Nightshade

Calla has always known she would marry Ren and start their own pack of Guardians, werewolves sworn to protect the mountain and the sacred site hidden there whilst serving their masters the Keepers. But when Calla saves Shane, a human boy, trespassing on the mountain she finds herself drawn to him in a way like never before.

The Guardians serve the Keepers, powerful merciless witches, in every way. The Keepers control every aspect of their servants' lives, even who they can love. If anyone doesn't do what they're ordered they and the ones they love will be punished swiftly and without mercy. Everyone in the town is afraid of the Keepers' power and will do anything to stay on their good side, giving them complete control of the community.

The Keepers have decided to unite the Nightshade and the Bane packs through the union of the seventeen-year-olds Calla Nightshade and Ren Laroche. Even their conception was planned, along with the births of their pack mates, in order to create a third pack which will serve Logan Bane, a young Keeper and son of the master of the Bane pack. But Calla's feelings for Shane put all of these plans at risk.

Together Calla and Shane must work together to unravel the secrets of Calla's world and why Shane, a supposedly normal human boy, is so important to the Keepers and why they have ordered the Guardians to protect him. They learn that her world is even more dangerous than Calla had ever thought.

This was a fun book with a great mysteries, mythology and character development. The servitude of the Guardians made for a great struggle and had the potential for a powerful rebellion. It took a love triangle to a more dangerous and conflicted place which added another layer of intrigue to the story. The mythology of this world is very absorbing and interesting.

I loved this book and am excited to read the next in the series.

First of all, I love the original cover of this series and I don’t know why they changed it because now it looks bad! Even though my covers won’t match, I just had to get the original because it’s so pretty.

Anyways, I really enjoyed reading this one. Maybe because I don’t read a lot of werewolf stories, but I liked Andrea’s take on it, how it’s more spiritual and magical, rather than painful and obligatory. The characters don’t even consider themselves as “werewolves” but call themselves “Guardians”, sworn protectors of the “Keepers” who are basically witches and warlocks. Their relationship has a very mysterious and questionable history that Calla and Shay, the human boy, slowly uncover.

My favorite parts would have to be anything with Ren in it, as I’m pretty much Team Ren. He’s the typical pretty boy, alpha male kind of guy, but he’s just so sexy and smooth, I can’t help but smile when I think of him. I mean, Andrea wrote some pretty steamy scenes between Ren and Calla that I just devoured. Shay is the typical nice guy who does have his moments, but I’m rooting for Ren. Luckily, Calla isn’t an annoying female lead and she’s very determined and strong-willed, which is important because she’s the leader of her pack. I think Andrea did a great job at taking the werewolf folklore and turning it into her own and I can’t wait to see where she goes with it and she was able to balance the paranormal with the romance just right. Granted, I was more interested in the romance than the paranormal parts and I flipped pages hoping to see more of Ren, but overall, I really liked it.

You’ll definitely want to try this series if you like werewolves and hot, steamy scenes with sexy guys. Can’t wait to read Wolfsbane!

I would so recommend this book to young adults .I am not saying this in a bad way but this book series is somewhat better than the fame Twilight Saga

Nightshade is about Calla Tor, a guardian, in others words, a werewolf. She has sworn to protect a sacred place for her whole life. On Halloweens night she will become alpha of her own pack, but to be alpha, she must become the mate of Ren. But when she falls in love with a human boy, Shay, there will be massive consequences.

This book made my day, well i should say week as I had to read it in between classes and homework, but I got so stuck to it that I stayed up way to late just to finish it. It was a school day as well! When I had finished it I immediately passed it on to my friend who then couldn't stop.

My favourite character was Shay. I don't know why, I don't have any good reasons except that I I just fell in love with him. I often do that with male characters. I loved how Calla changed her own destiny and went off with Shay instead of being a good puppy. I thought she had a strong nature that made her able to do that.

I love this book and straight after I had finished I went and bought the next ones. I think this is definitely worth the time and sleep to read.

