Atonement Sky let's us explore the world of the winged changelings. They are very different then the wolfs and cats, but I really enjoyed learning about them.
I enjoyed the connection that Adam and Eleri have and there willingness to put everything aside to help the people they love the most.

I can't wait to see what is next in this series.

Welp I feel like my beloved series has stalled and that makes me sad. I miss the swoony hot romance combined with the Sky Is Falling! external plot and while we get some of that here the switch in focus to mostly murder mystery with a dash of romance is disappointing.

In Atonement Sky we finally get Adam's story and if you forget who he is, it's because he's a minor character who made appearances here and there in the first half of the series. He's the wing leader (alpha?) of the bird shifters. His mate is a J Psy named Eleri who is brought to Adam's town following the trail of a serial killer. Eleri and Adam have a brief history when she was part of the j Psy team who helped get the murdered of his parents off. He held this against her for a decade and I get it because me? I'm a champion hold grudger too but some stuff made no sense because it wasn't her? It was her mentor who she assisted plus she was literally a young adult with zero ability to stop what was happening? Anyway, he hates her but she's determined to atone for her wrongs (which weren't hers to begin with but whatever) So she comes to the town to help catch this killer who is obsessed with her and I never really caught on as to why. But they talk it out about halfway in, they bang it out (in a cave!) and then Eleri is like I gotta split because I'm a J Psy and about to die and he's like but you're my mate. I think I've read this story before 🤔

Listen, I eat the Psy Changelings pairings up with a spoon. I know it gets repetitive with the Psy always having a ticking clock in their minds but I don't care because it always comes with tension and sick bed angst. In this book and the last couple to be honest, I had a hard time connecting with the main characters and their romance. I also had a hard time caring about anyone in the pack or whatever the birds are called. And some of it had to do with the pacing into his book because roughly the first half is a police procedural (think SVU). Not only are there women being murdered but Adam's bestie and second in command is also shot and it's in coma. So it's like a medical mystery and a murder mystery. Then suddenly it turns into a romance and we finally get Adam and Eleri but only for a bit because she also goes into a coma and suddenly a secondary romance is thrown in there. And suddenly I'm more interested in this secondary romance because it was vintage Psy Changeling and gave me Judd/Brenna vibes. While I loved it, it left me wondering why the entire book wasn't this.

I think I'm just struggling with the many packs/families that are being introduced in every book which I guess Trinity is supposed to introduce the rest of this universe. But I personally preferred it when the focus was on just one area and a limited set of packs and Psy because I got to know those characters/ packs/families as side characters first until they got their own books and by then I was super invested. I don't know WindHaven, the introduction of packmates that I probably won't see again for another ten or twenty books doesn't interest me. I'm just not invested in these people and their struggles as I was in Dark River and Snow Dancer. Those people felt like family after a couple of books and I miss that. Speaking of Dark River, Sascha and her cub and my fave morally grey Nikita make appearances. Also Sophia and what's his face from Bonds of Justice but it's one of my least faves so I didn't care lol. My forever love Kaleb is mentioned and damn if I don't get the tingles every time I see his name on the page.

I'm here until the bitter end so I will continue to read the books but I think it's time to lock in and solve the whole Psy Net problem. These police/medical mysteries don't interest me at all and also not every minor character needs a book imo. I'm wavering between three and four stars because it did have some good moments and it is Nalini. I think the lack of heat and romantic development makes it a 3.5 and I'm gonna round it up.

This book doesn't stand alone it's 24th in a series (!) The series is split into two so you can start with Silver Silence which is book 16? I've lost track lol. But I would highly HIGHLY recommend starting all the way at book 1 with Slave to Sensation. That book changed my brain chemistry.

5 stars ☁️⚔️💙

Nalini Singh never misses. Atonement Sky pulled me in from page one and didn’t let go. The world is vivid, the stakes are high, and the romance slow-burned its way straight into my heart. It’s a breathtaking continuation of her lush, addictive paranormal world, and the 9th book in the unputdownable Psy-Changeling series.

