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Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1)

by Nalini Singh (Goodreads Author)

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 19,411 ratings · 1,460 reviews

THE HOT NEW NAME IN PARANORMAL ROMANCE. Nalini Singh dives into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind-and none of the heart. Born a Psy, Sascha Duncan must hide the emotions which mark her as flawed. But a passionate Changeling will tempt her to reveal everything-and risk her very soul.

ebook, nook edition, 352 pages

Published September 5th 2006 by Berkley

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May 13, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, romance-romance-romance

This is a romance novel. If you're unfamiliar with the romance formula then I'm about to spoil every single romance novel ever:

They all end on a deliriously happy note with an abundance of perfection.

So whilst I won't discuss the actual end to this book, I don't think I really will be spoiling everything if I discuss the TYPE of end this book has and why it means that I just wasn't really meant for the romance genre.

There was a lot to enjoy about this book. For starters, considering it is billed...more

112 likes · like · see review

Aug 29, 2011 Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone!

Shelves: romance-paranormal, first-in-series, author-nalini-singh, owned-read, shifters

(Edited to add further thoughts.)

5 Stars - Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Den

*~*Slave to Sensation *~*

Touching fingertips,
To ice-cold lips,
The skimming touch,
Sensations, too much;
The brushing thigh,
Escaping sigh,
The softest whispers,
Sends primal shivers;
Barely leashed control,
Of a fractured soul,
The heat of skin,
Burst flames within;
Instinctive artistry,
Reactive chemistry,
The ragged breath,
Cerebral death;
Who thought such bliss,
In just one kiss?
Now, his changeling touch, she craves,
Has she

...more

32 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2011 Lady Valee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pnr-romance, favorites

There's just not any other book more worth of a re-read than this one! I'm not kidding. OMG, I mean, I had loved it the first time I read it but nothing close as the way I felt about it this second time. I had completely forgot what it was to be so lost in a book that you didn't notice at all the pass of time. I just couldn't put it down, and every time I checked my clock I was so sure only an hour had passed but so much more had... *blushing, seriously, I completely lost track of time. But what...more There's just not any other book more worth of a re-read than this one! I'm not kidding. OMG, I mean, I had loved it the first time I read it but nothing close as the way I felt about it this second time. I had completely forgot what it was to be so lost in a book that you didn't notice at all the pass of time. I just couldn't put it down, and every time I checked my clock I was so sure only an hour had passed but so much more had... *blushing, seriously, I completely lost track of time. But what I'm trying to tell you all is that this is a book that NEEDS to be read at least 2 times. The first time I read it I really couldn't enjoyed it as much as this because I was trying too hard to understand all the plot and world building. This is a very complex series with too much new information to us and it takes a lot to completely understand it all. For me, it was a lot to take in the first time I read it so I couldn't' appreciate Lucas and Sascha's relationship as I did this time.

What a complex book, I just didn't remember so many things happen in it. There's just so much to take in. First we have an introduction to a whole new world with beings so unknown to us that it will take you some time only to grab the smallest of knowledge about them. I'm talking about the PSY: They are not really human, but they look like them. The difference is that they are introduced to the SILENT treatment since they are born. This means no feelings for them at all, no love, no hate, no selfishness, no caring, nothing at all. The reason for this was that if you don't feel you won't kill nor destruct, nor do any harm. The PSY species has their power in their minds, some are telekinetic, some can create mental viruses while others can kill others just with a thought. Such is their power that they have become the more powerful beings on Earth. But this is about to change as the PsyNet is getting fractured and many Psy are changing, becoming broken. The PSYs who rule this species, the Council, are suppose to fix every problem that appears. They are the most powerful PSYs and they have complete power to rule as they feel like doing, so what is it to stop them from doing the wrong thing? PSYs are suppose to do the logical thing, the right one, so nobody expects the Council to act wrongly because they shouldn't be able to do so, they are PSYs after all. But if some PSY are starting to break, how can you put all your trust and give free power to PSYs who are not being controlled by anybody else than themselves?

As if getting to know this amazing and complex species wasn't enough, we get to read about the CHANGELINGS, beings who are not completely human but are half animal. Lucas is a changeling Alpha who would do anything to protect his people. While he is at the top of the command chain, there are others on his pack that could be able to take him down merging forces if he goes rouge; but they never would as they love their alpha and would do anything to protect him. He has won his place and has everyone's loyalty. Lucas get's introduce to Sascha after starting business negotiations with the PSYs. Both will get to know better and realize none was what they thought would really be. So many things happen, so many mysteries get resolve while others begin. Two races are now on the verge of war, things start to change, the Changeling wont allow so much power to the PSY.Where will Sascha stand? How can a PSY change if she isn't even suppose to feel anything at all? How will Lucas be able to make her understand?

So many things happen in this series that it's not possible not to ADORE it. This is the series with the best plot, no doubts what so ever, you just can't help to get sucked into it. The need to understand and get to know more about everything is overwhelming. I'm just happy I made this re-read because now I was finally able to understand everything and get to appreciate the book way more. I really wanna recommend you guys a 2nd read, definitely the best course of action with this book.(less)

25 likes · like · see review

Aug 18, 2012 Dija rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: before-2007, buddy-slash-group-read, cotton-candy-fluff, meh, my-reviews, read-in-2012, uf-or-pnr, surprisingly-good, first-in-series

*Buddy read with Sarah. You can read her review here.*

What I expected:
1. Lust at first sight leading to lots of sexy times that magically develop into love overnight.
2. A boring plot.
3. A ~~lickable~~ likable yet cliched hero.
4. A nice but entirely forgettable heroine.
5. A hundred eyeroll-worthy and puke-inducing moments.

