Psy/Changeling Read-a-long Contest Winners

We have not forgotten about the Psy/Changeling Read-Along. Unfortunately, Courtney has been in and out of the hospital, so she’s obviously a little behind on getting the discussions posted. Good news is she should be getting back on her feet soon, but so as not to make people wait any longer, I’m announcing the winners for the Psy-Changeling novel now. We’ll still be posting about Tangle of Need and Heart of Obsidian, but there will be a different contest for those.

As a recap, here’s the details of the contest: Thanks to Nalini Singh and the wonderful people at Penguin, I have a copy of every single novel in the Psy-Changeling series, and while some of them have been claimed, all of them haven’t. So we’re  giving away all the books in one shot at the end of the Read-Along. That means you have 13 different chances to enter for any one of the Psy-Changeling novels. Join in on any of the discussions and you’ll automatically be entered to win.  To enter, all you have to do is answer the question on each discussions page.

Here are the books that have been claimed: Caressed by Ice (Mary S), Wild Invitation (Michelle K), and Mine to Possess (Andrew G). Winners, I may or may not have already submitted your information to Penguin, who’s mailing out the books. If you have gotten the book, let me know. Otherwise I’ll be giving your name/info to Penguin and your book will be on it’s way soon.

That means we still have 8 books (Slave to Sensation, Hostage to Pleasure, Branded by Fire, Blaze of Memory, Bonds of Justice, Play of Passion, Kiss of Snow, and Tangle of Need) up for grabs and it’s time to give them away. *grin* I am going to make this easy on everyone and make it a “winners choice” giveaway. *grin* So if you’re one of the following 8 winners, you have your pick of any of the remaining books, so let me know which one you want or I’ll pick for you. As books are chosen, I’ll strike them out.

Now on to the winners…

BELINDA who said: I’m a little surprised that no one has really commented on the couple themselves. I’ve seen many people post that Vaughn and Faith are one of there favourite couples. Personally, this is the book I like the least in the whole series. I know Vaughn is closer to his animal than most changelings but I felt he came on too strong and was too aggressive with his pursuit of Faith. As for Faith, I know that she must be strong to deal with her visions but I just didn’t feel it. Don’t get me wrong, this series is one of my all time favourites and I love Nalini’s writing. Her world building is amazing.

Kaleb is an interesting addition, and I do love the mystery surround him throughout the rest of the series.

There was speculation about Faith’s cousin Sahara being a future character as she disappeared 6 (?) years ago, but the Ghost has been searching for someone for 10 years. Is that right?

The question was: While the Psy Council is made up of several individuals, it becomes obvious that each member has their own unique personality. As a group that believes any emotion is a disease that needs to be destroyed, what emotions do you see the Councils members displaying?

Whitney who said: So I have to say that while I love all the couples in this book, my award for favorite goes to Lara and Walker. This should come as no big shock because I clearly have a thing for the strong, dark and silent type Psy men. Love all that emotion and love bubbling under the surface just waiting to be brought to life by the right spunky, firecracker woman. Lara is strong in her own right but also makes a great counterpart to Walkers tough shell.

I would also like to know what’s up with Jem and Kenji. Why did she hit him at L&W’s mating ceremony? Did I miss it?

But it should come as no surprise that I would love Nalini to write a story about either Aden or Vasic. Can’t get enough of the Psy men breaking Silence for the right woman. Just love it!

The question was: Which secondary character do you want to see next?

COLBY RM who said: The conflict between the Changeling and Psy is more straightforward and easier to follow than some of the previous skirmishes and it comes with a very satisfying ending. Of special interest were the minute changes in Sascha and Nikita Duncan’s relationship. A large portion of the change is brought about by the imminent birth of Sascha and Lucas’ child and Nikita’s grandchild. Most of the story revolves around Lucas’s vigilance, but the reader does have glimpses of Sascha’s daily challenges of carrying a psy/changeling child.

The question was: What do you think is going to happen to those Psy who depend on Silence to control their dangerous abilities?

DENICE who said: I’m way behind in joining this discussion but up to the moment in the series.

CbI is my absolute favorite book in the series though I love them all as a whole. Judd’s journey out of darkness is incredibly nuanced and apparent – from his “I know I am incapable of warm feelings” (a lie!), to the blinding realization that he will not survive without Brenna. Absolutely beautiful.