This book is all about second chances, grief, and healing, wrapped up in Nalini’s signature blend of action, heartache, and swoony romance. The chemistry between the leads is so intense, soft moments, raw vulnerability, and the kind of emotional payoff that makes you want to hug the book when you're done.

The pacing is tight, the stakes are high, and the glimpses we get of the wider Psy-Changeling world? Pure catnip for longtime fans. Nalini knows exactly how to give you what you didn’t even know you needed.

Tropes:

✨ Paranormal shifter romance
💔 Second chance

🌌 rich world-building

🔥 quiet but powerful tension

While I haven't ever read a book by Nalini Singh and found it lacking, each book in this series feels more like it's dragging on.
However, I did enjoy this couple more than I have the past few. The MMC was a hunk for sure.
There was a weird sex scene with two other characters. I don't believe I have ever experienced that in another romance novel.

Atonement Sky is a quiet emotionally charged secord chance romance that tells a story of betrayal, forgiveness, and sacrifice. A shifter comes face to face with his past when help arrives to investigate a serial killer operating in his backyard and finds himself in the fight of his life to claim the mate he walked away from years ago.

Atonement Sky had a few old favorite characters come by as cameos, but for the most part, we had new people. Adam has been a backup player in some of the books surrounding SnowDancer and DarkRiver packs, when they needed scouts in the air. Though we’ve met J Class Psy before, I only remember Sophie, Nikita Duncan’s advisor and assistant. Atonement Sky opens with Eleri heading towards Raintree, Arizona, where Adam lives with his wing. But the two had met before, when Eleri had backed another J Psy by saying a certain person had not killed Adam’s father. It’s something that causes a lot of trouble between them. Also causing issues is Eleri’s psychic ability, to take memories from people to prove their innocence or guilt, and then broadcast it out to others. Her ability is starting to taking all her mental abilities to keep under wraps, under control. To keep from becoming lost in the memories of all of the criminals she’s read over the years. She’s made a pact with her three best friends to document and last as long as possible, and then when it starts to get to be too much, they would take their own life or the life of one of their friends if they became a danger to others. The mystery of this book is that Eleri is trying to locate one last serial killer, as that she’s the only one with the information to find him. She only tells Adam her full, real reason of her visit to Raintree and even enlists his wing’s help finding this person. It’s a race against time, once the killer knows she has come to his town. I am a huge fan of Ms Singh’s romantasy books, I live for each new installment of the Psy Changeling series!! And while this was good, and had all the important elements of a Psy Changeling book, it just wasn’t as amazing as Riley and Mercy’s book. I can’t really say what was missing for me, but there was just something making it in the lower half of the Psy Changeling books for me. But to be clear, that still puts it at least in the top 10% of my favorites. Because of the cameos and things mentioned from the past, this book should really be read in the order it was written. If you don’t mind missing a big chunk of back story, then jump on in! This was one that seems more out of the main timeline than in it. I loved all the characters, especially Adam’s female second wing. I still would give the book a 4.5/5 rating, because as I said, Ms Singh’s books are next level!!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Eleri Dias is a J-Psy (Justice) who is living out her final days. It was impossible for the Js to be completely silent when they constantly had to wade through the evilest minds in existence. It always led to multiple reconditionings which was detrimental to the Psy in question. Eleri’s shields are failing; she is already in a sensitive status barreling quickly towards exposed. Once she hits exposed, she will die a horrific death, one she hopes to cut off at the pass by self-terminating.

Eleri is spending the time she has left hunting down and exterminating serial killers. Her last case is the Sandman. He has tortured and killed innocent young women and he likes to play with Eleri, always sending her letters. She feels that he is based out of Raintree and has returned to hunt him down. However, she will have to face down her past to do it. The young changeling boy that she betrayed with her silence is now the wing leader of the falcon clan. And, he very well may kill her on sight.