What I got:
1. A beautiful romance that slowly develops (emphasis on slowly) into true love on the basis of friendship, understanding, communication, respect, and a healthy dose o...more

27 likes · like · see review

Aug 15, 2012 Blacky *Mistress of doom* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, read-paranormal, best-of-the-best, mine, of-course, bestest-of-the-best, 5-stars-for-quality, 5-stars-for-enjoyment, favorite-paranormal

This book goes to one of the best pnr's I've ever read. The writing is phenomenal, so great that I knew just with the first book that I'll be reading all the others :)

I first heard of this series a few months ago, and my reaction was like this: O.o Psychic people devoid of emotions and shape-shifters as couples

. I decided I definitely wasn't going to read something like that.
I was VERY, very, very, very stupid.

The story very much remindes me of the movie "Equilibrium", in which the hero l...more

32 likes · like · see review

Jan 23, 2013 Karla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Karla by: Jayne, Kris and Autumn

Shelves: amazing, amazing-narrator, audiobook, exciting, favorites, highly-recommended, made-me-rawrrrr, paranormal, passionate, possessive-alpha, scrumptious-hero, sensual, set-up-for-series, shape-shifters, strong-willed-heroine, terrific-dialogue, tortured-souls, wonderful-secondary-characters, yummy-men, exceeded-my-expectations, mind-control

5 Stars!!! Fantastic! What took me so long to read this?!?!

Out of all the paranormal creatures, shifters are my favorite, and Slave to Sensation, captured the true nature of these sexy human/beasts!!! RAWRRRRR!! The merging of the unfeeling, emotionless citizens of the Psy community, and the touchy feely, possessive Changeling pack members, made for a very sensual, fascinating, and extremely gratifying read. Amazing world building, memorable characters...that got under my skin, terrific dialogu...more

38 likes · like · see review

Dec 04, 2012 Sans rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1st-in-series, weres-shifters, psychics-empaths

Can I give this ten stars? Or fifty? I'm a bit speechless. Not sure if I'll be able to form a coherent review that involves more than gushing gibberish interspersed with fangurl squeeing, even in a day or two. Epic, awesome, and I need to get the books I'm missing from this series. Right now.

16 likes · like · see review

Aug 14, 2009 Shawna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: PNR fans

Recommended to Shawna by: Several GR friends

Shelves: nalini-singh, 2009-reads, hero-alpha‎, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, i-read-own-faves-keepers, pnr-weres-cats-wolves-shifters, favorite-romance-series, favorites, scifi-futuristic-fantasy-misc-pnr, series-psy-changeling, psychic-special-abilities-powers, aar-top-100-romances-2007-2010, hero-i-wanna-marry, hero-im-gaga-over, 4-to-5-stars, hero-besotted-so-smitten-its-sexy, hero-stalk-me-baby-possessive, hero-brooding, hero-stud-mantel-hall-of-fame

4 ½-5 stars – Paranormal Romance

Since I’m a little late jumping on the Psy-Changeling series fan bandwagon, there probably isn’t much to add that hasn’t already been said about this fantastic series. Slave to Sensation is a fabulous debut that sets the foundation for the war between the emotionless, cold, psychically powerful Psy race and the Changelings in the year 2079.

In a world where the Psy have enforced a mandatory code of Silence that denies and prohibits all emotion, Psy member Sascha Du...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Autumn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, part-of-series, favorite-authors, i-own, kick-ass-secondary-characters, personal-favorites, mental-emotional-trauma-characters, me-had-mind-orgasms, kick-ass-hero, interesting-plot-premise, re-read-2012, recomended-to-me

PURRS!!!!!

Let`s clear this out. I'm really not into PNR genre.. the blood sucking business is a difficult world for me to engage.Shifters are another realm entirely for me to even begin to grasp.. So when i kept reading the premise of the series i was not very enthusiastic, but i wanted to give it a chance non the less because my very good friends kept throwing the rec my way.

Result = Thoroughly amazed in so many levels for so many reasons.

I have read many mixed opinions. Mainly discrepancie...more

22 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2011 Annie (Under the Covers Book Blog) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: paranormal romance and science fiction fans

Recommended to Annie (Under the Covers Book Blog) by: Suzanne

Shelves: author-nalini-singh, shifters, first-book-in-series, pnr, ebooks, keep-a-spare-pair-of-knickers, genre-science-fiction, books-i-go-rabid-over, my-hottie-harem, favorites, read-in-2011, books-i-own

How Singh can write such complex storylines and characters with such ease and fluidity is beyond me.

First off, I want to talk about her amazing worldbuilding in this series. It’s only the first book but my god, there is so much depth and complexity to the world that Singh has built! Set well into the future, Singh has created a world were humans live among Psy and Changelings.

Out of the two new races, I must say my favourite has to be the Changelings. There is the DarkRiver panther pack and th...more How Singh can write such complex storylines and characters with such ease and fluidity is beyond me.

First off, I want to talk about her amazing worldbuilding in this series. It’s only the first book but my god, there is so much depth and complexity to the world that Singh has built! Set well into the future, Singh has created a world were humans live among Psy and Changelings.

Out of the two new races, I must say my favourite has to be the Changelings. There is the DarkRiver panther pack and there’s also the SnowDancers who are wolves. Both are predatory and rely on instinct and I just love the whole animal nature that Singh has incorporated into each of the characters.

It’s so vastly different than the Psy who are devoid of any emotions, whether it be anger, fear, or love. Sascha is a cardinal who has the potential of great power, but her powers have been underdeveloped. As a result, she’s an outcast even among her own kind.

