I was excited to read a book with a protagonist from Windhaven as we've heard about them frequently, but the interaction has always been minimal. That said, for the first bit of reading, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book at all given Adam's attitude. But I never should have doubted Nalini Singh. She knocks it out of the park as always and moves the Psy and human development forward seemingly without trying.

I love Nalini Singh. Love, love, love her. I can’t say enough good things about her and her books. I recommend her to any and everyone that asks me for book recs. That said, something has changed for me. I don’t know if it’s me as a reader that has changed, or if her writing has changed. It could be a combination of both. It’s not that this wasn’t a good book. It was. It just wasn’t spectacular and that’s what I’ve come to expect since I first read Slave to Sensation all those years ago. So it was disappointing, but I feel like it’s a me problem, not a her problem.

Adam of WindHaven has been around here and there throughout the series. He never really made an impression on me, tbh. He just wasn’t memorable to me. I was excited when I read the synopsis because I knew that Nalini would make him something special. And he was. Adam was a great hero that owned up to his mistakes and was very in tune with his feelings and family.

As for Eleri, I didn’t love her, but I didn’t hate her either. The J designation has been my least favorite in the Psy-Changeling world since it was first introduced. I don’t know what it is. I didn’t love Max & Sophia’s book, though I do love the peek back into their lives and how they are intertwined with Nikita Duncan. There was just something with Eleri that didn’t resonate with me, which made me sad but you can’t win them all. I also feel like the smut factor has very much been reduced in the past few years and I love a good smut story.

So while I didn’t love this book, it was still good and I would say it’s worth the read and purchase.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.

i am... disappointed. i loveeeee the psy changeling series and have been known to get excited over cover releases and stay up very late to finish the books when they first release. the character development on this one was pretty mid in my opinion - it felt like 1/4 of the book eleri was icy remote psy vibes and adam wasn't having it before WHABAM? there didn't feel like there was nearly enough time between them to really have me believe in their relationship, no moments where i'd be able to go back and pinpoint moments of the blossoming of their togetherness. i can think of sascha's last dream sequence with lucas, or sienna dancing with hawke, or payal going to canto even on the edge of flameout, but nothing here until very far into the plot.

normally i'm more into the romance than the world building, but i found the world buidling to be the most interesting part of this one. the solution at the end and the falcons' home felt so creative.

i will also say, nalini does a great job at incorporating other cultures into her books; this one included bits and bobs of diné culture and language, and i could imagine how the way that navajo nation / the canyon / rocks were really woven into the background of this book.

aside from more eleri/adam moments for connection in the first half of the book, i also found myself having a hard time connecting with eleri's found family. i am a suckerrrr for a good found family cast (aka i am satisfied with crumbs), but there's almost no time with eleri and the quatro , or even eleri with the other members of adam's pack. i looked up some of the page lengths of the trinity books i feel have better connections all around (main couple plus pack/friend time with the main characters) and they all have similar lengths to this one?? so why didn't we get good moments here ;___; we got one cute kiddo/eleri moment one not so cute teen/eleri moment but that's it sigh

An amazing addition to this series!

I'll admit I wasn't excited about a Windhaven book. We met Adams as a younger man and well he wasn't memorable. But this book changed my mind quickly. Adams has matured into an amazing wing leader! He's protective and adorable with the little ones. Love Ollie! He's a little falcon that like to land on arms! So cute.

I'm so glad to meet Adam and get to know his clan. I love the Falcons!

The canyon is amazing and the home they make there so very changeling. Their struggles tore at my heart because this book brings the feels. There are several characters I will need more information about. I'd love to see a couple of characters have their own books.

Then there are characters I know from Darkriver and Snowdancer. I so love seeing them on the page. Sascha brought a new E on the page. His name is Hanz and his heart is so large and tender. I admired his determination. Hope we see him again.

The world that Singh has built over the years is great. It's expanded and grown to meet the characters whose stories we hear about. I have enjoyed every story in it with a few favorites. Atonement Sky is one of those favorites. It brings just a little bit more. Tangled in the story is a serial murderer that Eleri is trying to find before her shields give out. I love the added mystery that the author does such a great job adding. Lots of little puzzles pieces that kept me guessing as the pages turned. Such a fun and enjoyable read!

If you're a Psy-Changeling fan, don't miss this one.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC for this book (thanks Berkley!) and am glad to say I enjoyed it very much! There's still some tightening up that I think they can do before publication, but regardless, I loved FINALLY getting a story about bird shifters and seeing more vigilante Js (totally my jam!) I appreciated the furthering of the overall storyline and loved the two main characters. I even cried as they worked through things as individuals and as a couple. I also really loved the secondary Bram and wished there was more of his story interwoven, but at least he got a HEA!
Final opinion: solid addition to the series and definitely enjoyable reading. Thank you Nalini Singh for helping me escape reality for a little while! I appreciate you!

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias knows the end is near for her, her mind one step away from fatal psychic exposure. In the short time that remains, she is determined to atone for an act of omission that has haunted her for a long, cruel decade. But that decision not only means facing a powerful changeling wing leader, but also putting herself in the path of a serial killer.

Falcon wing leader Adam Garrett is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. After losing his parents as a teenager in a shocking act of malice, Adam has no forgiveness in him for the J-Psy who betrayed him, betrayed them, at the most painful moment of his life. But the evil that stalks his territory will allow him no respite, forcing him once more into contact with the J he has never been able to forget.

Everything that could've been between Eleri and Adam was lost years ago, a shimmering promise crushed. As they work to uncover a monster, the moment of reckoning looms ever closer. Soon, there may be no more time left for either atonement...or love...

This book was so fun. I read it in a day lots of romance a little suspense. Leads with dark tragic pasts. Nalini Singh at her best per usual. I love the psy-changling series and recommend it to anyone who likes romance fantasy or romance science fiction because is a little bit of both.