Adam Garrett was only 18 years old when he met his mate. He was at the trial for the man who killed his parents. There was a J-Psy there to pull the memories of the man on trial, but they were all wrong. The memory had been twisted into a lie. Adam was devastated when his mate did nothing to correct this wrong. And, he hated his own mate from then on, and he hoped never to see her again. So, why is she on his home turf now?

And, when someone goes after Adam’s best friend, Eleri may be the only one who can save him. Can Adam look past his anger and let her try to help? What about a serial killer being so close to his clan? And, how will Adam feel if the mate he has turned his back on actually dies?

The changelings are my favorite species in the psy-changeling world. Of course, the Psy are the opposite, for me. Adam is the first falcon to be featured and I enjoyed seeing how different the winged species are. I did find it a little odd that everyone else in WindHaven had odd names and then there was Adam that was rather plain in comparison. Even Adam’s sister had an exotic name, so you would expect him to have one too.

This book took forever for me to get into. I found the build-up to be long and rather boring. And, when Adam and Eleri finally decided, they may want to get with the whole mate program, it was instant. I have a hard time believing Adam could switch from hate to love with the snap of his birdy little fingers. And, then they were in a fight for life that took up the rest of the book. I felt the way things happened, I didn’t really get a chance to fall in love with this couple. I think Adam is a great wing leader, always there for his clan and family, but I’m still undecided on his mate material. He was definitely a better mate by the end of the book, but the jury is still out overall.

I’m so sad that this was a changeling book and I didn’t like it as much as I had hoped. Do better, Adam!

Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh is the 9th book in her Psy-Changeling Trinity series. We meet J-Psy Eleri Dias, who knows her time is coming near, due to fatal psychic exposure. Eleri is determined face an old friend, whom she has not seen in over a decade, as she knew this haunted her over the years. Eleri is also on the path of a serial killer.

Falcon Adam Garrett is the Wing Leader of Windhaven, a flock of falcon changelings, and he is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. Adam and Eleri had met as teenagers; they knew they were destined to be mates. But a decade has passed, with Adam having no forgiveness for Eleri, who had betrayed him. To his shock, Eleri returns to help solve who in Windhaven could be the serial killer. At first Adam remains angry at Eleri, and tries to ignore her; as he has never been able to forget her. With evil stalking his territory, it will bring them both close together to find the killer.

As we reach close to the three quarters of the book, the Sandman killer is resolved, which brings the last quarter concentrating on saving Eleri, and her other 3 members of her family. With help from Sascha, Ashaya, Saoirse, Darkriver, Snowdancer, in searching for a cure for J-Psy, whose psychic shields are rapidly deteriorating. Eleri knew it was only a matter of time whether her failing psychic shields would lose her ability to 'feel'. I got a kick out of Dahlia and Bram falling for each other. I really loved that Eleri and Adam were so great together.

Nalini Singh once again gives us another wonderful story in Atonement Sky, which was so very well written by Nalini Singh, which has always been the norm. She never fails to captivate me with her engaging creative stories, fantastic plots, and seamless world building; wonderful couples in each and every story; super secondary characters and fantastic world-building. I loved every moment of Atonement Sky. As I have noted many times, if you have not read Nalini Singh, you are missing a gem of an author.

Nalini lives up to the promises made in earlier books by writing a delightful addition to the psy-Changeling series. This story follows a psy justice on the verge of dying but who still has one criminal to neutralize before she ends things. Her shields are failing and there’s no happy ending for her. Until a changeling falcon shows up willing to fight for her. It’s a wild ride, sometimes predictable but sweet.

FINAL DECISION: A dark, emotional, and satisfying second-chance romance, ATONEMENT SKY explores pain, guilt, and healing in the way only the Psy-Changeling series can. Eleri and Adam’s story delivers the emotional intensity and character depth that long-time readers crave, while still pushing the series-wide arc forward in meaningful ways.

