Nightshade

This book frustrated me to no end! I eagerly consumed chapter, after chapter, becoming more and more upset with Calla's choices. Its one of those books that, come the end, you want to throw against the wall - one of those books that you can't help but love because it ignited such a passionate response from you.

Calla, alpha female for the Nightshade pack, has been preparing to form a new pack through her union to the alpha male of the Bane pack, Ren, for her entire life. She has grown up believing that hers is a sacred duty, and that her Masters, the Keepers, provide for her and her family in exchange for her devout loyalty and protection. Then she meets Shay. As he starts to question her Keepers' motives, her own doubts begin to shadow her once iron-clad beliefs.

The choices Calla makes in response to Shay left me wanting to shake her. Even after Shay learned how dangerous the Keepers were, he continued to ask Calla to go against their laws in his quest for knowledge (which is my only real beef with this book; if you loved someone, would you risk their life in the search for the truth?). She jeopardized the safety of her friends and family to soothe his curiosity, due to some unexplainable attraction. It was painful to see Calla's doubts begin to surface, as I genuinely cared about Calla, her brother Ansel, her second Bryn, and her betrothed Ren. I wanted to see them safe and happy, and I knew that that meant Calla needed to follow the path laid out for her by her Keepers. But, the longer I read, the more I realized exactly what was at stake for Calla - her freedom. While she may have feelings for Ren, given the choice, would she still choose to be with him? Can you put a price on personal autonomy? Is risking everything you've ever known wrong, if it means you might end up being in control of your own destiny?

That being said, I think a lot of my reluctance to accept Calla's choice to help Shay came from my inability to really connect to him or understand Calla's attraction to him. I loved the playful banter between them, but it didn't add up to anything much deeper then that for me. On the other hand, I loved Ren. He was strong and protective of his pack (and of Calla) but he was still able to show vulnerability, and his background story (a murdered mother and a jackass of a father) really helped to explain certain aspects of his character. And then there was his ability to make me blush during some of his moments with Calla! So fuelled by sexual tension and desire, I almost felt like I had to avert my eyes during one or two of their scenes.

I loved the constant presence of the wolf and Cremer's ability to make me understand that Calla is neither a wolf nor a human: she is a Guardian. Unlike your typical werewolf, a Guardian has two souls: the wolf and the human. Because its a choice to show the skin of one or the other, it done with ease (and without pain) and is also why humans are able to keep their clothes between transitions. It's not an actual shift of matter, of human to wolf, its allowing the other half of your soul to be the dominant side for a period of time.

And I loved Calla. She is strong and independent (as one would expect an Alpha to be), but she has moments of weakness where she really shines. Her frustration with tradition, where she will only ever be second because she is female, is easily relatable, and the familiarity you feel between her and her pack is completely natural. I did question how easily she forgot her pack when it came to Shay, but she made decisions to keep them safe in the end, so I was able to (mostly) forgive her.

The ever-increasing danger, the steamy moments between Calla and both Shay and Ren, and the ease with which Cremer has made the characters be both wolves and humans makes Nightshade a passionate and delightful (if, at times, frustrating) read. I disliked the ending (I can't quit the feeling that she made some wrong choices) and how it left nothing resolved - I don't like being forced to buy the sequel. But in this case, I will most definitely be picking up Wolfsbane to find out what happens next.

This is a major must-read.

Reader reviewed by Kayla

When I first saw this book in Goodreads giveaways, I just had to have it (I was going mostly off of the cover but who could blame me?). I had no money to buy it myself so I was entering every single giveaway I could find for this book. I must have entered about a dozen all together; I didn't win a single one. Finally, Christmas arrived!

As much as I wanted the book, I shamefully waited three months before actually picking it up, and then when I began reading I worried that I was in for a great disappointment. The first 1/3 of the book started out so slowly and I wasn't nearly as into it as I thought I'd be. Plus, I didn't like Shay that much. I didn't hate him, but for someone who I knew would end up the winner in this love triangle, I wish I could have been more attracted to him. As it was, I am most definitely Team Ren. While I hate the fact that he was pretty much a manwhore up until the month before his planned wedding with Calla, I could see that he truly loved her and that he would be faithful to and respectful of her once they got together. It's really going to break my heart when he gets thrown aside (which I know he will).

<i>Nightshade</i> became much more interesting in plot once Calla and Shay started to do some investigating into the past history of the Keepers. Cremer knows her world really well. It's so detailed (though I really could have done without the patriarchical society part of it-the way the male leaders treated the women grated on me a lot). I became very invested in the story and caught up in the game. Then, just a little over halfway through, I was really thrown for a loop.

*Major Spoilers*

I cannot believe that Shay was changed into a wolf so soon. I expected it would happen eventually, but I didn't think it would come about until the last book, during the climatic point in the Witches' War. I wonder if Cremer has some significant reason for changing him this early on. Oh, and while I have the spoiler tag going, let me just say that I guessed Shay would be the sacrifice during the ritual pretty quickly, so I unfortunately missed out on that shock when Calla discovered him in the woods. Really great twist, though. I look forward to learning more about Shay's role in all of this and his so-called destiny.

*End Spoilers*

I'm excited about the second book of the trilogy. It's just too bad that they changed the cover styles, but I'll get over it.

Reader reviewed by iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books

Read the original post at iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books

Reader reviewed by Lia

Calla has to marry Ren, the alpha of the Bane pack on her 18th birthday to create a new pack through the union of an existing one. As  a Guardian, she has to do as the Keeper's say, until she meets Shay, who makes her question the Keepers. Together they unearth secrets the Keepers have hidden from the Guardians and find more than they bargained for.

This book was a interesting take on werewolves. There was a whole hierarchy with the Keepers (witches) at the top, then the Guardians (werewolves), and then the humans on the bottom. I had fun reading this book as I tried to connect all the pieces, and I actually guessed right, before the author revealed the climax. The pack interaction was interesting, and I loved Ren!! I can't wait to read Wolfsbane, the second book. This book has plenty of action, romance and intrigue, so paranormal fans will love this.