Willow Brook read and liked Melissab's review of Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changeling, #7):

"******** 4 1/2 stars ***********

Blaze of Memory tells the story of Devraj Santos, the director of Shine, and Katya, a damaged Psy with amnesia. Ekaterina, aka Katya, is dropped off at the headquarters of Shine unconscious, starved and abu...more ******** 4 1/2 stars ***********

Blaze of Memory tells the story of Devraj Santos, the director of Shine, and Katya, a damaged Psy with amnesia. Ekaterina, aka Katya, is dropped off at the headquarters of Shine unconscious, starved and abused. She doesn't remember who she is or what happened to her except in nightmares she can't remember upon waking. Dev knows she is probably a Trojan horse sent by the Psy to infiltrate Shine, which is the front of the Forgotten who are the descendents of the Psy who broke from the PsyNet at the institution of Silence. Dev spends his life protecting the Shine children from the Psy, who want all of the Forgotten who show signs of Psy gifts to be killed. He has become a hard man due to methods he needs to use to keep his people safe. Dev has also become colder due to his affinity to metal, which allows him to read machines but also slowly seeps into his blood and makes him less human and more cold Psy.

Katya starts to remember bits and pieces of her torture. She knows Ming LeBon messed with her head, commiting a psychic rape of everything in her mind and replacing it with his own compulsion. She is afraid she will become a dangerous traitor because Ming could overcome her free will at anytime. She has an instant affinity to Dev when she meets him. She knows he is a hard man who will protect Shine's interests at all costs but she can't help but be fascinated by him, which is a surprise to Katya because she never felt before Ming destroyed her conditioning. We find out very quickly that Katya was programmed to find out all she can about Shine and the Forgotten - then kill Devraj and herself, so we spend most of the book wondering when the programming will rear it's ugly head.

Dev decides to keep Katya close to him to determine whether she was put there on purpose to do harm to Shine. He knows she is probably going to turn on him but he feels protective toward her due to the abuse she suffered. Dev takes Katya to his home to keep her away from everyone while she tries to regain her memory. Katya knows her mind is compromised but she bravely tries to recapture her life. Dev is helplessly attracted to her despite knowing she will probably turn on him at any time. They start feeling deeply for each other, even knowing that Katya could unintentionally harm him against her own will. But the time is ticking down because Ming set a timeline that Katya must meet and it could mean both of their deaths.

This story started out a little slower for me because I missed seeing the Changling society I have come to love, but Dev and Katya's story drew me in and had me rooting for them to overcome what seems like truely impossible odds. Katya was a strong character who overcame horrible torture and the rape of her mind only by her own unbendable will. She knows that her time could very well be limited so she lives her life as fully as she can, giving her heart and body to Dev because she loves him and admires the warrior he is for his people. Dev falls for Katya as he sees the courage she shows by fighting Ming's grip on her mind and trying to keep Shine and her friend Ashaya safe. He quickly becomes possessive of her and knows he cannot kill her even if she does turn into a traitor, even wanting to take on the formidable Ming himself to keep her safe. Katya is able to thaw the ice around Dev's heart that was turning into someone as heartless as the Psy, so in a way she saves him too.

I did enjoy Dev and Katya's romance, toward the end I was crying because it was so emotional and my heart was breaking even though I knew the ending just couldn't be sad. Some old friends do show up, as we get to see a bit of Dorian, Ashaya and Keenan. We also got a glimpse of my favorite cat, Lucas, and Sasha so the story was not completely wihout the changlings. Judd also makes a brief but powerful appearance. The story is also interspersed with notes from a Psy mother to her son at the implementation of Silence, which gave an interesting view to events in the book.

