Book Review: Nightshade

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?

I have a confession to make. I received arcs of both Nightshade and Wolfsbane, and I didn't start the series until after Bloodrose released. Andrea Cremer's books interested me after hearing friends say how much they loved them and telling me that I'd love them, too. But I also heard there were cliffhangers, so I put them off to read them all together.

I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of Nightshade.I really wanted to like it. Werewolves, witches, and other paranormal creatures. That kind of thing is right up my alley. I think Andrea Cremer wrote the story well, and that it was an interesting story. I really like the set-up and the mystery, but there was just too much that bothered me to really love it.

Those of you who know me and/or read my blog regularly know that I HATE spoilers. With a passion. So I do my best to keep spoilers out of my reviews, but this one is going to include them, so... beware from this point on.

Things that bothered me about Nightshade:

1. Ren. I don't get the appeal. He's a man-whore, making out, and maybe even sleeping, with a number of girls while he's promised to Calla. And to make Shay jealous, Ren makes Calla sit on his lap at lunch. He was a d-bag.

2. Male dominant society. Ren practically jumps on Calla, kissing her and unbuttoning her shirt, while she pushes him away, and she gets scolded. The Bane alpha male is allowed to be inappropriate to the Nightshade alpha female, and she is to submit to what he wants.  -____- To be fair, I think we, the readers, are supposed to dislike this behavior, but it ruined the enjoyment of the book for me.

3. Magical Changes. I'm not a fan of werewolves that can transform in a second or less with no pain. In this series, not only does it take a second to transform, but when they change back to human, their clothes are in tact, and whatever they had on their person is still with them.

4. Kissing scenes. I don't mind kissing, sex, or romance in books. In fact, I tend to like a little romance in my books. That being said, heavy make-out scenes in every other chapter, switching between two different guys, was a bit much. And the heaving making out in times of peril... wtf?

I own all three books in hardback, and I do plan to read them all. In fact, I've already started Wolfsbane, but I really hope they get better.