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sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
đŹ: "The Trinity Accord is the fragile foundation of all their hopes and dreams of a future without war, without violence, without shattering loss. It is a noble ambition. But the past is not an old coat that can be discarded and forgotten. It is a scent that clings and clings and clings.
Singh, Nalini. Silver Silence (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 1) (p. 1). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
đGenres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult
đPage Count: 479
đ§Audiobook Length: 16h 01min
đŠđžâđŤMy Rating: âď¸âď¸âď¸ 3/5
----
Silver Silence is the 16th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 1st in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. This book is about Silver Mercant, a Psy and Valentin Nikolaev, an alpha bear. Silver is stationed at Valentin's bear compound where she's been helping keep an eye on things since the Trinity Accord as been established. Silver gets poisoned and almost dies as a result and now Silver along with the Mercant family and Valentin are looking for the culprit.
This book had stuff going on but it really FELT like nothing was happening for the duration of the book. Silver gets poisoned at the beginning so I assumed this book would be about hunting down the culprit and they eventually do that but it takes so long. Valentine courted Silver and it was a cute story but it went by so slowly, this book took me 4 weeks (A WHOLE MONTH) to finish because there was very little action on the page. I'm actually disappointed with how boring this was.
The spicy scenes were below average for me, there were two of them and they weren't my favorite scenes. I'm not a huge fan of the virgin heroine and the painful first time, the second scene was a little better but still just "okay". I'm giving it two chilies đśď¸đśď¸ out of five chilies
Overall, Silver Silence was just okay but it was definitely on the boring side. I'm giving this book 3 stars out of 5.
âď¸âď¸âď¸ 3/5 Stars
I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]
Singh, Nalini. Silver Silence (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 1) (p. 1). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
đGenres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult
đPage Count: 479
đ§Audiobook Length: 16h 01min
đŠđžâđŤMy Rating: âď¸âď¸âď¸ 3/5
----
Silver Silence is the 16th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 1st in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. This book is about Silver Mercant, a Psy and Valentin Nikolaev, an alpha bear. Silver is stationed at Valentin's bear compound where she's been helping keep an eye on things since the Trinity Accord as been established. Silver gets poisoned and almost dies as a result and now Silver along with the Mercant family and Valentin are looking for the culprit.
This book had stuff going on but it really FELT like nothing was happening for the duration of the book. Silver gets poisoned at the beginning so I assumed this book would be about hunting down the culprit and they eventually do that but it takes so long. Valentine courted Silver and it was a cute story but it went by so slowly, this book took me 4 weeks (A WHOLE MONTH) to finish because there was very little action on the page. I'm actually disappointed with how boring this was.
The spicy scenes were below average for me, there were two of them and they weren't my favorite scenes. I'm not a huge fan of the virgin heroine and the painful first time, the second scene was a little better but still just "okay". I'm giving it two chilies đśď¸đśď¸ out of five chilies
Overall, Silver Silence was just okay but it was definitely on the boring side. I'm giving this book 3 stars out of 5.
âď¸âď¸âď¸ 3/5 Stars
I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
whatkireads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book felt so different from her usual Psy-Changeling series and in the most positive way.
The story starts off with Valentin facing off Silver and trying to court her, and reading about his shenanigans was hilarious.
I liked the distinction that Nalini Singh managed to set, where leopards and wolves may be similar in their behaviour but the bears were very different. It gave a refreshing feeling to read about a new changeling group with their unique quirks. Their unserious nature was what made it feel so silly and fun to read about. Valentin as a character was my favourite, because he's the epitome me of "i'm not going to do that.....fuck it i just did it". Unlike the leopards and wolves too, I'd say he's the first changeling mate I read about that didn't want Silver to leave Silence and never really pushed her to as soon as he found out it could hurt her.
Silver was so interesting to read about as well, her bonding with Valentin was unexpected but upon closer look, made perfect sense. for someone as uptight as Silver it only made sense she had a more relaxed counterpart. Also the way she threatens anyone that could hurt Valentin???Literally ready to kill Sergey and threatening his MOTHER because no one got to kick her gentle bear's heart It's so cool to see a Psy mate be the one that went out of her way to protect her mate who was 'gentler'.
Whatever Nalini Singh was trying to do with Psy-Changeling Trinity, I hope she's achieved it with Silver Silence because this was so so so good.
The story starts off with Valentin facing off Silver and trying to court her, and reading about his shenanigans was hilarious.
I liked the distinction that Nalini Singh managed to set, where leopards and wolves may be similar in their behaviour but the bears were very different. It gave a refreshing feeling to read about a new changeling group with their unique quirks. Their unserious nature was what made it feel so silly and fun to read about. Valentin as a character was my favourite, because he's the epitome me of "i'm not going to do that.....fuck it i just did it". Unlike the leopards and wolves too, I'd say he's the first changeling mate I read about that didn't want Silver to leave Silence and never really pushed her to as soon as he found out it could hurt her.
Silver was so interesting to read about as well, her bonding with Valentin was unexpected but upon closer look, made perfect sense. for someone as uptight as Silver it only made sense she had a more relaxed counterpart. Also the way she threatens anyone that could hurt Valentin???
Whatever Nalini Singh was trying to do with Psy-Changeling Trinity, I hope she's achieved it with Silver Silence because this was so so so good.
heabooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
It was nice to go back to the older feel of Nalini Singhâs books and to be so focused on the Changelings which are my favorite. But I would be lying if I didnât say I really missed all the characters weâve spent over 10 years with. Nalini Singh is a master at the paranormal romance genre and sheâs done an amazing job with this exceptional world. I had very high expectations for this book and a lot of excitement over a new era of the Psy as they begin to live outside of Silence. I can say that for the most part, this book lived up to those expectations and set forth a lot of new characters, groups, and packs to follow. Silver Silence was a bit of a throwback to the earlier books in the series and I really appreciated that because I love that earlier vibe.
The bears are fun loving, charming, partiers with the biggest hearts. After seeing so much of DarkRiver and SnowDancer I found StoneWater to be a bit more primitive in their nature; Iâm not sure if itâs because theyâre bears (likely) or because theyâre Russian (possibly). Theyâre not as âinâ with the humans or Psy so their experiences have been more isolated and they are just starting to become a force in their region. Valentin was this great big cuddly bear on one side and a very primal, protective man on the other side. He was an interesting mix of the danger we got in Hawke (SnowDancer Alpha) and the charm we got in Lucas (DarkRiver Alpha). I loved his devotion to Silver, even when he realized it meant he could lose her forever.
