She just gets better and better
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I can't describe my feelings about this author without gushing profusely. She's my favourite romance writer BY FAR, and in my opinion she cannot write fast enough. Waiting for the next two installments in the Psy/Changeling series (Judd and Clay's stories) will be excrutiating, but she is more than worth the wait. The previous reviews have done a good job of explaining the plot of this book, so I won't say anything other than: if you've read Slave to Sensation and loved it as much as I did, you *must* get Visions of Heat. And if you haven't read either of the books I just mentioned, do yourself a favour and add them to your shopping basket now. You won't regret it. Nalini Singh is the most talented storyteller of this genre.
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Second Installment of the Psy/Changeling Series
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For anyone who hasn't read the first book in the series (Slave to Sensation), Visions of Heat is set on an alternative history Earth, where the planet is populated by three races: - Changelings - shapeshifters who rely on their animal instincts, The Psy who are emotionless and cold, and human beings. I would recommend you read Slave to Sensation first if possible, as there are plotlines started there that continue into VoH.
Faith NightStar is an F-Psy (F-foresight) tormented by dark visions (no pun intended :)). Unsure of what is happening to her and not wanting to reveal her fragile state of mind to the Psy Council she seeks out Sascha Duncan (Slave to Sensation) the only Psy known to be free of the Psynet. It's while she is looking for Sascha that she meets Vaughn D'Angelo, a jaguar Changeling who is inexplicably drawn to Faith. (I note here that Vaughn is an incredibly alpha hero, almost to the point of being unbearable on a couple of occasions.)
I've read on some reviews that there is a preference for Sascha (the heroine of StS) over Faith. I however, like Faith, she's a contradiction - incredibly fragile, but at the same time so single-minded she manages to push herself farther than she thinks she can go.
It almost seems like the relationship between the two of them shouldn't work. Vaughn the irresistible force willing Faith to take on more. Faith the immovable object giving in. And yet they fit, in a way I don't think either of them would be able to with anybody else. I wish the book had been longer so we could see this relationship evolve even further.
One of the things I really enjoyed was the continuance of plot threads from StS - we meet up with Sascha and Lucas again, and it's interesting to see how much Sascha has changed between books. There has also been fallout from the incident at the end of StS and this is still being dealt with by the Psy Council, who, if possible, got scarier. We also find out more about how the Psynet itself functions and get a hint of how this will impact the Psy. Visions of Heat is perhaps not as intense as Slave to Sensation and we're now clued into how this alternative world works; but there is an awful lot here to mull over.
I very much like how the overall arc of the series is developing. Nalini Singh starts to increase the tension in Visions of Heat and I can't wait for Caressed by Ice in September.
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Second Installment of the Psy/Changeling series
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For anyone who hasn't read the first book in the series (Slave to Sensation), Visions of Heat is set on an alternative history Earth, where the planet is populated by three races: - Changelings - shapeshifters who rely on their animal instincts, The Psy who are emotionless and cold, and human beings. I would recommend you read Slave to Sensation first if possible, as there are plotlines started there that continue into VoH.
Faith NightStar is an F-Psy (F-foresight) tormented by dark visions (no pun intended :)). Unsure of what is happening to her and not wanting to reveal her fragile state of mind to the Psy Council she seeks out Sascha Duncan (Slave to Sensation) the only Psy known to be free of the Psynet. It's while she is looking for Sascha that she meets Vaughn D'Angelo, a jaguar Changeling who is inexplicably drawn to Faith. (I note here that Vaughn is an incredibly alpha hero, almost to the point of being unbearable on a couple of occasions.)
I've read on some reviews that there is a preference for Sascha (the heroine of StS) over Faith. I however, like Faith, she's a contradiction - incredibly fragile, but at the same time so single-minded she manages to push herself farther than she thinks she can go.
It almost seems like the relationship between the two of them shouldn't work. Vaughn the irresistible force willing Faith to take on more. Faith the immovable object giving in. And yet they fit, in a way I don't think either of them would be able to with anybody else. I wish the book had been longer so we could see this relationship evolve even further.
One of the things I really enjoyed was the continuance of plot threads from StS - we meet up with Sascha and Lucas again, and it's interesting to see how much Sascha has changed between books. There has also been fallout from the incident at the end of StS and this is still being dealt with by the Psy Council, who, if possible, got scarier. We also find out more about how the Psynet itself functions and get a hint of how this will impact the Psy. Visions of Heat is perhaps not as intense as Slave to Sensation and we're now clued into how this alternative world works; but there is an awful lot here to mull over.
I very much like how the overall arc of the series is developing. Nalini Singh starts to increase the tension in Visions of Heat and I can't wait for Caressed by Ice in September.