THE STORY: Justice Psy Eleri Dias knows her time is almost up. Her shields are deteriorating, and psychic burnout is imminent. She travels to Raintree, Arizona, to track a serial killer—but also to confront the one man she’s never been able to forget. Adam Garrett, now wing leader of a group of falcon changelings, was once a teenage boy who opened her heart, and then lost everything. Their reunion is strained, as ten years of pain and misunderstanding sit between them, but the case forces them into close proximity. As they work to uncover a killer, they also unearth long-buried truths about what really happened in the past... and what they still mean to each other.

OPINION: Eleri and Adam had a connection from the start, but were torn apart by events neither could control. A decade later, that connection hasn’t faded, but has only been avoided by both of them. I appreciated that both characters had to change in order to reunite with each other. Adam’s shift from bitterness to open devotion is rewarding. Eleri, meanwhile, learns how to let herself feel again and to choose love, even at great cost.  Adam and Eleri both carry the weight of their past, and I liked that the book allowed them space to work through it. Nothing is easy between them. Adam has to face the consequences of his own assumptions, and Eleri has to reckon with choices she made at a time when she had very little power. I found their journey believable and compelling, especially as they slowly begin to trust each other again. There is real gentleness between them once they move past the anger. Adam and Eleri are sweet together after much pain from their past, and that tenderness gives the story its emotional weight.

The pacing of the book is especially well done. Just when things seem to be going right, the emotional and plot tension ramps up again. The romance unfolds alongside an ongoing murder investigation, and the mystery gives the story momentum. I liked how the case wasn’t just a backdrop. It ties into the broader Psy-Changeling world and ends up providing answers to lingering questions in the series. Singh strikes a strong balance here: the emotional core of the book is the relationship, but the external stakes raise the urgency and keep the story grounded in the larger series arc.

I also really liked that Sasha and Lucas (one of my favorite couples) make significant appearances. For a time, it felt like Singh was using the Trinity arc to move away from the original cast, but I’m glad to see more and more of the original crew returning in meaningful ways. It adds depth, continuity, and emotional weight for longtime readers. That’s especially true of Sophia and Max, whose presence in this book is not just background. They play a critical role, and in many ways, this book gives them a powerful second act. Their story is still unfolding, and I found their scenes just as compelling as the main arc.

WORTH MENTIONING: We finally get an in-depth look at a falcon-shifter clan. Their aerial lifestyle, cultural bonds, and protectiveness add a new dynamic to the changeling world.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ATONEMENT SKY is the ninth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, which continues the overarching Psy-Changeling storyline and is book twenty-four. While this book can be read on its own, readers will get more out of it with some background. BONDS OF JUSTICE (Psy-Changeling #8), which features Sophia as the heroine, offers important context and ties directly into her role here.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley in order to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Veena’s review of Atonement Sky (Psy-Changeling Trinity, Book 9) by Nalini Singh
Urban Fantasy published by Berkley 15 Jul 25

Eleri Dias has been reconditioned more times than is safe, her mind shredded, her personality all but erased, with one last task to complete before she can accept the quiet bliss of death. Capricious fate, of course, has other plans, bringing her face to face with Falcon Wing Leader Adam Garret on his home territory, the one person whom she owes a debt of atonement she can never repay.


Eleri had been a trainee learning how to behave in a court room giving testimony. Adam and his family were there to seek justice for the murder of his parents. The killer had strong connections to the council and was able to get a J Psy to alter the memories presented in court. Their first sweet, shy encounter lived on in both of them, even though the sweetness was erased by the bitterness of injustice.

Now, years later, fate has brought Eleri into Adam’s territory in search of a serial killer who is fixated on her, one last task she hopes to complete before her condition deteriorates to nothingness. When Adam’s second is shot and stuck between forms and then his niece becomes the latest victim of the killer, Eleri risks everything, including her sense of self, to save these pieces of Adam’s heart.