Silver has been a quiet presence in the background of Kalebâs business so it was nice to get to know more about her. I also found the Mercant family to be really interesting in light of all we know about the Silence Protocol. The Mercants managed to find ways to maintain their family and principals while also becoming outwardly cold enough that no one would mess with them. Iâd love to see more of the family, particularly Arwen, since being an E-Psy means heâs already far along the path of dropping Silence.
There were some phrases that got quite repetitive by the end of the story. For example, âSilver Fucking Mercantâ was used 25 times, primarily in the 2nd half of the book, so it felt very heavy handed.
One area Iâm still looking for improvement on is the type of Psy weâre being presented with. I felt like in the beginning of the series we had powerful Psy (Sascha, Faith, Ashaya) but their stories were more about embracing emotion in a race that shunned it and what it would mean to give up being Psy. The more recent books have been about Psy with furious, extraordinary powers (Kaleb, Vasic, Aden, Silver) that they have to control at all costs and this is why they are reluctant to embrace emotion. Basically, I liked the more internal reflection on moving away from the norm and embracing who you are as opposed to the current model of my powers will be out of control. Where are all the average Psy? The ones who have less dangerous powers but still struggle with embracing emotions theyâve never felt before in their life. I donât mind strong Psy but Iâd like something different every once in a while to mix things up.
The bears are fun loving, charming, partiers with the biggest hearts. After seeing so much of DarkRiver and SnowDancer I found StoneWater to be a bit more primitive in their nature; Iâm not sure if itâs because theyâre bears (likely) or because theyâre Russian (possibly). Theyâre not as âinâ with the humans or Psy so their experiences have been more isolated and they are just starting to become a force in their region. Valentin was this great big cuddly bear on one side and a very primal, protective man on the other side. He was an interesting mix of the danger we got in Hawke (SnowDancer Alpha) and the charm we got in Lucas (DarkRiver Alpha). I loved his devotion to Silver, even when he realized it meant he could lose her forever.
Silver has been a quiet presence in the background of Kalebâs business so it was nice to get to know more about her. I also found the Mercant family to be really interesting in light of all we know about the Silence Protocol. The Mercants managed to find ways to maintain their family and principals while also becoming outwardly cold enough that no one would mess with them. Iâd love to see more of the family, particularly Arwen, since being an E-Psy means heâs already far along the path of dropping Silence.
There were some phrases that got quite repetitive by the end of the story. For example, âSilver Fucking Mercantâ was used 25 times, primarily in the 2nd half of the book, so it felt very heavy handed.
One area Iâm still looking for improvement on is the type of Psy weâre being presented with. I felt like in the beginning of the series we had powerful Psy (Sascha, Faith, Ashaya) but their stories were more about embracing emotion in a race that shunned it and what it would mean to give up being Psy. The more recent books have been about Psy with furious, extraordinary powers (Kaleb, Vasic, Aden, Silver) that they have to control at all costs and this is why they are reluctant to embrace emotion. Basically, I liked the more internal reflection on moving away from the norm and embracing who you are as opposed to the current model of my powers will be out of control. Where are all the average Psy? The ones who have less dangerous powers but still struggle with embracing emotions theyâve never felt before in their life. I donât mind strong Psy but Iâd like something different every once in a while to mix things up.
musicalmuppet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
First in the Psy-Changeling Trinity follow-on series from Singhâs Psy-Changeling universe and revolving around three races: the Psy, the shifters, and humans. The couple focus is on Silver Mercant and Valentin Nikolaev. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Psy-Changeling books on my website.
My Take
Yep, it is an insightful series name, for itâs a new age for Psy, humans, and shifters, a tri-way struggle to achieve equality, trust, and peace for all.
The theme is love whether it be Silver coming to understand and love, Valyaâs tremendous capacity for love for Silver, his family, his packâŚall of 'em, Ena's love for her granddaughter, Arwen's, Valya's familyâŚand more.
But a counter theme is greed. Yes, thereâs hate in there as well, but the prime mover is greed with the Consortium willing to disrupt, murder, and destroy to improve their bottom line.
Itâs an interesting contrast: the sleek and sophisticated Silver versus the brash bear. With Singh using third-person subjective point-of-view, we get to hear the thoughts of a number of charactersâŚand I do see this POV as much warmer.
What I donât buy is this insta-romance. Oh, no, Silver does fight it, but she falls in too easily. I like getting to know her, but sheâs always been so cold and matter-of-fact, and now she has no real problem adjusting to Denhome. She easily accepts touch. Maybe it is because of her family lineâs historic passions and their frequent gatherings, but câmon, theyâre still Silent. This still doesnât work for me.
Val dares her into sex, and sheâs curious enough to want to challenge her Silence and understand what the act is all about. If Silver is âdiscovering the craving of power of wantâ, why isnât Singh making us feel this?
I can understand human anger. As we learn of all the nasty crap the Psy pulled on humansâŚI wanna kill someone! Those Psy donât deserve to survive. And the Psy wonât, now that the truth behind the Netâs disintegration is revealed.
If those bears who left thought that Valya would be like his father, why werenât they considering his grandfather's character as well?
Whoa, donât ever annoy Grandmother Mercant. Sheâs a wily cuss.
These hate groups. They see nothing wrong with killing humans to get what they want. Theyâll go after Silver, but then object when Ena threatens to go after their children. They call her a monster??
The Story
It canât be family. It canât be. The Mercants are famous for their familial loyalty. But no one else has had access to Silverâs apartment.
Bowen and his people have their own tragedy bearing down on them. The chip that was supposed to protect them from Psy influence is killing them. And itâs too late to take it out.
And Valya has been coddling the broken until a near disaster forces him to issue an ultimatum.
The Characters
Silver âStarlightâ Mercant, a telepathic Psy with a debilitating secondary ability, is her grandmotherâs heir, Krychekâs senior aide, and the new coordinator of EmNet, the Emergency Response Network.
Ena âGrandmotherâ Mercant is the head of the shadowy and powerful Mercant Clan. More family includes Ivan, a cousin who works in building security; her brother, Arwen, is the empathic one who holds Silver Silent and has probably kept the Mercants mentally stable all these years as well; Lillya, another cousin, is only twelve; Hunter is very ambitious; and, Aunt Ada. Adina Mercant had been an infamous poet who went to jail for stabbing her lover. Silver's great-grandfather had been a human engineer who loved his Psy wife. Aunt Rose was great-grandfatherâs youngest sister.
Silver Silence sees the evolution of the EmNet as an organization with Erik Jahnssen, a former sergeant and human engineer with a spinal injury who had led military search-and-rescue teams, as one of Silver's new hires.
