Book Review: "Allegiance of Honor" by Nalini Singh

Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Allegiance of Honor" ties together all the threads of the first arc in this universe, puts a beautiful bow on them all, and sets up what I assume will be the second arc in this universe. For the rest of this review, I'll be writing about characters and events that occur in the first 14 books. If you have read them yet and you plan on it, be warned now.

There are several major questions left over from the previous stories:

• What happened to all the major couples that we meet and get to know, including:
• Sasha and Lucas
• Sahara and Kaleb
• Mercy and Riley
• Hawk and Sienna
• and everyone else...
• How is Naya Hunter, Sasha and Lucas' daughter, doing as she grows up? Will she learn to shift into a black panther or a regularly colored leopard?
• Will Mercy ever give birth? How many pupcubs will she and Riley have? How many will be wolves and how many will be leopards?
• Will the Arrows be able to stay independent?
• Will any of BlackSea's missing packmates be found?
• Who are in the Consortium?
• What are the Consortium's plans for the future?
• Is the PsyNet finally stable and safe?
• How are the Forgotten doing?
• Will Xavier find his Nina?

Nalini Singh manages to answers these questions, plus may more in this massive book. She brings back just about everyone here, from children we've met in the Arrows to leopard soldier trainees to a previously lost Forgotten boy. When I first heard about how many characters and threads appear in "Allegiance of Honor", I wondered if Ms. Singh bit off more than she could chew. I mean, how do you include everyone and not end up with a hot mess?

Somehow, this Author Lord pulls it off, melding together the stories from everyone and introducing new plot bunnies. We get to learn more about BlackSea, how it works, and why all the water changelings formed one big pack in the first place. We also meet the new pupcubs (yes, they are FINALLY born), get insight into Sasha and Nikita's relationship, watch Hawk and Lucas as they act like brothers (though don't mention this to either one), and see Naya turn one, a huge birthday for a changeling as that coincides with a child's first change. There is just so much happening in this book. It's like a bunch of plot bunnies got together and did what plot bunnies do - multiply.

The biggest difference between "Allegiance of Honor" and the other Psy-Changeling books is that no new couples are introduced here. But honestly? There is enough romance in the existing couples that it's not an issue.

Overall, this book feels like a connecting book between the two story arcs. From Ms. Singh's newsletter, I believe that she intends to continue the series with a story arc focusing on:

• how the world adjusts to the changes,
• how the Psy cope with emotions,
• whether the Trinity Accord holds up under scrutiny,
• what will the Consortium do now, and
• what will happen to Ming LeBon.

If you liked any of the first 14 books, I recommend reading "Allegiance of Honor". It is worth the time and cost.

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