Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)

"There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath."

"There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath."

"We were always meant to be together, Calla."

“You’re not getting out of this,” he growled, pulling me against
him. “I’m not letting you go. Not again.”
“I know,” I said, not resisting when he kissed me, wondering just
how deep a hole I was digging myself into. But I was afraid that saying anything to counter Ren’s hopes would make him change his
mind about coming with me. I couldn’t let that happen.
“Good.”
I felt him sm

“You’re not getting out of this,” he growled, pulling me against
him. “I’m not letting you go. Not again.”
“I know,” I said, not resisting when he kissed me, wondering just
how deep a hole I was digging myself into. But I was afraid that saying anything to counter Ren’s hopes would make him change his
mind about coming with me. I couldn’t let that happen.
“Good.”
I felt him smile through the kiss.

[
Wow... so, where do I even begin. I have no idea how to rate this book. There were so many things that I hated about this, and then so many things that made me think Andrea Cremer is an awesome writer because she got my emotions SO wrapped up in this series.


First off, I want to say that the little teaser that was released before the book was released was a total misrepresentation. I read that thinking, this is it! This is Calla and Ren's book! But that was all crap. The first chapter was the most Ren and Calla spoke or interacted with each other at one time. Totally ticked me off. I'm surprised Ren didn't get a little angry with her, because the way she was acting in the first chapter was totally opposite of how she acted throughout the rest of the book. She gave him false hope to get him to go back with her, but he never questioned her once they got back to the Academy. While I'm at it I might as well keep ranting about Ren's story. I think it was safe to say that the fans of this book were overwhelmingly Team REN. And even though I saw this coming from a mile away I was STILL mad when it happened... (so here is my message to Andrea Cremer, who I believe thought this would fix the whole Ren/Shay problem) KILLING REN OFF DID NOT MAKE ME LIKE SHAY ANY MORE THAN BEFORE!!!! It just made me mad and sad, and yes I shed a tear. It also made me mad at Calla. What the heck, she kept pushing him away throughout the whole book, every time he touched her she would move away or look at Shay worried about his reaction. Ugh, so it took Ren DYING for her to suddenly evoke some response and feelings for Ren, that she kept saying were there, but never showed. Of course it didn't last long, because when they circled Ren's body to mourn him she starts explaining how Ren was her past and deep down she always knew she didn't love him enough to be with him. What. the. HECK?! Poor freakin' Ren can't catch a break with her even after he's dead! Ugh ugh UGH I just hated that part of the book! I knew back on page 288 that I should have stopped reading, because Calla made her choice, as if I didn't already know it was coming, but I knew Ren was done after that. OK another little gripe having to do with Ren was his relationship with Adne. It was so unrealistic. They fell into a brother/sister relationship way too fast. No awkwardness or anything. It was just weird. Ren getting all protective when Adne and Conner finally give into their feelings for each other. It was too soon. He knew Adne as for all of like 5 days MAYBE and he was already acting that way. Whatevs.


The action and the suspense was great in this book. This book made up for Wolfsbane's lack of action. I was so bored when I read that book, but this one was action packed! Which was great. I loved reading all that, even though I was annoyed through most of it because of the Calla/Shay/Ren triangle. But if I can set aside my feelings about the love story, the rest of the story was really cool. I enjoyed it... that is until the end. I'm not sure how I feel about the end. I guess it kind of makes sense that when the gates closed, all the magic that was used after opening them would have to go back to normal. But wouldn't they just remain humans then? And if following Cremer's logic, HOW did Shay stay a wolf? The only way I would have liked it, is if Ren had not died, and Shay had to stay human. That way Calla and Ren could be together with their pack just like it was always meant to be, just like Ren kept saying, and just like Calla kept thinking when she would see Ren. It would have made sense. What didn't make sense, is that they all had to return to their natural states, but Shay became a wolf which was NOT his natural state. All for the sake of a happy ending, which, in my opinion wasn't happy. It was bitter sweet at best, and well, she didn't end up with Ren so it wasn't a happy ending for me! NOT that Calla deserved Ren. But Ren wanted her so I wanted Ren to be happy.

SO like I said, I'm having a hard time rating this book, because although I enjoyed the story, I hated the love story. And when it comes down to it, I liked the sense of community and purpose and lifestyle Calla lived in at the beginning of the series. Even though it was oppressive and they were totally working for the wrong side, what sucked me in was the first book. I hate how everything was turned upside down, families torn apart, packs torn apart, friendships died, and it was never going to go back to that. After this book, a large portion of the town vanished. All the wolves and keepers gone. I hated that. I liked how in the beginning, they all worked together to protect something, they all knew their place in their community and knew their future. By the end of the series it all had changed so much, that most of the characters weren't even human anymore. It made me sad.

Oh yeah and another thing that bothered me, was how Calla mourned her mother's death for all of about 2 seconds. It seemed like it could have weighed on her conscience a little more than it did.

I guess I'm done. I'm emotionally exhausted after reading this book, because I was just mad through most of it. I don't know why either, because I knew it wasn't going to end the way I wanted, but I kept holding out hope that Andrea Cremer would listen to her fans. :(


......10 minutes later

Ok so I'm back. The more I have thought about this the angrier I have become. Did Cremer not see the overwhelming following that she had for REN?! I have read through review after review and I have not found ONE STINKIN' PERSON who liked boring SHAY!! It's almost like she set out to write this series, she made the hero and when she realized nobody liked the hero she just decided to kill of his competition to fix it, and she killed him off in such a terrible way!! Ren fought like a warrior, like a guardian throughout the whole book, and then he dies because he leaps too high? What the frick is that?! And not only does he die because of a mistake, but he is killed by the stupid man who "raised" him?! Poor Ren died an embarrassing death, and lost Calla all in the same day. Calla basically told him before the fight that she chose Shay, the stupid witch. I'm getting more and more made about this stupid series. Why drag us along with the whole Ren story, make us fall in love with him and then kill him like that?! I'm not sure I want to read anything else Cremer has to write.

AND WHY THE HECK DOES THIS BOOK HAVE SUCH HIGH RATINGS??!!! It has an average of 4 stars, but when I scroll through all the reviews they are all low!

OH and what about all those poor guardians who are all stuck as bears and jaguars now, having no clue why they can't change back?! Bravo Cremer! AHHHH This is making me so mad!!

WHY? JUST WHY??!!


Dij's review is exactly how I feel! Her GIF's are perfect, it cracked me up, which is good because I was ready to start throwing stuff after finishing this book.


(Edit number 3 or 4 or 5, I've lost count.)
OK so after a day to ponder this I have more to rant about. And it is about Ren... again... OK so in the first book, Ren loses his future, with his pack and with Calla. Not only does she leave him, but she leaves him on their WEDDING NIGHT with another guy! Then in the second book he loses his dad. He already lost his mom, but then he finds out the father who raised him was never his father and the man who was is father gets killed seconds after he finds out. The last book, he finds out the man who raised him killed his mother. Calla STILL rejects him after leading him on, but he doesn't give up even after Calla basically tells him she chooses Shay. Then he loses his life at that hands of the man who raised him. Everything about Ren's story line is so sad. No wonder so many people had such strong feelings for Ren and resented Shay throughout the book. It just pisses me off that Cremer tried to force us to be happy with the Shay ending, by killing Ren. OK this is it. I'm not adding any more to this review/rant.
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