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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't forget the box of tissues!, November 4, 2009
I won't bother going into detail about the plot of this book since the other reviewers have already done an excellent job of that. I will start by stating that Nalini Singh has done it again and written another page turner with a strong story arc that just keeps getting better and better as her books in this series continue. It is obvious that she has taken a lot of time, effort and done some strong editing to make this series, and the world building within it, the best, most tightly focused and complex that it could possibly be. Obviously she has seriously thought through this current story arc which will come to an end in book 10 of the series(Hawkes YEAH!!). For that reason alone I cannot recommend this book as a stand alone, there is just too much back story that is relevant to the current book, and though enough is explained within it not to be lost, knowing what has happened in the previous books adds a richness all its own to reading this one. This author knows how to keep her world building believable(if such a thing is possible in a paranormal) and consistant throughout all seven books. I especially appreciate this since another well known author ruined any paranormal series for me for a long time with her 'swiss cheese' world building and urban fantasy switch five books into an otherwise fantastic vampire romance series. Nalini Singh has given me faith in following through on another paranormal series again and that means a great deal to an avid reader like myself. As for the story itself, I must admit that I wasn't expecting much from this one since I do have a real weakness for the changeling world and its culture(and those yummy changeling men!)and am just not as interested in the human part of the world. Well, I was proven wrong with this book. Since the hero, Devraj Santos, is actually a part of The Forgotten and not what I would consider a human, it was Katya as the heroine who proved to be the most human in her reactions even though she was a Psy. The obstacles presented with breaking Silence were not needed in this book MILD SPOILER ALERT...................................since Councilor Ming Le Bon had already torn into her mind and broken it during his torture and re-conditioning of her mind to become his mole. This made her responses to Dev much more believable since she was 'broken' already, as well as giving the story arc a chance to move along at a much faster pace than the last book (lots of changeling men and hot sex in that one so no complaints there). Overall I was truly enjoying the story, as well as the other subplots in the book (I got to see Vasic the teleporter again, when will he get his own book?), so as I neared the end I was ready to give it a solid 4 stars (no matter what it just can't be a 5 star without my changeling men I thought), when the last few chapters blindsided me. I will state right off that I rarely cry when I read books, especially romances, so it was a total surprise to find myself blubbering like an idiot during those last chapters. I swear I went through half a box of tissues before I finished the book. There was something about the way the author wrote those chapters and the heroes and heroines actions that just got to me at that particular moment. That woman knows how to write emotional scenes like no other!!! The added star was because even though I was bawling and having to stop every few sentences to wipe my eyes or blow my nose, I was thoroughly enjoying a good cry because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Ms. Singh would not disappoint me and would deliver in the end (unlike other authors who shall remain nameless). She did hint at the solution to the dilemma early on in the book in a scene with Judd and Noor so I kind of had an idea of what was coming, even though she managed to add on a complexity to even that section which I know will be built upon in future books. Here I was just expecting a good read for what I thought would be a 'filler' book in this series since there was no hot changeling sex LOL, therefore I believed the main characters wouldn't interest me as much, but Ms. Singh delivered again. I am now actually really looking forward to her next Psy-Changeling book "Bonded by Justice' due out July 2010 even though there will be a human male cop (Max from Talin's book) with a J-Psy in it. She made me a believer in this book with characters I didn't expect to love so I know she will do it again. So thank you Ms. Singh for writing another wonderful addition to this fantastic series! I only wish you wrote super fast so I wouldn't have to wait until July 2011 for Hawke and Sienna's book(he can have no other heroine after what you quite clearly insinuated in 'Branded by Fire')and what I know will be an exciting conclusion to this particular story arc!
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another mated pair, November 3, 2009
This book had a different flavor to it. In most of her novels the hero and heroine are from different worlds and it takes a lot of 'dancing' and flirting to get them angled into just the right position for the 'mating heat' to take effect. With Blaze of Memory is was about a Human Forgotten and a Psy. Katya seems to have broken silence quite easily and falls for Dev hard. This is unusually in Singh's books, but it does coordinate with Katya's personality. Katya was dropped on Dev's door step as a 'sleeper' which basically means that when triggered she will perform action/s without forethought or consciousness. This is especially dangerous for the Shine Foundation's Director. I noticed in the last three books, but Dev was getting harsher, meaner and plain scary. I actually was a little nervous (and I know my changeling loving friend was too) about Dev being the hero and Katya being the lovely leading lady. What I did like about this book was that we got an even deeper look into the Shine's mechanics and the people who work there. The readers are given more knowledge and background on the Forgotten, and learn a lot through letters placed in between chapters, of what Silence was like in 1975 when the movement first came around. I know a lot of people hate reading spoilers, I can't give away anymore of the plot with out indulging in a few spoilers regarding Katya and the reason she's still alive.... so I'll leave well enough alone. The one thing I do have to say is I usually hate sugary sweet, too happy to be real situations or solutions to problems. I feel like it goes too far out of reality (kinda funny for someone loving the paranormal genre right?) But Nalini Singh managed to use one with grace and tie it into the future of the Changelings/Psy/Humans. Not many authors can do that and I enjoyed the bliss while it happened. As for the characters, Katya seemed a little too.... I'm not sure? At first she was just "Let me go I have to Escape or I'll hurt you" then it was "Dev don't leave me" followed by "stop or I'll taser you." I suppose though that if your brain is messed with you will have random thoughts and actions. Dev was not dislikable, but he defiantly was the 'fallen hero.' You could tell he takes hits for Shine, including Katya's imprisonment. He does, like Judd, hold on to what he considers Honor. I really am hoping I'll like her next one with Indigo... but I'm really, really, really holding out for Hawke's and The Ghost's books..... awww man just picture them finding their future mates and what types of women they'll have to be! ;) Enjoy!
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29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Blaze of Memory: Forgettable, November 8, 2009
Finished reading Blaze of Memory a few hours ago. It pains me to say it, but for me the book was an utter disappointment. It wasn't a BAD book -- I doubt Singh can write a BAD book -- but I found it to be...boring. Nothing much seems to happen. An abused amnesiac shows up on the doorstep of Dev Santos, the leader of the Shine Foundation. Dev and the others deduce her identity quickly, and just as quickly, Katya herself realizes and acknowledges outloud that Councillor Ming has "programmed" her to kill Dev. Dev can't trust her, but at the same time, he's drawn to her, sexually and emotionally, and she arouses all his possessive and protective instincts. And that pretty much seemed to be the entirety of the book. The whole book read to me like one prolonged foreplay session and (rather tepid) sex scene. There was the usual Council stuff, but even with that, I can't say that there was a lot of forward momentum or that anything particularly noteworthy happened (except maybe at the very end). Another observation I made while reading the book is that the psy women too often strike me as being somewhat childish. I'm sure it has to do with their awakening to emotion for the first time. That's probably what gives them that childlike quality. In this book in particular, all that wide-eyed wonder and the veneer of "Ooooh....shiny!" grated on my nerves. Sascha and Shaya and the others started that way for me, too, but they also seemed to have a reservoir of strength and self-sufficiency that made them more appealing. Katya, on the other hand, was just TOO helpless and innocent and vulnerable for my liking. She came across to me as fragile and pathetic -- not a type of character who stands up well next to the vibrant (and more appealing) Changeling characters like Mercy, Indigo, and Brenna. I'm still loving this series and I can't wait for the next book. Singh does a bang-up job with her world-building, and I'm intrigued by the power-play going on in the Council. Can't wait to see how that all shakes downs. But for me, Blaze of Memory was unmemorable...and possibly skippable.
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