Author: ANDREA CREMER
Genre: YA PARANORMAL ROMANCE/ FANTASY
Published: October 2010, PHILOMEL
I received this book for free at BEA
Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?
My Review:
Nightshade was such a fantastic read! Kudos to Andrea Cremer for creating a novel so layered and interesting that I had to keep turning the pages. From the very beginning I adored the idea that she was telling the story of a werewolf pack leader that was a girl. Truly a girl, because Calla is still in high school, yet she has all the makings of a strong Alpha...well, anything. An Alpha woman. An Alpha werewolf.
This is why I thought that Calla was a really great character. She is the unarguable leader of the Nighshade pack, but now it is time for a new pack to emerge, and with that, Calla will have to cede much of her power to her male counterpart, Ren. How this is going to come about is a great read, and a great ride.
Deference is clearly not a word that Calla uses on a regular basis. The societal mores of the NIGHTSHADE characters and lives are revealed throughout the pages, but never was it more clear the part that Calla would have to play, in a scene where Calla goes head-to-head with her mother. And, gets schooled too. As my dad used to say to me, diplomacy is the art of letting the other person get your way. As strong as Calla is in her anger and protectiveness, her mother is just as strong in the way that she handles the other Alphas that surround her. Though she may seem meek, she is never cowed.
And, this is exactly why I loved NIGHTSHADE so much. There's so much more to it than just being another YA werewolf novel. There's more to it than the "triangle" that is created between Calla, Ren and Shay. It's about following a pre-planned destiny versus letting something new take hold of your heart. And as Calla uncovers more and more about the history of the Guardians because of Shay's research, she finds that everyone has their own version of historical events, and it's time for her to stand up and find out the truth, instead of letting it be told to her. Again, I say kudos to Andrea Cremer for her amazing book.
4.5/5 for plot
5/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language
My Rating: 14/15 Must Read
Follow the links below to find out more information on the author and her books:
Andrea Cremer website
Bio
Blog
Shay Doran's Shadow Days Blog
Shay Doran Facebook fan page
Shay Doran Youtube web series
Calla was a really great character to read!
ReplyDeleteBrandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
Ooo good review, I'm not usually a wolfie reader, but you've got my interest. High rating too!
ReplyDeleteNice!
Leigh
Great review! I totally agree - this book was so complex and rich!
ReplyDeleteThanks ladies!
ReplyDeleteTruthfully this wasn't a hard review to write because I was really immersed in the book. Calla's a terrific character, and the story comes off much stronger than just a paranormal romance.