I think that Calla was a great protagonist, struggling to balance between love, duty and loyalty. She has a colliding nature, one side wanting to follow her orders and just do what she is told, but the other side of her wanted to rebel, to go against what everyone else was saying. that's the part of her I liked the most.

I was definitely on Team Shay. I hated Ren for a bit for trying to get between Calla and Shay, but I always knew that she would go to Shay in the end. Its hard to imagine just how much saving Shay at the very start changed her life

I absolutely loved the writing style, I think it was perfect for me. Fantasy is my favourite, and this is definitely a top-mark fantasy book!

I really loved the way Andrea Cremer described the way of feeling like a wolf and the way she twisted the story so she had a beautiful balance between a magical setting, a romantic dilemma and fighting for life (and love). She really made things interesting when Calla turned Shay and I was practically feeling everything that happened as if I was there! I was holding my breath the entire way through, I couldn't put it down!

Ren was a refreshing male character. He's not perfect (which to me makes him even more likable) and he has deep feelings for Calla. They both can relate to each other because of their alpha status in their pack of teenage wolves. Which brings me to my second favorite part of the book. I loved all the young Guardians. They're kids sure, but we get to see their youth blossom through future relationship while tackling hard issues like taking orders from the Keepers. My favorite sub-character was Fey. She's a brazen fighter from the Nightshade side who is not afraid to speak her mind.

Calla was also a great protagonist. I could feel her struggles being an alpha female and her disconnect with the prospect of being in an arranged marriage. She was a strong female authority figure to all her packmates and I loved that about her. What I was ambivalent about was her relationship with Shay, the human boy she saves at the very beginning of the book. There was something missing in Shay for me. He's a strong character for being a human among wolves, but when he was sarcastic or witty I didn't much get it. And I felt like he made Calla weak and dishonest, bringing out some bad qualities in her. Their relationship was also very much insta-love, not my favorite thing in the world.

So if you haven't guessed, I'm on Team Ren!

I'm excited to learn more about the world Cremer has created. She has infused magic with werewolves, which is a creative take on the mythology. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series and hope to see more of Ren!

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves wolves, great sub-characters, and love triangles!

I was leery about reading another wolf book but the Guardians are completely different than any other wolves I've read about. I loved everything about this book! The setting, the characters, the tension (oh the tension!!!), the history- I loved it all!! I'm dying to get my hands on Wolfsbane so I can get some answers about what is going on!! As for what team I'm on- I'm going to go with Team Calla because I can not decide between Shay and Ren. I'm not usually indecisive but they are both fabulous.

From the start I really enjoyed this book. I was immediately hooked in to the characters and the story. I enjoy all the paranormal stories, and Nightshade was a nice twist on that. Andrea Cremer did an amazing job!

Calla, a Guardian, the female alpha of the teen Nightshades, and a 17 year old girl who is engaged. She is a werewolf, but will growl at you if you call her that. She has a very tough personality, one that you wouldn't want to get in the way of! She has followed the laws the Keepers have given her, and never second guessed them. Then why do things change when Shay comes to town? Calla knows her duties, but can't help but think there's more when Shay uncovers more of the truth.

Then there's Ren, also a Guardian, male alpha of the teen Bane's, and a 17 year old boy who is engaged. He's the type of boy who can get any girl and loves it. He is, for lack of a better word, a player. Ren loves Calla, who he calls Lily, but she doesn't know if she loves him back. Ren dislikes Shay from the beginning. He thinks he's a human who doesn't know his place. Yet, he puts on a smiling face and accepts Shay begrudgingly.

I truly enjoyed this book! It was well written, and the plot made sense. Plus any book is good with a steamy love triangle!!! Instantly I was hooked, and I couldn't put this book down! 49 out of 51 tacos!! Check out Wolfsbane coming out July 26Th!!!
~~ Sam :)

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer is a riveting read – a delectable and compelling tale with everything that a good story should have: breathtaking romance, beautiful setting, vivid and unique characters, danger, sacrifice and tough choices.

