Nightshade (Nightshade, #1; Nightshade World, #4) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Nov 20, 2010 Samantha Young rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-authors, favourites, books-i-own, covers-i-love

Calla is a Guardian, a werewolf, and protector of the Keepers, powerful witches and warlocks. All Calla has ever known is life in a pack, with a witch as her pack’s mistress. As an Alpha female, Calla is to be mated to Renier, the young Alpha male of their neighbouring rival pack to form a third pack to protect the mysterious Haldis Cavern in their territory. Having pretty much accepted her lot in life, Calla is thrown into utter turmoil at the arrival of Shay, a human boy whose life she saves. Calla is a Guardian, a werewolf, and protector of the Keepers, powerful witches and warlocks. All Calla has ever known is life in a pack, with a witch as her pack’s mistress. As an Alpha female, Calla is to be mated to Renier, the young Alpha male of their neighbouring rival pack to form a third pack to protect the mysterious Haldis Cavern in their territory. Having pretty much accepted her lot in life, Calla is thrown into utter turmoil at the arrival of Shay, a human boy whose life she saves. Suddenly Shay has Calla questioning her entire existence and the often harsh, sometimes sadistic rule of the Keepers.

Oh wow, where to start? I’m completely in love with this book and cannot believe it sat on my bookshelf unread for so long. I was drawn to Nightshade because of the beautiful cover, title and great reviews. It did not disappoint. Calla is a fantastic heroine, her voice is so real and true and so wonderfully animalistic. The dynamic between the pack kids is brilliantly written. There is a particular scene in the beginning of the book that sums up the amazing imagery Cremer somehow managed to maintain throughout the entire novel. Calla is standing at her locker when Ren appears in the school corridor, his pack striding at his back. As he nears Calla, her own pack appear out of nowhere to guard her back. It was awesome and territorial and fraught with challenge. Just a brilliant example of Cremer’s depiction of the Alphas and their packs.
Plot-wise. Wow. I felt like I had dived into a universe where Underworld meets The Vampire Diaries. This is a pretty big book, but Andrea Cremer’s modern prose is so addictive and the plot so action-packed, intricate and intelligent that I got through it fairly quickly. The supernatural elements were surprisingly refreshing; the succubi, incubi and wraiths (not to mention a terrifying arachnid) were drawn in a way I’ve never come across before, and one of the final action sequences in the novel is so imaginative, I could see it really translating to the screen well – utterly cool.
The characters of Nightshade are vivid, three dimensional, the pack are truly like wolves – Cremer never once forgets to remind the reader of that fact, having them react to certain situations with their wolfy side dominant. Most importantly, I didn’t find the love triangle tedious, which is an extremely difficult feat. In fact I quite enjoyed the triangle, feeling myself pulled between Ren and Shay as much as Calla – I am a sucker for the big bad wolfe though, think I’m leaning more towards Ren.

Nightshade doesn’t shy away from darker more adult subject matter, so I’d say this is definitely for older teens (although there isn’t any graphic language). It made me laugh, gasp, hold my breath and just revel in its brilliance. When it ended I literally cried out in horror. I need the next novel, Wolfsbane, now!! Hurry up!

In my top five YA Paranormal.

Five Humungous stars!
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Dec 01, 2010 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010-debut-author, mundie-moms-reviews, signed-books-arcs, arcs, 2010-100-book-challenge, books-i-own

Nightshade is an amazing, spelling binding story that had me glued to the pages until I finished it. From page one, Andrea had me completely captivated not only with her characters and her amazing world building, but with her writing style. I was I felt like I barely had time to put my seat belt on, before I was whisked away in this thrilling read.

18 year old Calla Tor is a warrior and alpha of the Nightshade pack. She's a resilient, strong female leader who is torn between tradition and her hea Nightshade is an amazing, spelling binding story that had me glued to the pages until I finished it. From page one, Andrea had me completely captivated not only with her characters and her amazing world building, but with her writing style. I was I felt like I barely had time to put my seat belt on, before I was whisked away in this thrilling read.

18 year old Calla Tor is a warrior and alpha of the Nightshade pack. She's a resilient, strong female leader who is torn between tradition and her heart. Her tradition is Ren, the hot alpha male of the Bane pack, to whom Calla will be marrying after they graduate from their Mountain School. While she loves Ren, her heart is falling for Shay, an outsider who makes Calla question everything she's been raised to believe. She's never questioned her pack's traditions until now. Calla has a choice to make, follow what she's been raised to do and believe, or follow what she feels is right.

Nightshade has a wonderful cast of many different characters, all of whom I felt connected to in some way. They're real, bold and I felt like I was there in on their secret (which no humans are allowed know about) as I was able to learn more about their packs. I never once felt lost in who each of them are and what their roles are in Nightshade. The Pack life was brilliantly written and more than I had hoped it would be. Being a wolf girl, I absolutely love Andrea's unique wolf mythology, as Nightshade is not your stereotypical werewolf book. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in both human and wolf form. Calla and Ren have two strong packs and while their pack members may not always get a long, their pack is making adjustments now for what it will be like when they're united as one pack.