The story will grip your heart and emotions and never let go till the very end, as Adam finally stands up and recognizes what Eleri is to him and determines to fight with everything he is to save her and her family. Ms. Singh has once again delivers a winner you won’t be able to put down. Just make sure you have a lot of tissues close to hand for the tears you will shed for sure.

Grade: A

Wow, I really enjoy this author, Nalini Singh writes such sweepingly beautiful love stories with such a rich setting I was instantly transported. Atonement Sky is a heartfelt, engaging read with just the right mix of drama and emotion. The characters feel so real, the story flows- If you’re into stories about redemption and second chances, this one’s worth a read.

Justice Psy Eleri Dias knows she doesn’t have much time left with her mental shields collapsing, so she travels to Raintree, Arizona to following a serial killer’s trail and to make amends with the only man she’s ever loved a falcon-shifter, Adam Garrett. There’s a lot of hurt between Eleri and Adam, since his parents were killed and Eleri was caught between a dangerous situation and justice.

They work together as they hunt for a killer and are forced to confront the past.

Nalini’s Singh’s writing is captivating and beautiful, playful and sensual! I loved how Eleri was gathered into Adam’s clan, giving her family, love and protection. However, there’s a lot of intensity in Atonement Sky. Eleri and her Justice Psy “family” are at the brink of complete mental overload with no solution in sight. I always trust we’ll come to a happy ending by the end, though!

The Psy-Changeling series is original and addictive! It’s a blend of sci-fi and fantasy and Nalini Singh’s creative mind never fails to impress. It’s a long running series but I think you could read Atonement Sky without reading the previous books and enjoy it, but I’d recommend reading Silver Silence first, book one of the Trinity books, a sort of “season two” in the long-running series. There’s enough background there to understand the series more fully.

Atonement Sky was excellent. It's the 9th book in the Psy-Changelings series and follows the Falcon wing leader (alpha) Adam Garrett and Justice-Psi Eleri Dias.

With her shields failing, Eleri's hunt for a serial killer brings her back in the orbit of the only man she ever loved and the man she betrayed years ago.

As they work together to hunt a killer, they are forced to confront their past and the unresolved feeling between them.

The story was captivating, intense and emotional and I couldn't put it down. The story arc was a bit different from the rest of the series, in that I loved that the focus was on the avian shifters and the J-psy.

We got a great blend of romance, mystery, family and so much more. I loved that in the race to save the J's, different species and people were all working together. The last part of the novel had me in tears but I loved the ending. This was a fantastic addition to the series and I would definitely recommend it.

Atonement Sky continues the Psy-Changeling series and is always one of my most anticipated reads of the summer. This one features a J Psy (which we haven't seen much of in the past) and a Falcon changeling (also newer). So, the beginning was a bit slow as she had to establish the world. There hasn't been a book about J Psys in a long time (Since Bonds of Justice), so there was some need to revisit this less common Psy ability. Also, this is a new pack we are visiting as well, the WindHaven pack. We had to be introduced to the Falcons and their people, as well as their clan structure. Plus, we had to be introduced to the serial killer that Eleri is hunting as one of her last acts before she reaches "Exposure" and plans to kill herself.

Once the story gets going, I was more engaged. First, there is the serial killer they are hunting. Then you have the romance building between Eleri and Adam, despite their past. Then, you have the Falcon clan, which like all clans/packs/etc are always fun! The series has been building this death of the Psy-Net for awhile now, and you see how the impact is felt by the J Psys. While we don't get a resolution to the Psy-net issue, I think this is the first time in awhile it felt like there was hope and a possible path forward. Overall, Atonement Sky was a great read once it got going, and delivered everything I expect from my most anticipated book of the summer!

I am absolutely blown away by this part of the PsyChangeling Trinity series! I love that we finally get to learn more about Adam and the WindHaven clan!

Oh, this story is so exciting! There’s action, adventure, mystery, suspense, more mystery, and a second chance romance that’ll sweep you off your feet, literally!