But when she meets Lucas Hunter, she finds that her Psy flaws actually make her a more suitable mate for the alpha male. I absolutely adore Lucas! I’ve developed a crush on him and I don’t think it’s going to end anytime soon. I loved his possessiveness over Sascha. I loved the pack mentality and the sense of loyalty to one another. Most importantly, the contrast in personalities between the Psy and the Changelings really makes for an intriguing couple.

In the beginning, I was a little slow to warm up to Sascha because she’s so callous and unemotional, but there were hints of her heart here and there and I learned to love her character as well. I was worried that the romance wouldn’t be as hot and steamy as I would have like because of her callousness, but I was wrong! It’s great! I shouldn’t have doubted Singh’s abilities to write sex scenes! I loved every moment of it.

Slave to Sensation is something so different than what I normally read that it was like a slap in the face. It was refreshing and I loved every bit of it! I’ve been missing out on some really great love stories since it’s taken me so long to pick this series up. I can’t wait to read the rest!
(less)

23 likes · like · see review

Feb 18, 2011 Leah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Leah by: Annie (Under the Covers Book Blog)

Shelves: in-my-harem, cherry-poppin, series-psy-changeling, author-nalini-singh, 5-stars, scars-and-tats-and-piercings-oh-my, happy-slapsgiving, thats-some-funny-shit, recommendations, horrible-heroine-alert

I've been waffling on whether or not to read this series for a long time. I bought the seventh one, Blaze of Memory, on a whim a while back but never really read it. Once I started hanging around Goodreads, I met a bunch of people who read the series and loved it. So I was finally convinced to give it a try annnnndddd...I loved it. I loved Singh's world-building, character-building, and just the general awesomeness of the book and dialogue. Obviously, there are still some loose ends left untied...more I've been waffling on whether or not to read this series for a long time. I bought the seventh one, Blaze of Memory, on a whim a while back but never really read it. Once I started hanging around Goodreads, I met a bunch of people who read the series and loved it. So I was finally convinced to give it a try annnnndddd...I loved it. I loved Singh's world-building, character-building, and just the general awesomeness of the book and dialogue. Obviously, there are still some loose ends left untied by the end of the book (we wouldn't want to know every single thing in the first book), but that just served to make me love Slave to Sensation even more and I look forward to continuing the series.

I was very intrigued by the different races of Psys and Changelings and their powers. The idea of the Silence program was really...depressing and I loved to see that Sascha didn't fall to the programming, that she wasn't really Psy. I loved the interactions of the Pack and found their changeling world to be extremely interesting, more so than the Psy world, and I loved the skin privileges thing. It was interesting to see how the changelings and Psys reacted with each other: the hatred, the fragile business relationship, the brutal murders and mutilations of changeling women by a Psy male. It was all very intriguing and I look forward to delving further into the combined world in the rest of the series.

On top of the world that Singh built, I loved the characters. Sascha was a beautiful character and I loved how realistic her struggle to find, but also hide, her real self was. Lucas was just...Lucas. I don't even know how to explain that man. So adorable. Nate, Tamysn, and the other Sentinels were interesting characters, too, but probably the most interesting person to me, aside from Lucas and Sascha, was Dorian. I am completely in love with that male and I'm wish his book was sooner than number five because I really want to read his story! But, I look forward to reading more about him in the other books between this one and Hostage to Pleasure.

Again, I have to thank my lovely ladies of Goodreads for convincing me of how good this series was and telling me to try it (special thanks to Karen for letting me borrow her book :). What would I do without you guys to push all these series/books/authors on me?(less)

18 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2009 Adrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had this on my TBR for some time and I'm so glad that I finally found time to read it. The H/H are the unlikly teaming of Changeling (Lucas) and Psy (Sascha),two different races who are in constant suspicion of each other, however these two are bound together by forces far stronger than anything else.

I'm not going to give a run down on the story because other reviewers have already done this, but what I will say is that I hadn't read a Changeling/Shifter book (other than Twilight) before this...more

12 likes · like · see review

Jul 12, 2007 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, science-fiction

This is one of those books that nearly loses me because of a very bad cover. The cover is violently pink and purple with a bad title font and a cheesy-looking guy staring seductively out. Urgh. The celebrity author plug made me laugh, too. Christine Feehan (whose books I really don't like) proclaims, "I LOVE this book! It's a must read for all of my fans!" Uhh... I know that she's trying to bring her considerable fanbase in, but that sounds really conceited, haha.

However, I was drawn in first by...more This is one of those books that nearly loses me because of a very bad cover. The cover is violently pink and purple with a bad title font and a cheesy-looking guy staring seductively out. Urgh. The celebrity author plug made me laugh, too. Christine Feehan (whose books I really don't like) proclaims, "I LOVE this book! It's a must read for all of my fans!" Uhh... I know that she's trying to bring her considerable fanbase in, but that sounds really conceited, haha.

However, I was drawn in first by the author's name; I think this might be the first romance I've found that's written by a woman I assume is Anglo-Indian. Unfortunately there's no author bio, though, so I'll have to exercise my Google-fu to find out more. Also, the main character isn't white; she is of mixed race (Anglo-Indian, Japanese, and Caucasian), and I'm very impressed by this. It's so rare to find a non-white heroine in a romance that isn't directed at a specific community, such as African-American romances.

The story, fortunately, is much better than the cover lets on. It's interesting; futuristic without really being science fiction and paranormal without falling victim to the usual vampires and werewolves genre clichés. The main character is Sascha Duncan, a Psy, one of a race of psychic humans who in the past hundred years have "perfected" their race through a program called Silence. Basically, the Psy are programmed from birth to not feel emotion. Sascha, however, has known her whole life that something isn't right about her, and she has to hide her flaws behind strong mental shields to keep from being reprogrammed--being chemically lobotomized and turned into a walking vegetable.

