Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Calla Tor is a Guardian, and can shapeshift seamlessly from human to wolf whenever she wants, which is helpful when she and her pack must protect the sacred sites for their masters, the Keepers. As the alpha female, Calla must lead her pack and marry the alpha male of a rival pack, Ren. But when she illicitly saves a human boy, Shay, she feels an undeniable attraction to him. When Shay causes Calla to question the Keepers' rules, her impending marriage, and her whole lifestyle, Calla must make the choice to remain dutiful to her pack or follow her heart.
I loved Nightshade and thought that it was a great addition to the paranormal genre. Now that there is a plethora of vampire novels, authors are shifting their books towards werewolves, which is the mythical creature that takes center stage in Nightshade. I liked that Calla and her pack are non-traditional werewolves: they can shapeshift at will and not just at the full moon, and there is a whole pack heirachy with rules and regulations that makes the novel very interesting. An important part of Nightshade is the love triangle between Calla, Ren, and Shay. In the vein of Twilight, I'm sure these two male leads will spark a lot of debate and cause readers to pick the one they like better. I think both options are realistic for Calla but I just hope that the romance debate won't get in the way of Nightshade's actual plot, which is very interesting. Nothing that Calla has been told about the Keepers and the Guardians (which is what the werewolves are called) is true and she must find out the truth in subsequent novels. Overall, I really enjoyed Nightshade and can't wait for the next book!

Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States