Shield of Winter

Starred review from April 28, 2014
The epic 13th installment of Singh’s bestselling Psy-Changeling contemporary paranormal romance series (after Heart of Obsidian) focuses on the Psy race, now living mostly in harmony alongside Changelings and humans. After the fall of the Silence, a virulent infection takes hold of the Psynet, causing even the most serene to go on violent rampages. Ivy Jane, one of the last known empaths, is called upon by the feared enforcement branch of the race, the Arrows, in a last-ditch attempt to contain the threatening darkness. Vasic, her assigned Arrow and protector, must overcome years of tortuous conditioning to help Ivy stop the spread of madness, even as guilt over his past consumes him. The broad scope and urgency of the plot combines with sweetly subtle and intimate character interactions in a powerfully written story that stands well on its own. Thoughtful readers will appreciate this reminder of the horrors that even the best of intentions can cause. Agent: Nephele Tempest, Knight Agency.

Starred review from May 15, 2014
As an Arrow, Vasic has been conditioned to remain even more detached than most Psy, so when he's asked to guard Ivy, an empath who may hold the key to their society's survival, he's unnerved by her emotionalism and his long-buried desire to belong.The corrupt Psy-Council has fallen, and the remorseless regime of Silence-the enforced practice of remaining emotionally distant-has been lifted. The members of the elite Psy paramilitary group known as Arrows are independent now, loyal to no one but themselves. Forging a wary alliance with Kaleb Krychek, the de facto leader who caused the council to fall and has since stepped into its void, the Arrows must help staunch the spread of a deadly psychic contagion that threatens the lives and sanity of the Psy race. Krychek suspects that empaths may be the answer, though their emotional nature was brutally stifled under the Silence. Vasic, second-in-command of the Arrows, is assigned to find and protect empath Ivy Jane, who has been living beyond the grid after undergoing a devastating state-mandated "emotional reconditioning." Vasic is a cold creature of the shadows, and he knows he can never be forgiven for the damage he's done under the command of the Psy-Council. However, the more time he spends with Ivy, the more her honest emotions affect him, reawakening feelings he barely remembers. Somehow, under Ivy's accepting and fascinated gaze, Vasic just might learn to feel again-emotions like hope, passion and love. But first, Ivy and Vasic must vanquish the contagion and a life-threatening legacy from Vasic's violent past. Paranormal author Singh continues her popular Psy-Changeling series with an emotionally intense and gratifying romance while advancing a new reality for her complex psychic society set on Earth a few generations hence. Shadowy Arrows make great redeemed alpha heroes, and pairing profoundly damaged Vasic with the blatantly empathic Ivy works brilliantly.Singh shines with elaborate, compelling worldbuilding and scorching sexual and emotional tension.

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Starred review from June 15, 2014

Trained from childhood to feel no emotions under the rigid Silence Protocol, the Psy race is plunged into violent, often insane chaos when the Silence falls and feeling things is no longer forbidden. Now, a deadly disease has infected the network that mentally links the race, and the long-suppressed Psy empaths (E-Psys) are the only ones who can save it--if only they can awaken and accept their abilities without being destroyed. "Reconditioned" into emotional numbness as a teen but aware that she is still different, Ivy Jane joins an experimental project to unlock her abilities and ends up attracted to Vasic, the lethal Arrow assassin sworn to protect her at all costs. VERDICT Two emotionally damaged but ultimately redeemable protagonists find love--and themselves--in this heart-rending, passionately charged page-turner. The romance is complete in itself, and Singh does a solid job of bringing new fans aboard, but readers will enjoy watching this marvelous world emerge if they start with book one of the series. Singh (Archangel's Legion) lives in New Zealand.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.