Sascha is sent to work with a changeling group, a pack of shapeshifter leopards, and... well, lots of stuff happens. I can't be too specific or I'll spoil the story, hehe. Let's just say that Sascha has to deal with a pushy alpha leopard, help find a kidnapped girl, and find a serial killer in the midst of her supposedly-nonviolent kin.

It took a while for the book to really catch my attention. I was bored through the first hundred pages or so, and then it caught me by the balls, so to speak, and I was hooked. The ending felt a little... tidy? But that's something I've noticed in several of the paranormal romances I've read; when the mystery is solved at the end, everything's just a little too clean and convenient. Disappointing as that is, it doesn't really detract from the story itself. Singh has created a fascinating alternate world, with intricate relations both within and between the different races of people.

This is a pretty cool book. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, which is always a good sign.(less)

22 likes · like · see review

Dec 14, 2011 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bad-boys, genre-sci-fi-fantasy, opposites-attract, shifters-changelings, series

As a Psy you feel no emotions, you are cold on the exterior and practical to a fault but Psy Sasha Duncan knows she is different, something inside is awakening and causing her to feel. The only thing Sasha knows is that if the Psy find out she is cracking it means death. As a Cardinal she has been chosen to work with Lucas Hunter, a panther changeling, on a new development of houses the Psy are funding.

Lucas senses something different the moment he meets Sasha, the panther inside wants to find...more

10 likes · like · see review

Apr 22, 2012 Filipa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-books, paranormal, keen, 2012-reads, nalinichallenge

Finally I had the opportunity to read something of Nalini Singh. I've wanted to start Psy-changeling series for so long that I lost count. At last I had the chance to pick the first book up and enter this new universe. Maybe I should have done this a long time ago because I enjoyed this book very, very much.
The plot and the world-building were wonderfully structured and its enticing characters appealed to me every step of the way.
I've adored Lucas and Sascha's story. Sascha is one strong and fi...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 27, 2011 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, paranormal, romance, serial-killers

So you know those people who go to Star Trek conventions? Better, do you know those people who go to Star Trek conventions in costume? Yeah, my dad totally did that, except I was the one he shoved in costumes because it was cute. (Okay, really no one would say no to me if I asked them to sign the sleeve of my little uniform so really my dad was running a free autograph scam, special sorry to Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner -- I didn't know!)

I'd like to say I rebeled against this at the age of...more So you know those people who go to Star Trek conventions? Better, do you know those people who go to Star Trek conventions in costume? Yeah, my dad totally did that, except I was the one he shoved in costumes because it was cute. (Okay, really no one would say no to me if I asked them to sign the sleeve of my little uniform so really my dad was running a free autograph scam, special sorry to Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner -- I didn't know!)

I'd like to say I rebeled against this at the age of nine or so, but I just stopped fitting in the costumes so in went my sister and then my brother, so on and so forth. Oh the never ending humiliations I share with goodreads. I didn't rebel because, well, it was fun for me to meet the people on television etc. I didn't mind the show when it was on at home, although I was more of My Little Pony fan, plus everyone told me I was cute. So clearly it was good for my little ego.

This book will appeal to many Star Trek fans because the Psys are an amusing bastard cousin of the Vulcans. The changelings (shifters, sorry changelings make me think fairy) are pretty standard for this sort of paranormal romance. The author might've thought she was avoiding cliche by going with werecats over werewolves, but the one step removed did nothing for her except maybe acknowledge the cliche and make an apologetic hand motion toward it.

I mostly enjoyed the book, not because it was anything super amazing, but perhaps because I was feeling a little nostalgic about some parts of my strange childhood. I bet your dad took you fishing, not Star Trek autograph grifting. The writing was passable, the males weren't agonizingly dominating, although my feminist feathers got ruffled a few times by the rawrdominancerawr nonsense. It was a passable way to spend a few hours and if you like adult romance and paranormal, go for it. If changeling-shifter genre cliches annoy you then maybe pass this one. If you're a hardcore Star Trek fan you might be more annoyed than amused as I was. Seriously though, I don't know why more authors haven't played with creations like Vulcans; it's definitely more interesting and less cliche than the werecats.(less)

9 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2011 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE!!!!

Shelves: paranormal-romance, author-goddess-nalini-singh, sci-fi, smexy-shifters-and-werewolves, pdf-kindle, hot-male-in-my-harem

4.5 Stars

Why did I wait so long to read this book?! It has been waiting on my shelf for a while. I am so glad that I have picked it up; it was one of the best new (to me) paranormal romances I have read in a while.

It is set in the future where the human races have branched out into 3 distinct peoples, the powerful Psy, Changelings, and normal Humans. The Psy have tried to get rid of all emotions through a programme called Silence that started generations ago, they have enhanced psychic abilities...more 4.5 Stars

Why did I wait so long to read this book?! It has been waiting on my shelf for a while. I am so glad that I have picked it up; it was one of the best new (to me) paranormal romances I have read in a while.

It is set in the future where the human races have branched out into 3 distinct peoples, the powerful Psy, Changelings, and normal Humans. The Psy have tried to get rid of all emotions through a programme called Silence that started generations ago, they have enhanced psychic abilities, and they control the known world through business and economics. The Changelings are basically shape-shifters, and there are different breeds, i.e. panthers, wolves and also non predatory species although they are mentioned but not seen in this book. The Humans are just normal people. This is explained much better and in more interesting detail in the book.

The main characters in this book are Sascha Duncan, a Psy, who has had to hide her abnormalities since she was a child. Although she should be a powerful Psy, for some reason her powers have never manifested. Lucas Hunter is the alpha of the DarkRiver pack, he is proposing a business alliance with the Psy, but he has ulterior motives, he suspects that the Psy are harbouring a murderer and he intends to use Sascha to find out the truth.