We first met Adam in Branded By Fire (Psy-Changeling #6) and I have always been curious about him and his feathery clan of winged shifters. Adam’s been on the outskirts of the series making a few cameos here and there but now he finally gets the spotlight. His story is full of grief, perseverance, strength, and vengeance. Does he have room for forgiveness, too? Let’s find out!

Eleri is a Justice-Psy dangerously close to her expiration date. You see, Justice-Psy–or Js–as they’re often referred to, use physical touch to read the minds of accused criminals to obtain guilt or innocence. But walking in one’s mind has a huge drawback, the Js absorb the feelings and emotions that go along with those thoughts which have a negative impact on the Js and their mental shields. Mental shields are used by all Psy to protect themselves from others and to protect others from their minds and their psychic gifts.

To prevent the build up of emotions affecting the Js, they frequently undergo a reconditioning procedure that wipes them clean of these emotional experiences, leaving them with their functioning J abilities and not much else. Too many wipes and their shields rapidly start to deteriorate. And when their mental shields are gone, Js suffer a horrible death as they are swamped by the noise in their heads from years of exposure. Eleri’s got just enough time left to right a few wrongs and give justice to those long since denied.

Atonement Sky is amazing and full of so many surprises and few familiar faces from the series! I am so excited for everyone to read the book!

I absolutely loved it and I especially loved how the author respected the culture of the Diné (Navajo) indigenous people and how she beautifully threaded it into the story.

I highly recommend Atonement Sky and every book in the Psy-Changeling universe!

Where will Nalini Singh take us next? I don’t know but I’m here for it!

Another excellent book by this author. I really loved getting to know the avian changelings and having a main character be a justice psy made the detective mystery element extremely compelling. The new cast of.Psy character characters were engaging and interesting. I really enjoyed their dynamic. This book was a very emotional one in tone, pretty tragic in a lot of places. I cried several times throughout the book because the writing and the things the characters were going through was just so evocative.

Atonement Sky, the latest in Nalini Singh’s long running Psy-Changeling Trinity series goes where it has never gone before – to the skies. We’ve had leopards and wolves and bears (oh my!) and even taken to the water with the BlackSea Conclave but this is the first book in which we get an in depth look at a brand new changeling pack, WindHaven, made up of falcon changelings living in the desert in Arizona.

To say I was excited to dive into a brand new changeling pack is a bit of an understatement. I’ve been saying this for years that I wanted this series to explore different changeling packs because while I love the leopards and wolves and yes, those goofy bears, I love the idea of Nalini featuring some more unusual changeling packs in her series.

WindHaven is headed by Adam Garrett, who, much like the very first alpha hero of the series, Lucas Hunter, has been dealt a lot of loss and grief in his young life. His parents were killed a decade before the book starts and the Psy allowed his parents’ murderer to walk free. He blames them for that, and especially the J-Psy he met that day of the trial who he felt an immediate connection with until in his view, she betrayed him.

Justice Psy Eleri Dias is a walking time bomb. J Psy don’t have unlimited time given the sensitive nature of their highly specialized skills. What she does know is that in the limited time she has left on this planet, she wants to undo some past wrongs and solve a series of murders in which the murderer has targeted Eleri specially. The murders bring her right to Adam’s doorstep and neither has forgotten the other or the emotional pull between them.

Adam is struggling with his feelings of betrayal and Eleri, while apologetic about her past actions, is not looking for forgiveness. She is determined to finish one last job before its lights out for her.

As always, Nalini crafts a compelling story with two extremely complicated and engaging characters and a brand new pack of changelings who are all so intriguing that I definitely want books about all of them. (Cough, Jacques, cough, I really want his book). There’s that wonderful sense of found family that is prevalent throughout this whole series and what’s interesting in this book is that Eleri comes with her own found family, a group of 3 other Justice Psy who are all facing the end of their lives and have banded together and formed an unique bond due to the unusual nature of their skills and how it affects them on the psychic level.

