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.
Wolfsbane: A Nightshade Novel Book 2
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About the Author
Andrea Cremer spent her childhood daydreaming while roaming the forests and lakeshores of Northern Wisconsin. She now lives in Minnesota, but she thinks of her homeland as the "Canadian Shield" rather than the Midwest.
Andrea has always loved writing and has never stopped writing, but she only recently plunged into the deep end of the pool that is professional writing. When she's not writing, Andrea teaches history at a very nice liberal arts college in St. Paul.
In the little spare time she can find, Andrea stares up at trees, rescues infant rabbits from predatory cats, and invents names for pug puppies with her husband. She has an unfortunate tendency to spill things—white carpets beware!
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21 of 26 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Just about everything I loved about NIGHTSHADE is absent in WOLFSBANE
July 27, 2011
Format:Hardcover
Call it the Sophomore slump, the second season syndrome, or what have you, but last year I gave NIGHTSHADE, the first book in the series of the same name by debut author Andrea Cremer, a perfect 5/5 rating. Today I'm giving the sequel, WOLFSBANE, a 2/5 rating. What happened to the story, the characters, the romance, and the writing between books one and two to cause such a drastic change? A lot of annoying, confusing, and boring things.
The mythology of the Keepers, Guardians, Searchers, and the Scion still offer an interesting twist on witch, werewolf, and demon mythologies. Likewise the sociopolitical interactions of each group are well thought out and have wide reaching effects on themselves and each other. Andrea Cremer's background as a history professor comes into play as well providing a detailed and very realistic origin for her mythologies. Unfortunately, those are about the only good things I can say about WOLFSBANE.
Just about everything I loved about NIGHTSHADE is absent in WOLFSBANE. The forbidden love triangle between Calla, Shay and Ren? Not so forbidden anymore. But don't tell Calla. She still anguishes over which guy to choose ad nauseam. Shay, barely recognizable in this sequel as a whiny possessive hot head, bears the brunt of her indecisiveness. Calla still wants to make out (and more) with Shay until mid smooch session when she'll abruptly shove him away out of guilt over Ren. But then the situation just repeats a few chapters later.
More annoying still was the plethora of new and extremely irritating characters. NIGHTSHADE was all about the wolves, WOLFSBANE is all about the Searchers. In the first few chapters a dozen new characters strut in and out of scenes with lots of desperate attempts at humor and inside jokes to show how close they all are. It was like a badly cast reality show. Calla and Shay basically just watch and ask zero questions about why they are there, what they are being asked to do, what the ultimate plan is, why they are so desperately needed etc. They are just ordered around and basically meekly obey. Well, Calla grows and shifts back and forth a lot, but that's about it.
90% of WOLFSBANE takes place in the Searchers academy and mostly consists of the Searchers inappropriately timed jokes (like after people just died), stupid sexual come ons, and lots and lots of history lessons. The last hundred pages or so finally spark with a bit of energy and action along with the first appearance of some of the original characters from NIGHTSHADE, but it wasn't nearly enough to compensate for the rest of this extremely disappointing sequel. The third book in the Nightshade series is titled BLOODROSE and will be published on February 21, 2012. Based solely on the strength of the first book, I still plan to read it, but I'm keeping my expectations firmly in check.
Sexual Content:
Heterosexual and homosexual kissing. Scenes of sensuality. A non graphic sex scene. References to rape. A scene that might have been an attempted sexual assault.
The mythology of the Keepers, Guardians, Searchers, and the Scion still offer an interesting twist on witch, werewolf, and demon mythologies. Likewise the sociopolitical interactions of each group are well thought out and have wide reaching effects on themselves and each other. Andrea Cremer's background as a history professor comes into play as well providing a detailed and very realistic origin for her mythologies. Unfortunately, those are about the only good things I can say about WOLFSBANE.
Just about everything I loved about NIGHTSHADE is absent in WOLFSBANE. The forbidden love triangle between Calla, Shay and Ren? Not so forbidden anymore. But don't tell Calla. She still anguishes over which guy to choose ad nauseam. Shay, barely recognizable in this sequel as a whiny possessive hot head, bears the brunt of her indecisiveness. Calla still wants to make out (and more) with Shay until mid smooch session when she'll abruptly shove him away out of guilt over Ren. But then the situation just repeats a few chapters later.