Andrea has written two different, yet equally commanding characters with Ren and Shay. I'm left feeling just as torn as Calla is. I understand Calla's fight against Ren and her pull towards Shay. Ren is a leader, a fighter and seen as a player, though I think there's a lot more to Ren than what we see through Calla's eyes. Don't get me wrong, Ren and Calla's sexual tension leave the pages smoldering. Ren has a way at jumping off the pages at you and Shay has a way of making you fall for his quiet confidence and bold bravery in a world he's just starting to learn about. He challenges Calla and makes her think for herself. I don't envy Calla and the choice she has to make.

Andrea leaves no shortage of romance or action. It's perfectly blended, and mixed in with an amazing wolf pack dynamic that I've never read in any other book before. Nightshade's vivid setting completely mesmerized me and left me wishing I could spend the day running patrols through the woods that cover the mountain side that both Nightshade and Bane packs guard.

Full of all the right paranormal elements, including other mythical creatures/characters, Nightshade left me breathless, wanting more and thinking about it long after I had finished reading it. I am really looking forward to reading it's sequel, Wolfsbane, when it's released next year. ...more

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Dec 23, 2010 Between the Covers rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy

Nightshade is one of those books that got tons of hype around the blogging community before its release, and even more after - and in this case, it was 100% deserved. Although Nightshade is about werewolves, it really has something for everyone - great characters, well-developed setting, fantasy, a little history, and a lot of romance. And look at that cover - is it not beautiful?

Calla has never questioned what life has in store for her - she loves being a Guardian, and the Keepers provide for e Nightshade is one of those books that got tons of hype around the blogging community before its release, and even more after - and in this case, it was 100% deserved. Although Nightshade is about werewolves, it really has something for everyone - great characters, well-developed setting, fantasy, a little history, and a lot of romance. And look at that cover - is it not beautiful?

Calla has never questioned what life has in store for her - she loves being a Guardian, and the Keepers provide for everything her family could want. She's always done what she should, until she reveals her true nature to save a strange boy from certain death by a bear. Though worried, she thinks nothing will come of the incident - until the boy shows up in her class at the Mountain School the next day. It soon becomes clear that Shay plays a much larger part in her world than Calla ever realized; in fact, her world is not even what she imagined it to be. As she learns more of the Keepers' secrets, she finds herself drawn to Shay; but she is mated to Ren, the alpha male. Throughout the book, the tensions and romances heat up, all coming to a head on Samhain, the day of the union - the day for which nobody is prepared.

The world of Nightshade was excellently created. I loved the blending of actual history with a fantasy world. But more than that, I loved the characters. The Nightshade and Lumine pack members were quite diverse and yet all believable. Calla is definitely a strong, independent character, though not without her flaws and unique traits. And Ren and Shay - how could anyone choose one?

Occasionally parts of the story were a bit confusing, but as the reader learns along with Calla, that is to be expected. And the ending...well, all I can say is that I needed Wolfsbane yesterday.

Nightshade kept me turning page after page, eager for more, with its engaging story, sweet (and sometimes steamy) romance, and imaginative world. Andrea Cremer has a brilliant style, and I cannot wait to read more! ...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Jodie rated it it was amazing

http://jodiesbookreviews.blogspot.com/
Unique, engrossing, real, entertaining, all words which came to mind everytime l picked this book up.
This is one of those books l find hard to pick a single fault with. The characters felt very real which is such a big thing for me, often with the characters just haven’t felt real which has meant l struggled to get into the book. This book was the total opposite, Calla is stuck between her mind and heart many times in this book and you are constantly wonderi ...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Melocotón rated it really liked it

The beginning of this book was a little weird for me. Usually by page 70-100 I should be completely enticed and not wanting to put the book down. Now that didn’t exactly happen it was more of curiousness that kept me going toward the first 200 pages. The reason I say that is because this book started off a little weird. To begin with I felt like I was bit bombarded with the whole guardians, keepers, and wraiths. I didn’t understand what they were until I got a snippet of when Calla spoke to Sha The beginning of this book was a little weird for me. Usually by page 70-100 I should be completely enticed and not wanting to put the book down. Now that didn’t exactly happen it was more of curiousness that kept me going toward the first 200 pages. The reason I say that is because this book started off a little weird. To begin with I felt like I was bit bombarded with the whole guardians, keepers, and wraiths. I didn’t understand what they were until I got a snippet of when Calla spoke to Shay on the mountain. Secondly it kind of bothers me that Calla doesn’t really know what going on with anything. I just found it weird she does what she’s told and follows all the rules, but then not really. It’s like she doesn’t like the keepers therefore she’s scared of them but I don’t really see any questioning coming from her. It was just off. I didn’t get a sense of Calla’s personality either. I mean I knew she was the alpha of her pack but that’s it. I don’t know how she feels about anyone at all, even her brother. I felt like she’s like a stepford wife, no personality, does what the keepers say and that’s that.

