Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Publisher: Philomel (October 19, 2010)
Paperback: 528 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating: 5 of 5 feathers
Source: Purchased
Publisher: Philomel (October 19, 2010)
Paperback: 528 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating: 5 of 5 feathers
Source: Purchased
While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all.
REVIEW: This is another book I bought simply because of the cover. Honestly, I was over werewolves at this point, and I was pretty sure the only werewolf stories I wanted to read were the sequels to books I’d already read. However, I couldn’t resist having such a beautiful cover on my bookshelf (yes, I know. I’m shallow. J ) Anyway, since I bought it, I decided to give it a go. And I couldn’t put it down. I actually read it in one sitting, pretty much. Minus the obligatory self-care times. ; )
REVIEW: This is another book I bought simply because of the cover. Honestly, I was over werewolves at this point, and I was pretty sure the only werewolf stories I wanted to read were the sequels to books I’d already read. However, I couldn’t resist having such a beautiful cover on my bookshelf (yes, I know. I’m shallow. J ) Anyway, since I bought it, I decided to give it a go. And I couldn’t put it down. I actually read it in one sitting, pretty much. Minus the obligatory self-care times. ; )
It started off with a bang and didn’t let up until it was over and had me begging for the next book! Every one knows, I love me a good love triangle and Andrea did a great job with this one. I’d compare it to the one in Personal Demons, except I know their crit. Partners so that’s probably why. LOL. While I do know I prefer Shay over Ren, it was a close call. They were just so hard to choose between. Especially toward the end when Ren started showing his true feelings and not that of what was expected of him.
It starts off with the suspense of Calla (the MC) running into a hiker in the woods who is badly injured. She’s in wolf form, so we aren’t sure what she’s going to do. Kill the hiker boy? Or save him. Since it’s already stated in the blurb what happens, I’ll say she saves him, and, in turn, shows him what she really is. She thinks it’ll end there, until he shows up at her school the next school day and is determined to get to know her better.
There was a great romantical element of the book and the characters couldn’t keep their hands off each other. While I do like those kinds of things, they have to be done well to be enjoyable. Most YA books steer clear of this, but not here and Andrea does an excellent job of showing it without overkilling it.
The only negative I saw was that Calla was supposed to be the alpha female, completely in control of her pack, but she didn’t seem that alpha until the end. She doesn’t know certain things about her brother and her best friend that I was sure she should have, being their alpha and all. And while she does stand up to Ren a few times, it felt like it was only for show. I understand that she was filled with indecision about certain things, but I felt I should see the alpha in other parts of her life and I didn’t really see it as much as I wanted (this is just a personal pref. BTW, others probably feel differently).
Otherwise, this is def. a must read for anyone, even those who don’t normally read the paranormal genre, but love a good romance. Though I will say, that if you don’t normally like romances, this probably isn’t the read for you. There is a LOT of it in here. And while I don’t think it took away from the book, I love me a good romance.
Characters: All of the characters were strongly developed and I enjoyed them very much. We’ll start with Calla, since she’s the MC. She had a lot of great qualities. She was strong, sweet, relatable and had a heart of gold. Shay was just awesome. Honestly I couldn’t find a single fault in him, though if I re-read it a few time, I probably could if I looked hard enough. LOL. And Ren? He was the perfect flawed alpha male. Loved every bit of him, too, even if I wanted to strangle him a few times. Like in the dance club. WTH was that Ren? :D
Cover: As I mentioned before this was the reason I purchased this book. It’s perfect and beautiful. Stunning really. With the frosted purple look and the girl that fits Calla perfectly. Plus the obviousness of the Calla lilies (my favorite flower, in case you were interested.), and the blood drops in them. Absolutely perfect!
Honestly, this was probably in my top ten books I read in 2010. I cannot rave about this book enough. So just go out and buy it, will ya? LOL. You won’t be disappointed.
Find Andrea Cremer
Andrea Cremer / Blog / Twitter
Purchase Bad Girls Don't Die