This book was really good, it sucked me in straight from the start, I found the history of the world that Singh has created to be fascinating and, although this is set in the future it doesn’t have any techno babble that leaves you confused, in fact I found that I didn’t really notice it was in the future. The writing was also good; it was to the point and showed you what was happening, effortlessly transporting you into the Psy-Changeling world. As I said earlier the history, especially of the creation of the Psy race is interesting, and the changelings contain all the features of shape-shifters that I love without falling into a cliché.

The romance between the main two characters was passionate and loving, I liked the slow realization as Lucas found out who Sascha was to him. Individually as well, both Sascha and Lucas were engaging characters, with Lucas being an alpha, sensual male with a protective attitude, indeed he was just plain hot. Heroines always seem harder to like then the heroes, but Sascha was very sympathetic, she was trapped in her life, completely out of place in her world, but still very brave and I enjoyed watching her develop as she came into contact with the Changelings. The other characters, mainly in the Changeling packs were also very interesting and I can’t wait to reads their books, in particular Dorian and Hawke, they were very intriguing characters.

I liked that the plot of the murderer perfectly illustrated the problem with the Psy world, it was quite bone chilling when you thought about it. Although I correctly guessed who the murderer was, the mystery still kept me wanting to read.

I would recommend this book for those who enjoy a good paranormal romance with hot alpha males. This was a good start to the series and I can’t wait to see both the world and the characters develop.

Reread May 2011

The second time around reading this, I love it even more! So I have bumped it up to 4.5 Stars instead!(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2008 L8blmr rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Lovers of the Breeds as well as shape-shifter fans

Recommended to L8blmr by: Someone's list on Amazon

Why did I wait so long to read this book?!? I really loved it - the world in 2079 is inhabited by humans (not featured here), changelings (shape-shifters) and the Psy (highly evolved mentalists with no emotions, conscience, etc.). Supposedly, the Psy rule, but there's always room for change, as I expect this series will show! The hero in this book is an ultra-alpha black panther (in his leopard changeling mode)and the heroine is a "flawed" Psy with abilities she isn't even aware she possesses. I...more

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May 30, 2011 Audrey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-sci-fi-or-otherworldly

4.5-5 stars for this paranormal romance that has a heaping dose of adventure/mystery on the side.

Set in the 2070s in San Francisco, "Slave to Sensation" is a little far-out/sci-fi (which is not my normal genre), but not so much so that it is distracting or hard to follow. I took a long time to decide to read this series - in part, I'll confess, because the font on the cover looks like something from my third grade "create a book" project (sorry, it's true!). After hearing so many rave reviews, t...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Ren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, science-fiction, shape-shifter-and-or-werewolf, there-are-hot-men, alpha-hero, animal-character, assasin-killer, author-autobuy, cant-wait-the-new-release, crazy-character, e-books, enemy-to-lover, family-theme, make-me-nosebleed, must-have-it-in-paperback, reccomended-to-translated, rolling-my-eyes-at-the-cover, steamy, virgin-heroine, request, reviewed, 4-stars

Also posted at : S,E, and R's Awesomness

After I read Angels' Blood and Archangel's Kiss, that make me fallin in love with Guild Hunter,I decided to read another Nalini Singh series, PSY-Changeling. I want to know if this series as good as Guild Hunter.

So, after my second read,I must admit that I feel, "WOW!!" with the plot, world building and background in this series. Set in the future, PSY-Changeling remind me of In Death series by J.D. Robb, but of course its different :D (Got that J.D. Robb ...more

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Jun 12, 2009 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of paranormal romance, fans of shapeshifter paranormal romance

Shelves: aar-top-100-romance, alpha-hero, character-multi-ethnic-heritage, enemies-to-lovers, fated-to-be-mated, favorites, hero-to-die-for, owned-copy, opposites-attract, paranormal-romance, part-of-a-series, psychic, science-fiction, favorite-or-autobuy-author, futuristic

Boy, I am so glad that I had read one of Nalini Singh's Silhouette Desire novels, and was searching for some more paranormal romances to read and finally picked this one up by her. I kicked myself for having waited so long. I loved this book. Lucas is to die for. He's totally yum. I loved the combination of paranormal with science fiction. I typically find science fiction a little bit dry at times, since I am more of a fantasy person. But there is a perfect mix of science fiction and paranormal...more Boy, I am so glad that I had read one of Nalini Singh's Silhouette Desire novels, and was searching for some more paranormal romances to read and finally picked this one up by her. I kicked myself for having waited so long. I loved this book. Lucas is to die for. He's totally yum. I loved the combination of paranormal with science fiction. I typically find science fiction a little bit dry at times, since I am more of a fantasy person. But there is a perfect mix of science fiction and paranormal fantasy in this book. I love how Singh created this future world where there are three types of people: Psy (completely cerebral with enhanced psychic abilities, reject emotions), Changeling (part human/part animal, embrace emotion), and Humans. This story focuses mainly on the Psy and Changeling dynamic. In Singh's Psy/Changeling world, race is not an issue. Most of the characters are of various ethnic backgrounds and interracial relationships have no stigma. I found this very refreshing. Singh's worldbuilding is so plausible that you don't doubt that in the future humans can reject emotions and build their psychic abilities to the penultimate. It takes a leap of faith to believe in changelings (shapeshifters), but if you don't have that, then you shouldn't be reading this book. If you do, then hang on.

