Review: Rift by Andrea Cremer

Title: Rift
Author: Andrea Cremer
Series: Nightshade Prequel, #1
Publisher: Philomel
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Pages: 430
Rating:

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

He drew a shuddering breath. “I thought myself strong, but discover I am weak as the next man. Perhaps weaker.” “And if I wish to give what you ask,” she whispered. “What then?” He bent down, brushing his lips over her forehead, the bridge of her nose.

After the horrifying ending of Andrea Cremer's Bloodrose, I have been a bit terrified to even read another one of her books. Come release day of RIFT I didn't realize how excited I was for it. I thought I"d give her one more chance since she is one of the few YA authors that have the power of blowing me away! Well, guess what? She blew me away again! RIFT has got to be one of the best YA books of the year! I sat reading this baby for a day and a half unable to put it down. My butt was seriously glued to my bed!

She cupped the pendant in her hand. It was rimmed with gold, its surface delicately carved to reveal a rose crossed by two swords. Alistair leaned over her shoulders. "The Bloodrose it represents the love and sacrifice required of a true warrior.”

RIFT is a prequel about the origin of the Keepers in Nightshade. It takes place in 1404 A.D., which is one of my favorite times because it is the time of those yummy sexy hottie scotties! RIFT is the story of Ember Morrow in training to become a guard with, the sexy and desirable, Barrow Hess mentoring her. There is much evil and deception and betrayal in RIFT that makes you hold your breath. Oh, and a whole set of wonderful characters you fall in love with! I loved Ember! She was strong-willed and stubborn and eager to fight on the battle field! She is a natural warrior and look forward seeing her grow more as a character!

Ember pulled his face to hers, kissing him again before she said, “Your strength gives me courage.” He smiled gently. “No, Ember, that is all your strength and none of mine.” She balked, but he kissed her, murmuring against her lips, “And that is why I love you.”

Barrow Hess. Nuff said. He reminds me of Dimitri from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy in a way and I think that is one reason why I am so in love with him. Barrow is loyal, strong, sexy & hot, and my god. I love him! He doesn't quite turn into a love interest until almost the end and I really enjoyed Barrow and Ember's relationship just developing into something. No rush! But when it does turn into something. Oh. my. god. They have such sweet and tender moments that made me want to melt. I just needed more! I look forward to seeing their relationship develop more in the next book!

Breathing hard, Ember looked up into his face. He wore that infuriating expression of being on the verge of laughter. “You’re supposed to be teaching me,” she said. “Not enjoying yourself.” “I believe I can do both.” He smiled.

We have so many fun characters! Kael, Alistair, Lukasz, and Sorcha who are apart of the guard and I have a place in my heart for all of them! I would say that the evil that took place and who being responsible for bad stuff happening was predictable before it happened. Love triangle? We may have one in the next book. We'll see. And here is where I conclude my thoughts! I adored RIFT and I am both excited and terrified for the next book, Rise. And with Andrea Cremer's books you just can't help to be a little terrified, because you never know what she's going to do or who she's going to kill!

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Review: Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Title: Bloodrose
Author: Andrea Cremer
Series: Nightshade, #3
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Pages: 414
Rating:

The Ultimate Sacrifice. 

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.

People will either love or hate BLOODROSE. I am dead serious. I mean love as in smiling the entire time through the book and stuck with your eyes to the pages. And hate as in throwing the book across the room in a fit of rage. Calla really made me a bit mad in Nightshade, and in Wolfsbane she became better. Don't even mention BLOODROSE! I am enraged at this woman right now! I'm sorry, but I'm not really a huge Calla fan right now. Calla is a strong female alpha and all, but when it comes to relationships I think she fails and is a bit weak. I felt like Calla was playing both Shay and Ren to a certain point and it really made me upset with her big time and made me loose some of my respect I had for her.

Of course there is this war going on and quite a few characters die. I think I've lost count now back in Wolfsbane. Haha! But yes, this is a war people, we are dealing with loss, regret, questioning if that could have been prevented and some of these characters you've never been introduced to, some new characters that had started to grow on you. But I just love all these characters that I don't want anyone to die. But it becomes sad when you realized that Oh, my god. I loved that character and now they're gone.