More annoying still was the plethora of new and extremely irritating characters. NIGHTSHADE was all about the wolves, WOLFSBANE is all about the Searchers. In the first few chapters a dozen new characters strut in and out of scenes with lots of desperate attempts at humor and inside jokes to show how close they all are. It was like a badly cast reality show. Calla and Shay basically just watch and ask zero questions about why they are there, what they are being asked to do, what the ultimate plan is, why they are so desperately needed etc. They are just ordered around and basically meekly obey. Well, Calla grows and shifts back and forth a lot, but that's about it.
90% of WOLFSBANE takes place in the Searchers academy and mostly consists of the Searchers inappropriately timed jokes (like after people just died), stupid sexual come ons, and lots and lots of history lessons. The last hundred pages or so finally spark with a bit of energy and action along with the first appearance of some of the original characters from NIGHTSHADE, but it wasn't nearly enough to compensate for the rest of this extremely disappointing sequel. The third book in the Nightshade series is titled BLOODROSE and will be published on February 21, 2012. Based solely on the strength of the first book, I still plan to read it, but I'm keeping my expectations firmly in check.
Sexual Content:
Heterosexual and homosexual kissing. Scenes of sensuality. A non graphic sex scene. References to rape. A scene that might have been an attempted sexual assault.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
* Spoilers*
Calla Tor is separated from her pack and her family, surrounded by the Searchers, who have been her enemies for as long as she can remember. She assumes they will kill her soon until they offer to make her part of their campaign to destroy the Keepers, the masters of her and the other guardians that treat them like property. Since it gives her the opportunity to save her friends and family, including Ren, and earn them their freedom, Calla agrees. Shay, the Chosen One turned Guardian, is with Calla and acts as her only support system, but she still has complicated feelings about Ren. Will the Searchers keep their promises and save her friends despite their past conflicts? How many will die in the fight for freedom? Will she ever choose between Ren and Shay?
I read Nightshade and I had some significant problems with it, namely with Renier and the oppressive and misogynistic wolf pack hierarchy, but other aspects of the story redeemed it for me. Wolfsbane had all of the things I hated about Nightshade and more with none of the things that I liked. In the last book, Renier was insufferable and used violence as well as passive aggressive tactics to make Calla feel inferior. He didn't figure largely in this installment, but when he appeared, he made a big impression. When Calla returned to her home to try to save him, he decided to beat her into submission and "break" her because that's what a good boyfriend should do to make his girlfriend stay with him. If that wasn't enough, Calla blames herself and feels guilty for his actions, which just screams domestic abuse situation. I had absolutely no sympathy for Ren because he decided it was ok to express his love through his fists.
Now, let's move on to Shay. In Nightshade, he was a great character and everything that Ren wasn't: understanding, caring, and an all-around good boyfriend. Now that he turned into a Guardian, he automatically turned abusive and egotistical just like Ren. He pressured Calla for sex, which she refused because she wasn't ready and she still had complicated feelings about Ren. In true Guardian fashion, Shay became angry and jealous. Calla was scared that he would shift and hurt her and she still wanted to stay with him. This scene alone gave me the urge to throw the book across the room. Neither of these boys was remotely attractive or worthy of Calla's affections. I really wanted her to come to her senses and stand up for herself with both Shay and Ren, but she never did. The strength she had in the first book was gone, making her into a hugely uninteresting character. I truly don't understand the fandom surrounding this series, revering these abusive males and arguing which one is better. With a society that already has misogyny deeply ingrained into it, there really doesn't need to be any more normalizing of violence against women.
Wolfsbane, in addition to featuring horrible romantic interests, didn't have much going on plot wise. It fell into the second novel in a trilogy pitfall where it sets up for the third book, but doesn't do much else. The cover was also terrible, featuring an oversexualized Calla in a suggestive pose, which is far inferior to the original design that was circulated. I wish they had gone with the original design. The only good things about the novel were Andrea Cremer's fluid writing, some of the new Searcher characters, and the glimpse into the Searcher way of life. The negatives of this novel vastly outweigh the positives for me and I won't be reading the rest of the series.