Valentin Nikolaev, a.k.a., Mishka, Valya, Valyusha, recently became the Alpha of the StoneWater bear pack in Russia; he holds a masterâs degree in psychology. Zoya Vashchenko had been the previous, temporary, Alpha. His mother, Galina Evanova, roams as a bear, having flipped out when his father, Mikhail Nikolaev, proved to be severely flawed. Kirill had been Valentin's grandfather when the pack had been its strongest, claiming almost all of Russia; Anzhela is his wife.
The StoneWater bear pack claimsâŚ
âŚhalf the city of Moscow and the territory that borders it. Denhome is home base. Anastasia âStasyaâ is Valentinâs sister and his second-in-command. Evanova âNovaâ, his second-eldest sister, is a healer and an M.D. mated to Chaos; and, Nika who is his third eldest sister. I think she's Janika. Pieter âPetyaâ is his third-in-command. Pavel is one of the senior bears and a funny certified tech geek; heâs intensely interested in Arwen. Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev are identical twin great-grandsons of DĂŠwei Nguyen, a Foreseer Psy who had mated a StoneWater bear when Silence was first imposed. Zahaan âZashaâ, Taji, and Inaraare also senior bears. Zarina Saarinen is head of StoneWaterâs educational system and Zahaanâs mother. Devi is a runner.
I love how caring they are of the cubs who include Arkasha, one of the tiny gangsters; Dima, a.k.a., the Barnacle (heâs Nova and Chaosâ son); Fitzpatrick Haydon William; Svetlana Valeria âSveta" Kuznetsov; Oksana and Irina who wonât wait forever; and, Olive and Mina are teens with an issue. More of the bears include Moonbeam, Chaos is a polar bear from Babuska Carolineâs birth clan and the head cook mated to Nova, Jane, and the very-pregnant (and human) Moira mated to Leonid.
The broken bears includeâŚ
âŚFariad, Ilya, Marik is one of the teens, Sergey is their leader and had been Mikhailâs second; Artem âTyomaâ is their trainee healer and Sergeyâs son whom these bears are letting down; Enja is Sergeyâs mate; Jovan; and, Laine.
The BlackEdge wolves pack hasâŚ
âŚbeen taking over StoneWater territory since the StoneWater troubles. Selenka Durev is their Alpha. Christof is a student living in the combined apartment building in the city. Margo Lucenko is the head of complex security at Silverâs apartment building and a senior member of the pack.
Nina Rodchenko is the manager of Club Moscow. Victoria is a maĂŽtre dâ Valya knows.
Kaleb Kyrcheck is a dual cardinal Psy, probably the most powerful Psy on the planet. Heâs married to and warmed by Sahara Kyriakus. Lenik is the next senior aide and is not happy trying to take on Silverâs tasks with Krycheck.
Krychek had been part of the previous Psy Council along with Nikita Duncan and Anthony Krychek who are now part of the Ruling Coalition. Sophia Russo, a J-Psy, and Max Shannon, a human in charge of Nikitaâs security, are married. Ming LeBon, Shoshana and Henry Scott, Marshall Hyde, and Tatiana Rika-Smythe had been evil Psy on the now-defunct Psy Council.
Rico Cavalier gave Silver a gift. Monique Ling is Silverâs human neighbor who works with Jai Shivani. The Dancing Frog Bar was hit. Arwen has made a couple of friends of empaths, but they donât know who he is: Jaya in the Maldives and Ruslan, an archeologist in Russia.
The Americans
Ashaya (mated to Dorian Christensen, a leopard sentinel), Designation M with the ability to manipulate genes, and Amara Aleine (a psychopath who behaves for Ashaya) are twins and brilliant Psy scientists. Samuel Rain is another brilliant scientist who worked in experimental biofusion. Dr. Edgard Bashir is the surgeon who will operate.
Lucas Hunter, the alpha for the DarkRiver cats, gets a mention. Malachai Rhys is security for BlackSea.
The Arrow Squad isâŚ
âŚled by Aden Kai. Vasic Zen is a one-armed born teleporter.
The Empathic Collective isâŚ
âŚan organization of E-Psy led by Ivy Jane Zen, Vasicâs wife.
The Trinity Accord isâŚ
âŚthe latest treaty in which Psy, humans, and shifters will be equal.
The Silence Protocol wasâŚ
âŚintended to eliminate, or at least slow down, the madness that afflicted too many of the Psy. Instead, without emotion, the PsyNet broke down, splitting into the NetMind and the DarkMind. The death of the PsyNet means death will follow for all Psy. E-Psy are empaths and all about emotion.
The Human Alliance isâŚ
âŚbased in Venice and led by a figurehead, Giovanni Somme, who is very loyal to Bowen. Itâs Bowen âBoâ Knight, their security chief, who is the real power with more and more businesses adding the Human Alliance logo to their own. Lily Knight is his sister and the EmNet liaison for the Alliance. Neha is Bowenâs highly qualified assistant. Phoenix is one of Boâs cousins and working on an engineering contract in Mozambique, and heâs just gotten mated to a StoneWater bear, Janika. Niall is one of theirs. Piero is a gondolier.
The Consortium isâŚ
âŚa self-centered, loose organization of all three races who want to sow discord and reap the profits. Their âleaderâ is known only as the Architect. Is he also the Patriot?
HAPMA isâŚ
âŚsimilar but all human, Humans Against Psy Manipulation. Ya canât blame âem. David Fournier is survival trained.
The Patel Conglomerate isâŚ
âŚa human-owned corporation. Akshay Patel is their CEO whose wife was psychically raped. Vahan is his son.
The Cover and Title
The all-reds cover is kind of creepy in an artistic way. Iâm going with the Volga River in the background with several boats steaming away, the banks lined with park-like spaces and beautiful buildings, a starry sky above. But what catches your attention is the lighter red smoke that I suddenly realized was actually a human body at the bottom morphing into a bear at the top, Ursus perhaps? The authorâs name (at the top) and the title (at the bottom) are in a debossed metallic silver with the series information at the bottom in white.
The title should really be a possessive of that Silence, for itâs Silver[âs] Silence that is the issue.
My Take
Yep, it is an insightful series name, for itâs a new age for Psy, humans, and shifters, a tri-way struggle to achieve equality, trust, and peace for all.
The theme is love whether it be Silver coming to understand and love, Valyaâs tremendous capacity for love for Silver, his family, his packâŚall of 'em, Ena's love for her granddaughter, Arwen's, Valya's familyâŚand more.
But a counter theme is greed. Yes, thereâs hate in there as well, but the prime mover is greed with the Consortium willing to disrupt, murder, and destroy to improve their bottom line.
