Review: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

 

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
Published: July 26th, 2011; Philomel
390 Pages

From Goodreads:
When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, 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.

My Rating:
4 stars

Thoughts:

The second book in the Nightshade series sets Calla in a whole new setting, and surrounded by a brand new group of people (minus Shay). Yes, I missed the pack, but these new characters were well-rounded enough that I didn’t feel like the heroine was spending her time around a bunch of robots. Wolfsbane would get higher points for that alone, but the plot of this book was also an improvement (though it’s pretty much expected that the second book in a series is better than the first…)

Things changed drastically from the first book to the second, since Calla was no longer trapped in the cage that was Vail; she gets to go to different places in the world, and wasn’t held back by the keepers and their rules. And this change was a definite improvement, since the first book only occurred in a limited environment. The searchers hideout (which isn’t much of a hideout) sounded beautiful, and I can’t wait to see more of it. The searchers themselves weren’t as monstrous as they were made out to be in the first book (but they aren’t little pansies either) and they became a support to Calla; I ended up really liking them.

Calla’s relationship with Shay was less inhibited in Wolfsbane, since they no longer had to hide their feelings for one another (much to my chagrin). Mostly, I liked the fact that their relationship took a spot on the back burner and the story focused more on rescuing Calla’s wolf pack. Nightshade was mostly about Calla’s feelings for Shay, so I liked Wolfsbane because it put more significance in Calla’s relationships with people other than Shay (which is hard to find in some YA novels). Not that the romance was nonexistent, since it would be a disappointment if it was.

I’m not going to say I don’t like Shay, because he’s growing on me. He spends a lot less time being annoying in this book, and his identity as the Scion brings some nice things along with it (I’ll try not to give anything away). I’m still a big supporter of Ren (especially after what happens in Wolfsbane) so I can’t wait to see what happens to his and Calla’s relationship in the final book.

I’m going to warn you, and just say that Wolfsbane has a few more tragic events in it than Nightshade did. Nothing is bawl-your-eyes-out sad, but some of the things that happen definitely set a bit more depressing tone to the overall book.

Wolfsbane isn’t the greatest book I’ve ever read (I don’t even know if I’d be able to choose one, if someone asked) but it was still outstanding. Calla grew as a character, and Cremer has built a great cast of characters who are flawed just enough to be believable, but not ridiculously messed up. There were enough loose ends to make me put the next book, Bloodrose, at the top of my reading list. I can’t wait to see where this series ends, and if you enjoyed Nightshade, or even thought it was okay, you should absolutely read Wolfsbane.