Allegiance of Honor (Psy/Changeling, #15)

by Nalini Singh

The “unparalleled romantic adventure”* of Nalini Singh’s New York Times bestselling series continues as a new dawn begins for the Psy-Changeling world…
 
A staggering transformation has put the Psy, humans, and changelings at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disparate races and groups. It is a beacon of hope held together by many hands: old enemies, new allies, wary loners.
 
But a century of distrust and suspicion can’t be so easily forgotten, and it threatens to shatter Trinity from within at any moment. As rival members vie for dominance, chaos and evil gather in the shadows and a kidnapped woman’s cry for help washes up in San Francisco, while the Consortium turns its murderous gaze toward a child who is the embodiment of change, of love, of piercing hope: a child who is both Psy…and changeling.
 
To find the lost and protect the vulnerable—and to save Trinity—no one can stand alone. This is a time of loyalty across divisions, of bonds woven into the heart and the soul, of heroes known and unknown standing back to back and holding the line. But is an allegiance of honor even possible with traitors lurking in their midst?
 
*Publishers Weekly on Shards of Hope

• ISBN10: 1101987782
• ISBN13: 9781101987780
• Publish Date: 27 December 2016 (first published 1 June 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 512
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781101987780

Reviews

[Berls]

I have gone back and forth between 4.5 and 5 stars for this final book. I think I'm landing on 5 stars because I really loved the shit out of this book. I buddy read it with Anne and I know she's giving it 5 stars as well.

So this book has been described as a love letter to the fans and I can see why. We revisited pretty much everyone from all the books, including Stephan from an early novella who I've been wanting to see ever since. And it's just so incredibly heartwarming - the last 4-6 chapters my eyes were pretty much perpetually leaking. I feel like I can't say more without running the risk of ruining those moments for a first time reader. Just be ready, it's really truly great.

So why was I considering 4.5 stars? See, I went into this book wanting 1 thing to be resolved VERY BADLY. I've been wanting it resolved for the last several books. And it was not resolved. In fact, this book really didn't resolve any of the problems that have popped up in the last couple books. I get there is another series and I guess these will be problems for those series. But not only did we keep those problems, but we added a couple more. AND 1 of the problems - the one I wanted solved - has been with us for the majority of the series. So I was a little let down that it remains.

That being said, I landed on 5 stars because I laughed and wept too much of this book to give it anything but 5 stars. I've listened to the entire series, narrated by Angela Dawe. She's done a great job and I wonder if she continues with the next series. I have so many questions about the next series, really, but they will be answered soon enough because I'll be reading it before the end of 2022 for sure!

This book qualifies for COYER Fall Scavenger Hunt item #8 because it's part of the Psy-Changeling Readalong.

[thebookdisciple]

Sweet wrap up/bridge. Gives you glimpses into all the couples but the story doesn't really move forward much. The Architect is bad, failed kidnapping attempts, humans helped save someone, trinity is hope, etc.

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

4.5 stars

Ah, Allegiance of Honor, how to write this review? There is a ton of stuff that goes on in this book. There isn’t a single couple in this book. It is written almost like it is the ending of the series. I had at one point thought it was the last book in this series. I mean, it is fifteen books in, and many series are getting dull before this point (not that I’ve felt this way about Psy/Changeling. Some of my favorite books are the most recent ones) While this has the feel of an end, it is not the last of the Psy/Changeling stories we will see from Nalini Singh. From what I understand, it is the end of the original series arc. There is another series arc set to come.

There is a ton going on in this story. We have people after Lucas’s and Sascha’s young daughter. We have Mercy who is about due to have her and Riley’s pupcubs. There are still issues with the Psynet. Father Perez is looking for his lost love. There is a missing BlackSea changeling. Work is progressing on the Trinity Accord to make peace between humans, changelings and the Psy. There is a scene that made me tear up (I won’t say more, so as not to spoil anything). There is also a large multipack celebration for the pupcubs. Like I said, there is a lot going on.

This was a really fun story. If it had been the end of this series, it would’ve been a great wrap up. We got to spend a lot of time with all of my favorite characters. I even started to like Nakita, which is not something I would ever think would happen. And with favorite characters, comes hated characters. Ming LeBon makes an appearance, too.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time with this story. The lack of romance will probably upset some, but for me, it has always been more about the overall arc. I read a ton of paranormal romance stories, but I read them more for the stories than the romance. Don’t get me wrong, I like the romances, but urban fantasy is truthfully a more fun genre for me.

This series is more like a UF series in my mind with a different main couple in each book. It has such a strong series arc that the romance is almost secondary. Maybe it is just me. This story is more about family, be they by blood or by friendship. I loved watching characters who I didn’t think had the ability to have friends have so many by the end of this book. I think many of the characters were surprised by this fact, too.

Narration
I continue to really Angela Dawe’s narration of this series. She did a phenomenal job with all the many voices she had to tackle in this book. The men and females were wonderful. Every character had very distinct voice that has followed that character throughout the entire series. Another thing that she really had to tackle in this book was the children. There had been children in past books, but not nearly as much as there was in this book. She did a great job with the little kids voices. Nada’s toddler voice with weird toddler words were great. The twin boys were really good too.

**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Allegiance of Honor is a fabulous instalment in the Psy-Changeling series! While this is a bridge book, there was still plenty of new plot-lines appearing, as well as some favorite characters who re-appeared.



