Primal Mirror, by Nalini Singh - Review

Title: Primal Mirror

Series: Psy-Changeling Trinity, #8

Author: Nalini Singh 

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: July 23, 2024

Reviewing: eARC via Netgalley

Reason for reading: As always, author love, series love

The Short Answer

This installment of the series resolves the Spider arc, as well as the recent arc of crisis in the PsyNet, although it's likely that future books will deal with political fallout and some world-rebuilding.  Character-wise, we get a new feline pack, with ties to DarkRiver and a few attendant cameos. I enjoyed the romance but I think the freaky plot stole the show, which is unusual for me. Still, four stars.

The Blurb

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a family dark with shadowy secrets, as the world of the Psy teeters on the edge of a final catastrophic collapse. . .

Daughter of two ruthless high-Gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby . . . a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an unnerving depth of interest from her dead mother’s closest associates.

Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies . . . and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy . . . but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, and Remi’s feline heart is as fascinated by her as his human half.

Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death. . .

A Personal Aside 

In some ways, perhaps it's fitting that my return to the blogosphere is inspired by Nalini Singh.  Many years ago, I won an ARC of Hostage to Pleasure. Nearly a year into blogging - well past the average lifespan of a blog in those days; and not my first exposure to the Psy-Changelings, it WAS my first ARC, and also the beginning of so many things for this blog.  So hopefully this will also be a new beginning of sorts.  I've been reading like a madwoman lately and it's possible that I have some Things To Say.  More on that in future posts.

The Plot- Some Good, Some Meh

My first priority in any paranormal romance, is, well, the romance.  The characters. But just by the nature of the plot here, Auden's character was a little hard to pin down.  The Psy in the Psy-Changeling series have always had a certain alignment to some of the ways that autism spectrum disorder can commonly manifest, and over the years, Singh's bravery in making these challenges more explicit and inclusive has grown, perhaps starting with Last Guard, where Canto is confined to a wheelchair and Payal has a brain tumor disorder which requires both medication and (admittedly fictional) behavioral management.

The plot of this book is a little difficult to discuss without spoilering. There are a few pieces that come together, some from very early in the series, and some from the last 10 percent of Storm Echo.  Still, the realization of the horror that is being inflicted on Auden unfolds slowly, at least it did for me.  Given the readers' knowledge of prior books, we figure out what is happening before Auden and Remi do, but the plot device of her dual scent gives them a critical clue. 

Ever since the fall of Silence, at the intersection of the original series and the Trinity "chapter two" books, there has been an instability in the PsyNet which threatens the survival of all the Psy.  In Last Guard, the Anchor designation is introduced and their unification with each other and with the Ruling Coalition provide some new defenses against the ongoing failures, but even so, the destabilization accelerates.  Readers who have been finding this arc to be dragging on a bit will find a resolution in this book, as the original PsyNet finally fails.

Without spoilering, I think it's safe to say this is not the end of the series.  Therefore, fans can reasonably expect to learn more about how the Psy will survive their next evolution in future books... and that a significant portion of the population survives.  

I will say that I did not love how this problem was solved.  Given all the buildup and the hopelessness that was created over multiple books, I found that the way the salvation hinged on something that to me seemed very very small. I think I would have preferred to see the "new way" built up for a bit of time before the primary PsyNet failed utterly.  On the other hand, my history teacher used to paraphrase the Constitution thus: "While evils are sufferable, men will suffer," meaning that well, change is hard. The devil you know, etc.  So perhaps its believable that the failsafe could not be activated until the primary net had...failed.

The Characters

When I turned the last page of this book, I had that happy glow that I always get from this series.  This is a couple that fights hard for their Happily Ever After, that overcomes an exceptionally creepy and horrifying villain - this is a very personal and amped up villainy compared to say, Payal's horrible family in Last Guard. Ming Le Bon aspired to this level of evil. 

Have to say I absolutely loved Remi's character progression, as he takes on more and more of the business of building his pack and becoming a good alpha. Absolutely loved it. I especially enjoyed the mentorship he was getting from Lucas; and factors like the delicacy of pack members moving from one pack to another. At the beginning of the story, Remi is a rising star, coming into his power, but still something of a junior player.

Auden on the other hand, enters the story on the verge of collapse. Pregnant, suffering from memory loss, blackouts, what might be conventionally described as psychotic breaks or possibly even schizophrenia, she doesn't trust herself. Remi's protective instincts are triggered, and as he strives to protect the woman and unravel the mystery of her illness, they catch feelings despite the timing being the worst ever.  

I would say this isn't my most favorite couple in the P-C universe.  Maybe I was just reading extra fast to get to the bottom of the villainous fuckery. Maybe Auden's struggle made their connection a little less believable for me (possibly a mental illness bias on my part that could stand some examination?).  I felt like the emotional connection was less intense than what I usually get from the series, but I'm calling that a 4-star rather my usual 5-star rating*. This is not a disappointment of a book. I think it's incredible that we are 23 books into this series, not counting novellas, and I for one am still loving it.  That is one hell of an accomplishment.  Don't stop, Nalini! 

Connections
Possible spoiler alert: If you enjoyed the speculative sci-fi elements of this story, I would recommend The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey. If you look up even the plot description, it will be a bit of a spoiler for Primal Mirror, but AFTER you've read Primal Mirror, if you liked it, go read this title, then tell me what you think.

*Most of the time I don't do star ratings. Too much pressure. But if I did, this series would be a whole long string of 5-stars.