Itâs an interesting contrast: the sleek and sophisticated Silver versus the brash bear. With Singh using third-person subjective point-of-view, we get to hear the thoughts of a number of charactersâŚand I do see this POV as much warmer.
What I donât buy is this insta-romance. Oh, no, Silver does fight it, but she falls in too easily. I like getting to know her, but sheâs always been so cold and matter-of-fact, and now she has no real problem adjusting to Denhome. She easily accepts touch. Maybe it is because of her family lineâs historic passions and their frequent gatherings, but câmon, theyâre still Silent. This still doesnât work for me.
Val dares her into sex, and sheâs curious enough to want to challenge her Silence and understand what the act is all about. If Silver is âdiscovering the craving of power of wantâ, why isnât Singh making us feel this?
ââBears are handsy.â They hugged like it was going out of business and threw each other around for fun. ââŚbut I canât promise the same for the littlest cubs.ââI did love the bears, and it was a fun switch from the more ⌠sophisticated?? ⌠leopards and wolves. That bit about Krycheck importing a huge cask of beer to force the bears to sit down and discuss cracked me up. Singh follows this with the anecdote that describes bear curiosity when they had to see for themselves that Krycheck was in love.
I can understand human anger. As we learn of all the nasty crap the Psy pulled on humansâŚI wanna kill someone! Those Psy donât deserve to survive. And the Psy wonât, now that the truth behind the Netâs disintegration is revealed.
I love this epigraph: âBetrayal is a rusted sword that wounds long before the first cut is made.âSingh does a good job of the tease. All the hints about Silverâs debilitating âotherâ ability and the innuendos about StoneWaterâs brokenness.
If those bears who left thought that Valya would be like his father, why werenât they considering his grandfather's character as well?
Whoa, donât ever annoy Grandmother Mercant. Sheâs a wily cuss.
These hate groups. They see nothing wrong with killing humans to get what they want. Theyâll go after Silver, but then object when Ena threatens to go after their children. They call her a monster??
The Story
It canât be family. It canât be. The Mercants are famous for their familial loyalty. But no one else has had access to Silverâs apartment.
Bowen and his people have their own tragedy bearing down on them. The chip that was supposed to protect them from Psy influence is killing them. And itâs too late to take it out.
And Valya has been coddling the broken until a near disaster forces him to issue an ultimatum.
The Characters
Silver âStarlightâ Mercant, a telepathic Psy with a debilitating secondary ability, is her grandmotherâs heir, Krychekâs senior aide, and the new coordinator of EmNet, the Emergency Response Network.
Ena âGrandmotherâ Mercant is the head of the shadowy and powerful Mercant Clan. More family includes Ivan, a cousin who works in building security; her brother, Arwen, is the empathic one who holds Silver Silent and has probably kept the Mercants mentally stable all these years as well; Lillya, another cousin, is only twelve; Hunter is very ambitious; and, Aunt Ada. Adina Mercant had been an infamous poet who went to jail for stabbing her lover. Silver's great-grandfather had been a human engineer who loved his Psy wife. Aunt Rose was great-grandfatherâs youngest sister.
Silver Silence sees the evolution of the EmNet as an organization with Erik Jahnssen, a former sergeant and human engineer with a spinal injury who had led military search-and-rescue teams, as one of Silver's new hires.
Valentin Nikolaev, a.k.a., Mishka, Valya, Valyusha, recently became the Alpha of the StoneWater bear pack in Russia; he holds a masterâs degree in psychology. Zoya Vashchenko had been the previous, temporary, Alpha. His mother, Galina Evanova, roams as a bear, having flipped out when his father, Mikhail Nikolaev, proved to be severely flawed. Kirill had been Valentin's grandfather when the pack had been its strongest, claiming almost all of Russia; Anzhela is his wife.
The StoneWater bear pack claimsâŚ
âŚhalf the city of Moscow and the territory that borders it. Denhome is home base. Anastasia âStasyaâ is Valentinâs sister and his second-in-command. Evanova âNovaâ, his second-eldest sister, is a healer and an M.D. mated to Chaos; and, Nika who is his third eldest sister. I think she's Janika. Pieter âPetyaâ is his third-in-command. Pavel is one of the senior bears and a funny certified tech geek; heâs intensely interested in Arwen. Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev are identical twin great-grandsons of DĂŠwei Nguyen, a Foreseer Psy who had mated a StoneWater bear when Silence was first imposed. Zahaan âZashaâ, Taji, and Inaraare also senior bears. Zarina Saarinen is head of StoneWaterâs educational system and Zahaanâs mother. Devi is a runner.
I love how caring they are of the cubs who include Arkasha, one of the tiny gangsters; Dima, a.k.a., the Barnacle (heâs Nova and Chaosâ son); Fitzpatrick Haydon William; Svetlana Valeria âSveta" Kuznetsov; Oksana and Irina who wonât wait forever; and, Olive and Mina are teens with an issue. More of the bears include Moonbeam, Chaos is a polar bear from Babuska Carolineâs birth clan and the head cook mated to Nova, Jane, and the very-pregnant (and human) Moira mated to Leonid.
The broken bears includeâŚ
âŚFariad, Ilya, Marik is one of the teens, Sergey is their leader and had been Mikhailâs second; Artem âTyomaâ is their trainee healer and Sergeyâs son whom these bears are letting down; Enja is Sergeyâs mate; Jovan; and, Laine.
The BlackEdge wolves pack hasâŚ
âŚbeen taking over StoneWater territory since the StoneWater troubles. Selenka Durev is their Alpha. Christof is a student living in the combined apartment building in the city. Margo Lucenko is the head of complex security at Silverâs apartment building and a senior member of the pack.
Nina Rodchenko is the manager of Club Moscow. Victoria is a maĂŽtre dâ Valya knows.
Kaleb Kyrcheck is a dual cardinal Psy, probably the most powerful Psy on the planet. Heâs married to and warmed by Sahara Kyriakus. Lenik is the next senior aide and is not happy trying to take on Silverâs tasks with Krycheck.
Krychek had been part of the previous Psy Council along with Nikita Duncan and Anthony Krychek who are now part of the Ruling Coalition. Sophia Russo, a J-Psy, and Max Shannon, a human in charge of Nikitaâs security, are married. Ming LeBon, Shoshana and Henry Scott, Marshall Hyde, and Tatiana Rika-Smythe had been evil Psy on the now-defunct Psy Council.
Rico Cavalier gave Silver a gift. Monique Ling is Silverâs human neighbor who works with Jai Shivani. The Dancing Frog Bar was hit. Arwen has made a couple of friends of empaths, but they donât know who he is: Jaya in the Maldives and Ruslan, an archeologist in Russia.
