Cels Reviews: Andrea Cremer's "Wolfsbane"

“How many trials can love survive?”

In this the second instalment in the thrilling and captivating Nightshade series, the action picks back up right from the very first page. And yet again we are in for one heck of a ride.

Having successfully saved Shay’s life and escaped from the iron rule of her former masters, the Keepers, Calla finds herself waking up in the lair of her sworn enemies, the Searchers. Enter shocking revelations about the “Witches War” and Calla finds herself questioning everything she has ever known. Just who is really on which side and can Calla trust her own judgement? Calla finds herself joining forces with the Searchers to return to free her pack, and hopefully save Ren from being punished for her transgressions. She must also deal with her own conflicting emotions when it comes to Shay and Ren—loving two men sure isn’t easy.

In Wolfsbane we are introduced to a slightly different Calla and find our hearts in turmoil right along with her. In some respects we see a softer, more open side and get to know the girl hiding behind the wall of being the Alpha so much better. But on the other hand, this is a more bruised and battered Calla and higher walls are constructed to hide behind as she tries to deal with her feelings of guilt, loss and failure. Cremer has handled this expertly. Rather than having us scratching our heads trying to make heads or tails of our protagonist, this has added an extra layer to the story that draws you deeper into the world. The revelations are shocking and will leave you with more than a few “OMG” moments. They will have you frantically burning the midnight oil to see just where it will all end, which, in true Nightshade style, is with another heck of a cliffhanger that will leaving you desperate for the next instalment. The characterisation has developed at a realistic pace and the cast of new players are a delight to get to know.

Unlike Nightshade, Wolfsbane does come with a “not suitable for younger readers” warning on the back. This is more because the sexual content has been amped up a notch, so I would only recommend it to the older end of the YA age bracket. For those of you who have become hooked, I do have some good news.The third instalment, Bloodrose, has had its release date brought forward to January, so we won’t be left hanging on that cliff for as long this time. If you haven’t entered Cremer’s world of magic and action yet, I highly recommend you read Nightshade first or you may find yourself struggling to follow the more intricate plot points.

Wolfsbane-Andrea Cremer

Published,  26th July 2011 by Atom.

Paperback, 390 Pages

ISBN:978-1-90741-030-7

Author info can be found here