This is the thread where you can discussion the stories in WILD EMBRACE with *spoilers*. As always, be generous and polite to your fellow readers and have fun!p.s. I don't monitor the questions in this thread, so if you have a Q for me, drop me an email.
12 comments :
I really enjoyed this anthology.
Echo of Silence I’d thought the whole thing would be set on the deep sea station. So it was a surprise it took place mainly during “shore leave”. I was glad to finally get to meet Stefan since he’s been mentioned so often. I loved the understated way the romance between he and Tazia developed. Also, this novella made me very hungry with all the wonderful descriptions of the food they ate at the market. At first I was resistant to Tazia making up with her family after the way they’d acted. But I was ultimately glad she did. Overall a lovely story.
Dorian is a character I don’t dislike, but he’s also never been a personal favorite. So I was surprised by how much I adored this short story. I had expected to have more scenes with him being a child, but that proved unnecessary. I loved the paintball hunt and that we got to see
their first meeting with Clay.
I absolutely loved the scene between Dorian and Lucas. Squee!!! Seriously that has immediately become one of my favorite scenes in the entire series. So well done!
Partners in Persuasion was a mixed read for me. I’ve liked Dezi and wanted to know more about her since she first appeared.
I liked the romance in this story, I just expected the dominance/submissive issue to have more of an impact on their relationship than it did. I liked it, but I’d expected to love it. So there’s a sense of disappointment for me, though I can’t quite articulate why as I do like both characters and think they make a good couple. I’ve no doubt I will enjoy PiP more the next time I read it. As I said I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t love it, but I did like it.
Flirtation of Fate is a story I liked more for the mystery than the romance. I suspected who the killer was from the first scene when they’re examining the crime scene. But it was fun to follow them along as they put the clues together.
I just needed more groveling from Kenji. Did he ever actually apologize? Don’t get me wrong, I had a ton of sympathy for Kenji’s circumstances. And I’m a sucker for the “I’m not worthy of your love so I will set you free” trope. But when one character makes such a unilateral decision because they know best and then proceeds to treat the person they supposedly love horribly so as to get them to be the one to walk away, as a reader I need more groveling from them. I did like that it was Garnet who made the decision to put the past behind them and go after him.
Good to catch up with Revel and Pia. I liked that we finally get a glimpse of the LA satellite den. I loved the living arrangement that Garnet & Kenji came up with. Such a great compromise.
I rushed home from work last night because I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.
I really loved both Echo of Silence and Partners in Persuasion. Could have read lots more. I fully expected to love Echo of Silence--some of my favorite characters in this series have been psy. I thought Stefan and Tazia were a great match. I wanted to see the relationship develop even more, especially as changes occur in the psy world. I was really surprised how much I enjoyed Partners in Persuasion. Although not my favorite trope, it was so engrossing to read the female dominant/male submissive. And I wanted to see more of Dezi and Feliz. He was so yummy to me--gentle and strong, intense but loving.
I gotta say I almost waited to read Flirtation of Fate. I don't like the "I'm not worthy of you so I will make a unilateral decision that will hurt you for years which we don't find very hard after all to work through" storyline. Especially considering the depth of feelings involved, and the interaction they continued to have over the years. I didn't find Kenji lovable. Sleeping with many women while still teasing and stringing Garnet along for her own good.....yuck. And Garnet waited way too long to confront him. If she knew him so well, why not think logically about the situation before 7 years passes? I don't know. Still a little raw about this one. I remember I felt similar about Clay and Talin's story.
Forgot to mention that I liked Dorian as well. Satisfying to see well known characters at different stages. Reminds me of how I smile when I get a newsletter with a slice of life from Nalini. Also how wonderful I thought Allegiance of Honor was--a compilation that revisited favorites while still world building and intriguing me. I want more more more please!
I have impression of negligence when it comes to Echo of Silence - the end is coming too early, we don't have a chance to look at their live in Alaris after the weeding...
