Nalini Singh - Shield of Winter

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 . . .

Comment: I've started reading this book as soon as the mail man gave me the package where it was in. It's one of those series I just can't put on hold. I started that same day and once more I was taken to this amazing world with lager than life characters.

This is Vasic and Ivy Jane's story. Vasic has been a recurrent character, he's  a psy known for his special abilities and his heavy Silence.
Ivy Jane is a new character who is given protagonism after the things that happened in the previous book with the fall of Silence. These two are put together with a mission to study the impact of a new discovery to the psy race and the hope they won't die of the infection that seems to be killing more and more psy everywhere...

I liked the story. I liked the tone in particular, which is always a positive for me with this author. Even the stories which I don't like as much are still well structured and told in a way that feels very familiar and well paced, we know what to expect, there isn't sudden changes of the author's "voice". It's noted how consistent the author is since the beginning and that must be part of the series' success.

Some fans may say the author is repeating herself but for me it doesn't feel so because each book features different characters, with different takes on how to behave and even within the psy race, people with severe control on emotions and attitudes, there still are differences and personalities totally unique under the mask they wear. This story has two psy protagonists and their challenges and takes on how t approach life where shaped by different things and those things affected them in a way very opposite the way other psy characters faced their own trials. So, there is always something new, different although the core idea is the same, meaning psy have to learn how to deal with emotions and feelings..

Vasic and Ivy seem to be a good couple, again, author's talent in presenting and developing them. They learn a lot together and each personal challenge and trouble is faced with a new light because they are together. This is the perfect base for a solid romance, where the couple becomes better together because each one has something to add, to offer, to learn. I liked them.

I also liked the presence of known characters and the small tidbits about previous couples. It's always so nice to see love does conquer it all. Being the abundance of scenes with previous characters one of the negative things in the previous stories, I think it wasn't so with this one and it was quite balanced. Oh and the clues about next characters to have a story are tantalizing.

The plot is following an interesting path. Silence is over but anarchy isn't the solution. I'm curious to see where this is going and what will happen with all the others considering who's in line for a book...but this one is full of interesting ideas and concepts about the waking up after Silence and what could happen. I was happy with the way things were done.
Of course there's always things that could have been improved, but overall, a wonderful effort and delivery.
Grade: 8/10