Review of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

 From the Book:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduatin from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche 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 worththe ultimate sacrifice?

My Thoughts:

The first thing that hit me about this book, just looking at it was that the cover is beautiful. We've all heard the old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover" but I can't help it here. Wow. Also, I love the pages dedicated for the chapters. Phases of the moon, rock on! Then there are those weird little triangle symbols at the corners of each first page of the chapters. It all wraps into the story and really helped pull me in.

The first chapter of this story was amazing. It sucked me right in and took me for the ride. It isn't really surprising what Calla turns out to be, but it is a very original twist on a very classic tale. The chapters are somewhat short, but its such a relief to find that stopping point to go find a bag of chips or turn on some music without having to stop in the middle of the action.

Calla has an awesome personality. I love her for it. She has some outstanding morals in a very fast paced world, and I enjoyed her view on us lowly humans. The balance between her duties and her desires gives her fabulous depth and I really enjoyed following her around on her journey.

Right away, I saw the conflict in this story and while it wasn't a big surprise how the story ended, it was still fantastic writing. Mrs. Cremer did a great job and I can't wait until July to read Wolfsbane.

Rating: G. This is a perfect paranormal/fantasy story for a teen or young adult, but I think that even those of us that are a little older than that would love this book.

Recommended for: Anyone that loves a good twist off the usual fantasy story, anyone that loves history

Not Recommended for: People that don't appreciate the fantasy genre

Rating: 5/5