Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Author: Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Atom

Page Count: 480 pages, Paperback

Date Published: July 26th 2011 (first published October 19th 2010)

Find it on Goodreads: Nightshade

Source: Purchased

Rating:  4.25/5

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 Thoughts: Wow. This book pulled me in from the first page and I was hooked the entire way through.

I went into this book knowing it was loved by many and having no idea what I would think about it. I really didn't have very many expectations for it, good or bad. I found my copy at a little book shop in Galway, Ireland for €4, thought "why not?" and it's been sitting on my bookshelf ever since. I picked it up the other day, read the first page, and could not. Put. It. Down. Cremer's first chapter was action packed from the first sentence, with Calla rescuing Shay, the human boy, from a grizzly bear. After that one scene, there was hardly a dull moment in the book. Considering the fact that it is almost 500 pages, it was a really quick read for me, because I read it all in almost one sitting. I did not move from the couch for over two hours, flipping page after page, wanting to know what would happen next.

This book definitely deals with some love-triangle stuff, but it's a bit different. Calla, the seventeen year old female alpha, is destined to marry Ren, the young male alpha of an opposing pack, and form their own pack together. And then Shay walks into the picture and everything changes. Calla is completely conflicted between her loyalty to her pack and her fate, and what her heart wants. This love triangle really bothered me, because it was a teeter-totter the entire book. One moment Calla was really into Shay, and then pushing him away, then she was snapping at Ren to give her space, the next minute she was melting in his arms, and so on. I personally liked Ren. Not at first, because well, I know how these things work. It's always the forbidden love that ends up winning the girl, thus I decided to try and not get too attached to Ren, as I knew he wouldn't be the choice Calla would end up with. Bad move, Kristy. While Ren was hot-tempered and at times really and truly irritating, he also cared for Calla a lot and wanted to protect her with all his heart. Then there was Shay. I didn't really get too invested in Shay. I found him a bit... off. There were just so many things that I found a bit irritating about him and I just don't think he was my type, at all. But in other ways I did really like him. I FELT LIKE CALLA! I couldn't decide between Ren and Shay!

Here's some John Green to help express my frustration.

I'm going to try and move on from the boy part of the book, before I get too caught up into it.There was so much going on in this book, but in a good way! I absolutely adored the young packmates. While they were still kids, we got to see them grow in the book and learned quite a bit about each of them. I loved Ansel, Calla's brother. I always have a thing for the brothers, for some reason. He was super sweet and protective of Calla and a bit of a hopeless romantic when it came to Bryn, Calla's best friend. Then there were Neville and Mason. Their relationship both melted and broke my heart at the same time. I desperately hope they will end up happily together!

Annnd some Kingsley

THEN finally, there was all of the unique lore that went with this book. It was so intriguing! We don't find out a lot until around page 100-150ish, but when we finally do, it's worth the wait. There was so much detail put into the background of the Guardians and the Keepers. I loved learning about Calla's world... Definitely one of the most interesting 'werewolf' stories I've ever read! Their little town of Vail had an interesting dynamic with how the hierarchies were. Keepers --> Guardians --> Humans. I found it really interesting how the author made the reader truly feel the fear that bled off of the humans when the Guardians were around. And then there were all of the inner ranks within the Guardians, which were also really neat to read about. I loved so much about this book!

I'd recommend this book to anyone over 12. There are quite a few implications of sex, although the only thing that happens is some kissing, as well as a bit of alcohol references. Overall, this was an incredible book that kept me reading late into the night. I loved it and cannot wait to read the next book!

Happy reading!
~Kristy