Hardcover: 452 pages
Publisher: Philomel; 1st edition (October 19th 2010)
Language: EnglishISBN-10: 039925482X
ISBN-13: 9780399254826
Source: Purchased from Power Books
First Sentence: "I'd always welcomed war, but in battle my passion rose unbidden."
Favorite Line from the Book: "This isn't about love, it's about survival." "No Calla." His voice became hushed, "This is only about love."
Book Summary:
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?
After the Twilight series, I have given up with reading books with wolves on them. Not because I didn't like them, but I became more engrossed with other YA sub-genres – contemporary, dystopians, etc. I have heard so many wonderful things about Nighshade, and I guess my curiosity just got the better of me and the cover simply won me over.
Calla, the alpha female, was portrayed as very independent and determined leader – which is fine with me. But, although I am rooting for her character, there are just times wherein I get frustrated with her choices, most especially her feelings between Ren, the alpha male, and Shay, the boy she saved from dying. I liked though how loyal Calla is to her pack, how she would do anything to protect them. That, for me, is the ultimate characteristic of being a true leader.
Shay, on the other hand, I really tried to like. But his character is just kind of weak for me. There were even moments wherein I just couldn't shake off the feeling that he was just a nuisance. Although that is the case, I find him adventurous and his love for Calla is definitely felt all throughout the novel.
Ren, the alpha male, is a very interesting character for me. He has been played out to have dated half of the girl population at their school, but deep down, all he ever really wanted is Calla. Ren is the type of guy who just couldn't, or rather, wouldn’t open up his feelings that easily. I guess his mysterious ways and his protectiveness of Calla, won me over. If I am to choose which one Calla really should end up with, I definitely go for Ren in a heartbeat. By the time I finished the book, I felt the heaviness of the weight that Ren was carrying – his love for Calla and his duty to his pack.
Nightshade had me reading all throughout the wee hours of the night. It’s so engrossing that I couldn't put it down until I got to the end. Well at first I honestly got confused about the terminologies used in this book, Keepers, Guardians, and Searchers. I thought this is not the first book in the series. Thank God, I was able to get over my confusion when Calla began telling Shay their history. What I really liked about this book is how the author was able to build the characters and the story chapter by chapter without rushing through to too many details at once. I liked the blend of paranormal lore, witches and warlock, intrigue, and love triangle that was included in this story. I also love how the author was able to interject more questions during the last chapter, which definitely make you want to read its sequel, Wolfbane, right away. I am excited to reading the next installment in this series, looking forward to knowing more about the Keepers, Guardians, and Searchers, dying to know how Calla’s and Ren’s love story unfolds. Yes, I am Team Ren! *wink*
Here's the book trailer:
1 comments:
Yas, GREAT review! & hurray for Team Ren!!! I still haven't finished Nightshade... i know, i'm falling behind. But hopefully I'll have some time today :) Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Diana
ps. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier, I am now returning the favor!
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