Book Review – Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Nightshade has been sitting on my to-read shelf for ages and I finally had the pleasure to read it!

SYNOPSIS:
It tells the story of Calla, a she-wolf who is not only an Alpha and commands a pack of wolves, but is also destined to become a mate to Ren, the male Alpha of another pack. Of course, things could not be that simple. Although Ren is incredibly charming and all an Alpha female should want, Calla finds herself falling for Shay, a human with his own unique abilities. And things are about to get worse. Shay’s rebellious and questioning attitude reveals all is not what it seems and Calla’s world starts to fall apart when hidden truths are uncovered.

REVIEW:
I love the plot! The story is fantastic. I love the fact that at the beginning Calla is presented as having the ideal life: she has everything she needs given and she has a purpose. However, as you get deeper into the book it becomes clear, not only to you the reader but Calla herself, that things are anything but perfect. That is all I can say without spoiling it too much. Conspiracy, intrigue, manipulation... Even though this is a YA (Young Adult) Fantasy book, there are details here that are definitely very human. Politics and the struggle for power make this book very close to reality in some aspects.

Unfortunately, I cannot say I feel the same way about the main characters. There is just something that doesn’t quite stick and I can’t put my finger on it. Calla particularly annoys me. She is meant to be an Alpha leading a pack, but spends most of the book either been filled up by both Ren and Shay or wanting to be filled up by both Ren and Shay. While it makes for very interesting and hot scenes, which I am sure some people will love, the fact that both guys seem to be able to just grab at her whenever they feel like it, with Calla just about managing a very weak ‘no’ only because of circumstance, somewhat annoys me. She doesn’t seem to have any ideas of her own.

At particular moments of the book I was also left a little disappointed. Cremer describes Calla inner chatter for pages, but when something really important happens such as a fight or an important discovery the scene is over before you can actually get into the mood for it. Calla’s bending or breaking of the rules could mean she gets punished with death by her master, however, you don’t quite feel the weight of that. There is one particular scene, about a transformation, which I think should be terribly important, but it is over in half a page.  

I love all the other characters, though. Mason and Sabine are particularly interesting. And I have a huge soft spot for Ren. Like the plot itself, he is one of the characters who change your mind halfway through the story: you start by not liking him all that much and by the end you are genuinely heart-broken for the guy.

All in one, this has been a really interesting read. While this is not a small book, the prose flows so easily I just seem to fly through the pages and I was done within a week. Looking forward to book two in the series, Wolfsbane, which released on July 26th.

Book Rating: ****

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