Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Title: Nightshade
Author: Andrea Cremer
Series: Nightshade, #1
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: October 19, 2010
Pages: 454
Rating:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating 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 worth the ultimate sacrifice? 

I was really excited to start this book because the cover is beautiful. Young Adult book covers are really looking amazing these days. NIGHTSHADE is more about shifters, werewolves that are guardians. I loved the character, Calla. She is a bit of a tomb boy and is very strong and determined alpha leader. I admired her. Her two love interests Ren and Shay are quite lovable as well.

Ren is Call's future husband that she is suppose to be marrying on october 31, blood moon and he is very likable. I think he is a very strong alpha male and quite charming once you spend some time with this guy, I think he is very protective of Calla as any alpha would be of his mate. He is a jerk sometimes but I think that is his insecurities about Calla. He is not very confident about him and Calla and by the end of the book you know that he cares about Calla more than anything. I would like a lot more of Ren in the next book if that is at all possible. I got more than a little crush on this strong alpha male.

Next in line is Shay. Calla saved Shay at the beginning of the book and he knows that she is a werewolve **Calla turns and gives me a death glare**, excuse me, I mean guardian. Since the beginning Calla and Shay have had a strong connection with each other. I find Shay and Calla more of just friends than a potential love interest but sometimes you can really see that she cares for both Shay and Ren. I just don't feel the strong connection between Shay and Calla but he makes for a wonderful love rivial.

I always have a problem with werewolves, I mean the shifters books I have read because all of the werewolves/shifters are very territorial, I mean the pack, where the woman does not have a say in anything. At in this book it is like that again, but it is turned into something quite different. Where there is two packs and the alpha's are not in charge the guardians are, but the guardians are very unfair and they use their power cruelly against some of the pack.

The pack do not get a say in who they marry. Woman in the NIGHTSHADE pack(Calla's Pack) are not allowed to be touched or that may just be the woman alpha's (Calla included) where the Bane Pack(Ren's Pack) can touch and play around with all the woman they want. It is forbidden to touch Calla but Ren has been around with a lot of girls in the school and I find that very unfair in my opnion. It is like love can never exsist for Calla, but that is the way it works. The searcher are the enemy for the Packs and I just wonder who are the searchers and are they as bad as the guardians make them out to be?

The ending has a cliffhanger making you wonder what will happen with Calla and what is in store for the sequel. I found NIGHTSHADE an enjoyable read. I do think that Shay and Calla's attraction for each other needs some work because I like Shay yes, but I just don't see him as a love interest for Calla, I see Ren, but maybe that is just because Andrea Cremer made Ren so yummy and I can't resist him. haha. I am really looking forward to the sequel, Wolfbane and hope that is as good as NIGHTSHADE.