And when I'm thinking about Kenji and Garnet's situation - I cannot understand why they can't ask for help Ashaya - she's a scientist, she can help them with in vitro or whatever! :>
Nalini, thank you so much for this anthology! I enjoyed every story; my only complaint is that now I want to see more of what happens next to these characters. :-)
Echo of Silence: Like library addict said, I expected this story to be in Alaris, so imagine my surprise when they left the ocean at the beginning of the narrative. I like how Stefan brought Tazia to help out with the earthquake, how he watched out for her even though he had no expectations about her or their relationship. I also liked watching them grow together, learn to lean on each other through the tragedy, especially when Tazia tells Stefan that he's not broken because of his childhood, but merely a little bit scarred up from life like everyone else is.
Dorian: These scenes from Dorian's life shine a light into what makes this Sentinel tick. I wanted to give kid Dorian a hug after the stupids made fun of him. Stupids. The conversation between Lachlan and Dorian explains how he got the idea to be so good that no one cared if he could shift. As for the adult Dorian, I almost leaked when he told Lucas he could shift (or to be accurate, when Lucas discovered it). The love and affection between the pack members is almost palpable here.
Partners in Persuasion: This story was also a bit of a surprise. Up until now, I've only really seen female submissives, and I can honestly say I don't think Grace would join a fist fight. But Felix balances his inert masculinity with his gentle nature, and it works. Dezi, on the other hand, balances her femininity with her dominance, allowing Felix to see her insecurities without whining. I cheered the whole time for the two of them, and did a little happy dance when Felix got smug.
Flirtation of Fate: I love a good mystery! When Garnet and Kenji start investigating the murder, I might have squeed a little bit because it wasn't a cut and dried case. Watching them tug at the clues until they lead to the true situation was fun. As an aside, I know that all changelings aren't perfect, but seeing a man kill himself in revenge was good for the universe in my honest opinion. Too often the Psy are portrayed as the bad guys, it's (relatively speaking) good to see a wolf act in a selfish, irrational way.
As for Garnet and Kenji, I too wondered about the how "seven years" apart. I mean seven?? But thinking back, Kenji worked hard to avoid Garnet the entire time, and until they worked together Garnet was too wrapped up in both her duties and her bitter emotions to really see Kenji. I might have wondered about Kenji and how much he really cared for Garnet (how could he stay away from his mate), but learning that he came this close? If so, who won?
For some reason the last sentences on my comment are gone. It's supposed to read:
...but learning that Kenji came this close to self-destructing answered those concerns. Now my only question is did the other lieutenants really have a betting pool on when Garnet and Kenji would hook up? If so, who won?
That scene with Lucas and Dorian!
You made me cry.
In an airport lounge.
I pretended I was yawning and wiping tired eyes ... And the scene with Dorian and Mercy!
Also loved the story of Kenji and Jem. And who am I kidding - I loved them all. But only one scene made me weepy. Dorian with his alpha.
As always when I get one of your books on my kobo and then on my shelf (cause I buy it all twice!) I read cover to cover - this time travel allowed me to do that without any guilt about things like bedtime or work :p
Keep them coming
Thanks a lot Nalini!!!
An awesome book....
Loved all the stories...
And all the couple's...
I felt for Kenji and Garnet
And God when Luc and Dori hugged after his shifting...."something..? " .. just beautiful....
And his thoughts on Kylie was sweet.and at last when he returned home and was thankful for Shaya n Keenan was sweet too...
And Dezi ..I loved her fiercely and sweet sides..a perfect match for Felix who is shy , strong and courageous ....
Taxi and Stefan were sweet too..the homecoming was sweet...
Some short story with Stefan Tazi Aden Judd etc would be excellent.. sorry Nalini we are greedy...
And Hawke in Kenji Jems story was awesome as was Luc in Dori's....
"Now you are just showing off" was just right..
And his visiting the pup was sweet...
I can't help thinking of Kenji as sweet...reminds me of Noah somehow..
And the confession was sad..I understand both their sides though.. and I sympathise with Jem wanting to smack him...
I loved Hawkes looking out for Felix too
And adored Drew more....
And Lara and her friend....
"Was she worth it ?"
I loved Felix's courting....the gifts...suited them somehow...
And Clay's intro scene was adorable ..with our teen sentinels...the night hunt after Dori's shift was good too esp when he realises that he was given no quarter by his friends...
Stefan's reaction to earthquakes was heartbreaking and the way he took care of Tazi was just soooo good... quietly caring for her..
The way he always was in Tazis space at first was sweet..esp when the mail was due..