Calla Tor is separated from her pack and her family, surrounded by the Searchers, who have been her enemies for as long as she can remember. She assumes they will kill her soon until they offer to make her part of their campaign to destroy the Keepers, the masters of her and the other guardians that treat them like property. Since it gives her the opportunity to save her friends and family, including Ren, and earn them their freedom, Calla agrees. Shay, the Chosen One turned Guardian, is with Calla and acts as her only support system, but she still has complicated feelings about Ren. Will the Searchers keep their promises and save her friends despite their past conflicts? How many will die in the fight for freedom? Will she ever choose between Ren and Shay?
I read Nightshade and I had some significant problems with it, namely with Renier and the oppressive and misogynistic wolf pack hierarchy, but other aspects of the story redeemed it for me. Wolfsbane had all of the things I hated about Nightshade and more with none of the things that I liked. In the last book, Renier was insufferable and used violence as well as passive aggressive tactics to make Calla feel inferior. He didn't figure largely in this installment, but when he appeared, he made a big impression. When Calla returned to her home to try to save him, he decided to beat her into submission and "break" her because that's what a good boyfriend should do to make his girlfriend stay with him. If that wasn't enough, Calla blames herself and feels guilty for his actions, which just screams domestic abuse situation. I had absolutely no sympathy for Ren because he decided it was ok to express his love through his fists.
Now, let's move on to Shay. In Nightshade, he was a great character and everything that Ren wasn't: understanding, caring, and an all-around good boyfriend. Now that he turned into a Guardian, he automatically turned abusive and egotistical just like Ren. He pressured Calla for sex, which she refused because she wasn't ready and she still had complicated feelings about Ren. In true Guardian fashion, Shay became angry and jealous. Calla was scared that he would shift and hurt her and she still wanted to stay with him. This scene alone gave me the urge to throw the book across the room. Neither of these boys was remotely attractive or worthy of Calla's affections. I really wanted her to come to her senses and stand up for herself with both Shay and Ren, but she never did. The strength she had in the first book was gone, making her into a hugely uninteresting character. I truly don't understand the fandom surrounding this series, revering these abusive males and arguing which one is better. With a society that already has misogyny deeply ingrained into it, there really doesn't need to be any more normalizing of violence against women.
Wolfsbane, in addition to featuring horrible romantic interests, didn't have much going on plot wise. It fell into the second novel in a trilogy pitfall where it sets up for the third book, but doesn't do much else. The cover was also terrible, featuring an oversexualized Calla in a suggestive pose, which is far inferior to the original design that was circulated. I wish they had gone with the original design. The only good things about the novel were Andrea Cremer's fluid writing, some of the new Searcher characters, and the glimpse into the Searcher way of life. The negatives of this novel vastly outweigh the positives for me and I won't be reading the rest of the series.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Michele
Format:Hardcover
"Nightshade" set up what seemed like quite a promising new trilogy in YA fiction. We get these new and improved versions of werewolves, a mysterious ages-old rivalry between two warring factions, and a delicious love triangle. It's bound to just get better and better, right?
Wrong. So wrong.
In this second book, the people Calla was trained since birth to view as enemies quickly become her allies - TOO quickly. These new allies spend chapter after chapter cramming backstory down our throats until I wanted to die from boredom. Not only do these new allies talk too much, their personalities are either completely annoying, or completely not there. I didn't care about a single one of them. The love triangle just becomes a nuisance since one guy turns into a complete jerk and the other guy spends 90% of the book locked up where we don't get to see him. In fact, except for Shay and Calla, we don't get to see any of our beloved characters from the first book until the last hundred pages or so of "Wolfsbane." And one of those characters is so completely different from his portrayal in the previous book that I seriously could not believe what I was reading about him.
It was just overall a bland novel. There is finally some action in those last hundred or so pages, but there just wasn't enough "oomph" there. And the actual ending was...well. There are cliffhangers, and then there are endings where it feels like they accidentally forgot to publish the rest of the chapter. It was just so abrupt for a stopping point and didn't feel satisfying at all.