The Americans
Ashaya (mated to Dorian Christensen, a leopard sentinel), Designation M with the ability to manipulate genes, and Amara Aleine (a psychopath who behaves for Ashaya) are twins and brilliant Psy scientists. Samuel Rain is another brilliant scientist who worked in experimental biofusion. Dr. Edgard Bashir is the surgeon who will operate.
Lucas Hunter, the alpha for the DarkRiver cats, gets a mention. Malachai Rhys is security for BlackSea.
The Arrow Squad isâŚ
âŚled by Aden Kai. Vasic Zen is a one-armed born teleporter.
The Empathic Collective isâŚ
âŚan organization of E-Psy led by Ivy Jane Zen, Vasicâs wife.
The Trinity Accord isâŚ
âŚthe latest treaty in which Psy, humans, and shifters will be equal.
The Silence Protocol wasâŚ
âŚintended to eliminate, or at least slow down, the madness that afflicted too many of the Psy. Instead, without emotion, the PsyNet broke down, splitting into the NetMind and the DarkMind. The death of the PsyNet means death will follow for all Psy. E-Psy are empaths and all about emotion.
The Human Alliance isâŚ
âŚbased in Venice and led by a figurehead, Giovanni Somme, who is very loyal to Bowen. Itâs Bowen âBoâ Knight, their security chief, who is the real power with more and more businesses adding the Human Alliance logo to their own. Lily Knight is his sister and the EmNet liaison for the Alliance. Neha is Bowenâs highly qualified assistant. Phoenix is one of Boâs cousins and working on an engineering contract in Mozambique, and heâs just gotten mated to a StoneWater bear, Janika. Niall is one of theirs. Piero is a gondolier.
The Consortium isâŚ
âŚa self-centered, loose organization of all three races who want to sow discord and reap the profits. Their âleaderâ is known only as the Architect. Is he also the Patriot?
HAPMA isâŚ
âŚsimilar but all human, Humans Against Psy Manipulation. Ya canât blame âem. David Fournier is survival trained.
The Patel Conglomerate isâŚ
âŚa human-owned corporation. Akshay Patel is their CEO whose wife was psychically raped. Vahan is his son.
The Cover and Title
The all-reds cover is kind of creepy in an artistic way. Iâm going with the Volga River in the background with several boats steaming away, the banks lined with park-like spaces and beautiful buildings, a starry sky above. But what catches your attention is the lighter red smoke that I suddenly realized was actually a human body at the bottom morphing into a bear at the top, Ursus perhaps? The authorâs name (at the top) and the title (at the bottom) are in a debossed metallic silver with the series information at the bottom in white.
The title should really be a possessive of that Silence, for itâs Silver[âs] Silence that is the issue.
kathydavie's review against another edition
2.0
First in the Psy-Changeling Trinity follow-on series from Singhâs Psy-Changeling universe and revolving around three races: the Psy, the shifters, and humans. The couple focus is on Silver Mercant and Valentin Nikolaev. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Psy-Changeling books on my website.
My Take
Yep, it is an insightful series name, for itâs a new age for Psy, humans, and shifters, a tri-way struggle to achieve equality, trust, and peace for all.
The theme is love whether it be Silver coming to understand and love, Valyaâs tremendous capacity for love for Silver, his family, his packâŚall of 'em, Ena's love for her granddaughter, Arwen's, Valya's familyâŚand more.
But a counter theme is greed. Yes, thereâs hate in there as well, but the prime mover is greed with the Consortium willing to disrupt, murder, and destroy to improve their bottom line.
Itâs an interesting contrast: the sleek and sophisticated Silver versus the brash bear. With Singh using third-person subjective point-of-view, we get to hear the thoughts of a number of charactersâŚand I do see this POV as much warmer.
What I donât buy is this insta-romance. Oh, no, Silver does fight it, but she falls in too easily. I like getting to know her, but sheâs always been so cold and matter-of-fact, and now she has no real problem adjusting to Denhome. She easily accepts touch. Maybe it is because of her family lineâs historic passions and their frequent gatherings, but câmon, theyâre still Silent. This still doesnât work for me.
Val dares her into sex, and sheâs curious enough to want to challenge her Silence and understand what the act is all about. If Silver is âdiscovering the craving of power of wantâ, why isnât Singh making us feel this?
I can understand human anger. As we learn of all the nasty crap the Psy pulled on humansâŚI wanna kill someone! Those Psy donât deserve to survive. And the Psy wonât, now that the truth behind the Netâs disintegration is revealed.
If those bears who left thought that Valya would be like his father, why werenât they considering his grandfather's character as well?
Whoa, donât ever annoy Grandmother Mercant. Sheâs a wily cuss.
These hate groups. They see nothing wrong with killing humans to get what they want. Theyâll go after Silver, but then object when Ena threatens to go after their children. They call her a monster??
The Story
It canât be family. It canât be. The Mercants are famous for their familial loyalty. But no one else has had access to Silverâs apartment.
Bowen and his people have their own tragedy bearing down on them. The chip that was supposed to protect them from Psy influence is killing them. And itâs too late to take it out.
And Valya has been coddling the broken until a near disaster forces him to issue an ultimatum.
The Characters
Silver âStarlightâ Mercant, a telepathic Psy with a debilitating secondary ability, is her grandmotherâs heir, Krychekâs senior aide, and the new coordinator of EmNet, the Emergency Response Network.
Ena âGrandmotherâ Mercant is the head of the shadowy and powerful Mercant Clan. More family includes Ivan, a cousin who works in building security; her brother, Arwen, is the empathic one who holds Silver Silent and has probably kept the Mercants mentally stable all these years as well; Lillya, another cousin, is only twelve; Hunter is very ambitious; and, Aunt Ada. Adina Mercant had been an infamous poet who went to jail for stabbing her lover. Silver's great-grandfather had been a human engineer who loved his Psy wife. Aunt Rose was great-grandfatherâs youngest sister.
Silver Silence sees the evolution of the EmNet as an organization with Erik Jahnssen, a former sergeant and human engineer with a spinal injury who had led military search-and-rescue teams, as one of Silver's new hires.
Valentin Nikolaev, a.k.a., Mishka, Valya, Valyusha, recently became the Alpha of the StoneWater bear pack in Russia; he holds a masterâs degree in psychology. Zoya Vashchenko had been the previous, temporary, Alpha. His mother, Galina Evanova, roams as a bear, having flipped out when his father, Mikhail Nikolaev, proved to be severely flawed. Kirill had been Valentin's grandfather when the pack had been its strongest, claiming almost all of Russia; Anzhela is his wife.
