Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Title: Nightshade
Author: Andrea Cremer
Series: Nightshade, #1
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Philomel (Imprint of Penguin)
Date Published: October 19th, 2010
Edition: Hardcover
Rating:

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?

My Review:

Going into this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Part of me, for some reason, thought I might not like it. But another part of me was excited about the book because of all the buzz floating around the time it came out. After reading it, I find myself right in the middle in terms of how I felt.

Calla is alpha of her pack, the Nightshades. Her pack will soon be merging with another pack, the Banes, by a union between her and the Banes’ pack leader, Ren. She has always known what she was meant for, and who she was meant to be with. But when she saves a human boy named Shay from being attacked by a bear, her feelings about her certain future begin to change. She starts to question why her future is written out for her, and why she has no say in it. She also starts to feel things for Shay that she’s never felt about anyone else, even the boy she’s supposed to be with.

If you’ve read the little prequel for this series, Shadow Days, then you’ll notice that this kind of starts off right where that one left off. Only it’s in Calla’s POV rather than Shay’s. I liked that because the prequel leaves us pretty much hanging, so it was good that it jumped right into that. I also liked the world that was created here. It seems very unique to me and it’s still kind of mysterious, even after the first book is completed. There’s still so much more to learn about this world, and so many more answers which we will hopefully get in the future books.

What I didn’t like most about this book was that it was pretty dry. It just seemed to drag for most of it and, quite honestly, I think a lot of it could have been edited out and made shorter. I also found myself feeling extremely sorry for Ren, and I thought that Calla was extremely cold and mean to him. I honestly didn’t see what she saw wrong with him. In fact, I liked him a lot better than Shay. In the prequel I liked Shay, but in this book he just seemed whiny and disrespectful of others. Ren was constantly trying to make things work with Calla and I could genuinely see that he cared about her. But she just didn’t seem to even want to give him the time of day. The only times that he would do something a bit jerk-ish was when she hurt him in some way, which was understandable to me. It just sort of seemed like she only liked Shay because of him being so forbidden.

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with the book. It has a solid world there that I’ll be interested to see develop in the future books. But I was just disappointed with the two main characters. I found Calla to be cold and uncaring and Shay to be immature and ignorant, making rash decisions before thinking them out. I hope that their characters come into themselves and mature in the future novels, and that I will start liking them better as a couple as well.

3 Hearts More Reviews Goodreads | AmazonPurchase Links Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

  • Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night by Kresley Cole

    Her breathless kiss haunts him... Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed -- until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive. His slow, hot touch is irresistible... Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary. It's rumored that no one can tempt Bowen's hardened heart, but soon passion burns between them. Though a future together is impossible, she fears he has no intention of letting her go. No deed is too wicked for her seduction... If they defeat the evil that surrounds them, can Mari deny Bowen when he demands her body and soul -- or will she risk everything for her fierce protector?
  • Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

    When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, 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.
  • Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

    Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife—between desire and danger. Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.
Load More Related Articles
  • You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister

    Aisling Grey is a courier enjoying a free, work-related trip to Paris when she learns she's a Guardian. That's a keeper of the Gates of Hell, for those who don't know. She finds this out from Drake Vireo, who's scrumptiously sexy-at least in his human form. Now Drake has stolen the package Aisling was sent to deliver, and she must track him down, get the package, and try to resist the passion boiling inside her.
  • Written in Red by Anne Bishop

    As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others. Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.
  • Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

    When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, 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.
Load More By Sarah
  • Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

    When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, 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.
  • Upon the Midnight Clear by Sherrilyn Kenyon

    Ever think Scrooge had it right before the ghosts ruined his life? Meet Aidan O'Conner. At one time he was a world-renowned celebrity who gave freely of himself and his money without wanting anything in return...until those around him took without asking. Now Aidan wants nothing of the world--or anyone who's a part of it. When a stranger appears at his doorstep, Aidan knows he's seen her before…in his dreams. Born on Olympus as a goddess, Leta knows nothing of the human world. But a ruthless enemy has driven her from the world of dreams and into the home of the only man who can help her: Aidan. Her immortal powers are derived from human emotions--and his anger is just the fuel she needs to defend herself… One cold winter's night will change their lives forever… Trapped together in a brutal winter storm, Aidan and Leta must turn to the only power capable of saving them--or destroying them both: trust.
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

    Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what. A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark
Load More In 3 Hearts

Leave a Reply

Check Also

You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister

Aisling Grey is a courier enjoying a free, work-related trip to Paris when she learns she's a Guardian. That's a keeper of the Gates of Hell, for those who don't know. She finds this out from Drake Vireo, who's scrumptiously sexy-at least in his human form. Now Drake has stolen the package Aisling was sent to deliver, and she must track him down, get the package, and try to resist the passion boiling inside her.

Welcome to The YA Shelf

Helping you find the BEST young adult literature online! We're YA authors, readers and bibliophiles, who read everything and sometimes post book reviews and fandom summaries. Check out our "best books for teens" lists to see our favorites, or browse nearly 300+ book reviews!

Check out today's deals or See what's hot! Today's FREE books
Today's BestSellers


imlovingbooks

Top Posts & Pages

Sarah J Maas and YA cancel culture (what's up?)
50 YA fiction tropes and cliches we can't get enough of!
The Best Angel and Fallen Angel Romances for Teens
The Best YA Magic Academy Books
The Best YA Fae Fantasy Books
32 thrilling mermaid books for fans of young adult (YA) fantasy novels
The Best Time Travel Books for Teens
10 YA Books Featuring Grim Reapers

Search

Category Posts