I absolutely love the new characters from Wolfsbane who are still in BLOODROSE! I love Connor, Ethan, and Adne. Connor is my comedy fix. The reason why I absolutely am in love with the Nightshade Trilogy. Okay, I guess Ren too,.. But Connor is freaking hilarious! When things go bad for Calla, her pack and the searchers, he is always able to put a huge grin on my face.


I really wish he wasn't comming with us. Mason's voice sounded in my head. You won't get any arguments here, Shay replied, wagging his tail. "Oh, wait, I forgot my sunscreen, " Connor said. "Silas, be a dear and run back to the Academy to get some. We'll just wait. Right, guys?" 

I guess I have to talk about Ren and Shay. I liked Shay more in the last book. Maybe I didn't pay much attention because Calla was making me mad, but I got from BLOODROSE that Shay is a little selfish, but he does really care for Calla. And finally Ren is back, and Calla really misunderstood a few things about him. He wants her, that is no secret, but he is so sweet and caring and oh, he makes all of us swoon!


"But the history we have, our past. Not all of it was bad." "I know that." "You can't tell me that when we were at the house, alone a part of you didn't want to stay." I gripped the towel tighter so I wouldn't drop it. He was right. At least partly. I was still drawn to him--the one who was so obviously my counterpart. The mate I'd thought I'd spend the rest of my life with.  

I have a couple of reasons why I didn't like BLOODROSE and some of them are complete spoilers and it didn't have to do with who Calla chose at all, if only it was just that! I gave you reason number one earlier which is Calla and that really is a huge reason, the number one reason that takes the gold at this point.

Also I was not satisfied with the ending. I one hundred percent understand the ending, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. And the other reason I can't give you, but if you read the book you will know what reason number three is because it will overpower the book and will not pay attention to anything else but this one scene I am talking about. Who did she choose? I felt like I was cheated with the answer to this question. Why? ---> see reason three. But I really don't care at this point anymore.

All in all....What do you want me to say? I was highly disappointed in BLOODROSE. But not so disappointed that I hated the entire book. I still liked the book, but I did not like the direction this book ended up in. At a point in this book I was in "love-mode" with my eyes glued to the pages, but I was also in "hate-mode" seeing myself throw the book across the room.

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Review: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Title: Wolfsbane
Author: Andrea Cremer
Series: Nightshade, #2
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Pages: 430
Rating:

Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer–one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack–and the man–she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

I admit I was a little terrified to read WOLFSBANE. I had no freaking clue of the contents inside this book, but after flipping the first page I could not put the book down. It was like I was possessed and if I put the book down I could not stop thinking about it. Oh, man Andrea Cremer has done it again!

WOLFSBANE picks up right where Nightshade left off. Calla is now in the searchers hands and being taught all her life that the searchers are the evil ones she is quite un-trusting of them. Calla finds out just how much lying her beloved Keepers have been doing. And Calla decides it is time to get her pack back, it should be really easy, right? Well, guess again. Nothing is easy in the world of Nightshade.

I seriously thought this book has changed so much from Nightshade and in a very good way. I wasn't completely in love with the first book to be honest, I mean I liked it and the ending had me guessing while glued to my seat, but Andrea Cremer really stepped it up in  WOLFSBANE. I think I was completely caught off guard that I didn't expect to be this blown away.

"Staring at the wreckage of the life we could have had, I knew it wasn't about love or Shay or the Searchers now. It was about sacrifice and redemption, loss that could have new meaning."  

We meet some new characters in WOLFSBANE and I love them to death. Great character development. I mean we have some really fun and loving characters that you don't ever want to forget. And some secrets to be revealed that will blow your socks off.

Ren and Shay. Ren and Shay. Oh, my god. I am becoming Team Shay, when the hell did that happen? We got to spend more time with Shay than Ren in this book and we got to learn more about Shay. He is very overprotective and jealous in this book. I am liking that. And I don't know, I have really become conflicted in this book. I love both Ren and Shay!

"Yeah, she is great. I spent the whole week with her.
"Doing what?" I asked, catching a growl before it left my throat.
"Aw, you're cute when you're jealous."  

I declare WOLFSBANE one of the best YA books of 2011! It deserves it big time. Secrets will be revealed, deaths that will make you mourn, steamy hotness between characters and a bloody cliffhanger that will make you go insane. I loved this book to death and I think that Andrea Cremer enjoys being evil with all these damn cliffhangers she writes. I am highly anticipating the last of the Nightshade Trilogy, Bloodrose, coming February 2012.

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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.

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