Nightshade (ARC review)

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Release Date: October 19

Synopsis:
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:
I can’t deny that I thought this story was amazing. I really did get sucked into Calla’s world of wolves and witches, of Guardians, Keepers and Searchers, but as much as I want to rave about this story, it also makes me want to rant in a nervous/excitement kind of way.

One could easily get overwhelmed by the amount of happenings going on in Nightshade. Calla, an Alpha female (w00t w00t) wolf, is on a steady course of becoming mated to Alpha male, Ren, so, together, they can run their own pack and protect the Keepers (witches) they serve.

Staying pure and following the rules of tradition set before her by her mistress, Lumine Nighshade, has as always been a priority for Calla. She believes in she is serving as a warrior for the common interest of her pack.  But Calla faces a new challenge when she saves a human boy, Shay, and begins to develop feelings for him. Now that their lives are irrevocably intertwined, they discover that the world that Calla has always held sacred is full of lies. Soon she becomes torn over fulfilling her duty or taking a chance on true love.

As an Alpha, Calla is incredible, but she was not without her faults. She wars a lot within herself, and as a result, she is often hot tempered and hostile.  Her desires to remain true to her calling conflict with her desires to chose her own path, which creates a very compelling pull to cheer her on no matter which direction she decides to go in.

Ren, Calla’s intended mate, is so swoon worthy yet complex! Sure, he is the epitome of double standards, but is in his nature. As an Alpha, he is totally the leader of the pack type and has done is fair share of dating around, but as his union with Calla draws nearer, he becomes completely devoted to her. Like Calla, he also struggles to find his footing in leading his pack, but you can’t really blame him. He had the worst role models; his master, Efron, and his father, Emile, are both creeps! Still, Ren is very caring and protective of his pack, and he believes in his duty and destiny. He is ready and willing to ‘man up’ and accept his responsibilities, and those qualities made he super sexy!    

My two biggest disappointments with this novel: Shay’s character and the way humans are turned into wolves.  I’m sorry, but I really didn’t see any appeal in Shay. Maybe I should blame Ren for this? The Alpha male constantly referred to Shay as a kid or a boy, and that is exactly how I saw him. Shay was a bland bore with his comics and studying. I could never understand what Calla saw in him. He never stirred any emotion in me, and never made me laugh or even smile. I suppose I could see Calla liking him because he was so ordinary since she is surround by so much extraordinary, but their relationship just didn’t work for me.

Spoiler! I knew that Shay would eventually become a wolf, but the way he turned was such a let down. One would think evoking the magic to pull off such a feat would be more invloved, but the whole thing went down in like one paragraph! Calla just gave him some of her blood and chanted a single line and poof! Teen Wolf! Agh! No! It can’t be that simple. 

And, least you think these wolves are hiding clothes throughout the forest so they don’t have to deal with the awkwardness of transforming from wolf to human naked, the magic that enables them to transform, also helps them keep their clothes on in another dimension. What? Can’t deal with your teen wolves running around naked so just write it off with a wave of a wand; ummm…okay… sure. I’m just gonna say, I’m not a big fan of easy explanations.

I’m also not a big fan of big cliffhangers, only because I think novels, even in a series, need to be able to stand on their own, with one story in the saga complete, and the next book beginning a new adventure. Sadly, Nightshade does end with a major cliffy! And the next book won’t be released until Summer 2011. Gah! How will I be able to bear it? I’m missing Ren already!

Overall, fascinating read, with a lot of mystery, supernatural elements, an intense love triangle, and great secondary characters.

Favorite quote: 

“The relationship of a girl and her favorite novel can be complex indeed.”

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Posted at 2:00 pm  •  Labels: 2010, 4 stars, ARC, Book it Forward, Book Review, debut, The Penguin Five, trailers, werewolves, YA