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.

This is the latest instalment in my favourite paranormal series and I was excited to read more about the world after the fall of Silence. It turned out to be such a turbulent journey, full of unexpected and sweet, a pleasure to follow through. I just bow my head to Ms Singh for the absolutely amazing paranormal world she has created in this series and the way she keeps elaborating and expanding it with each new book. There is so much going on, so much depth that it never gets boring or predictable.

The strongest element of this story for the me was the suspense/mystery plot. At times it even read more as urban fantasy than paranormal romance but I'm OK with it since it was really well-developed and created a rather engaging story.

This book is set in the aftermath of the fall of Silence and even though the action involves all the races, as well as some new players (Hello, Remy), the romance was focused on two Arrows - Aden and Zaira.

Aden was brilliant - strong and steady, calm and reliable and oh-so-fantastic with the Arrow kids. Clues but caring adults trying to figure out how the raise kids is a favoruite scenario in fiction for me. The tension was even stronger since the adults were Arrows - a squad of super fighters/assassins trained to suppress their emotion at the deepest level. The scenes between Aden/Zaira and the Arrow kids completely melted my heart. Aden focused on turning his Arrows into a sort of pack of his own and his efforts were both painful and admirable.

Zaira was a really troubled character. I liked the intricacy of her character very much, her journey to herself and allowing herself to feel was not an easy one. Her focus on "the beast inside, the madness" was repetitive at times and a bit annoying. Still, Aden was all too patient and he was strong enough to help her overcome her own fear and insecurities.

The romance was strong and captivating but I missed the moment of discovery that you have feelings which I love about the Psy - all the confusion, uncertainty, even refusal to admit, to try, to pursue. Aden and Zaira have had this strong connection/chemistry ever since they met as children and they both knew they belonged to each other. The conflict was based on Zaira's fear of her madness and her reluctance to risk the life of those she loved. They were together from the start, though they did walked their own path of discovery of sensual pleasure and true connection of body and soul.

I very much enjoyed the suspense elements of the story, it was complex, full of twists and turns and kept me on the edge till the very end. The plot is sort of setting the stage for further conflicts in the post-Silence world.

Another element in the story which i particularly liked is seeing so many of the characters from the previous books acting together here. The world has been irrevocable changed and Psy, changelings and humans need to find their place in the new world order. And there are some powerful enemies lurking around!

There will be more stories coming in the series and I'm already curious who will the star of the next book. Remy, probably? I'd love a changeling story next. Or Nikita and Anthony? Or someone totally unexpected?

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / ARE / iBooks

You can read my reviews of some the previous books in the Psy-Changeling series:
Whisper of Sin (Psy-Changeling #0.6) - 4 Stars
Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) - 4 Stars
Visions of Heat (Psy-Changeling #2) - 5 Stars
Caressed by Ice (Psy-Changeling #3) - 5 Stars
Mine to Possess (Psy-Changeling #4) - 4 Stars
Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changeling #5) - 5 Stars
Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling #6) - 4.5 Stars
Shield of Winter (Psy-Changeling #13) - 4 Stars