I mean even the time when Ren would touch her she would say how she would get all riled up and angry but for no reason.
It was the same when Shay touched her heart would race and she would constantly check him out. It felt like if anyone touched her, she would have some hyperventilating reaction. I didn’t get the understanding of why she felt certain ways. I just felt like I didn’t know who Calla was. I mean besides the fact that Ren is her destined mate and he dates random girls she never mentioned why she doesn’t like him, in fact she says they are friends but there not really it’s weird. When it comes to Shay, she knows she isn’t supposed to talk to humans yet she’s intrigued by him so she spills so many secrets on that mountain. At times when Calla would meet the two guys I felt like she seriously just a horny mess and does not know what to do with herself! I literally would think to myself this girl is fricken crazy what is she doing??

Luckily as the book went on I really started to enjoy all those lustful scenes between Ren & Calla and Shay & Calla. I loved the way Ren teased her and took charge and really made Calla sweat. As for Shay at first I thought he was kind of nerdy but as the book went on I loved that sort of confidence he had and all those witty remarks. He reminded me of a Christian Ozera from VA. He really did want Calla to be free and was very understanding on everything. I mean he barely freaked I mean I must say it was pretty funny the way Shay would challenge Ren. The thing that bothered me was the whole the whole turning Shay into a werewolf. I mean I understand that it was necessary but I felt like it happened too fast. Usually when someone turns for the first time it’s quite painful and it literally felt like 30 seconds passed. I also found weird was how they were suppose to keep their identity as werewolves a secret yet they would change so freely ex. (library, streets, school) I just thought that’s not realistic. As well as the ideas the keepers watched everything and you had to abide by their strict rules yet I didn’t feel they really watched at all throughout the book except those random times Lumine showed up and Logan ordering around the new pack. That was a bit iffy for me. .

I liked Calla’s brother a lot he was so cute and sweet. He really would do anything to protect her even though he’s so young. I have a very strong feeling that he will play a major role in causing some trouble for the keepers! I also enjoyed how the guardians could shift easily without having to worry about clothes; I was wondering towards the beginning was she naked when Shay first saw her? I must say that this book was definitely original in many ways. I didn’t feel like I could predict everything which was pretty awesome.

Now this book I was originally going to give it 3 ½ because it took a bit to get into. I continued reading for interest and because of the high rating this book kept getting. As I read I realized after I came to terms with this world and how it was written I really enjoyed the book. I liked how they were on the search for the truth. After a while of me reading I couldn’t put the book down because I needed to know how it ended. There was a whole lot of mystery in this book as in whose good and bad and I don’t know what to think. I am leaning towards the keepers as bad but who knows? The book ended with quite a cliffhanger and an interesting point for Wolfsbane to begin. I am really looking forward to reading the next book more than I had originally expected. That’s why I decide to rate it a 4 because I was caught by surprise on how this book had me turning the pages. As for who’s team I am rooting for, I couldn’t decide weird huh? I really liked Ren I think he’s good at heart just has a hardened exterior. Shay is sweet and full of possibilities. I like our heroine through most of the book couldn’t decide. We will see where this journey takes us.
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Oct 06, 2010 Trisha Wolfe rated it it was amazing

Let’s talk about character building vs world building. For some reason, many Fantasy/Para books I read either do one much better than the other, or they balance each other out so that both are ok or good enough. In Nightshade, I was taken into a world where I could envision this town and the secrets it holds so much that I felt I was actually there. Being guided by Calla, a guardian, who is fearless yet soft, and someone who I would follow and respect. Ms. Cremer is a phenomenal debut author. It ...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Hannah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, wishlist

Isn't the cover A-M-A-Z-I-N-G? Wolfsbane has an awesome cover too.
Anyways...Lets start off with what I thought of the characters.

Calla was a great name for a character. I don't think I've ever even read a book that the main character's name was Calla. It's original and still unique!
I think Calla and I have a lot in common. Mostly the same strong-headedness. We're both stubborn. She's protective, as I am. And I find it encouraging to read about someone that would be make the same choices as I wou ...more

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Nov 14, 2010 Cicely rated it liked it

When I got Nightshade for review from Atom, you would not believe how happy I was. I'd been wanting this book so bad since October, and then when I got it, and for free, I was ridiculously happy. First of all, the cover is amazing. It is one of my favourite covers ever. But, for me, the content didn't quite live up to all the hype. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, because I did, but it didn't blow my mind away with amazingness like I was expecting it too, which was kind of sad.

I didn't ...more

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Nov 23, 2010 Lucia rated it really liked it

Calla Tor has her future all set out in front of her: she'll graduate from high school and become the mate of alpha wolf Renier Laroche, when they'll rule their new pack and protect and obey their Keepers. Everything seems perfect, until she meets Shay Doran, a human boy who seems to be much more involved in her world than any other human.

I love Calla. She's not your usual weak, shy girl that depends on a guy to fight for her. She's also an alpha wolf, and she can fight just as well as any guy. ...more

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