Name: Shards of Hope
ISBN: 9780425264034

Nalini Singh

Imprisoned, with their psychic abilities blocked, Aden and Zaira must escape and survive to keep the Arrow squad safe from a shadowy enemy. By the author ofShield of Winter. 75,000 first printing.

Shards of Hope

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
  


 
 
  
    Summary
  
 
Aden and Zaira wake up in prison cells, injured and unable to her their psychic links. Aden and Zaira are both Arrows, and Aden is considered to be the new leader of the Arrows. But now they have been taken, with Zaira shot in the stomach, Aden knows the sooner they escape the more chance they have at survival. So in a weak moment from their captors, they make for an escape, only the danger doesn't end there. They are being hunted, and their trail leads them to a changeling den. Aden and Zaira may be Psy and Arrows, but passion holds no bounds. Upon being treated by the healer, Aden and Zaira have little choice but to stay in the den while the storm lingers. A fierce passion builds between Aden and Zaira, a desire that will force them to feel the emotion they have denied all of their lives...a powerful love. But soon they start to realize that the danger is still after them, and they must discover who is behind it all or die.

 
  
    The Hero 
  
 
Aden is what the changeling's would refer to as an Alpha. Aden has always been the type to be a true leader. With silence broken, things are changing for the Arrows he is responsible for. He knows that they must change in order to live. For so long they have relied on silence, but now they will be forced to face something even more formidable...emotion. Aden has always been overlooked, and most Psy wouldn't ever take him seriously. But Aden is more powerful than anyone knows but has been able to accept emotion more easily than most of his kind. He wants something more for his family of Arrows, and will lead them. What I enjoyed most about Aden is his acceptance and ability to adapt. He has this alpha personality, a true leader, but he also cares for those he leads and fights for them.
 
  
    The Heroine 
  
 
Zaira is one powerful Arrow, but Zaira sees herself as broken and close to madness. Her parents tortured her as a young girl, and Aden was the only one to see through her and love the true Zaira. But Zaira knows how possessive she would be if she bonded with Aden. What I found most likable about Zaira was how her personality just shined when she let it come through. At first she may seem an average cold hearted Psy...but she is so much more than that. With each chapter of the story, you see more and more of Zaira come through. Zaira at times has no idea how to react to emotion and is almost like a child in her reactions. Zaira sees herself as mad, but what the reader sees is a young woman that was tortured and is full of anger, and just needs a outlet for that anger and to learn to let love heal those broken wounds that keep her trapped in the past.
 
  
    Plot and Story Line 
  
 
Shards Of Hope is a truly magnificent story of true love and the little emblems of hope it brings. I am truly astounded by Nalini Singh's talent with writing this series. If you look at book one--Slave To Sensation and to this installment, the 14th book you see how much the series has evolved. It has slowly changed and I have loved seeing this change over the years. I have been reading this series the first few books were released, and have followed it since. This is a story that even though it focuses on Aden and Zaira (two powerful Psy Arrows) we see plenty of Changelings too. We see many of our favorite characters, including a couple of new changeling packs. The first one truly captivated me. This is the first changeling pack that Aden and Zaira spend quite a bit of time with and we see how this affects them...especially the cubs. What we see (mostly from Zaira) is how she reacts to experience new things. Such as holding a child that loves to cuddle, learning to hug and protect, or climbing a changeling gym of bars (that no one but a changeling can master) Zaira is a character you instantly grab hold of because of her reactions are so precious you have a hard time putting this book down. I loved how fresh this story came alive for me, and even though it is the 14th book of the series, we learn so many things in this book. We see an unraveling of a plot that seems set to destroy the peace that all three races have built together (psy, changeling and human). We see intrigue, passion, mystery, adventure, suspense and so much more. Its a book that is guaranteed to make you fall in love with this world that Singh has created, and a love story unequaled...that hope and a healing love can heal any living thing and can bring a new sense of hope and trust.
 
  
    The Cover
  
 
I just adore this cover...I love the winter theme, with the gold rays of light and darkness, and the little valley...it has some depth elements that makes you want to open those pages and learn more.  

 
  
    Overall View 
  
 
Shards of Hope is a truly magical tale of two people that have forgotten emotion and now must learn to face it and embrace it together. It's a tale of hope that comes in little by little and increases with each chapter, we see a love story unfold and a danger threaten....SENSATIONAL!

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. Rich, dark, sumptuous and evocative . . . bestselling author Nalini Singh is back with a stunning, dark and passionate new tale.

Book 14

Manda

I had forgotten how uch that I love this book

I had forgotten how much I love this book I love the play of characters and it was nice to see that even a "crazy" can overcome there hurdles.
Aden was a surprise with his power but it gives an incite into how the arrows were trained from when indoctrination and it isn't pretty.
Ziara who was as a child tortured is one of the most volitile and has no hope in this new world but Aden won't give up on the women who he has loved since they were children. Percictance pays off and I love it.
I do want to see more of these two I love there interaction.
Another great book......

Becky

This book totally hooked me. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it after finishing the previous book but I was invested in Aden and Zaira pretty much immediately. I loved how angry Zaira was and she wasn’t afraid to embrace that anger. Sure she had to deal with her new found emotions and she could be frustrating but I honestly loved how she was flawed and a little broken and working to allow herself to have nice things. And I loved Aden was smart enough to let her take things at her own speed. 

This did. feel like it was setting things up for what’s next. I’m not mad about that but I was hoping for things to wrap up a little more but there is the final book to look forward to. It’ll be nice to see everyone again. 

Amanda J 

Lacey

What an epic ending!!!!

The romance sadly got a bit overshadowed. As much as I love getting almost every else's POVs, I still wanted the book to focus a lot on Aden and Zaira, but I could understand why everything political had to also take center stage.