I absolutely adored this story, once again, it had all the trademarks found in this series, a sense of family and community and togetherness while also giving us a glimpse into a whole new world of changlings who live much of their lives in the air.

The romance between Adam and Eleri is tumultuous at first and then heartbreakingly tender and loving. I don’t want to give too much away but if you’re into a nurturing, caretaking, protective hero who would do literally anything to save the woman he loves, then look no further than this book.

As an added bonus, there’s a secondary romance that pops up in the final third of the book that is also delightful and I hope Nalini further explores that relationship because I certainly wouldn’t mind reading at least a novella about that couple.

All in all, I loved this book, I wanted to parse it out but ended up staying up far too late in the night in order to keep reading about these falcons.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Psy-Changeling Trinity is the spin off series to Psy-Changeling. Overall, it is like one big series. I didn't and wouldn't read the later books without the foundation of the first series. Singh has a style which is a great blend of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Each book has a romantic couple and we get great development of those two characters as well as their family and friends. There is also an overall story arc, the urban fantasy part of her style, which carries on throughout the series.


I really enjoyed Atonement Sky! I always enjoy Psy characters and Changelings. We have Eleri who is a J Psy hunting down serial killers. She has deduced the killer must be based in Raintree, Arizona. It is the heart of the Windhaven falcon clan. She has some history with Adam the Wing leader.

Eleri has been reconditioned too many times, and seen too many horrible thoughts in criminals minds; she is numb to survive. Her own mind is losing all its shields and breaking. But she is attracted to Adam. Adam has known Eleri would be his, since they met when they were both young, at the trial of the man who killed both of his parents, ten years ago.

Now in his territory, Adam helps Eleri with her investigation. They spend time together and become closer. Adam's best friend and second, Jacques, is shot mid shift. It looks dire even with E Psy coming to help reach him, including Sasha Duncan. Eleri takes a turn at trying to reach him because of her connection with Adam. It drains her and she starts to deteriorate faster. Adam tries to mate with her but her mind won't allow it.

Just as she is going to leave her information for the rest of her team and commit suicide, Mali, Adam's niece is abducted by the killer. It's all hands on deck to search for her. As Eleri is viewing camera footage, she gets a call with instructions to do as she is told or Mali will die. Eleri does and is abducted herself, and drugged. Even when things are horrible, both Adam and Eleri are compassionate for others and try to help them.

The search gets more tense to find them both. When they do, Eleri is in bad shape having lost all her shields to being drugged. Now they must find a way to shield her mind once she awakens or the overwhelming sound of all the other minds will kill her or make her insane.

I loved the mystery and investigation for the serial killer. I loved the changeling community and its family and support for all of them. I loved the science of how the Psy and Changeling skills work and the ways to heal and support them. I appreciated some updates on the overall world and characters I know and love.

As usual, Nalini Singh gives us great diversity and characters. She inspires hope and dreams when things seem the most dire. All of this provides an emotional journey; I cried seeing how hard everyone worked and what they were able to achieve. I am always ready to read more in this world.

Atonement Sky is the ninth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series and the twenty-fourth novel set in the Psy-Changeling universe overall. I’m not sure just how many of those books you would need to read in order to understand this one, but I do know you can’t start here. Most of the world-building was done in the early books of the Psy-Changeling series, and this one will make no sense without that information.

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias is dying. She is determined to spend the short time she has left hunting down a serial killer called The Sandman. He’s been sending her taunting little notes, teasing her with the fact that law enforcement is far off base in how they are hunting for him. Since Eleri is essentially retired and awaiting her demise, she decides to follow a clue others believe is a dead end. There have been no murders in Raintree, AZ; none of the victims were from the area, but the city sits at the center of all the body dumps. She believes the killer wasn’t focused on the location of the kill nor the women he murdered, but on logistics – how long it takes him to get to and from home to wherever he builds the elaborate memorials that enshrine his prey.