Lucas doesn't care for the Psy. To him, they are soul-less, conscienceless beings. But for the sake of business, he deals with the Psy. When he meets Sasha, he is drawn to her. She doesn't have the stink of Psy (they have a cold, deadly metallic smell to the Changeling breed). The Psy are hated because they have ruthlessly gained control of society and are not above killing those who stand in their way. So at first, Lucas is off-put by his attraction to Sasha. Not for long though. It doesn't take this very confident cat to recognizes she is his mate, and he doesn't wait much longer to claim her as his. Their relationship was blistering hot. I was fanning myself during the love scenes. Sasha has had issues with her powers, having blackouts and feeling scary losses of control of her emotions that she has been hiding from her parental units, because Psy who lose control and break Silence (the lack of emotion) are sent for rehabilitation, eventually becoming mindless vegetables. Lucas inspires violent passion in her which is unheard of in a Psy. She has no idea how to deal with this, yet she is required to work with him. Lucas seems to enjoy teasing her and inspiring sensual feelings in her. I loved their interactions.

I am a big fan of shapeshifter stories, and I loved the descriptions of the pack of big cats of which Lucas is the alpha. I also enjoyed reading about their new allies, the pack of wolf shapeshifters, who is alphaed by the enigmatic Hawke (can't wait for his story). Really, I cannot recommend this series enough. If you are like me and typically get a little bored with hard science fiction, but want to expand your horizons, I would suggest this book and the Psy/Changeling series. The romance is the focus, and the science fiction elements teamed with paranormal is like marshmallow sauce on chocolate, just the right touch. Singh is a gifted author who has won my devotion as a fan.(less)

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May 01, 2008 Eastofoz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-with-cooties, paranormal

I found this book hard to rate. Some parts are a 3 and some are a 4. I heard a lot about the series being compared to Kresley Cole’s The Immortals after Dark series but I didn’t find it to be along the same lines at all. Where Cole’s series is light and fun this is serious and dark, more like borderline urban fantasy.

The world that’s created is well-done and so are the different “kinds of people” who live in it. You can really feel the cold futuristic Psy world compared to the nature loving/emo...more

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Jul 15, 2010 May rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: paranormal/fantasy romance fans

Shelves: series, scifi-paranormal-fantasy-etc

I've known of Nalini Singh for a few years, but have never picked up her books. Why? Well between the covers + the whole psy/changeling/human world stuff I just wasn't interested in ANOTHER paranormal/fantasty world series.

My bad.

I wouldn't have changed a single thing about this book. She hits the perfect balance of detail with action, emotion and dialogue. There is the 'romance' at the core of the story (so there are some love scenes) but they felt right within the story and advanced things al...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Bk70lvr rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-i-follow

3.75 stars!!!

I will admit, all the "mind" connections, information, Psy Net, and discussions in this story were, well...quite "mind boggling"...

The beginning for me did run a bit slow. But once it picked up and Lucas knew what Sascha was to him, it was great! I love how these males & females protect their packs, and "touching rights" and the purring, and the mating...yowza!! :0)

I will most definitely be moving on with this series <3

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Apr 06, 2013 Sophia Jones rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nalini Singh's Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changelings, Book 1) is an enthralling, erotic read. Set a hundred years in the future, Ms. Singh's universe includes several races of supernatural beings existing in a delicate political climate. The Psys look human, but they possess immense psychic abilities, including a constant state of telepathy with one another-- a 'hive mind' if you will. They're taught cold logic and conformity; in fact, as a race they've outlawed emotion. Damaged Psys, those who st...more

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Aug 17, 2010 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, science-fiction

With a half-Italian background and a birthday smack in the middle of the Leo section of the Zodiac, it would be a touch misleading for me to claim to be a mild-mannered and unemotional person. According to my stepfather, my favourite place to be is on top of my soapbox, from which position I happily rant and rave about all manner of extremely important things, such as whether it’s necessary to wear matching socks if no one can see them, or the fact that Smarties are most certainly not an inferio...more With a half-Italian background and a birthday smack in the middle of the Leo section of the Zodiac, it would be a touch misleading for me to claim to be a mild-mannered and unemotional person. According to my stepfather, my favourite place to be is on top of my soapbox, from which position I happily rant and rave about all manner of extremely important things, such as whether it’s necessary to wear matching socks if no one can see them, or the fact that Smarties are most certainly not an inferior product when compared with M&Ms. Needless to say, if I were one of the Psy in bestselling author Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling world, I’d be considered rather definitively broken.

The Psy are a deeply eerie race, coldly logical and starkly emotionless as the result of generations of Pavlovian conditioning under a program known as Silence. While this program was ostensibly implemented in order to ensure unerring efficiency amongst the highly intellectual Psy, there is frequent allusion to the fact that this conditioning program has its roots in a movement designed to quell the Psys’ apparent propensity for violence and madness. Still, with their pesky emotions swept and smothered beneath a carpet of brutal stoicism, the Psy are able to engage in a variety of intellectual pursuits in a way that may not be otherwise possible. The cerebral nature of the Psy is such that each individual demonstrates certain mental abilities of varying strengths: telekinesis, telepathy, foresight, among others. And it’s the ‘among others’ where Sascha Duncan comes into the picture.

For Sascha Duncan, the conditioning has not taken as expected, and rather than being privy only to the typical emotional radio silence of the Psy mind, she finds herself dealing instead on a daily basis with a white noise of emotion whose effect she struggles to conceal from the cold suspicions of other Psy. It is agreed that Sascha is in some way wrong, but any effort to pinpoint the reason for this, or exactly in which way she is deficient is carefully avoided. Sascha, after all, is the daughter of powerful Psy Council member Nikita Duncan—although this means less than one might imagine, given that the Psy, in a way reminiscent of the film GATTACA, carefully plan and control the nature of their offspring through emotionally bereft genetic probability calculations.

