Bookworm Blogger #YA: Review: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

3 out of 5

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended. Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and 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 Review:

I must admit, at the end of Nightshade I really didn't like Ren. I knew Calla wanted to be with Shay so it all seemed like alls fair in love and war. I'm not sure whether I liked Wolfsbane as much. For one thing there was an awful lot of info-dump. Every other page felt like someone was churning out some more history of this and that and why and when. I know most of this will be because Bloodrose is the last in the series so I stuck with it nonetheless!

At the end of Nightshade Calla made the choice to rescue Shay leaving Ren to create a diversion, giving them time to escape. However since then things have changed. The Searchers found Calla and Shay and have now promised to rescue the rest of the pack.

In Wolfsbane both these lead characters annoyed me immensely. Shay, who I wanted to like, came over as caveman Alpha whenever Calla was concerned. Whenever a discussion was being had, Shay would jump in unnecessarily to protect her. Lets remember that Calla is a seasoned wolf, a warrior and an Alpha herself. I understand that Shay is new to the idea of a wolf pack, he's known as a lone wolf, but I just wanted him to cool it a little and stop trying to defend her the whole time.

So to Calla. First she likes Shay, then she's wants Ren, then she's back to Shay, then she's thinking about Ren...the whole mental picture got exhausting. Calla is an extremely brilliant character, I loved her in Nightshade, I understand that love triangles are all the rage, and that she's a wolf underneath her own skin, but did the author have to give the impression that she was constantly on heat! For both boys! Ren features very little in this book, something I was glad for, but this isn't going to bode well for the next installment, Bloodrose.

The Searchers were an interesting concept and gave something different to the story.. They're the good guys who know their weapons and history, more than the Guardians do. I liked that they wanted to help the Guardians and was cheering as they retrieved them from the holding cells. Monroe was a true hero and a great character. The other Searchers? I liked Adne but the rest blended into the pages. The constant bickering and chit-chat got boring and annoying too. I skipped a few pages just to get to the action.

Overall, I still liked the story and must admit that this is one of the best wolf series I've read in a while. I hope Bloodrose meets my expectations now that I know the full history. All in all, its the middle book and met my middle book standards of great but not as good as the first.