The only problem is, Raintree is the home of Adam Garrett, a falcon changeling who rightly believes that Eleri participated in a miscarriage of justice during the trial of his parents’ murderer many years ago. Since he is the head of the Changeling clan that controls Raintree, she must work with him to have any hope of success.

As the leader of his tribe, Adam is fiercely protective of his community. He has long resented Eleri’s role in letting his parents’ killer go free, but her logic is sound, and her facts all add up. After a single conversation with her, he’s open to the idea that the Sandman lives and works among the people who call Raintree home. Any doubt he has is erased when one of his second wing commanders is shot and the local sheriff suffers a mysterious, potentially deadly, ailment, all within twenty-four hours of Eleri’s arrival. The Sandman is clearly trying to make it hard for the shifters and local police to hunt him.

Adam may not trust Eleri’s integrity, but he is confident of her skills in the field and knows he will have to work with her to bring this killer to justice. But he’s scared, not so much for his own life as he is for his heart. He’s had faith in this woman, in her honesty and compassion, once before, had started falling for her the minute he met her, but all that was destroyed the moment she lied under oath and let a killer go free. He can’t help but wonder if he can trust her now, or if his undeniable attraction to her will cloud his judgment, both about the case and about his own feelings.

With the clock ticking on Eleri’s life, she must use every tool available to bring the Sandman to justice. But will she be able to treat Adam as just another tool in her arsenal? Or will her frozen heart finally awaken in this desert landscape, just as any hope for a better future she ever had is ending?

If you’ve stayed with a series for over twenty books, you are clearly a fan, and fans will recognize all the elements of this novel. Adam is your typical Alpha leader: protective, caring, paternal, but stern, a strong fighter, and a great friend and lover. Eleri is your typical damaged psy. Beneath the surface is a warm, caring woman, but the Silence protocol she was raised under has stripped her of almost all of her personality and sense of self. Only Adam and her three close Justice colleagues can breach the ice that has layered over the heart of who she is.

As always, Adam and his Changeling clan all live in a close conclave, with people having private living areas around a central hub where everyone gathers to eat or hang out. This enables us to meet a lot of Falcon Changelings and get a feel for how they live and work. Which is exactly like most of the other Changeling clans we’ve met.

And as always, the tale is full of hyperbolic moments. No one can fix Eleri’s health until voilà! it is suddenly curable. No one can handle X problem until voilà! Eleri manages it. This world is replete with insurmountable difficulties that our hero and heroine inevitably surmount. It’s pretty much par for the course for every instalment.

The serial killer case doesn’t involve much solid policing (I knew who it was by the first quarter of the book, despite the red herring thrown at us). It simply serves as an impetus for Eleri and Adam to get together. This is pretty much insta-love, so there’s not a lot of relationship building. I did like them together – both are strong, honorable people with a heart for others. There just isn’t a lot of time for them to have the small, sweet moments that turn two people into a couple.

In fairness, Singh has a lot to cover in her books. There are numerous guest appearances (Sascha, Naya, Ashaya, Dorian, Max, and Sophia, to name but a few), as well as the ongoing socio-political narratives that comprise the overarching plot of the Psy-Changeling universe. Among those, we touch briefly on the problems with the Psy-Net here and do a deep dive into psy-shields. We also get a look at the relationships the heroes/heroines of previous novels are building between the Psy, humans, and Changelings as well as discovering a dangerous new gradient among the Psy.

After spending so much time in the Psy-Changeling world, it is comforting to encounter so much that is predictable and similar in Atonement Sky. It’s like going to a fast food restaurant and picking up your go-to order. You aren’t looking for something unique; you just want the delight of the expected. However, that is also a weakness, since this isn’t a standout in the long line of stories that make up this saga, nor will it ever work as a standalone. But if you’re a fan looking for your usual dose of escapism, Atonement Sky will be perfect for you.