Book Review: Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh

Author: Nalini Singh

Title: Shield of Winter

Series: Psy-Changeling #13

Genre: PNR, Urban Fiction

Format: ebook

Pages: 448

Published: June 3, 2014

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Assassin. Soldier. Arrow. That is who Vasic is, who he will always be. His soul drenched in blood, his conscience heavy with the weight of all he’s done, he exists in the shadows, far from the hope his people can almost touch—if only they do not first drown in the murderous insanity of a lethal contagion. To stop the wave of death, Vasic must complete the simplest and most difficult mission of his life.

For if the Psy race is to survive, the empaths must wake.

Having rebuilt her life after medical “treatment” that violated her mind and sought to stifle her abilities, Ivy should have run from the black-clad Arrow with eyes of winter frost. But Ivy Jane has never done what she should. Now, she'll fight for her people, and for this Arrow who stands as her living shield, yet believes he is beyond redemption. But as the world turns to screaming crimson, even Ivy’s fierce will may not be enough to save Vasic from the cold darkness . . .

Review:

I've been terrible. I finished this a couple of days ago, but I've been sooooo dang busy. We'll divide and conquer this review. 

Please note that this would not work well as a standalone. You need to read all the others prior. 

The Good:

- So many couples from the past books have popped up! This is a big conclusion to some stuff! It was lovely seeing them. 

- Intense action. I was on the edge of my seat. Will this gamble pay off? 

- Vasic and Ivy make a great pair. I was nervous because it would take someone really special to deserve Vasic. He's been such a great side character. 

- That ending? I had some tears. 

The Bad and the Ugly:

- The pacing was off sometimes. At times, we were moving at a snail's pace, and I wanted to skim through, but then we were off to the races. It was jarring at times. 

Conclusion:

Overall, I really did enjoy this conclusion to this arc of the story. There is more to follow, but all the past books of this series have been building up to this moment. The pacing was a little off in spots, but overall....this was good. I'll give it 4 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Library Love #8

- Reading Romance Challenge #9 (TBR 2+ years)

TMST: To Spoil...or Not to Spoil

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

Do you like spoilers? Do you read the last chapter first? Share your thoughts.

Spoilers don't bug me at all. If the story is good enough I want to know the journey. 

Confession time???

In my youth, I would read the last chapter. I do not that anymore, but I was guilty of it as a teenager. Whoopsies. 

Best of March

Happy April everyone!

Here are our faves for March. 

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

"Haunted house, toxic family. Great story."

Carole -  Turn of Fate by Anne Bishop

"I really, really fell in love with this book. 100% recommended."

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole -  Dracula - A Love Tale (2025)

"Loved it. It's stuck in my head."

Blodeuedd - Nada this month. I do not remember at all any movies...

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Love is Blind: Sweden & Stargate (S1 and S2)

"I watched LiB cos I want drama. I also watched Sg1 s2, but then I had to take a break as I binged 2 seasons pretty fast."

Carole - New Girl (s1-s3) & Outlander (s3-s5)

"Going through New Girl again. So stinkin' good. I also watched a lot of Outlander!"

Best Cover of the Month:

Carole's pick: "Cool!"

Blodeuedd's pick: "Cute!"

Cast That Book: The Tempest by William Shakespeare

A weekly meme that showcases my "cast" of a book if it were to become a movie or TV show. Anyone can join!

Well, well, well. I can't believe we are FINALLY bringing this back weekly post back from the dead!! I've been wanting to do it, but 1) I forget and 2) I really didn't know if it was a good idea. 

But let's give a go! I think I might do this once a month or more if I'm feeling inspired. 

For those that are new and haven't been here since 2012 (yes, this is THAT old). The idea is that, I pick a book I recently read and cast it with my dream cast. Anyone can join in. You can do the same book or pick a different book that you read. 

Rules (aka self-imposed...you don't have to follow them)

- A recent book I read

- Only books that I gave a 4 or 5 stars

- Casting the main cast and maybe some of the side characters

- Sky is the limit

For our first book back, let's do 'The Tempest' by William Shakespeare (mainly because I can remember all the characters and I can easily look up the character list). Future books I'll make notes of the names of characters or something. 

Prospero - Idris Elba

Miranda- Halle Bailey

Ariel- Charithra Chandran

Caliban- John Bell

Ferdinand- David Berry

Alonso- Dermot Mulroney

Antonio- Daniel Francis

Sebastian- Josh Lawson

Gonzalo- David Alan Grier

Stephano- Ben Schwartz

Trinculo- Joe Lo Truglio