Sascha’s daily struggles are compounded when she is sent to deal with the DarkRiver changeling clan over a contentious housing project. Despite her careful efforts to control her problematic mental feedback, she finds herself deeply affected by the presence of Lucas Hunter, the leopard pack Alpha and a man whose interest in her steps rather quickly over the bounds of the business/personal divide. Lucas, for his part, finds himself strangely taken with Sascha, who challenges his stereotypical perspective of the Psy. But Lucas has a secondary motive for participating in the housing project: he is helping to investigate a series of depraved murders his pack suspects can only be the work of a cold-blooded Psy who has somehow broken conditioning—and Sascha may well be the key to obtaining the information he needs to head off the killer before another victim is found.

Singh’s conceptualisation of her Psy-Changeling world is an intriguing one, and is in some ways far stronger than I might have expected of a novel with an emphasis largely on its romantic elements rather than its speculative fiction ones. Her approach is uneven, however, and while I applaud her deft touch in some places, in others I can’t help but feel she has resorted to heavy-handed generalisation and hand-wavium rather than developing a cohesive and coherent world. Her depiction of how the Psy came to integrate Silence into their world is quite chilling indeed, but one can’t help but question its apparently all-encompassing nature and what this truly represents. We’re told that it is impossible to stamp out one particular emotion with any success, which is the reason behind the totality of the Psy conditioning, but this seems to ring a little false, and comes across more as a point of authorial convenience than anything (this is particularly the case when, in later books in the series, which I’ll review throughout the week, certain characters have severe reactions in response to particular emotions and stimuli, rather than responding in a universally similar manner to all stimuli).

On a related note, I found myself rather struck by Singh’s depiction of the Psy as a race that is universally cruel and callous, particularly given her sympathetic portrayal of changeling society. The Psy may be intellectual giants, but it seems that they have few other redeeming elements–even, apparently, to their own. It’s strange that Singh works so hard to build a strongly multicultural cast amongst the Psy, but that, contradictorily, she treats the race itself as some sort of monolithic evil. This positioning of the Psy is only emphasised by the highly compassionate stance taken towards the changelings, who are painted very much as emotion-ruled creatures who are hyperaware of both the relationships they build with those of their pack, and of those with the earth. Changeling culture, though, is anything but benevolent–we’re told of extremely violent acts conducted against various other changeling packs, and their eye-for-and-eye and pro capital punishment positions strike me as something a little less than good and harmonious. It seems odd, then, that the violent exigencies of the Psy are condemned as aberrant, whilst those of the changelings are explained away as being the unavoidable product of their animalistic natures and of their pack culture. It seems that we’re looking at quite the same thing, really, but one group’s actions are condemned, whilst the other group’s are simply shrugged off.

Another issue that never fails to make me somewhat uncomfortable in a novel involving shifters is the role of the alpha male in cowing the female he seeks to possess. This is a trope that is in full evidence in Slave to Sensation, although Singh does work to make Lucas Hunter a largely likeable character, and the tension between Lucas and Sascha is generally very well drawn (if described to redundancy in places). Still, Sascha is portrayed as a character who is mentally quite fragile and conflicted, and one can’t help but feel a tad off about Lucas’s incessant efforts to possess and dominate her. Moreover, the fact that Sascha is expected to relinquish integral elements of both her identity and her social and cultural background in order to become a part of the Pack just doesn’t quite sit well with me. I do understand that the Psy are supposed to be evil and horrid and all, and that, well, Sascha’s rather failed to endear herself to them, but is it really logical (or advisable) that she might defect in such a way, trading one type of bloodthirsty ownership for another?

The fact that I’m responding to this book in such a way, though, is certainly not all bad. Rather than indicating my lack of interest, it shows how oddly invested I became in this book, and the world and the characters contained within. It’s not a flawless book by any means, and in addition to my macro-level problems with it, I do have some other gripes, such as the convenient neatness with which the book concludes, the rather-too-evident identity of the serial killer Lucas is hunting, the occasional illogicalities in terms of plot development and character motivation, and some prose-level redundancies (the endlessly repetitive description of Sascha’s ‘night sky’ eyes, and of hands ‘fisting’, and of Lucas’s cat ‘rising’, for example).

But still, given the myriad problems I’ve identified, I really enjoyed this book. Enough, in fact, to have read the next two in the series (which I’ll review later this week). Singh’s approach to the paranormal genre is different enough to feel fresh and interesting, and her attention to the speculative elements–such as the PsyNet, and the various Psy abilities–is most welcome. Even with my qualms about the Lucas-Sascha affair, it’s hard not to cheer for them, and it is rewarding seeing Sascha finally come into her own as a self-aware and self-accepting individual (although one suspects that it might take some time for all of that Catholic-esque guilt to truly subside). The pacing is taut, and the tension remains high almost throughout the entire novel, making it rather difficult to put this book down. (I’m also happy to note that Singh expands her narrow view of the Psy in later books, and that the supplements the hinted-at back story with some interesting tidbits that strengthen the overall conceit, but more on that when I review the subsequent volumes.)

This review originally appeared at readinasinglesitting.com (less)

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new_user Hey, Stephanie, thanks for the add. Your review is quite eloquent, and I like that your comments were so comprehensive and relevant.
Aug 17, 2010 03:54pm

Stephanie My pleasure. I'm glad you enjoyed the review. I was worried I'd rather rambled on, so I'm glad someone got something out of it!
Aug 17, 2010 04:08pm

Midnight53 Hey Stephanie, I don't know if you will even read this, but I felt compelled to comment. I thought you wrote a lovely review & I really enjoyed it...more
Oct 15, 2010 05:57am

Mar 06, 2013 Lisa Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-audible-dot-com, genre-romance-paranormal, genre-romance-future, genre-shapeshifters, genre-futuristic, bom-rlftci, own-to-read, 2012-in-2012-group-challenge, challenge-psy-changeling-2012, setting-usa-california, authors-n, authors-s

★★★★★ Angela Dawe does an excellent job of narrating this one. Even better the second time round. If one has to run errands, this is something wonderful to hear told to you.