And his asking to come with him was sweet , very sweet...
Kenjis thoughts on his Garnet was just so beautiful...esp when I think of his crushing the bracelet he brought for her...and the ring, that was so...sad...
Really he does remind me of Noah...
Reading Stefans story made me think about the rota in the net and how both Kaleb and Nikita tried to think of ways to MAKE humans and psy bond, but realized or got told it wouldn't work. When I went back and reread those parts I had this idea, and it's cold and mercenary, but I just can't see how ONE of those two pragmatic people who still love in their own way didn't consider it. So the author herself haven't elaborated how she thinks of it in the books, so I thought I'd ask what you guys think, OK here goes my crazy idea to save the psy net:
Mother-child bonds!
I'm sure if anyone can get people to see beyond preconceptions and biases and fall in love it would be Sahara, but most mothers love their children feircly and pretty quickly, compared to other kinds of relationships that need to mature with at least a little time. So Nikita could pay human women who wants to have babies and would have gone to a spermbank to have half psy babies, and proto, nine months later you would have a whole bunch of humans tied into the psy net! 😄
And if you wanna try to get some psy to get to know humans willing spermbank donor male psy could maybe have visitation rights if all parts agree, and then maybe the dad's would feel parental affection in time for their half psy kids, and that would make them more likely to break silence, and if the male psy half of the kids families get some stake in the kids maybe the entire psy clans/families will at least get to know the half psy child, and then have some contact area with humans in the form of the kids human mothers family and friends, which will of course be the environment the kid livs in (most or a at least half the time depending on custody arrengements).
Not a perfect solution, but it would get the ball rolling. Some psy families might be willing to have half psy kids (for rational reasons like money or political favour), and so open up some contact areas. And even if that doesn't pan out, the half psy kids will exist and be emotionally bonded to their mothers, and hopefully bring in more humans as they grow up, and maybe expose some of their psy friends to humans too. Of course for the half psy kids to have psy friends there would have to be psy family and teachers and mentors so that these kids get access to both sides of their cultures.
What do you guys think? Have I missed something about the laws of the psy changeling world that would prevent this from working? It feels like I must have?
As always enjoy Ms. Singh's stories, sighed and cried. However, a little something inside of me expected more of Echo of Silence. Somehow, it felt like we were rushed in seeing Stefan grown with Taz. Loved Partners in Persuasion. I didn't see him as a submissive just as a strong man that accepts and appreciates the woman he loves. Flirtation of Fate-was good but i was more involved in the complimentary characters than in the Kenj-Gar relationship. I was surprised cause I felt like they would have grabbed on since they have been part of the series. As for Dorian's story I liked but he has not been one of my favorite stories so it was okay, cute.
All time favorite scene: Hawke with Felix. Somehow that strong alpha letting his pack member know he is there for him....liked a lot and the pup being born with alpha confirming new member in KenGar story.
Either way to my all time favorite author....they were all good. I have reread it 2 times in case I missed something and i seem to smile and feel gooey inside my heart every time. I am getting ready to read to mom translation time......can't wait to see what she says.....
@Lina
Even though many of the Psy still haven't embraced emotion, I can't see them agreeing to it. Remember they usually compare DNA charts and try to find a perfect match to create high gradient offspring. Most Psy feel Humans are inferior for their lack of psychic ability. And I don't see the Humans as being willing to set aside the possibility the Psy would just take the children. Or wish to have their children know their non-custodial parent (or if as you suggest strictly fathers) only agreed to have them for money or political favor. Plus the bonds form through emotion, so if the Psy wasn't already emotionally attached to his (or her) child, they wouldn't appear bonded into the PsyNet.
Don't forget, the Forgotten have a mix of Psy, human, and some changeling in their genetic pool. Also, as we've read about the Human Alliance, there are those who don't want to have their minds taken over by the Psy. I agree with you @library addict with your post above.
As to the anthology, I really liked Dorian's story. Stefan's story is the template, I think, for all other TKs. Kenji and Garnet's story, I liked the mystery and knowing that there are selfish, self-absorbed changelings like all the other races. Felix's story I almost didn't read all the way through since I wasn't sure how it would work.
If I had to choose favorites, I would choose Dorian and Stefan.
Patricia S
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