Book Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Book: NIGHTSHADE
Author: ANDREA CREMER
Genre: YA PARANORMAL ROMANCE/ FANTASY

Published: October 2010, PHILOMEL


I received this book for free at BEA

From Good Reads:
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
Twitter
Shay Doran's Shadow Days Blog
Shay Doran Facebook fan page
Shay Doran Youtube web series

Advance Review: Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

Book: LOW RED MOON
Author: IVY DEVLIN
Genre: YA FANTASY/ PARANORMAL ROMANCE


I received this ARC from the author, Ivy Devlin
Picture courtesy of Good Reads

Review
Avery Hood is alive, while her parents are dead. What haunts her the most about the night of their death is that she can't remember a thing. As Avery tries to adjust to living without her beloved parents, she feels compelled to explain the deadly flash of silver that she saw that night. As Avery tries to adjust to living with her estranged grandmother, she must stop the town that she calls her home, from destroying the house that holds her heart.

Then, Ben enters her life. She is drawn to him, and he to her. But, Ben is not wholly human. His secret could destroy the tentative trust that Avery has given to him. His secret could explain the horrible death that her parents suffered. The woods whisper to Avery that a killer is close, in more ways than one.

LOW RED MOON is a great paranormal debut for Ivy Devlin. She writes about the relationship and connection that Avery has to the woods, though it is ultimately there, just outside of her house -her home- that her parents perish. This appealed to me. Even though, she could have become bitter and vengeful at the turn of events, Avery is even more drawn to the mysteries of the forest. She fights to keep the town from destroying everything that her parents built.

At its heart, LOW RED MOON is a paranormal romance. On the back cover, Ben is outed as a werewolf, so I felt that the mystery surrounding who and what he is was drawn out a little longer than necessary. At the same time, I really enjoyed the spooky and captivating writing that kept the novel seeming almost more murder mystery than fantasy.

3.5/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4/5 for language
My Rating: 11.5/15 Highly Recommend
Bonus Cover Points: 3/5 (Finished cover displayed)

A Flash Of Fiction: Day One (JUNE)

Book: CHANGELESS
Author: GAIL CARRIGER
Genre: PARANORMAL ROMANCE/HISTORICAL ROMANCE/STEAMPUNK


I received this book from my local public library
Picture courtesy of Good Reads

Overview:
Lady Maccon (nee Alexia Tarabotti) makes a return appearance in CHANGELESS, a follow-up to SOULLESS by Gail Carriger. In this novel, Lady Alexia discovers that almost the whole of London's supernaturals (the vampires and werewolves) are suddenly human. What could have caused such a thing to occur?

Lord Maccon, Alpha werewolf for the London pack, finds himself unable to change form also, after sneaking off to Scotland. Lady Alexia finds that she must trouble herself to follow her husband, in order to discover the reason for the abundance of humanity all around her.

Of course, returning to her husband's old pack, also means that she has to meet the in-laws, such as they are. But, Alexia tries to handle herself with as much aplomb as possible while fending off the amorous advances of both her husband, and their mysterious guest, Madame Lefoux. While ignoring the animosity from Lord Maccon's previous pack members, uncovering vampire secrets, and engaging in such entertainment as unwrapping a decades-old mummy, Lady Alexia provides as much delightful entertainment in CHANGELESS, as she did in SOULLESS!


I Liked -- Plot: I did enjoy reading about the development in Lady and Lord Maccon's personal relationship, as well as the mystery that they are charged in solving. But, the stronger steampunk elements in this second novel were what appealed most strongly to me. I was really interested in hearing about the aethographor that played a seminal part in the plot. And, after Alexia's adventures "floating", I found it hard not to imagine jumping at the chance to take part in a dirigible ride, if the occasion should ever come to be!

I Liked -- Character: Though he didn't have as large an involvement in CHANGELESS as he did in SOULLESS, Professor Lyall remains one of my favorite characters, so far in the series. He is the perfect foil to Lord Maccon's rather brash, rowdy, so very werewolf personality. Carriger describes Lyall as being much less imposing, as a man, than her own husband. However, even the most unassuming man can be a fearsome werewolf.


My Rating: 12.5/15 Highly Recommend

Book Review: Raised By Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Book: RAISED BY WOLVES
Author: JENNIFER LYNN BARNES
Genre: YA PARANORMAL/SUSPENSE

I received this advance copy at BEA2010
Picture courtesy of Good Reads

Review
At age four, Bryn Clare watched as her parents were brutally murdered, by a werewolf. She was spared the horrible death. And then she was raised in the werewolf pack of the Alpha that saved her life.

