Sunday 23 January 2011

Nightshade review

Nightshade
Andrea Cremer
October 19th (US)/December 28th (UK)
Philomel (US)/Atom (UK)


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?




When I got Nightshade for review from Atom, you would not believe how happy I was. I'd been wanting this book so bad since October, and then when I got it, and for free, I was ridiculously happy. First of all, the cover is amazing. It is one of my favourite covers ever. But, for me, the content didn't quite live up to all the hype. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, because I did, but it didn't blow my mind away with amazingness like I was expecting it too, which was kind of sad.


I didn't really like Calla all that much, because even though she'd been all hyped up about being a badass and a warrior, all I really got to know her as was really indecisive. Not that I can blame her with such gorgeous men as Shay and Ren courting her, but to me the first 200 pages or so just sort of blurred together as lots of kissing and wishy-washiness and not much else. I didn't really like Shay that much either. For a while it just felt a bit like he'd just been thrown in there to stir things up. (team Ren!)


But! When it did begin to get into the thick of the plot I began to enjoy it a lot more. Learning about the mythology behind the Keepers and the Guardians was really interesting, and plot wise, it was one of the most original I've read. The whole idea of the Witch's War and the whole truth behind it (if it IS the truth that is) was great to read about, and there was a lot of imagination too, especially in the last 50 or so pages. And while I didn't really warm up to Calla or Shay that much, I loved all the other members of both packs. Bryn and Ansel were so cute together and Mason and Neville were awesome. If it wasn't for all the great side characters, it definitely wouldn't have been as enjoyable an experience it was with them. Plus Ren was amazing. I just hope that we get to see them all again.


While Nightshade wasn't what I was expecting it to be, I did thoroughly enjoy it and will be picking up Wolfsbane when it comes out, especially with its amazing cover. 4 stars :)

6 comments:

  1. I can't decide between Ren and Shay- they are just so different, but am leaning to Ren. I think that she'll end up with Shay though, honestly.
    I love this cover too!
    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  2. Hm. I did feel pretty connected to Calla...And couldn't decide whom she should go with, Ren or Shay. I cannot wait for Wolfsbane to come out!!

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  3. I agree with you about Calla, and I wasn't so happy with the content compared to the cover, but I didn't like the plot. It was just too slow until you got to the last hundred pages. I didn't like the two main male characters, which was another downside.

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  4. Great review, Cicely! I have this one but I've put off reading it again and again, despite all the ecstatic reviews. I've been a little burnt out on werewolves! I'll pick it up soon enough, though hopefully! I'm glad to hear your enjoyed it despite the first 200 pages being just so-so!

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  5. Great review! I got this book from the library recently, and I'm looking forward to reading it, as the story seems really interesting.

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  6. I'm kind of picky when it comes to YA (only because I'm 34, so I have to flip a switch when I read it), but I really enjoyed this one!
    Great review! Have a great week-stop by and say hi if you get a chance!

    Kristin
    MyBookishWays

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