Nightshade Trilogy ~ Andrea Cremer

I first read Nightshade in 2010 as an ARC. Here is that review, straight from GoodReads.

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?

I liked this book right from the beginning. It jumped right into action. The characters and their dynamics with each other was believable-especially Calla and Ren. They were believable as alphas. I got so caught up in the story that I am still questioning much of the happenings, just like Calla.

Next up is Wolfsbane, published in 2011. Having been two years since reading Nightshade, I was a little lost at first. Through the use of flashback scenes, Cremer catches the reader up to speed. We are also introduced to Searchers-the antithesis to the Keepers. The Searchers have taken Calla and Shay, but for what purpose? We meet new characters in the Searchers. And I've got to admit, I like these guys much better than the stick up their asses Guardians. I would also love a series on the Searchers! My biggest complaint with Wolfsbane is still Shay. I just cannot stand him. At least in this book, Calla actually feels torn. Her intended mate or Shay? I'm still not okay with love triangles, and that is mostly because of Nightshade!

Full of betrayals, traitors, love triangles, and more-Wolfsbane will leave you panting for the next!

Bloodrose. The last book of the trilogy. Wow. The trilogy ended with one hell of a fantastic book! I read it immediately after Wolfsbane and the story picks right up. I do have one thing to say and get off of my chest and out of the way. Screw you chapter 25!

Okay, in this installment we travel the globe in search of the Elemental Cross: a weapon that will make the difference in the war. Along the way, new Guardians come into play, and with them, a whole new set of issues.

Bloodrose was a beautiful story. To me, this is how a series should be, each book better than the previous. While I'm not exactly happy with everything that happened in the book, I am 100% happy with the ending! Most reviews are not fond of the ending, but eh, I thought it was good, unexpected even.





My favorite passage from page 320 of the hardback:
     "The moon was gone now, covered by thick bands of clouds. As tiny silver flakes drifted down to settle on our bodies, both the living and the dead-I thought perhaps the moon had hidden her face from us, as full of sorrow as we were. But she couldn't stop her tears from spilling out in the form of silent snow."

Last, I am going to leave you with the original covers. Well, the 3rd is a foreign edition that matches. I think these covers are more powerful than what we have now. If I had both in front of me, these are the ones I would pick up. If the Nightshade ARC had the cover we see now, I may not have read it as soon as I did....