Slave to Sensation (Psy/Changeling, #1)

by Nalini Singh

The genre-defining and beloved first book in Nalini Singh's New York Times bestselling Psy-Changeling series.

“My favorite series of all time! Slave to Sensation is where the magic started, and I will never shut up about it.”—Ali Hazelwood, #1 New York Times bestselling author
 
“Utterly addictive and thrilling...this is hands down one of my favorite series ever!”—Ana Huang, #1 New York Times bestselling author

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”—the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was…Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain.

After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her.

Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

• ISBN10: 0425212866
• ISBN13: 9780425212868
• Publish Date: 5 September 2006 (first published 1 September 2006)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425212868

Reviews

[Berls]

This is one of those books that you planned on reading for such a long time and never got around to it. And then you FINALLY do, thanks to something like Anne's 2021 Read-along, and you kick yourself for waiting so long. Gah, that was good! And original. And considering how much Urban Fantasy I've read, that's saying something.

The world is both familiar and unique at the same time, making it easy to settle into but intriguing. If you've read some urban fantasy, the Changelings feel very familiar. In a lot of ways, there what you expect from shifters, with their own unique qualities. And then the Psy are where it gets original. They are a race of telepaths that have supposedly bred/trained out all emotion in order to eliminate violence that comes from extreme emotion. They are constantly connected in this hive mind.

I found the Psy fascinating, especially in the main character, Sascha. From the get-go we know she's "broken" because she experiences emotions she shouldn't. This puts her in danger from the other Psy and makes her doubt herself. I enjoyed her growth as a character and think we'll see a lot more growth through the series.

The romantic connection between her and the Changling Lucas Hunter was electric - the telepathic / psychic element really added another dimension. I was a little surprised with it being an Urban Fantasy the depth of their relationship in book 1 and I'm interested to see how it develops over the series. Feels like maybe this will perhaps be similar relationship as some of my favorite UF couples ...

I listened to the audio and hadn't even checked to see who narrated it before I started. I immediately recognized the voice of Angela Dawe. It's been a while since I listened to her, but she's still in my favorites list. So I know I'll enjoy listening to this series. The only challenge will be waiting until January to start the next book to keep on schedule with the read-along!

[stacey_is_sassy]

Wow...

For some reason, Slave to Sensation was showing up on my Goodreads as Read and rated at 4-stars. Either, my memory is fractured or I accidentally rated the wrong book. There is no way I would have rated this one 4 stars, it was definitely... To Infinity and Beyond... 5-star. It was so bloody good, I'm absolutely kicking myself that this series hasn't been in my life up until now.

I loved the world Nalini Singh created, the characters were original and lovable, and the storyline kept me captivated from start to finish.

I will definitely be going back for more Psy-Changeling magic.

[thebookdisciple]

Singh has created a world I just adore and I hope she writes this series forever!

[Rowena]

Holy cow! This book was fantastic!

Quite a few people have told me that this book was good and that I should give it a try but because I haven’t been in the mood for paranormal romance, it sat on my TBR pile for the longest of times…until last week. I promised some people that I would get this book read and I did. I could kick myself for waiting so long to read this book because I loved it. Julie James was walking around with a button at RWA that said, “Judd is my boyfriend” and I was on the edge of my seat, anxious to meet him when I was reading this book. I grinned like a crazy person for five minutes straight when he finally came onto the page.

In this world, Singh created a paranormal world where humans and paranormal folk live in the same world and they know about each other. There are Psy’s that are like supernatural humans that don’t turn into animals, changelings that are your humans/animals and then there’s just the regular humans. This book deals with a Psy and Changeling couple, falling in love. They’re from two different worlds. He’s an Alpha Changeling who is on the hunt for a Psy serial killer who is preying on changeling women and she’s a troubled Psy who thinks she’s not special enough and that if her people find out that she’s flawed, they’ll kill her. They’re brought together by a building project that will benefit both worlds and they’re working together to make some money and learn more about each other.

Lucas Hunter is contracting some work, building houses for Changelings and Sascha Duncan is hiring Lucas Hunter to build the houses that the Psy will profit from. Right from the beginning, you can see the chemistry sizzling between Lucas and Sascha. I ate up every single scene that these two were in. I loved the way that Lucas was with Sascha. How sexual he was and how dominate his personality was. He was all things sexy and I wanted to eat him up. I really enjoyed getting to know him and I really enjoyed everything that came out of his mouth, even the stuff that should have pissed me off because they’re so alpha but man, loved him!

