ARC- Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

 

Calla Tor has always know 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 scared sites for the keepers. But when she violate her masters’ 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 loose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

 

Calla is the alpha of her pack (the Nightshades), and lives in a world where her future has already been spelled out for her. On Samhain, she will be mated to Ren, alpha of the Bane pack and it was decided long before they were born. She never questioned her destiny, until the day a human boy made her doubt. Could she have a choice? Could she draw her own path? Are the truth she always believed in just a bunch of lies?
The Morning Calla saved Shay’s live, the lines of her duties blurred to leave tons of questions in it’s wake. Will she be faithful to her pack or her heart?

Andrea Cremer gratified us with a fantastic lore when writing this book. The actors’ roles aren’t clear at first, but fear not you will understand everything in time. Magical beings such as Keepers, Guardians and Searchers are the main stars (their precise nature is explained in chapter 9, I don’t wanna ruin the fun!), but they are also surrounded by creatures such as wraiths, succubus, incubus and more.

I really, I mean REALLY, loved this book! From the moment Calla saves Shay you think you know how the story will end, but oh could we be more wrong? The story is full of twist and turns and you really have no idea what’s gonna happen next. You just keep on reading because you crave for more the entire time, and trust me, you’re in for quite a ride!

Cremer tailored amazing characters, and even though there are many of them, a whole pack – pun intended –, you feel like you personally know each characters. Some I liked, some annoyed me, others I would’ve smite on sigh lol, but you have an opinion on every single one of them, which makes the story that much more interesting.

Calla, also nicknamed Lily because of her white hair, is incredible. From the very first page until the very last she questions her actions. Torn between a sense of duty and a desire for freedom, every decision she makes will come down to that dilemma, and Cremer keeps you guessing the whole time. I liked how she cared for her packmates and would do anything for them, she has a big heart.

Shay is pretty much the devil’s advocate. He drops in Calla’s life as if falling from the sky and he forces her to question the boundaries she’s always lived with. And of course, he’s got to be good looking right? *winks* He is lovable, attentive, available and faithful. He’s got the whole package going for him, if you ignore the TINY fact that he is human…

Ren, oh Ren. This character has so many layers that even after finishing the book I can’t quite decide if I like him or not. He is promised to Calla, but it didn’t stop him from dating the entire cheerleader team. He is dominant, jealous, unstable and very protective of Calla. He seems to care for her, but his actions are often questionable. One thing is sure, this character will surprise you.

The pack is also awesome, they each have their own personality, hopes and shadows. I liked most of them but Fey Nightshade got under my skin. Geez that girl was annoying me lol. She’s unruly and kept giving Cal The Attitude.

Wow that was a long character’s analysis, well I guess it shows how important the characters are in the book =)

The end really took my breath away, I truly didn’t see it coming and Cremer leaves us with a deadly cliffhanger. How am I suppose to wait for the second book with an end like that? I really don’t know. I can’t wait to see how the characters will get themselves out of the trouble they got into, it promises to be interesting!

Nightshade is a magical world full action, passion, love and treason. The second you open the book you’re in for a rollercoaster ride of emotions and you’ll be left wanting more. Andrea’s debut is a definite success and I strongly suggest you pre-order it now! I know I’ll be ordering myself a finished copy! Oh and how beautiful is that cover? I mean, Come On!

 

In this series:

Nightshade (Oct 2010)
Wolfsbane (Summer 2011)
Bloodrose (Spring 2012)

 

Book stats:

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 528 pages

Publisher: Philomel (October 19, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 039925482X

ISBN-13: 978-0399254826

 

Book Source: Review copy sent by Penguin Canada

Posted by Tynga at 00:05

 Andrea Cremer, Penguin, Review, werewolf, young adult  15 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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