Phew! I did not mean to go so long between reviews. I’m a youth librarian and in summer, well, I am busy at work. Like it’s normal work times a thousand. I haven’t had a lot of time for reading and reviewing but I’m hoping that will change as my library’s summer reading program is finally winding down (hallelujah!). I read Ocean Light early this summer and I’m finally getting to review it so, you know, it’s been a long summer.
Ocean Light is the second book in Nalini Singh’s spinoff (of sorts) of the Psy/Changeling series. This is the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. As with most of her books, you definitely want to read the other stories first, especially when it comes to the hero. Bowen has been long involved in the Psy world and you’ll have a deeper understanding of him if you know what he has been working toward as a human surrounded by changelings and Psy.
Bo wakes up in a mysterious place. He has no idea where he is or how he survived the bullet that ricocheted through his body. Of course, he also knows his time on Earth is limited as the implant in his brain is racing to end his life. It was a risk he willingly took at the time and not one he thought he would ever regret. Except, things have changed. When he wakes up in his mystery location, he meets beautiful Kaia Luna. She is a chef, taking care of her fellow changelings. It is a great joy in her life. But she also feels the pull towards Bowen. She is supposed to hate humans. After all, they caused some of the greatest pain in her life. But how do you hate a man who is becoming someone special to her?
Ocean Light is set in the ocean, obviously. And it’s a thrilling world to visit! I was so excited when Nalini started carving out the ocean changelings. To finally get an intimate view into at least one group’s ocean world is beyond amazing. Like her other changeling settings, the ocean world Nalini creates is complex, dangerous, and breathtaking. I could have stayed immersed in Ocean Light for a lot longer than it took me to read this book. And honestly, I had been putting this book off for awhile because I wasn’t super excited about the prospect of Bo as hero. He was very bland and blah in the previous Psy/Changeling books, despite his heroic nature. However, he really comes alive in Ocean Light (which is funny considering he is close to dying).
I really, really enjoyed his connection with Kaia. And I loved Kaia. She is a very special woman. She is a changeling and is definitely a caretaker of her particular underwater world. She is busy watching over her pregnant cousin, helping a shy and awkward lab tech, and being a friend to everyone aboard their submerged home. She is also a bit lonely, even if she cannot say that aloud. Kaia has had a lot of loss in her life and Bo is starting to help her maybe make a fragile, permanent hopeful connection. (Side note: I loved Kaia’s relationship with her grandmother aboard the island, when her grandmother is a turtle. That is the kind of thing I would have enjoyed as a child.)
When I’m reading a Nalini Singh book, I always wish the world of the Psy and Changelings actually did exist alongside that of humans. That feeling continued as I read Ocean Light. There is so much wonder and amazement in our world and Nalini Singh taps into that feeling so well. Exploring Ocean Light was truly like a grand adventure for me and I look forward to more stories set in the ocean.
Ocean Light gets a rave review from me. I’m not a water person by any means but this is a swimming adventure I was happy to “dive” into this summer.
ARC provided by publisher for review.
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