As I re-read this series, I realize that Nalini Singh had planned well into the future of the series as she wrote the first book. Things I didn't remember being in the first book, people and events that set us up for things that happen several books away, are in the first book. I wouldn't have known that on a first reading, but now, as I'm re-reading the series, it's quite obvious.
With all of the paranormal romances floating around these days, the Psy-Changelings series is a truly unique series, with fantastic and unique world building.
In the first book of the series, Slave to Sensation, we first meet the psy, and the changelings. We start the series with the leopard Alpha's story. Most series would build us up to the Alpha, but starting with Lucas was perfect, what a great way to meet and understand the Changelings.
There are several threads running through Slave to Sensation, two major threads are resolved by the end of the book, but other threads last through multiple books.
Here's the blurb:
Dive into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind—and none of the heart…
In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”— the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was….
Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…
As for my usual rundown: plot is excellent, pacing is well done. Prose is beyond beautiful and dialogue is natural and flows well with the story. Character development is a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, and I've already talked about how great the world building is in this story.
I can easily give Slave to Sensation a 10 of 10. The series is at a 10 of 10 after book 7, so I'll keep it there as I re-read each of the books in the series.
Book Rating: Slave to Sensation: 10 of 10
Series Rating: Psy-Changelings: 10 of 10
Here are the books in the series:
(11/2/10) 
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I really enjoyed my first foray into Nalini Singh. Her style of writing definately draws the reader in. I really liked the fact that even though this was the series starter she decided not to make the book more about explaining the world and focused on the characters. The way that the minds of the characters works in the world provided for the explanation of the world itself. It was a very interesting and reader friendly way of bring the reader inside the book
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