Review: Nightshade

by Andrea Cremer
publisher: Philomel
date published: October 19, 2010
format: hardcover
pages: 452
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads
challenges: Goodreads 2001 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

"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?"

What I Thought

At first, I felt a bit lost as the story launched. There were terms to describe the different groups (Guardians, Keepers, Searchers, etc.) that left me confused as to what their functions actually were. Several pages went by before explanation was offered and, after that, things made more sense. The different groups include: Guardians, who are shapeshifters (werewolves, if you will); Keepers, of which there are two subgroups (the Nightshades and the Banes), who command the Guardians and are described throughout the book as witches and warlocks); and Searchers, who are the sworn enemies of the Keepers and the ones the Guardians are supposed to defend against (they are a mysterious group and their function isn't really explained very much in this book). As far as the overall groups are concerned, Cremer did a good job of capturing the dynamics of each group and conveying the hierarchical issues involved.

It is the characters as individuals, however, that I am the least impressed with. Calla is supposed to be a trained warrior and is supposed to be the Alpha of her pack (the Nightshades). The love triangle between her, Shay (a human boy new to town), and Ren (the Bane Alpha) seems to bring out the worst in her, though. She keeps playing the go-away-now-come-back-again game with both Shay and Ren and can't seem to stand up for herself with either. I found Shay to be an obnoxious love interest who can't seem take, "No," for an answer. As for Ren, I found him to be an insecure (which, granted, Cremer points out herself) pest who can't keep his hands to himself. Where is Calla's backbone? I find it difficult to believe that she is supposed to be a strong, female character. I wanted to like her, but I found her to be somewhat lacking.

The plot is captivating and had the capability of making me start just one more chapter just to see what would happen next. Something I did enjoy was the creepiness injected into the story. Included in the creep factor were creatures such as wraiths, incubi, succubi, and one very creepy Keeper named Efron Bane. The intrigue was another element that I enjoyed in this book. I had the sense that something wasn't right and kept reading so I could discover what that something was.

I will probably read the second book when it comes out, but I'm not sure if I want to own this series. I think this one is going to be strictly a "borrow" for me. For that reason, I give Nightshade 3 hoots.