The StoneWater bear pack claimsâŚ
âŚhalf the city of Moscow and the territory that borders it. Denhome is home base. Anastasia âStasyaâ is Valentinâs sister and his second-in-command. Evanova âNovaâ, his second-eldest sister, is a healer and an M.D. mated to Chaos; and, Nika who is his third eldest sister. I think she's Janika. Pieter âPetyaâ is his third-in-command. Pavel is one of the senior bears and a funny certified tech geek; heâs intensely interested in Arwen. Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev are identical twin great-grandsons of DĂŠwei Nguyen, a Foreseer Psy who had mated a StoneWater bear when Silence was first imposed. Zahaan âZashaâ, Taji, and Inaraare also senior bears. Zarina Saarinen is head of StoneWaterâs educational system and Zahaanâs mother. Devi is a runner.
I love how caring they are of the cubs who include Arkasha, one of the tiny gangsters; Dima, a.k.a., the Barnacle (heâs Nova and Chaosâ son); Fitzpatrick Haydon William; Svetlana Valeria âSveta" Kuznetsov; Oksana and Irina who wonât wait forever; and, Olive and Mina are teens with an issue. More of the bears include Moonbeam, Chaos is a polar bear from Babuska Carolineâs birth clan and the head cook mated to Nova, Jane, and the very-pregnant (and human) Moira mated to Leonid.
The broken bears includeâŚ
âŚFariad, Ilya, Marik is one of the teens, Sergey is their leader and had been Mikhailâs second; Artem âTyomaâ is their trainee healer and Sergeyâs son whom these bears are letting down; Enja is Sergeyâs mate; Jovan; and, Laine.
The BlackEdge wolves pack hasâŚ
âŚbeen taking over StoneWater territory since the StoneWater troubles. Selenka Durev is their Alpha. Christof is a student living in the combined apartment building in the city. Margo Lucenko is the head of complex security at Silverâs apartment building and a senior member of the pack.
Nina Rodchenko is the manager of Club Moscow. Victoria is a maĂŽtre dâ Valya knows.
Kaleb Kyrcheck is a dual cardinal Psy, probably the most powerful Psy on the planet. Heâs married to and warmed by Sahara Kyriakus. Lenik is the next senior aide and is not happy trying to take on Silverâs tasks with Krycheck.
Krychek had been part of the previous Psy Council along with Nikita Duncan and Anthony Krychek who are now part of the Ruling Coalition. Sophia Russo, a J-Psy, and Max Shannon, a human in charge of Nikitaâs security, are married. Ming LeBon, Shoshana and Henry Scott, Marshall Hyde, and Tatiana Rika-Smythe had been evil Psy on the now-defunct Psy Council.
Rico Cavalier gave Silver a gift. Monique Ling is Silverâs human neighbor who works with Jai Shivani. The Dancing Frog Bar was hit. Arwen has made a couple of friends of empaths, but they donât know who he is: Jaya in the Maldives and Ruslan, an archeologist in Russia.
The Americans
Ashaya (mated to Dorian Christensen, a leopard sentinel), Designation M with the ability to manipulate genes, and Amara Aleine (a psychopath who behaves for Ashaya) are twins and brilliant Psy scientists. Samuel Rain is another brilliant scientist who worked in experimental biofusion. Dr. Edgard Bashir is the surgeon who will operate.
Lucas Hunter, the alpha for the DarkRiver cats, gets a mention. Malachai Rhys is security for BlackSea.
The Arrow Squad isâŚ
âŚled by Aden Kai. Vasic Zen is a one-armed born teleporter.
The Empathic Collective isâŚ
âŚan organization of E-Psy led by Ivy Jane Zen, Vasicâs wife.
The Trinity Accord isâŚ
âŚthe latest treaty in which Psy, humans, and shifters will be equal.
The Silence Protocol wasâŚ
âŚintended to eliminate, or at least slow down, the madness that afflicted too many of the Psy. Instead, without emotion, the PsyNet broke down, splitting into the NetMind and the DarkMind. The death of the PsyNet means death will follow for all Psy. E-Psy are empaths and all about emotion.
The Human Alliance isâŚ
âŚbased in Venice and led by a figurehead, Giovanni Somme, who is very loyal to Bowen. Itâs Bowen âBoâ Knight, their security chief, who is the real power with more and more businesses adding the Human Alliance logo to their own. Lily Knight is his sister and the EmNet liaison for the Alliance. Neha is Bowenâs highly qualified assistant. Phoenix is one of Boâs cousins and working on an engineering contract in Mozambique, and heâs just gotten mated to a StoneWater bear, Janika. Niall is one of theirs. Piero is a gondolier.
The Consortium isâŚ
âŚa self-centered, loose organization of all three races who want to sow discord and reap the profits. Their âleaderâ is known only as the Architect. Is he also the Patriot?
HAPMA isâŚ
âŚsimilar but all human, Humans Against Psy Manipulation. Ya canât blame âem. David Fournier is survival trained.
The Patel Conglomerate isâŚ
âŚa human-owned corporation. Akshay Patel is their CEO whose wife was psychically raped. Vahan is his son.
The Cover and Title
The all-reds cover is kind of creepy in an artistic way. Iâm going with the Volga River in the background with several boats steaming away, the banks lined with park-like spaces and beautiful buildings, a starry sky above. But what catches your attention is the lighter red smoke that I suddenly realized was actually a human body at the bottom morphing into a bear at the top, Ursus perhaps? The authorâs name (at the top) and the title (at the bottom) are in a debossed metallic silver with the series information at the bottom in white.
The title should really be a possessive of that Silence, for itâs Silver[âs] Silence that is the issue.
My Take
Yep, it is an insightful series name, for itâs a new age for Psy, humans, and shifters, a tri-way struggle to achieve equality, trust, and peace for all.
The theme is love whether it be Silver coming to understand and love, Valyaâs tremendous capacity for love for Silver, his family, his packâŚall of 'em, Ena's love for her granddaughter, Arwen's, Valya's familyâŚand more.
But a counter theme is greed. Yes, thereâs hate in there as well, but the prime mover is greed with the Consortium willing to disrupt, murder, and destroy to improve their bottom line.
Itâs an interesting contrast: the sleek and sophisticated Silver versus the brash bear. With Singh using third-person subjective point-of-view, we get to hear the thoughts of a number of charactersâŚand I do see this POV as much warmer.
What I donât buy is this insta-romance. Oh, no, Silver does fight it, but she falls in too easily. I like getting to know her, but sheâs always been so cold and matter-of-fact, and now she has no real problem adjusting to Denhome. She easily accepts touch. Maybe it is because of her family lineâs historic passions and their frequent gatherings, but câmon, theyâre still Silent. This still doesnât work for me.
