Mundie Moms

Monday, October 18, 2010

Book Review- Nightshade

By Andrea Cremer
Published by Philomel/Penguin
To Be Released on October 19th, 2010 TOMORROW
Source- ARC from Author/Publisher & Bought
5 Stars- Tied for my #1 favorite read for 2010

Calla Tor has always known her destiny:
After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Larocke 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? (quoted Nightshade's book jacket)

Nightshade is an amazing, spelling binding story that had me glued to the pages until I finished it. From page one, Andrea had me completely captivated not only with her characters and her amazing world building, but with her writing style. I was I felt like I barely had time to put my seat belt on, before I was whisked away in this thrilling read.

18 year old Calla Tor is a warrior and alpha of the Nightshade pack. She's a resilient, strong female leader who is torn between tradition and her heart. Her tradition is Ren, the hot alpha male of the Bane pack, to whom Calla will be marrying after they graduate from their Mountain School. While she loves Ren, her heart is falling for Shay, an outsider who makes Calla question everything she's been raised to believe. She's never questioned her pack's traditions until now. Calla has a choice to make, follow what she's been raised to do and believe, or follow what she feels is right.

Nightshade has a wonderful cast of many different characters, all of whom I felt connected to in some way. They're real, bold and I felt like I was there in on their secret (which no humans are allowed know about) as I was able to learn more about their packs. I never once felt lost in who each of them are and what their roles are in Nightshade. The Pack life was brilliantly written and more than I had hoped it would be. Being a wolf girl, I absolutely love Andrea's unique wolf mythology, as Nightshade is not your stereotypical werewolf book. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in both human and wolf form. Calla and Ren have two strong packs and while their pack members may not always get a long, their pack is making adjustments now for what it will be like when they're united as one pack.

Andrea has written two different, yet equally commanding characters with Ren and Shay. I'm left feeling just as torn as Calla is. I understand Calla's fight against Ren and her pull towards Shay. Ren is a leader, a fighter and seen as a player, though I think there's a lot more to Ren than what we see through Calla's eyes. Don't get me wrong, Ren and Calla's sexual tension leave the pages smoldering. Ren has a way at jumping off the pages at you and Shay has a way of making you fall for his quiet confidence and bold bravery in a world he's just starting to learn about. He challenges Calla and makes her think for herself. I don't envy Calla and the choice she has to make.

Andrea leaves no shortage of romance or action. It's perfectly blended, and mixed in with an amazing wolf pack dynamic that I've never read in any other book before. Nightshade's vivid setting completely mesmerized me and left me wishing I could spend the day running patrols through the woods that cover the mountain side that both the Nightshade and Bane packs guard.

Full of all the right paranormal elements, including other mythical creatures/characters, Nightshade left me breathless, wanting more and thinking about it long after I had finished reading it. I am really looking forward to reading it's sequel, Wolfsbane, when it's released next year.

You can read more about Nightshade on Andrea's site here http://tinyurl.com/2a5287z

You can read a sneak peak of Wolfsbane here http://www.nightshadebook.com/

**Be sure to enter Andrea's Nightshade hunt here**

9 comments:

  1. #1 for 2010? Wow, this must be such an awesome read! Will be buying a copy soon~!

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  2. Yes, it's a favorite of mine. I hope you enjoy it!

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  3. I lovelovelove this book!!!! Great review!!!

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  4. hey so glad you liked it but can i ask what other book is tied for #1?

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  5. I just got mine in the mail (a day sooner than expected!! whoo hoo!). Thanks for your review :) Crescendo came also, bonus!

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  6. Great review! Now I seriously want my own copy...must...wait...till...tomorrow! D:

    But wow- #1 favourite read of 2010? That's a very high honor! Just wondering-what's your other #1 book for 2010? :D

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  7. Thank you! I'll be sharing my top 10 reads with in the next couple weeks. :)

    I hope you all enjoy it. The published copy is AMAZING! The cover, the pages and the chapter headings are just WOW!

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  8. just read it and loved it. team Ren !!!!!

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