Now fifteen, Bryn has come into her own. She is stubborn, strong, and can defend herself against...well, wolves. She's found her place as a human amongst the animals. Or so she thinks. She does more acting on instinct than thinking things through. And, when Bryn makes an oath to her Alpha, the consequences of disobeying are unthinkable.

When she meets Chase, a wolf who wasn't born, but made, Bryn realizes that her life is about to change. Defying their Alpha, leads Bryn to more pain than she could ever imagine... and a catastrophic discovery. Bryn and Chase will be forced to take on one of the most dangerous wolves anyone has ever faced. But, what may lay on the other side, is a new future for the two.

Right from the beginning, the reader is able to deduce that Bryn has a fairly unique position within the werewolf pack. And, it's not just because she is human, but rather she can only be held to certain rules that govern the pack; because she is pack, but not really pack.

The relationship, or romance between Bryn and Chase does not overtake the novel. In fact, it is really secondary to all of the danger that the two face, once they realize the other werewolves' plan for a dangerous rogue. And then, once they decide to take on the rogue themselves.

What really struck me about RAISED BY WOLVES was the thread of pack throughout the novel. Not just pack, as the group of werewolves, but pack as the thing that holds the wolves together. Pack, as the theme of how the wolves govern themselves. Pack, as the family, the friends. Pack, as the utter meaning behind who and what the werewolves are.

RAISED BY WOLVES is a truly great read. This novel is one of the best written werewolf books that I have ever read. Jennifer Lynn Barnes takes the genre to a whole new level. She raises the bar for any book about werewolves that I will ever read in the future. Period.

5/5 for plot
5/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

My Rating: 14.5/15 Must Read
Bonus Cover Points:4/5

EXAMINED: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Book: SOULLESS
Author: GAIL CARRIGER
Genre: STEAMPUNK/PARANORMAL ROMANCE/HISTORICAL ROMANCE


This book is from my local library
Picture courtesy of Good Reads


EXAMINATION
Gail Carriger has reimagined the Victorian era to include vampires, werewolves, and the soulless. Her female main character, Miss Alexia Tarabotti, belongs in this third category. She is otherwise known as the preternatural; vampires and werewolves being supernatural.

Miss Tarabotti suffers some of the worst difficulties that may plague a woman in her time. Namely, being a spinster, Italian and soulless. So, of course, she is quite surprised and put out when a ravenous vampire attempts to attack her, whilst she has tea. One of the very few that can ward off the supernatural by returning them to their human state with skin contact, it seems quite a mystery why she would be the chosen victim of a vampire.

This mystery kicks off the story in SOULLESS. Miss Tarabotti is joined by Lord Maccon of the BUR (Bureau of Unnatural Registry), who also happens to be the local werewolf Alpha. Together they will have to navigate the best of London's society to find out why werewolves and vampires are going missing. Aided by Lord Maccon's Beta and the vampire Lord Akeldama, Alexia sets off to prove that she is not involved in the recent disappearances.

I had seen this book in the bookstore many times before I even picked it up. Then, I read the back cover several times. Each time, I passed on the novel, for one superficial reason or another. Finally, I decided that I was going to read it. (Mostly, because I had a craving for something steampunk, but I wanted something a little lighter than the usual steampunk fare.)

The first sentence, though rather simple, really drew me in. I couldn't stop reading. I couldn't stop laughing. But most of all, I couldn't stop rooting for the heroine, Miss Alexia Tarabotti. She does an admirable job of warding off the undesirables with her parasol. That includes the wax-faced man who seems intent on her death, and her odious mother, a great parody of the 'proper' Victorian woman.

Her relationship with Lord Maccon has a decidedly scandalous nature to it, for the Victorian time. Carriger has written these scenes very well. After all, Miss Tarabotti is well past the age of expecting marraige; therefore, she has more freedom than the average woman. And she doesn't expect to trap Lord Maccon. Also, considering that werewolves, vampires and dirigibles are a part of everyday life, one can forgive the sexual encounters of the two, which (mostly) happen in private. 

Because I tend to read fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance, I am used to reading about vampires and werewolves. But, SOULLESS had a new take on the phenomenon. She manages to seamlessly incorporate the supernatural into known historical events (such as the rise of the British Empire) and create a reasonable explanation for their existence.

What I really liked about Carriger's novel was all of the different strings that she brought together to tell the story. There is the historical aspect to the novel. There is steampunk. There is paranormal romance. And somehow, they coexist with humor for a really absorbing read.

My Examination Results:
3/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
3.5/5 for language


10.5/15 Recommend