn to care for each other, something that had been forbidden for the Psy for centuries. They have to take it slowly, Zaire’s past is not something that can be easily ignored. She has endured too much and is too damaged to simply go into a relationship with no care or worries.
How these damaged souls find their happy ending and how they start to heal their society from the imposed Silence is a great story that I really couldn’t put down. Ms. Singh is a very reliable writer. You can expect her to deliver great characters, a plot that’s hard to resist and a fantastic love story along the way. It’s really hard to leave the Psy-Changeling universe because it’s so amazing. I would highly recommend this book for any paranormal fan, romance fan or fiction fan. If you haven’t tried Nalini Singh yet, do it. She’s one of the best for a reason.
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult is the story of a father’s love for his daughter and whether or not we can get past our mistakes and restart or if we live under their shadow forever.
Daniel Stone adores his daughter, Trixie. He’s the kind of father we all wish we could have, devoted, supportive, understanding and loving. He doubts himself and wishes he could do more. He tries hard to be the perfect parental unit and, when he stumbles, curses himself and tries again.
Meanwhile, Trixie is a young teen, trying to figure out how to survive high school. She’s got some good things going for her, like her father’s support, but she’s also got some things against her, like her boyfriend just dumping her. We can all laugh and shake our heads at the idea of young love ending but to a young person, those early relationships can carve great chasms of pain. Trixie, being a typical teen, doesn’t deal with the break up really great and makes decisions that would have long-lasting consequences.
This is one of the things I love about Jodi Picoult. Her characters are very, very human and very real. The things they say and do are the things most people would say and do under those circumstances. They also have, along with wonderful qualities, a dark side that makes them very authentic.
That’s what follows, events and challenges that force them to face the parts of themselves they thought they had left behind. And we get to be there for the ride. The Tenth Circle is a great book into human nature, what makes us and what forces us to take another look at our past. It’s a great book for a book club, a great read for a fiction fan and a great choice for those who want to read about a family that faces tragedy and tries, desperately to rise above it.
Taylor Grace 