I found Allegiance of Honor to be a pitch-perfect part of one of my all time favorite PNR / Dystopia / Sci-Fi series! One story-arch was more or less finished in Shards of Hope, this story managed to bridge the upcoming story-lines by showing readers how most of their favorite couples are doing so far. Each book has concentrated on one couple, and while these couples showed up in later books, this is where their progress as a couple as well as pack-members or psy-net members. And as always, I was both fascinated by the complexity of both the characters and the unique world Singh has created.

I was completely mesmerized by three story-arcs in Allegiance of Honor - one was the diary entries by Father Xavier Perez! He has been pretty present in this series, but really as a side character. However, his diary, as well as what two Psy think of him, and the way he's helped free the Psy has made him a very important character overall. The second was, of course, Luca and Sasha... They were there at the beginning of my love-story with the Psy-Changelings, and seeing more of them, as well as their family ties and how they both become leaders in their own right was more than a little awesome. The third was how the Psy and the Changelings, the Humans and the Forgotten now have become so intermingled it's difficult to separate them at first sight. If it wasn't for the Consortium, I think things would be easier - but who said easier was interesting, right?

Another thing that really got to me with Allegiance of Honor is that I'm now pretty sure Ms. Singh has a LOT more up her sleave(s) when it comes to this fantastic seires! Of course, that makes me an extremely happy reader, because I don't think I'll ever get enough of these characters, the universe they live in, or the difficulties they face in order to keep their loved ones safe and sound!

Written in several different points of views, mostly in third person perspective, past tense, the story unfolds in such a way that it's simply impossible to not anxiously turn the pages to know as fast as possible what will happen next! If you haven't started this series yet - I totally envy you! It means you have 15 novels plus several novellas to binge-read or binge-listen! And I kind of wish I could start this one all over again all fresh!



"Do it!" Miane knew her brain was hazy with rage, her decision-making skills compromised. She needed Malachai's calm, his way of being a still pond even in the midst of a crashing sea. 

Kalb wasn't "good' in any ordinary sense of the word, ut Judd knew the other man would never harm a DarkRiver child for the simple reason that DarkRiver was important to his mate.

He knew that tone in her voice, slightly husky and soft at the same time. His body responded as if it had been conditioned. Unlike the brutal suffocation of Silence, however, this condition was chosen, was wanted.

I could go on and on - I have several pages of highlights, that's how much I loved Allegiance of Honor!!

[Rowena]

Full review to come but my initial thoughts are...this was a solid read by Singh. She did a fantastic job of blending everything together. I loved seeing everyone deal with the new world that's come to be and catching up on what they're up to these days. This is the book that I've wanted for a long time and I'm so glad that Singh wrote this book.

[EBookObsessed]

This story was an absolute treat for Psy-Changeling fans. Nalini Singh strikes a perfect balance in Allegiance of Honor for her ensemble psy-changeling cast.

Silence has fallen and the time of the Trinity Accord has begun. Members of the Changelings, the Psy and the Human Alliance are all coming together under Trinity to make the world a better place for everyone. It is the first step towards creating a United Earth Federation where all of the creatures on this planet will work together. The world of the Psy-Changeling series is taking a turn towards peace so it is only appropriate that as factions work together for the first time in over 100 years, that all of the characters who have been presented to date (both novels and novellas) take time to make their presence known once again.

This is a true ensemble book and no couple is featured more predominantly, there are several topics which are focused on during this novel. Several factions have signed the Trinity Accord which was put together by the arrow, Aden, wherein all the members agree to work together to keep communication open between the different groups and which begins to set up working and business relationships between the groups. The Consortium has not gone away nor have we been able do determine who is the hidden leader of this group.

One of the biggest concerns is little Naya, the first psy-changeling child to be born. There are those who want to destroy her for the change she represents and those who want to grab her to control her and her powerful father.

The Es have done a lot to help heal the psy-net but it is still fragmenting and Kaleb, Ivy and Sascha are doing what they can to try to figure out why this continues to unravel and if it can still be saved.

The biggest excitement of the novel is -- THE PUPCUBS ARE COMING! THE PUPCUBS ARE COMING!!! We have been waiting many a novel to find out how many pupcubs Riley and Mercy are having, the sex and most importantly are they pups or cubs or something in between?

The Human Alliance, Snow Dancer, Dark River, and the arrows all work together to help Black Sea try find a missing changeling.

Several other mysteries and issues will be brought up again, including Father Xavior's search for his Nina, and several matters will finally find a satisfying conclusion.

THOUGHTS:
This series is far from over but this novel gave us a chance to tie up loose ends and also gave us a pivot point to change the focus of the series.

I liked how the last portion of the novel was a party set between Snow Dancer and Dark River to welcome the pupcubs into both packs. This party also included special guests who have become important allies to the pack such a Sahara and Kaleb, the Arrows and some of the Human Alliance and Forgotten members. It showed a real blending of the different groups as well as pointing out how far the series has come from where all the parties started in Slave to Sensation.

A very moving scene for me which shows the difference and changes to this world was when the leaders of the Rat changelings arrived at the party. The two leaders arrived first, fearing that the invitation to the party was just subterfuge to get them into neutral territory and wipe out the rats. Even though there was a truce between DarkRiver and the rats and they were allies of sorts, predatory changelings usually don't like others in their territory and the rats didn't all arrive together for fear of the double cross. When they finally realized that there was an actual party and they were being welcomed by both packs, the second in command breaks into tears over the fact this his daughter would be growing up in a world where there truly could be peace among the races.

This was a wonderful group effort and it definitely was not an ending of the series but only an ending of an arc. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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