Publisher: Berkeley
Where did you get the arc: Netgalley/publisher
Release date: 18th of July
Reviewed by: Has and E
Where are the broken? A propulsive question that unleashes a world of secrets in New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s Resonance Surge . . .
StoneWater bears Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev have been a unit since birth, but now Pavel’s life is veering in a new direction, his heart held in the hands of Arwen Mercant, a Psy empath—and the only man who has ever brought Pavel to his knees.
This is it. A point of irrevocable change. For Pavel . . . for Arwen . . . for Yakov . . . and for another pair of twins whose bond has a far darker history.
A low-gradient Psy, Theodora Marshall is considered worthless by everyone but her violently powerful twin, Pax. She is the sole person he trusts in their venomous family to investigate a hidden and terrible part of their family history—an unregistered rehabilitation center established by their grandfather.
Places of unimaginable pain designed to psychically wipe minds, leaving the victims shells of their former selves, the Centers are an ugly vestige of the Psy race’s Silent past. But this Center was worse. Far, far worse. And now Theo must uncover the awful truth—in the company of a scowling bear named Yakov who isn’t about to take a Marshall at face value . . . especially a Marshall who has turned his dreams into chilling nightmares.
Because Yakov is the great-grandson of a foreseer . . . and he has seen Theo die in an unstoppable surge of blood. Night after night after night . . .
Blurb taken from Goodreads.
E: RESONANCE SURGE was a beary good read (they made me do it)! It is always a pleasure to dive into Nalini Singh’s ever shifting Psy-Changeling world post the fall of Silence. The future of the Psy and thus the future of the world remains in doubt even as pockets of individuals work furiously to try to stabilize the Net and others unknowingly build bonds across the three races which provide hints of hope. Yet as this continues, around every turn evil waits or is discovered, perpetuated by those in power at the height of Silence and its veneration towards eliminating individuality.
Has: I love, love the bear shifters! They’re so fun, chaotic and boisterous which is fantastic to see the focus back onto them. Even though the Fall of Silence has happened, the repercussions and the danger it represents still resonates throughout the Psy/Changeling world. In RESONANCE SURGE, there is a bit of a twist which I thought was interesting. The focal point on the characters is not only about the main couple, Yakov and Theo but also on their twin siblings, in which Singh sets up intricate plot points over the previous books and also creates new future story threads.
E: We first meet Theo in WILD RAIN, as a relatively minor player tightly linked to someone who is rapidly becoming a power player in more ways than one. Yakov has been on the scene often, whenever bears are involved since SILVER SILENCE yet I never would have put the two of them together. Their initial partnership is colored by echoes from Yakov’s great-grandfather’s Psy genes and the initial raise of Silence to what it eventually became with members of the Ruling Council and Heads of other powerful families doing whatever they wanted to whomever, including members of their own families in the name of scientific study and experimentation. Theo’s family had been a Psy power for centuries and the former head, Counselor Marshall Hyde, met his unlamented end early in the original arc. At the time, we knew he condoned some horrific torture and conspired to hide the serial killers and torturers. But we had no idea how far he went…
Has: That was a dark and heart wrenching story arc. Theo’s family history and legacy is full of atrocities that she has undergone torture and experimentation, and that she has to deal with the traumatic side effects that endangers herself and other people. RESONANCE SURGE also delves into another aspect of the results of Silence over the generations and that it wasn’t the perfect response for some Psy to reign in their uncontrollable impulses. Theo’s grandfather, who is an architect of creating cold blooded killers is responsible for a lot of the issues that the Psy is now facing but in this installment, I really liked the themes of salvation and healing for Theo, her twin, and Yakov and his clan are facing up to these horrors and to help resolve and deal with these horrific events with a tone of hope and love. It was great to see this play out.
And I also love the little tidbits and extracts from the personal letters of the past that hold hints of the direction of the future as well as laying out another layer of world-building. This makes this such a wonderful and multifaceted world, but it also parallels the love story between Theo and Yakov, which I have to say was cute and delightful! Did I say I love the bears? I adore them! They truly come alive and they’re so funny and vivid.
E: Bears and as I like to call them Bear Adjacents, those humans or even Psy who exhibit Bear-like tendencies are a delight. They bring a sense of family, togetherness, strength, an dependability without being stodgy. One never knows what a Bear will do or what is hiding under their facade. They are a great foil for the seriousness of the world even as their hearts hurt for the turmoil within the Psy. It was also very enjoyable to see the continuing growth in the secondary romantic relationship entwined through most of the Trinity arc. These glimpses help keep the world moving and keep us as readers from forgetting that while the main characters are moving massive blocks other characters are going about their lives and adjusting to their new realities. None of Singh’s characters exists in a background and each serves a deliberate purpose, even if it appears to be a chance encounter. Speaking of which, I want to go back and find a certain set of scenes involving two children because I think they might end up in some way tying to the bond Theo and her twin have…
Has: I totally agree! While this book may not feel that it features a big arc, it is setting up for something huge and epic, and I love how she seamlessly ties in previous characters and plot threads together to draw a bigger picture. It was fantastic to see the development of Pavel and Arwen’s relationship who appeared in previous books. Their romance was more of a side one although I wished we actually had a full book, because they’re such fun and interesting characters. But I do agree with you about the twin bonding. The parallels and the symmetry with the main couple and their twins and plus the children is leading into something very interesting and I have a theory that this is the key to healing the damage Psynet which is disintegrating. I think we will come back to see this book is key in setting up something major and the clues to where it leads is here.
E: Singh also does a great job of bringing forward the complexities and complications of human nature. She deftly shows that while some people are pure threads of evil, others who at first glimpse seem to be single note psychotic show unexpected depths which illustrate who they could have been. And yet those moments of compassion and care highlight the juxtaposition with their everyday uncaring actions.
I think Singh’s ending of RESONANCE SURGE was also such a juxtaposition and I am totally blaming the Bears!
All in all another great installment and I can’t wait for what comes next because I have CONCERNS!
I give RESONANCE SURGE an A-.
Has: I certainly agree with you about that ending and I have concerns also! RESONANCE SURGE, had so many emotional tones that range from dark and horrific to humour and light as well as a sweet and sexy romance that was cuddly and cozy. It was a book for me that had so many elements that made this a rich and fun installment in the series and I think it will be an important one because it is setting up the seeds for a big reveal for the ongoing arc. And I can not wait for one character’s book who is promising to be an amazing and complicated hero for a future book!
I give RESONANCE SURGE a solid B!
Thanks for it!!