Calla Tor is a young Guardian, an alpha female and the leader of the Nightshade wolf pack. Guardians are shapeshifters, who can magically turn into wolves anytime they want. They are sworn to protect the Keepers and must abide by their rules. In return the Keepers provide them with anything the Guardians need to live comfortably. There are also Searchers. The Keepers and the Searchers used to be one, but then something happened that caused a schism between them and they’ve become sworn enemies.

In the mountain town of Vail, where Calla lives and attends school, there are two Guardian packs: The Nightshades and the Banes. The Keepers have, however, decided that a new pack should be formed and assigned to protecting the sacred site, a cave named Haldis. The new pack will be consisting of five young Guardians each from both Nightshades and Banes and it will be formed with the union of Calla and Ren. The ceremony will take place on Calla’s and Ren’s 18th birthday and after that the two alphas will lead the new pack as mates.

Calla has always been prepared for her destiny. She accepted it and never even considered revolting against it. She knows what is expected of her and she understands that this is the way things are meant to be. She trusts the Keepers and their wisdom. And she genuinely likes her future mate, Ren. He might be famous for dating every girl at school and he’s not exactly what you’d call a stable boyfriend, but with their union getting closer with every day, he started acting more responsibly. The future doesn’t seem all that bad at all and Calla is content with the way things are. Everything changes when, during one of her routine patrols around Haldis, she runs into Shay. Shay’s life is in danger. Attacked by a bear, he’s only moments away from being ripped into pieces. Not thinking about the consequences, Calla steps in and saves the boy’s life. This decision will change her life forever.

Not a single thing about the Nightshade world is explained to us at the beginning of the story. Andrea Cremer doesn’t waste time trying to fill us in. You won’t find long, boring passages laying out the mythology of this fascinating world. Right from the very first page you’re thrown right into the middle of the breathtaking action and, as you go deeper into the story, you gradually learn more and more about the world Andrea created. It wouldn’t work in most of the cases, but with this particular story it works like magic. It makes this book so delightfully addictive and gripping that once you start reading, you won’t be able to pause or cast it aside.

Calla is a very likable protagonist, and well drawn, as are Cremer’s other characters. She’s strong, brave, faithful to her pack and family, smart and sexy. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself and for the people she cares about. Above all, she’s not a winy character. The girl really has to go through a lot. The Keepers have long decided how her future will look like, they dictate her every move and even her life partner has already been chosen. Calla has no say whatsoever in what goes on in her life, she can either follow the Keepers’ orders or die. And despite all that, there’s not a single moment when you hear her complain, she doesn’t have mental breakdowns and you won’t catch her feeling sorry for herself. She understands that she has an important role to play and she accepts that responsibility with grace. Well, at least until Shay shows up!

There is not a single thing that I didn’t enjoy about this book. It’s emotionally satisfying and incredibly compelling. Full of twists and turns, well paced and rewarding, it’s exactly the kind of book I’ve been craving for. The chemistry between both Calla and Ren and Calla and Shay is simply fantastic, it's definitely one of the best love triangles I have ever read about! The plot of this phenomenal page-turner is well thought out and full of surprises. What else could you possibly ask for?

Nightshade stands out from the broad palette of Young Adult books. Dear aspiring writers, please learn from Andrea Cremer, this is how you write books!

Reader reviewed by Ruthie

This has been yet another paranormal book I've been avoiding. I really, really don't like romances, they depress me, not to mention paranormal romances where the main character is stuck between two guys, one supernatural, one human. But this book was different.

Warning Spoiler Alert Ahead!

I hate doing reviews with spoilers but this simply couldn't have been avoided. Cremer made this book unique. The background of the werewolf Guardians and the Keepers have never been done before. For once, I loved the werewolf boyfriend just as much as the human one. Also, Calla doesn't just love Shay because he's human. Before he turns werewolf, she is perfectly prepared to marry Ren. Only after Shay turns and they go through a crap load of Hell does she realize she truly loves him. As for me, I LOVED this book and I'm really looking forward to the next one.