Book Review : Wolfsbane

Book: Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2)
Author: Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Philomel
Date Published: July 26, 2011
Pages: 400
Source: ARC Tour
Date Read: May 8, 2011

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended–Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer–one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack–and the man–she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Summary Taken from Goodreads

Yani's Review:

Do not read without reading Nightshade first, unless you want to be spoiled!

I am a huge fan of Nightshade. I love Calla I love Ren, and I love the world building with the turmoil of the guardian/searchers/keepers. And with this book I love them all even more! Even Shay! I have divided this post into sections about what stood out to me the most in this book, I won’t talk too much about plot because I don’t want to give anything away. And trust me it gets really good!

Writing:

My favorite thing about the series is Andrea’s writing. She doesn’t hold back the cuss words or the sexual stuff it pertains to the story. She is a sex positive writer (see what that means here ) Some people may have problems with the cuss words, but if a guy is angry at a girl he doesn’t particularly like, of course he is going to call her a bitch. No matter how degrading that is, it is what really happens, especially in a time of extreme emotional anger and Andrea really understands that.

Also, being that this is the second book in the series, the reader may have forgotten some important parts of the first book. Andrea does a great job writing it into the story without boring the reader or being too detailed.

Team Ren vs Team Shay:

Calla is still unsure where her heart lies. Although she gave up everything to be with Shay she is still thinking about Ren (Yes!). I am a totally Team Ren girl, but I gotta say that Shay really grew on me in this book. He is not longer the helpless human we first met. He is a guardian inside and out and will do anything for Calla.

My heart is torn like hers, because in the end I wish she could choose them both... Only time will tell.

Worldbuilding/Action:

There was sooooo much new information and new characters and while I loved them all, it was a bit overwhelming. So much so that it did take me a while to read this book. It might be because of the book high I was on after reading Divergent or the fact there was so much new backstory and the plot was moving really quickly that this is probably the lonest it has taken me to read a book I was dying to read.

I really loved this book, and while I debated between giving it a five or four star rating, I picked five because I really couldn’t see the book being any other way. I am even more excited to see where this is going with all the new information and new characters that I am as invested in as the original ones.

Ratings:

Plot: 4/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 5/5

Similar Titles:

Review: Nightshade (Deux)

Book:Nightshade
Author:  Andrea Cremer
Publisher:Philomel
Release Date: October 19, 2010
Pages: 452
Source: Kindle Purchase
Date Read: March 23, 2011

Summary:
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?

Yani's Analysis:
Apparently werewolves are starting to become a favorite of mine, which is funny considering I was a HUGE Edward/vampire fan in Twilight, and because of that I stayed away from werewolf books for a while. But Nightshade is different, in fact the wolves of nightshade are not even werewolves, but Guardians who take the form of wolves to protect and serve the Keepers. They whole back story was one of the things that kept me reading, these Guardians really believe in duty and their life mission of protected the Keepers (even the evilish ones). And the Keepers treat them as pets. You can tell no one has ever questioned this because of their duty... until Calla meets Shay.

Calla is one of the strongest yet realistic female characters I have read. She is an alpha and while she doesn't back down from most things, including her alpha partner to be Ren, it takes her a while to build the courage to question her loyalty to the Keepers and all she has ever known about her own world. Slowly, with the help of Shay a human boy, she learns the truth about her world and for the first time ever she has to make a choice.

Back to Ren, I think this is the first time I have ever liked the #2 guy (guy who will probably lose in the love triangle situation) more than the guy she is clearly meant to be with. I hope I am wrong about this. Usually you can tell, even when the main character loves both, who she loves the most. But Ren was fantastic character, with all these layers.Shay was great too, a cute nerdy type that loved to read. There was a part in the book where philosophy was discussed and you can tell Andrea did her research. I mean guys actually discussing philosophical geniuses and ideas...definitely HOT!

Some people had problems with the sexual nature of Calla's relationship with the boys, but I didn't mind it at all. It was never gratuitous or too graphic, yes it was a little more intense then more YA novels, but I like it like that. Calla was really struggling with the attraction she felt for Ren and the love she felt for Shay, I thought it felt very real, considering their mind set of a wolf pack about honor, loyalty, and duty.

Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 5/5