Sarah is setting off to an extremely dangerous mission. She is to sail to a mysterious island from which no one comes back. The Keepers are keeping something valuable on this island, and she must find out what it is. Unfortunately, she was caught right as she finished climbing the rocky cliff and no part of her training could've prepared her to this fate.
Captive: The Forbidden Side of Nightshade is an adult spin-off series of the Nightshade world, initially a young adult series, written under the pen name Andrea Cremer. Andrea had a thing for steamy scenes that weren't appropriate for a younger audience and The Forbidden Side of Nightshade series was born. If I am not completely mistaken, it also takes place twenty years or so before Nightshade.
I kind of have mixed feeling about this novel and I'll try to tell you all about it as clearly as possible ^^ Let's get the negative out of the way, shall we? One element I am not sure about is how miss Robertson introduced the lore in her adult series. Having read the first two books in the Nightshade series (admittedly a long time ago...) I had a good idea of what I could expect, yet I have to admit I was a little bit confused at first. I am not sure someone diving into this world for the first time would be able to fully grasp the gravity of the situation between Keepers, Searchers, and Guardians, and their origins.
Another element bothering me is the time table. The whole novel happens over the course of a week, give or take, and it's 'enough time' for Sarah and Tristan (her kidnapper/jailer) to fall madly in love, and for one of them to betray their side. I am quite aware this is fiction, mind you, but it's just way too fast to be anywhere near believable. Her being a virgin also interferes, in my mind at least, with the quick flammable sexual interactions between the two of them.
If, accent on the 'if', I completely ignore the timeline, I actually enjoyed their flourishing relationship. Tristan is bored and lonely and Sarah is the only interesting thing happening to him for as far as he can remember. He is completely enthralled by her and would do anything to keep her. Despite his questionable actions, namely keeping her hostage, he treats her kindly and he is sincerely, genuinely attracted to her, which I appreciated. Sarah's falling for him was harder for me to grasp (Stockholm syndrome anyone?) but I understand the romantic/sexual appeal of such a situation in a romance novel.
The plot line was pretty straight forward, without that many bumps in the road. The whole thing revolved around their growing relationship and the only suspense really was to figure out which one of them would leave their old lives behind.
I grew particularly fond of Seamus, the leader of the Guardian pack protecting Tristan, and the closest thing he has to a friend on this secluded island. I loved his personality, his 'spunk' and his sense of humor. His strong loyalty toward Tristan was also commendable. I also really liked Sarah's maid. The girl was shy and scared, but she became a friend to Sarah and she stepped up her game when the time came.
The end was fashionably action-packed and turned out to be satisfying. The actual very end felt like a bomb and the revelation somewhat shocked me. I truly didn't expect it and I loved the connection to the Nightshade series. It might not have to same effect on someone who hasn't read the YA series, but I got a nice jaw-dropping moment lol
Overall, this novel was a good read and if I ignored the small flaws, I had an enjoyable ride. I'll be honest, I haven't decided yet if I'll keep on reading this series, but it's definitely worth a try :)
This looks like an engaging read and I'm eager to dive into its world of forbidden secrets and suspense. I recently worked on this topic with academic work and explain expectations about own work role. If everyone knows my topic well, please guide me professionally
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