I honestly have no desire to read "Bloodrose" at this point in time. There was absolutely nothing in this book to make it seem worth it, so unless I read some freaking amazing reviews when it comes out, I will spend my time reading GOOD books.
I suggest those of you that are also disappointed with this series go and check out Kiersten White's "Paranormalcy" series, if you haven't already. It debuted around the same time as "Nightshade" and the second book "Supernaturally" was released on the same day as "Wolfsbane." It is definitely more worthy of a read than this series.
Wrong. So wrong.
In this second book, the people Calla was trained since birth to view as enemies quickly become her allies - TOO quickly. These new allies spend chapter after chapter cramming backstory down our throats until I wanted to die from boredom. Not only do these new allies talk too much, their personalities are either completely annoying, or completely not there. I didn't care about a single one of them. The love triangle just becomes a nuisance since one guy turns into a complete jerk and the other guy spends 90% of the book locked up where we don't get to see him. In fact, except for Shay and Calla, we don't get to see any of our beloved characters from the first book until the last hundred pages or so of "Wolfsbane." And one of those characters is so completely different from his portrayal in the previous book that I seriously could not believe what I was reading about him.
It was just overall a bland novel. There is finally some action in those last hundred or so pages, but there just wasn't enough "oomph" there. And the actual ending was...well. There are cliffhangers, and then there are endings where it feels like they accidentally forgot to publish the rest of the chapter. It was just so abrupt for a stopping point and didn't feel satisfying at all.
I honestly have no desire to read "Bloodrose" at this point in time. There was absolutely nothing in this book to make it seem worth it, so unless I read some freaking amazing reviews when it comes out, I will spend my time reading GOOD books.
I suggest those of you that are also disappointed with this series go and check out Kiersten White's "Paranormalcy" series, if you haven't already. It debuted around the same time as "Nightshade" and the second book "Supernaturally" was released on the same day as "Wolfsbane." It is definitely more worthy of a read than this series.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
No tracking, but it is a good book!
Unfortunately, this product had no tracking on it which was a huge concern. I tried to contact them but didnt get a real message back just more of a automated response to the fact... Read more
Published 16 days ago by B. Mortinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Absolutely Amazing
Review:
I love this series. I loved the first book and I loved the second book. The story definitely intensifies in this book. Read more
I love this series. I loved the first book and I loved the second book. The story definitely intensifies in this book. Read more
Published 24 days ago by jennifer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Andrea Cremer Does It Again
I was waiting for this book, book 2 in the Nightshade series. It was as expected. Great reading. I'll encourage readers with a big Woof!
Published 1 month ago by Shirley Marciniak
4.0 out of 5 stars
FOLLOW UP TO FIRST NOVEL IN THIS SERIES
Second book in this series, as stated above. Enjoyed reading this. Strongly suggest you read all three books in order, as you see the character development.
Published 1 month ago by Gail Ann Wacker
4.0 out of 5 stars
good series
i really liked the series read through them in a week and was glad i found them. it'll keep you guessing
Published 1 month ago by Kristina Chavez
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOLFSBANE-1 of the best
I chose this rating because it was such an amazing book,Andrea Cremer has a way of making books interesting. She can catch the essence of a good book bout wolves!!!
Published 1 month ago by Cori Elaina Bales
4.0 out of 5 stars
Student
I rated this book 4 stars because I liked it, but it left me hanging and it was a very bad way to end a b
Published 1 month ago by Madison Lyons
4.0 out of 5 stars
Way better then the first book
I had a hard time getting through the first book so I didn't have high hopes for the second. Well I was wrong. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nicole Sword
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good sequel
I enjoyed this book, however the Haldis team got a bit confusing. Adding magic and weavers into the mix made it a more complicated storyline.
Published 2 months ago by Deidania Zerance
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Characters!
When we last left Calla, she was trying to save Shay from being sacrificed at her bonding to Ren. In their attempt to escape, they were trapped in his house by Incubi, Succubi, and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by OpheliasOwn