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Dec 18, 2012 Tina (Martina ♥ Bookaholic) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-ebook, 2012, adult, also-for-men, fantasy, favorites, read-in-german

English Review:
For a really long time Anna-Lisa talked me into it and constantly recommended me the author Nalini Singh because she is a huge fan of her. I don‘t know why I’ve bristled so long, maybe the length of the book series has deterred me, although I’ve already the first three books of the Guild Hunter series at home. Hence the past weekend in the evening I‘ve spontaneously decided to try one book of this author. But I’ve chosen the first book of the Psy Changeling series, because I had...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, favorites, my-flat-army, werewhatevers

3.5 stars

I had this book on my e-reader for months with no intention of reading it any time soon. The cover is so ugly that it’s no wonder I chose something else every time. Besides, I’m not usually a fan of the paranormal romance sub-genre. (Seriously, I’m not). I’m far more likely to choose an urban fantasy novel – not that they’re not sadly predictable, too. But in this case, I’m so glad I made an exception.

The PNR genre doesn’t leave much room for originality, but Nalini Singh succeeded in...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Laurielu Book Savvy Babes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Paranormal Romance Readers

Shelves: 2011-reads, favorite, first-in-series, paranormal, romance, series, shape-shifter, urban-fantasy, werewolf, 2010-reads, re-read

Nalini Singh offers a very original, futuristic world to her readers in Slave to Sensation. As the first book in the series, Ms. Singh starts out her writing legacy with an instant winner when comes to entertaining her audience with a story of irrefutable love, sensations, mystery, and characters that pounce off the pages and into your imagination. This novel revolves around Lucas, a Changeling, who is the alpha of the Dark River pack and Sascha Duncan, a Psy, who was raised in a community that...more Nalini Singh offers a very original, futuristic world to her readers in Slave to Sensation. As the first book in the series, Ms. Singh starts out her writing legacy with an instant winner when comes to entertaining her audience with a story of irrefutable love, sensations, mystery, and characters that pounce off the pages and into your imagination. This novel revolves around Lucas, a Changeling, who is the alpha of the Dark River pack and Sascha Duncan, a Psy, who was raised in a community that emphasized and prized the use of the mind sans emotions. The Psy are very nearly robots because they base all of their business and personal relationships with cold, calculated strategy where emotion has no room to be a factor in any of their behavior. However, Sascha perceives that she is flawed because she does have feelings. A fact she desperately tries to keep from her mother and the entire race. If her "flaw" becomes apparent she will suffer the consequences of rehabilitation.

Lucas and the other Changelings represent everything that is the antithesis of what the Psy population represents. The Changeling Community operates on a depth of emotion (loyalty, sensuality, touch, etc.) that the Psy cannot fathom and disdain this "weakness" in the Changelings. Therefore, the Psy consider themselves far superior to the Changeling population. As a result, they underestimate the Chengelings and shrug them off as people who truly are just animals with no or little intellect due to their "weakness." However, both sides need each other to reach a lucrative business arrangement involving real estate.

Sascha and Lucas meet at a business meeting. This chance encounter invokes deep feelings of interest on both their parts. Despite Lucas' physical interest in Sascha, he need to remain detached from her and keep their relationship to business. He also needs Sascha to aid in an investigation involving a string of Changeling murders perpetrated by a Psy. However, as the two spend more time together, their immediate interest in each other grows into something extraordinary. Lucas' panther (and the man) start to need her on a visceral level. Sascha's buttoned up emotions start leaking out as she realizes sensation is a need she has that has never been met while growing up in a cold, unemotional environment.

This paranormal love story invites the reader to discover Nalini Singh's innovative society where love becomes one of the most sensual and binding experiences. But, add mystery and suspense into the mix and you have got a recipe for an exceedingly captivating reading experience. I absolutely loved my first venture into the Psy/Changeling world. If you are a lover of Paranormal Romance and suspense, you should not pass up this reading experience. This book will hook you and you will be compelled to read on in the Psy/Changeling series.

Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!(less)

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Nalini Singh Fans: Slave to Sensation (#1)	78	163	Jun 17, 2013 08:16pm
Urban Fantasy ser...: June BOTM: SLAVE TO SENSATION by Nalini Singh	7	25	Jun 17, 2013 10:36am
Who's Your Author?: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh	11	12	Jun 16, 2013 06:59pm
Vampire Book Club: Sept. Group Read > SLAVE TO SENSATION > Changelings (Spoilers!)	2	38	Sep 30, 2012 11:33pm
Vampire Book Club: Sept. Group Read > SLAVE TO SENSATION > Have you started the book?	16	50	Sep 20, 2012 12:31pm
Vampire Book Club: Sept. Group Read > SLAVE TO SENSATION > PsyNet is creepy	10	21	Sep 19, 2012 10:09am

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About Nalini Singh

I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted t...more

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Quotes from Slave to Sensation

“Sometimes I remember that I can't always protect those I love." Under his fingers, her hair was soft and silky.

She didn't try to tell him that he wasn't God, that he couldn't protect everyone. He knew that.

But knowing and believing were two different things. What she did say succeeded in stopping his heart. "I wish you'd love me."

Why?"

Because then maybe you could protect me, too" Haunting sorrow whispered through her tone.” — 99 people liked it

“She was his and he was hers. They had under-the-skin privileges.” — 64 people liked it

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Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1)

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