Overall, while it was not my favorite book in the series (Lucas and Vaughn's stories hold those spots) I did enjoy the story and the romance. Dev was a good hero, he was possessive of Katya and was willing to fight to keep her with him but was strong enough to do what was best for her. Katya showed a lot of heart and courage by giving herself to Dev despite her bleak future, she just tried to protect Dev and others no matter the cost. The ending was definitely wonderful, I was crying then sighing over happiness. The story was furthered somewhat, we now know a lot more about the Forgotten which could give us clues to the future of the Psy when/if Silence fails.(less) "

Willow Brook read and liked Kaleigha's review of Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changeling, #7):

"For some reason, the character of Dev interested me from his first appearance, but I wasn't quite sure how good a "Psy-Changeling" book could be without the hero being either one of the two, Psy or Changeling. And while I do love my Change...more For some reason, the character of Dev interested me from his first appearance, but I wasn't quite sure how good a "Psy-Changeling" book could be without the hero being either one of the two, Psy or Changeling. And while I do love my Changeling males, Dev holds his own in the Alpha department, shifter or not.

Soldier Devraj Santos is the director of the Shine Foundation, a front organization that finds and helps children of the forgotten. When the Psy implemented the cold and emotionless Silence, a faction broke away and formed their own netmind. But the Psy would allow nothing and no one to stand in their way of becoming the most powerful race, so the Forgotten became the hunted. As they intermarried with both humans and changelings, some of the next generations began to see different illnesses and powers develop, and that is where Shine comes in. Helping these often confused and misunderstood children becomes Dev's life...and he protects them at all costs. Himself a psy descendant, Dev possesses unique and powerful abilities of his own, but his very powers are slowly turning him into what he fights against...the emotionless Psy.

When a starved and tortured Psy woman is dumped on Dev's doorstep, every instinct tells him it is a trap. If she is not a spy, then at the very least she must be a pawn in the Psy's plan to destroy the forgotten. But an abused female is Dev's one weakness, and even as Dev feels a growing attraction for the traumatized woman, he wonders if he will be able to do what needs to be done if she turns out to be a threat to his people.

Ekaterina Haas was a member of the resistance within the Psy who aided Ashaya and the Dark River sentinels in their rescue of two forgotten children. When the research facility where she and Ashaya had worked was destroyed, Ekaterina was presumed dead. Death would have been preferable to what happened...for over five months, she was the prisoner of Ming Le Bon. Tortured, starved, and broken, by the time she is dumped on Dev's doorstep, she cannot even remember her own name. All she knows is that she is dangerous to everyone around her.

Blaze of Memory is a very different entry in the Psy-Changeling series. I don't want to give too much of the story away, but it had a different feel to it. That is not a bad thing...not only does it have a great stand alone plot, but it also advances the series story-arc. Some very interesting new characters are introduced, and both the good the evil within the Psy is shown from another viewpoint. Another difference is in the main characters themselves. Most of the books in this series that have a Psy as the lead show their gradual humanizing thanks to their Human or Changeling mates. In this case, Katya had her "psy-ness" ripped away from her by Ming...as a prisoner in her own mind, she is cut off from her silence. She feels everything. It is she who helps Dev stave off his own cold silence.

Both Dev and Katya are damaged, with some of the scars being more visible than others. They are great characters, but both of them struggle with what they want and what they should do. Not only do they know they shouldn't be together, they know it can't have a happy ending. But they can't stay away from each other either. Watching Katya and Dev get back their lives was wonderful...and seeing all of that threatened by a seeming no-win situation was heart-breaking. And while you know, KNOW, that there is a happily ever after coming, there are some moments of real doubt. The only small drawback for me was the absence of the packs...there were a few appearances by Lucas, Sasha, Judd, Mercy...etc. And while all of those appearances were powerful, I missed the gang. This one was more stand-alone, set in New York rather than the usual California, for example. So, while not my favorite in the series, it was a great, interesting, exciting book.(less) "

Willow Brook read and liked sunsetsylvia's review of Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changeling, #7):

"Wow! Another hit from Nalini Singh, I could not help but inhale. The storyline somewhat reminded me of the first installment Slave to Sensation - probably my best loved romance book ever - but a tad less engaging. Therefore - on behalf of distinction...more Wow! Another hit from Nalini Singh, I could not help but inhale. The storyline somewhat reminded me of the first installment Slave to Sensation - probably my best loved romance book ever - but a tad less engaging. Therefore - on behalf of distinction - "only" 4 stars.
Nalini, can't wait for the next one! :)(less) "