Explosive! Wolf Rain By Nalini Singh || Book Review

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a review on @esther-emmanuel/ocean-light-by-nalini-singh-oror-book-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ocean Light, the second book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. I just finished the third book in the series and I'm excited to give my review. For a better understanding of this series and its worldbuilding, I suggest you read through Ocean Light where I cover many details about this series and the main plot.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance. Published: June 2019 Pages: 392

Wolf Rain takes readers deeper into the rich, engaging world of psychic humans versus changelings. For me, this third book keeps the tension high and the stakes even higher, making us wonder where the author will take the story next within this unique universe.

Synopsis

The plot is centered around Alexei aka "Lexie", a SnowDancer Wolf Lieutenant, and Memory Aven, an E-Psy (unrecognised designation). The events of this book happen right after Ocean Light which is still set in winter 2083.

Alexie is battling the loss of his brother which happened about a year ago. He has been emotionally detached and has never quite been the same since. He's at his routine checkup of one of the power substations in the remotest area of SnowDancer's territory in Sierra Nevada while also grieving because it's the anniversary of his brother's death. While running in the rain, he's hit with a dark and painful mental broadcast from an E-Psy.

Compelled to search for this E-Psy, he stumbles into an underground bunker and finds Memory who has been kept imprisoned there since she was a child. Seeing her as a victim, he rescues her from the bunker.

On the other hand, Memory sees herself as the monster that should not be released from the bunker. She has endured years of torment and manipulation from her captor that she is unwilling to fight to bring her real self back. But this grumpy and beautiful Wolf Lieutenant tests her patience and awakes an emotion that she doesn't know she's capable of. Who is Memory's captor? Why was she hidden in the bunker for years? Is she willing to expose her captor or betray her rescuer?

My Review And Rating

This third book is a fine blend of paranormal, mystery, romance and good suspense. I enjoyed reading it. The author took a small break in this series from writing about the wolf changelings so it's refreshing to read about them here. They are my favourite race in this series' universe.

In this uniquely built world of psy, changelings, and humans, their alliances further disintegrate and become fragile. The author explores the traumas of the lead characters and how it shapes their decisions especially towards their search for peace and connection among the three races.

The plot is written excellently well. The story is emotional, touching on themes like healing, identity, and the courage to let love blossom despite fear and grief. It also balances the lead characters’ journey with the new changes in the psy-changeling world.

Also the conflict in the plot was divided into two. There's the personal story involving Memory (her past and fears) and Alexie (his brother's betrayal and death). Then the external conflict which involves Memory's captor who's hunting her and the instability of the Psy net due to many psy awakening into their real power. These raise the stakes in this book and keep me on the edge of my seat.

I like that Nalini takes time to strongly develop her characters, especially Memory. Her character is unique, a missing piece in the mystery puzzle. At first she's portrayed as a potential antagonist but in the end she becomes a key to solving one of their urgent problems.

Lastly, I love all the themes depicted in this book. It deeply explores how healing from trauma can be like, how love can help to transform and make a person better, how survival and freedom are important to a community.

Rating this book, I will give it 4 stars out of 5. It's intriguing, fascinating and action-packed. For me, this book has renewed my interest in the series. If you enjoy mystery, paranormal and urban fantasy, you should check out Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series.

All images above are from my E-library

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