Author: Andrea Cremer
Publisher: Philomel - an imprint of Penguin Books
Goodreads | Amazon
Description:
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.
Review:
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?
First off, the cover:
Once I saw the cover for this book, I knew I had to have it! It's gorgeous, isn't it? It's shimmery in person, and the pages are deckle edge (meaning they look torn or frayed). The paperback version of this book will have a different cover:
Before I read the book, I couldn't understand why they'd change the awesome cover that it already has, but now I know. While the original cover is fabulous, it doesn't really fit the book. Calla isn't a big girly-girl who wears makeup. I think Calla herself would love the paperback cover more. Now I kind of want to pick up a copy of the paperback too (it will be released June 14)!
Anyways, on to the actual story:
I really enjoyed Nightshade!
The dynamics between all of the characters in this book was so interesting. There were so many social levels, and I was surprised that the wolves weren't on the top. Their history was really interesting, and all of their mannerisms were pretty amusing. Their wolf habits often crept into their reactions while in human form.
The one thing I had a hard time connecting with was the love triangle. I feel like it was a bit shallow, like there was no real connection other than physical. I think that Cremer fixes this over time, and by the end it didn't bother me so much anymore. I don't know if I'm team Ren or Team Shay. I can't decide! I think that will depend on the boys' actions in book 2. It seems that both of them truly have feelings for Calla, but I feel like she doesn't know what she wants, because she's never had the chance to think about her future for herself.
I am really excited to see where this story goes next! I have a feeling that it will just get better and better! There are so many questions that I can't wait to have answered.
The next book in the series is Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2). I'm really digging that the titles are types of flowers:
The cover that's on the Advance Reader Copies and that matches the first hardcover (but probably won't ever be released):