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A Wonderful Second Installment
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Nalini Singh's fresh take on the world of paranormal is as gripping as ever, with strong action and a cast of interesting characters. Visions of Heat continues somewhat the original plot of the first book, Slave to Sensation. The Psy are a race known for their cold aloof facades and the deadly minds they cloak beneath. Thanks to a rigid race determined to conceal their slightest imperfections, killers are born, and it's up to the changelings once again to protect not only their own but the Psy as well.
Faith Nightstar is the embodiement of a sheltered Psy. As an F-Psy able to predict the future, her talents are coveted by her family. Cocooned against the outside world, she's tucked away in her own compound, where she can predict safe things, things that make the PsyClan Nightstar very wealthy. When dark, disturbing visions begin to plague her at any given time, and a particular murder cuts too close to home, she knows she cannot ignore them...no matter how fragile her mind might be.
Drawn to the enigmatic and unusual Psy, Changeling Vaughn D'Angelo uses his abilities as a jaguar to encroach on Faith's territory. He must tread carefully, for too much contact with the delicate Psy could send her senses into overload. He's determined to make her feel though and it's going to be on his terms. He sees strength in Faith and that's what he plans to draw forth in her, till she can handle exactly what he wants to give her. When visions of the killer cut too close to home, and the Psy come for her too, Vaughn will be there to catch Faith and dispense the remorseless justice changelings are known so well for.
Vaughn's story was one I greatly looked forward to and came out pretty pleased with. An aloof character in the first book, it was interesting to read exactly what made up this single jaguar member of the DarkRiver leopards. As a sentinel for his adoptive clan, he's fierce, loyal and dangerously cunning. When he sets these talented sights on Faith it's an instant animal attraction that roars to the surface, ready to claim the confounding woman. Faith, knows her boundaries, and while she thinks there's no place for her in Vaughn's world, she proves herself to be invaluable to him and it's not for the cold reasons her Psyclan wants her. Their interactions make this installment worth the read. While the villain this time didn't stand out the way the previous book's baddy did, I found myself not minding in the least by book's end. Ms. Singh is a master at dishing up the details at just the right intervals, allowing her plots and subplots to flow beautifully amongst one another. Stay tuned for more from this fascination new world. Next up is Caressed by Ice, this time starring a Psy member as the hero. It releases September 4, 2007.
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Enjoyable follow-up to 'Slave To Sensation'
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Nalini Singh's first novel, 'Slave To Sensation', released last year was a fresh addition to the urban fantasy genre. Her world was peopled by three groups - humans, changelings (werewolves) and the Psy. The Psy were the heirs to Mr Spock's world, emotionless people in a constant Vulcan mind-meld with each other; the Psy world of Silence had the benefit of no evil, murders etc but the disadvantage of no emotions. But was there really no evil? And when Sascha a cardinal (very powerful) Psy started to think she was losing her mind and started investigating the outside world of changelings, she discovered that the PsyNet has its problems and its ruthlessness.
The events in 'Visions of Heat' take place a couple of months after Sascha's 'defection' to the animals. Faith NightStar, our heroine, knows of Sascha, despite being confined for her whole life in a facility. This is because Faith is very important - and lucrative - to her family; she is an F-Psy, a Forseer, able to foresee with 100% accuracy market trends and other business data. Although this talent is colossally useful and gives the families with the rare F-Psy a huge amount of income generation, it is also a very dangerous talent; lots of F-Psy go insane very early on and few retain their marbles into their fifties. Faith is in her mid twenties but now she's wondering if her days of sanity are coming to an end as she starts to experience visions of murder and evil, not just economics information. She decides to sneak out of the compound where she lives to take a look at the outside world and, more importantly, to try and contact Sascha, the only Psy to ever escape the PsyNet, to see if Sascha can help her.
Vaughn D'Angelo, a jaguar changeling, has been watching the compound for some time, drawn to it for reasons that he doesn't understand. When he meets Faith and takes her to Sascha he tries to help her to move outside her Psy nature with systematic desensitisation - in other words, he touches her a lot. She's afraid it will cause her to have a seizure but she has to push the boundaries and learn what is truth and what is just Psy conditioning that has been forced on her.
Underlying this story is the murderer whose visions Faith is seeing and who she wants to stop. However this side of the story isn't that important, the overall focus is on Faith and Vaughn and their relationship. Faith does an awful lot of changing, learning, growing in this book; Vaughn doesn't seem to change much at all.
Although I did enjoy this story it didn't quite work as well for me as 'Slave To Sensation'. It's difficult understanding the world of the Psy as so much is going on in their heads and it's difficult for the reader to fully engage in it. It's a complex world, and an interesting one, and the characters are varied and all have their own issues, but the central story in this book for me had less power. There's a little taster in the back of this printing of the next book, 'Caressed By Ice', focusing on Judd Lauren. This sample chapter looked very interesting so I'm looking forward to that book and hoping that it will have that little extra that 'Slave To Sensation' had which was perhaps lacking in this story.
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