As to the Ghost – I have my suspicions, as we all do. There are teeny-tiny little hints and clues, but the beauty of Nalini’s writing is that her two main suspects (as far a we’re concerned) have abilities alike enough to muddy the waters. (I will comment more on this in the future.)

Getting back to CbI – This book gave us more information on the P/C world at large while delivering a very touching and engrossing personal story of two heavily damaged finding and healing one another.  

The question was: This is the first time we’ve seen the Ghost, without knowing anything more, who do you think he is? Not necessarily his name, but his role in the Psy Culture. Is he someone important, a former Arrow, or could he be a complete unknown that no one could have seen coming?

MARY who said: I loved this book! I like how Nalini Singh has so many different types of pairings. First we got two dominant male changeling leopards with female psy, then male psy with female wolf, then dominant changeling leopard with human (forgotten), then dominant male leopard with female psy. Now we get dominant female leopard and dominant male wolf! Then of course we got a look at dominant/submissive in Declaration of Courtship. And the healer pairings are interesting because of their unique positions in their packs (not dominant necessarily, yet able to pull rank to be able to care for her people).

The question was: A wolf and a leopard…what do you think? What other hybrids would you like to see.

ALICE who said: As the series continues, the Psy/Changeling world becomes more detailed and feels more real.

I think Dorian and Ashaya work as a couple, they are both pretty complex people. I didn’t like Amara, but I think pity describes my reaction, or at least better than hate. The sisters link is interesting, perhaps an indication of the problems inherent in silence. Ashaya is an interesting character, and learning more about Dorian is nice.

Kaleb becomes more interesting in each book, also I think more likable. His loyalties are hard to pin down, but he doesn’t seem as afraid of changes to the current system. And he seems more wary of Henry than Nikita.

Henry seems crazy to me, not really smart, but stubbornly trying to reinforce the current system. His silence seems to keep him from any type of really creative thinking. Both he and Shoshanna seem stuck in a bit of a rut. Determined to believe that everything can be solved by doing what has always been done and that the way it’s always been done is the only way.

The question was: Where do you think Kaleb’s loyalties lie?

H BRADY who said: I love the Psy/Changeling world Nalini has created. I have recommend this series numerous times since I read Caressed by Ice. (I started in the middle, oops) The world is vivid and I find myself immersed every time I read or re-read a story. I can’t read these before bed or I’m up half the night.

I’m a shifter groupie, so changelings all the way! The cats are terrific, but those wolves are sneaky and I found myself wanting more of them in the story.

My favorite scene is when Sascha discovers the Web of Stars. The perfect ending / beginning……

I loved Tammy and her cubs. Tammy always seems to provide the missing pieces of the story when needed and the cubs are great comic relief.

Vaughn is one of my favorites and I am so glad he is next. So strong, quiet and alpha male, Yum.

You can almost see the beginning of the end of Silence or a change in what Silence means???

The question was: What do you think about the Psy? Do you agree with their philosophy of Silence or do you believe they made a grave error?

SARAH who said: I love this book and really enjoy clay and talin as a couple. And as the first psy/changeling pairingit works really well. Talin is a tough human who has such a strong maternal side to her which makes her a perfect fit for Clay and DarkRiver. I think the humans are pretty much the least powerful and most forgotten in this world which makes me kind of sad. So I was glad when Talin gets a bit more of her background. I also got so mad at Faith in this book she wasn’t one of my favourite characters but in the end she does redeem herself.

The question was: what do you think about our first Human/Changeling pairing?

Congratulations Belinda, Whitney, Colby RM, Denice, Mary, Alice, Sarah, and H Brady!

Just as a reminder…we will be posting the discussions for Tangle of Need and Heart of Obsidian in the next few days and we will be giving away a copy of Heart of Obsidian. That means you’ll have 2 chances to enter, so don’t forget to come back and check it out.

Winners!

Since there were 8 books up for grabs, I’m doing winners choice.  When you email me your snail mail addy, please give me the top 2 books you would like. The first one to respond will get their choice. *grin*

Winners have 72 hours from the time they receive my email to reply before I draw a new name. Emails may or may not have been sent out at the time of this post, so if you see your name, don’t hesitate to contact me at jackie AT literaryescapism DOT com, with the contest you won in the subject line. Winners of all LE contests are determined by this snazzy plug-in and is completely random.