Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Publisher: Speak (Penguin Group)
Date of Publication: October 19th, 2010
Source: Bought
Pages: 454 (Paperback)

Goodreads Summary:

Calla is the alpha female of a shape-shifting wolf pack. She is destined to marry Ren Laroche, the pack's alpha male. Together, they would rule their pack together, guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But then, Calla saves a beautiful human boy, who captures her heart. Calla begins to question everything - her fate, her existence, and her world and the orders the Keepers have asked her to follow. She will have to make a choice. But will she follow her heart if it means losing everything, including her own life? 

My Rating: 4.5 / 5

First thoughts:

Why did I wait so long to start this series? To be honest, I didn't expect it to be this good and I was positively surprised by the detail and uniqueness of the werewolf aspects of this story. Sadly this book ended with a mean cliffhanger, which means that I'll need to get the second book as soon as possible!

More detailed:

Nightshade is one of those books that I always saw on other blogs but never remembered to order. But once I started reading this book, I regretted taking so much time to start this series. It was a very surprising story that captivated me and made me remember it even long after I finished it. 

Even though I read many incredibly positive reviews about this, I've always expected this to be a regular werewolf story. But soon I realized that this is a lot more complex than any other werewolf novel I have read before. It is filled with mysterious and surprising elements that make me want to get to know this world even more.

I loved being told the story from Calla's point of view. She's a very likeable character and I could easily identify with her problems. The way she struggles for freedom and independece in a world dominated by men was incredibly well written and with every new chapter I read, I hoped that she would finally get what she wants.

Of course I'm also a little bit jealous of Calla, since - like most YA heroines of course - she has two guys vying for her attention. Ren and Shay are both very interesting characters and I really enjoyed seeing them develop during the story. But I have to admit that I picked a favorite quite soon and that I'm definitely a part of Team Ren.

All in all, Nightshade is a fantastic and very refreshing story that you should definitely read if you haven't already. But I'm warning you: This ends with a huge cliffhanger, therefore you shouldn't make the same mistake as I did and not have the sequel nearby. I definitely need to get the next book of this series soon.

The second novel of this series

Wolfsbane

was released on July 26th, 2011 by Penguin.

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The third novel of the series

Bloodrose

will be released on January 24th, 2012 by Philomel.

Have you read Nightshade? What did you think about it?
Carina