Usually, if I love the hero of the book then odds are, I’ll love the book as well. In this book, I loved the hero but I really enjoyed the heroine as well. The way that Sascha was written, leaped right off the pages of the book and right into my heart. Her struggle with keeping her secrets from the other Psy and the way that her conflict is dealt with made me want to hug her close and do all that I could to help her. I thought that Singh did a fantastic job of fleshing Sascha’s character out in a way that was believable. I really enjoyed Sascha’s character and in the end, I loved the heck out of her.

Now I will say that I spent a good portion of the first half of the book confused because I wasn’t familiar with the world that Singh created for these characters and it took some getting used to but aside from some right off the bat confusion, I loved it. I loved the world that she created, I loved the characters that were introduced and I loved the romance between the main couple in this book. I cannot wait to continue reading this series, I’m definitely hooked.

If you haven’t read this, fix that pronto…don’t be a dummy like me and wait years before finally giving this one a go.

[nitzan_schwarz]

4.5 stars

I loved every moment of it! I've been wanting to read this series for SO long, but secretly I was a bit scared it would fall into so many traps other romances (especially paranormal) fall into. Such as:

-Emphasizing how hot/sexy/drool worthy the other person is, often forgetting, well, the person. Gladly, Slave to Sensation didn't fall into that category. Lucas and Sascha's inner monologues around each other talks about their partner's qualities and peculiarities as often, if not more often, than they discuss their levels of hotness, which I absolutely adored! Sex and attractions can be great in a romance... so long as that's not ALL there is to it.

- Insta Love. It could be argues that Lucas and Sascha actually knew each other for a short time before falling in love, but insta love is not about actual time as much as it is about the reader not being able to feel the two falling in love, the little moment that make them sink into it. However, Singh does SUCH A GOOD JOB with this relationship that I never once thought it was unbelivable or rushed or anything of that sort. Lucas and Sasch spend SO MUCH TIME TOGETHER, learning each other and talking to each other and being fascinated by the other's gestures and mannerism. It took time to develop and more importantly made sense. I SAW these two fall for each other, and I understand them completely. Also, the bond is gorgeous. Just saying.

-Angst. I'm not a big supported of unnecessary drama and angst in a story. I don't believe in the notion a couple needs to have as much trouble and angst in their relationship to have the story worthwhile. In fact, I despise when authors do this. It tickles my pickle. So imagine my surprised joy that this book was mostly angst free. Were they fights between the couple? Sure! What couple does't fight? Where they the reason for long separations and drawn-out conclusions? Nope, sir, nope!

Take these and couple it with delightfully charming characters with inner strength and dialogues that were so captivating to read off, a wonderful romance that made me want my own Changeling, and no shortage of intriguing side characters I would love to read of, and you've got yourself everything you need in good paranormal romance!

High rec!

[kimbacaffeinate]

Five Reasons to Read Slave to Sensation

• If you love original worlds filled with shifters and other supernatural creatures Slave to Sensation offers an interesting one. While some of the world feels familiar particularly the shifters, Singh introduces the Psy. The Psy are a diverse race that have abilities from telekinesis to mind control. They behave like a hive, and hold positions of power in this world. As they evolved, they removed emotions and refer to it as the "silence." Sascha Duncan is a Psy with a dangerous secret; she has emotions and must hide them to avoid being rehabilitated.


• While the story centers around Sascha, trouble is brewing between the Psy and changelings when the brutal murders of changeling women are discovered. A joint collaboration for a housing project has Sascha and Alpha Lucas Hunter working together. He plans to use her to infiltrate the Psy and discover who the killer is. Their interaction was interesting and highlighted the prejudices of each race giving readers a greater understanding of the complexities of this world.


• The chemistry between Sascha and Lucas was clear from the beginning. Lucas’s panther can detect the differences in Sascha, but the man is confused. Sascha finds herself overwhelmed with emotions particularly for Lucas. She has to keep her protective walls up or risk discovery. Only in the carefully guarded walls of her home can she think about him. There is a playful banter between them that I found unique as Sasha kept up her façade. It was delightful watching the cracks begin to appear. Sascha may appear meek to her people, but I thought she was clever, fearless and quite the little kick-ass.


• The flow of the story allows the reader to lose themselves in the world, romance, and investigation. There are twists, discoveries, danger and sweet moments filled with heat. Singh fleshed out the characters giving us their background and allowed us to bond with them. The killer, pacts with other shifters and  enter the hive as Sasha searched for the killer was intense delivering  nail-biting suspense.