Val dares her into sex, and sheâs curious enough to want to challenge her Silence and understand what the act is all about. If Silver is âdiscovering the craving of power of wantâ, why isnât Singh making us feel this?
ââBears are handsy.â They hugged like it was going out of business and threw each other around for fun. ââŚbut I canât promise the same for the littlest cubs.ââI did love the bears, and it was a fun switch from the more ⌠sophisticated?? ⌠leopards and wolves. That bit about Krycheck importing a huge cask of beer to force the bears to sit down and discuss cracked me up. Singh follows this with the anecdote that describes bear curiosity when they had to see for themselves that Krycheck was in love.
I can understand human anger. As we learn of all the nasty crap the Psy pulled on humansâŚI wanna kill someone! Those Psy donât deserve to survive. And the Psy wonât, now that the truth behind the Netâs disintegration is revealed.
I love this epigraph: âBetrayal is a rusted sword that wounds long before the first cut is made.âSingh does a good job of the tease. All the hints about Silverâs debilitating âotherâ ability and the innuendos about StoneWaterâs brokenness.
If those bears who left thought that Valya would be like his father, why werenât they considering his grandfather's character as well?
Whoa, donât ever annoy Grandmother Mercant. Sheâs a wily cuss.
These hate groups. They see nothing wrong with killing humans to get what they want. Theyâll go after Silver, but then object when Ena threatens to go after their children. They call her a monster??
The Story
It canât be family. It canât be. The Mercants are famous for their familial loyalty. But no one else has had access to Silverâs apartment.
Bowen and his people have their own tragedy bearing down on them. The chip that was supposed to protect them from Psy influence is killing them. And itâs too late to take it out.
And Valya has been coddling the broken until a near disaster forces him to issue an ultimatum.
The Characters
Silver âStarlightâ Mercant, a telepathic Psy with a debilitating secondary ability, is her grandmotherâs heir, Krychekâs senior aide, and the new coordinator of EmNet, the Emergency Response Network.
Ena âGrandmotherâ Mercant is the head of the shadowy and powerful Mercant Clan. More family includes Ivan, a cousin who works in building security; her brother, Arwen, is the empathic one who holds Silver Silent and has probably kept the Mercants mentally stable all these years as well; Lillya, another cousin, is only twelve; Hunter is very ambitious; and, Aunt Ada. Adina Mercant had been an infamous poet who went to jail for stabbing her lover. Silver's great-grandfather had been a human engineer who loved his Psy wife. Aunt Rose was great-grandfatherâs youngest sister.
Silver Silence sees the evolution of the EmNet as an organization with Erik Jahnssen, a former sergeant and human engineer with a spinal injury who had led military search-and-rescue teams, as one of Silver's new hires.
Valentin Nikolaev, a.k.a., Mishka, Valya, Valyusha, recently became the Alpha of the StoneWater bear pack in Russia; he holds a masterâs degree in psychology. Zoya Vashchenko had been the previous, temporary, Alpha. His mother, Galina Evanova, roams as a bear, having flipped out when his father, Mikhail Nikolaev, proved to be severely flawed. Kirill had been Valentin's grandfather when the pack had been its strongest, claiming almost all of Russia; Anzhela is his wife.
The StoneWater bear pack claimsâŚ
âŚhalf the city of Moscow and the territory that borders it. Denhome is home base. Anastasia âStasyaâ is Valentinâs sister and his second-in-command. Evanova âNovaâ, his second-eldest sister, is a healer and an M.D. mated to Chaos; and, Nika who is his third eldest sister. I think she's Janika. Pieter âPetyaâ is his third-in-command. Pavel is one of the senior bears and a funny certified tech geek; heâs intensely interested in Arwen. Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev are identical twin great-grandsons of DĂŠwei Nguyen, a Foreseer Psy who had mated a StoneWater bear when Silence was first imposed. Zahaan âZashaâ, Taji, and Inaraare also senior bears. Zarina Saarinen is head of StoneWaterâs educational system and Zahaanâs mother. Devi is a runner.
I love how caring they are of the cubs who include Arkasha, one of the tiny gangsters; Dima, a.k.a., the Barnacle (heâs Nova and Chaosâ son); Fitzpatrick Haydon William; Svetlana Valeria âSveta" Kuznetsov; Oksana and Irina who wonât wait forever; and, Olive and Mina are teens with an issue. More of the bears include Moonbeam, Chaos is a polar bear from Babuska Carolineâs birth clan and the head cook mated to Nova, Jane, and the very-pregnant (and human) Moira mated to Leonid.
The broken bears includeâŚ
âŚFariad, Ilya, Marik is one of the teens, Sergey is their leader and had been Mikhailâs second; Artem âTyomaâ is their trainee healer and Sergeyâs son whom these bears are letting down; Enja is Sergeyâs mate; Jovan; and, Laine.
The BlackEdge wolves pack hasâŚ
âŚbeen taking over StoneWater territory since the StoneWater troubles. Selenka Durev is their Alpha. Christof is a student living in the combined apartment building in the city. Margo Lucenko is the head of complex security at Silverâs apartment building and a senior member of the pack.
Nina Rodchenko is the manager of Club Moscow. Victoria is a maĂŽtre dâ Valya knows.
Kaleb Kyrcheck is a dual cardinal Psy, probably the most powerful Psy on the planet. Heâs married to and warmed by Sahara Kyriakus. Lenik is the next senior aide and is not happy trying to take on Silverâs tasks with Krycheck.
Krychek had been part of the previous Psy Council along with Nikita Duncan and Anthony Krychek who are now part of the Ruling Coalition. Sophia Russo, a J-Psy, and Max Shannon, a human in charge of Nikitaâs security, are married. Ming LeBon, Shoshana and Henry Scott, Marshall Hyde, and Tatiana Rika-Smythe had been evil Psy on the now-defunct Psy Council.
Rico Cavalier gave Silver a gift. Monique Ling is Silverâs human neighbor who works with Jai Shivani. The Dancing Frog Bar was hit. Arwen has made a couple of friends of empaths, but they donât know who he is: Jaya in the Maldives and Ruslan, an archeologist in Russia.
The Americans
Ashaya (mated to Dorian Christensen, a leopard sentinel), Designation M with the ability to manipulate genes, and Amara Aleine (a psychopath who behaves for Ashaya) are twins and brilliant Psy scientists. Samuel Rain is another brilliant scientist who worked in experimental biofusion. Dr. Edgard Bashir is the surgeon who will operate.
