Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Title: Slave to Sensation
Author: Nalini Singh
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 0-425-21286-6
Pages: 334
Series: Psy-Changeling #1
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Sascha Duncan is a Psy, a race that instituted a program called Silence decades ago to eliminate all emotion. All Psy are supposed to be cold and unfeeling, but Sascha is broken...she can and does feel but must hide her emotions as discovery would lead to her mind being erased. Her latest job is to work with panther changeling Lucas Hunter on a building project. Lucas has his own reasons for wanting to work with Sascha - one of the Psy has been murdering changeling women and Lucas thinks Sascha might be the only Psy able to track the killer down.

I've read this book twice and I am as awed by it this time as I was the first. Nalini Singh has managed to create an incredibly unique world, something that is very hard to do given the sheer volume of paranormal romance novels available these days. Set at some point in the future (maybe 100 years or so) the world is populated by three species: humans, Psy who are cerebral and unfeeling and changelings who have the ability to take animal form. While shifters are a common theme in books, the Psy is something I haven't seen before and it's a brilliant idea.

The plot of the book is incredible and multilayered, with lots of twists and turns. Sascha is a great lead character and her struggle to contain her burgeoning emotions is well written and believable. The book can really be split into three parts - Sascha's emotional struggle, the potential romance between Sascha and Lucas and the hunt for the Psy killer.

A lot of supporting characters are introduced, and a quick check of the author's website showed that the main ones mentioned all have their own books out or coming soon. The author manages to avoid info-dumping and sets the world up so well with so much detail that I can't wait to see where she goes with it next.

All in all, this is an awesome read and I can't wait to read the next book Visions of Heat.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 8/10

Overall: 48/50