• The Psy are a fascinating race from their abilities to their collective minds. Singh gave us a basic understanding of their race, history and hierarchy. She also exposed flaws and I am excited to see how Sascha and others impact this society.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[celinenyx]

3.5 Stars

The only reason that it took me so long to read Slave of Sensation is the terrible cover and the cringe-worthy title. The book looks like something that is filled with paper-thin characters and a lot of insipid swooning. If this is your impression too, be assured: Slave of Sensation is a much better book than you'd think.

Sascha is a Psy - a race of beings that have no emotions, and make all of their decisions on pure intellect. They rule the world, because they have no capacity for hate or anxiety. But there is something different about Sascha; she feels. Her aberration becomes increasingly hard to hide when she is teamed up with Lucas, a changeling.

The focus of the story is the romance between Sascha and Lucas. Pairings between psy and changelings are unheard of. The psy have done away with sexual intercourse and messy personal relationships completely, while the changelings value pack and family above all. Their personalities clash, but through getting to know each other better, they fall in love. I thought Sascha was a fun character. Unlike many heroines who are supposed to be clever, she is actually competent at her job, and her bickering with Lucas was entertaining. Lucas sometimes falls into the typical alpha male caveman attitude, which made me lower the rating of this book, but in general Sascha holds her own.

For a book that revolves around a romantic pairing like Slave to Sensation, there is a lot of time spent on creating the world and a mystery sub-plot. While it was rather obvious who was killing changelings, the sub-plot was interesting and properly expanded upon. As a reader you feel like you really know and understand this Psy-Changeling world, rather than it just being a background for extra smooching.

Despite the cover and title, Slave to Sensation isn't erotica, and I would call it sensual rather than sexual. It was a pleasant surprise, and kept me reading. The world is fascinating, and I'm looking forward to more Psy-Changeling stories (which hopefully don't all feature overprotective men like Lucas).

[Angie]

Now I know why this is such a popular and well-loved series! Slave to Sensation was great! I was a bit confused in the beginning, because the author has created a very interesting and detailed future. In addition to humans, there are the changelings (shapeshifters of various animals) and the Psy (para-humans, I guess). It was the Psy that took me awhile to understand. They're mostly human, but have strong psychic abilities and they're all linked. Sascha is a Psy whose powers don't seem to have developed so her people are trying to find a use for her. She's now a laison on a housing project for the changelings, but there's more to her assignment than just development plans.

Slave to Sensation has a really strong plot which surprised me! It's not all about the romance, which was great too, but the plot really kept me engaged. Sascha and Lucas are working close together on the housing project he's designed, but both have ulterior motives for their species. Sascha is suppose to be collecting information on the changelings for the Psy to use for whatever purpose. Meanwhile, Lucas is trying to gain information from her, since a Psy has been kidnapping, torturing, and murdering changeling women. Needless to say, there's not a lot of trust there at first, but Sascha doesn't fit in with the Psy and realizes she's being lied to, so she helps uncover who this serial killer is since she has access to the Psy's mind net.

I loved the romance in Slave to Sensation! The Psy don't feel emotions at all. They don't find pleasure in anything, only think logically, even food is just for nutrition. But Sascha is different, she does feel, and she's afraid that she'll get sent away to get "rehabilitated." A fate worse than death for Psy. Of course, she starts feeling arousal around Lucas and dreams about them touching and kissing, things Psy just don't do. Being part panther, Lucas can sense her arousal, but there's more to it than that, since obviously they wind up together. But things get super heated between them when he finally makes her fantasies reality!

In the end, I really, really enjoyed Slave to Sensation. I loved that it used a different kind of species that I've never come across in Paranormal Romance before. The Psy are a really interesting race, and their society is hiding a ton of secrets that I can't wait to find out more about!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[neddieb]

I could not finish this book. not exciting nor interesting.

[Chelsea]

I’m really happy with how this book turned out. The whole story developed nicely and at a good pace. It’s like any other romance book, naturally, where there’s ups and downs but always a happy ending. I liked the supernatural twist though. It was a twist on vampires and werewolves, without being actual vampires or werewolves. All the characters were likable and I enjoyed them.

The only reason I wouldn’t give this a full five out of five is because there were some things that were a little complicated. Like the whole psy mind network thing. If doesn’t go into enough detail about how it works or even how the shifters really are. You see a little but into each culture but not enough for my mind to really grasp how their world works.