Lucas Hunter, the alpha for the DarkRiver cats, gets a mention. Malachai Rhys is security for BlackSea.
The Arrow Squad isâŚ
âŚled by Aden Kai. Vasic Zen is a one-armed born teleporter.
The Empathic Collective isâŚ
âŚan organization of E-Psy led by Ivy Jane Zen, Vasicâs wife.
The Trinity Accord isâŚ
âŚthe latest treaty in which Psy, humans, and shifters will be equal.
The Silence Protocol wasâŚ
âŚintended to eliminate, or at least slow down, the madness that afflicted too many of the Psy. Instead, without emotion, the PsyNet broke down, splitting into the NetMind and the DarkMind. The death of the PsyNet means death will follow for all Psy. E-Psy are empaths and all about emotion.
The Human Alliance isâŚ
âŚbased in Venice and led by a figurehead, Giovanni Somme, who is very loyal to Bowen. Itâs Bowen âBoâ Knight, their security chief, who is the real power with more and more businesses adding the Human Alliance logo to their own. Lily Knight is his sister and the EmNet liaison for the Alliance. Neha is Bowenâs highly qualified assistant. Phoenix is one of Boâs cousins and working on an engineering contract in Mozambique, and heâs just gotten mated to a StoneWater bear, Janika. Niall is one of theirs. Piero is a gondolier.
The Consortium isâŚ
âŚa self-centered, loose organization of all three races who want to sow discord and reap the profits. Their âleaderâ is known only as the Architect. Is he also the Patriot?
HAPMA isâŚ
âŚsimilar but all human, Humans Against Psy Manipulation. Ya canât blame âem. David Fournier is survival trained.
The Patel Conglomerate isâŚ
âŚa human-owned corporation. Akshay Patel is their CEO whose wife was psychically raped. Vahan is his son.
The Cover and Title
The all-reds cover is kind of creepy in an artistic way. Iâm going with the Volga River in the background with several boats steaming away, the banks lined with park-like spaces and beautiful buildings, a starry sky above. But what catches your attention is the lighter red smoke that I suddenly realized was actually a human body at the bottom morphing into a bear at the top, Ursus perhaps? The authorâs name (at the top) and the title (at the bottom) are in a debossed metallic silver with the series information at the bottom in white.
The title should really be a possessive of that Silence, for itâs Silver[âs] Silence that is the issue.
anns_storybound_sanctuary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Valentin just takes the cake as the best alpha.
enchantedtomeetcute's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
anits12's review against another edition
2.0
Every time i read, Silver Fucking Mecant, I had to roll my eyes!!!! really how may times do you have to repeat that!!
kini83's review against another edition
5.0
This book... omg. I -laughed- and cried. And when I say that, I mean in the absolutely best way imaginable.
I always knew there was something about Silver and Singh did not disappoint in letting us in on all the details. The secret details because of course the Mercants have secrets! Silver is such a badass ice queen but seeing some of that ice melt while still remaining her badass self was so perfect. And Valentin... that man is now vying for position as my favourite changeling male in this series! (No one will -ever- top Hawke though. Ever.) At first, I almost thought I was going to be annoyed by him. And I thought there was no way that a bear would be anywhere near as entertaining as the other changelings we've met so far, nor was he going to be 'right' for Silver in any way, so for sure I wasn't going to like him very much. Man, was I ever wrong! Mr. I Am A Teddy Bear is just so damn lovable and funny but somehow still charming and sexy as fuck. I loved pretty much every interaction between Silver and Valentin!
I love how Singh brought in another species of changelings and while there are some similarities to the other species, they really have a world all their own. The Stonewater bears have a truly unique dynamic and the troubles they were in and got through just showed how strong they are.
I do have to admit that all the unknowns about the members of the Consortium and about HAPMA has me a little out of sorts. I don't like not having at least an inkling of what might happen next but that is nothing against Singh, that is entirely a fault of my own. There is no 'clear' bad guy yet although I know it won't stay that way for long. As the first book in the new story arc, things are set up very well for all sorts of outcomes! Bring it all on!
All in all, as can be determined by my 5 star review, I loved this book! The other story lines running in the back ground, the world building around the bears, the interactions of the H and h, the romance, and the overall plot just all makes this a winner for sure.
I noticed in other reviews that a lot of folks had their knickers in a knot about how many times the quote 'Silver Fucking Mercant' was used but I have to say that I loved it every time. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator, Angela Dawe, really nailed the different intonations depending on the situation that quote was used in.
In other news... I really need something to go on with Arwen and Pavel and I want alllll the deets. Please!! A model hot E Mercant who dresses like perfection and a mouthy bear with an impish streak? Omg, the interactions will be hilarious and the romance will be hot!
I always knew there was something about Silver and Singh did not disappoint in letting us in on all the details. The secret details because of course the Mercants have secrets! Silver is such a badass ice queen but seeing some of that ice melt while still remaining her badass self was so perfect. And Valentin... that man is now vying for position as my favourite changeling male in this series! (No one will -ever- top Hawke though. Ever.) At first, I almost thought I was going to be annoyed by him. And I thought there was no way that a bear would be anywhere near as entertaining as the other changelings we've met so far, nor was he going to be 'right' for Silver in any way, so for sure I wasn't going to like him very much. Man, was I ever wrong! Mr. I Am A Teddy Bear is just so damn lovable and funny but somehow still charming and sexy as fuck. I loved pretty much every interaction between Silver and Valentin!
I love how Singh brought in another species of changelings and while there are some similarities to the other species, they really have a world all their own. The Stonewater bears have a truly unique dynamic and the troubles they were in and got through just showed how strong they are.
I do have to admit that all the unknowns about the members of the Consortium and about HAPMA has me a little out of sorts. I don't like not having at least an inkling of what might happen next but that is nothing against Singh, that is entirely a fault of my own. There is no 'clear' bad guy yet although I know it won't stay that way for long. As the first book in the new story arc, things are set up very well for all sorts of outcomes! Bring it all on!
All in all, as can be determined by my 5 star review, I loved this book! The other story lines running in the back ground, the world building around the bears, the interactions of the H and h, the romance, and the overall plot just all makes this a winner for sure.
I noticed in other reviews that a lot of folks had their knickers in a knot about how many times the quote 'Silver Fucking Mercant' was used but I have to say that I loved it every time. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator, Angela Dawe, really nailed the different intonations depending on the situation that quote was used in.
In other news... I really need something to go on with Arwen and Pavel and I want alllll the deets. Please!! A model hot E Mercant who dresses like perfection and a mouthy bear with an impish streak? Omg, the interactions will be hilarious and the romance will be hot!