Nalini Singh - Atonement Sky

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias knows the end is near for her, her mind one step away from fatal psychic exposure. In the short time that remains, she is determined to atone for an act of omission that has haunted her for a long, cruel decade. But that decision not only means facing a powerful changeling wing leader, but also putting herself in the path of a serial killer.
Falcon wing leader Adam Garrett is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. After losing his parents as a teenager in a shocking act of malice, Adam has no forgiveness in him for the J-Psy who betrayed him, betrayed them, at the most painful moment of his life. But the evil that stalks his territory will allow him no respite, forcing him once more into contact with the J he has never been able to forget.
Everything that could've been between Eleri and Adam was lost years ago, a shimmering promise crushed. As they work to uncover a monster, the moment of reckoning looms ever closer. Soon, there may be no more time left for either atonement...or love...

Comment: This is the 9th installment in the Psy Changeling Trinity series or, if one wants to look at the broader side of things, the ongoing continuation of the original Psy Changeling series.

In this story Eleri Dias is back to Arizona, the place where WindHaven has their home, to hunt for a serial killer. As a J who is on the verge of Exposure, meaning her brain will fail, she is doing her best to atone for past mistakes, and to hunt killers is the way her small family of Js decides to end their lives.

Adam Garrett is the wing leader of his clan and he has lived all his life in prol of their well being, even with the heartbreak of losing his parents to an apparent accidental killing. He has both admired and loathed the J Psy who failed to stick to the justice demands their role implies. But now she is back and Adam thinks it's more than time to finally get what he wants. But will the killer prove to be smarter than they ever thought?

After so many years following the series, it is a given to say I'm a fan of this world and will likely read all the full length books the author releases. I cannot say this will be at the top of my favorites but it ended up being better than what it looked like in the beginning.

As often happens, this book can be read as a standalone, the structure and development allow for this to happen, but there some things that while not linearly or chronologically sequenced from previous books, only have importance in this context with the reader having read other books in this world. It's not required information, but some things only seem to matter if one knows why and that might not be gained totally from just reading this book.

Nevertheless, the plot works and is seemingly simple. Eleri is reaching the end of her life and she wants to atone for things she didn't have the power to do avoid before, when she was starting her career. The fall of Silence managed to help many Psy but it also accelerated the negative aspects for many, Js included. I could see her side of things and see why she would make such a choice with the options left for her.

Of course, this being a romance and in a fantasy world, there is a solution for her problem, one that seemed to have been a long time coming, in the big scheme of this world. I think that, in a way, this did tidy up some loose threads. If the author wanted to finish the series in, say two or three books, I think this one would have answered some doubts. Well, I hope that isn't the case but it's good to see some advance, especially after so many books.

Adam was actually a harder character to root for, even though he is changeling and these are usually the more expressive and expansive characters in this world. Yes, I feel sad for his losses and the weight on his shoulders but his personality wasn't particularly memorable. Perhaps this has something to do with the clan's minimal descriptions... we would need more books featuring this clan for their personalities to shine more, i'd say. I wish we had more about them and less serial killer hunting but...

Anyway, this did meet all the criteria for a good story and from half way everything seemed more interesting, there were more decisive situations and more interactions between characters, especially the changelings and Eleri and one of her J friends, Bram. In a way, this kind of settled this group of characters, in the sense I feel if no more stories featuring them were to happen, I feel happy enough with how things ended up there. But, of course, it would be nice to expand this clan and those who interact with them.

The romance between Eleri and Adam was very basic, for me. After past books where the Psy and Changeling differences were so well meshed, this time it felt like just one more example. It was still sweet yes, but not memorable level. Still, I feel glad for them.

The next book will feature an interesting couple. I hope the author really shows them in such a redeeming way that the romance feels perfect. I hope.

Grade: 7/10