Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Synopsis

Forbidden flowers can be deadly. . .

While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves.

But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all. . .

I'd like to say that I'm never swayed by covers but, oh my word, how gorgeous is this? I also bought the US hardcover as I'm a sucker for those rough (deckle) edged pages. So, cover love aside what's it actually like? If I were to sum it up in a few words or phrases it would be; sexy, amazing research, great mythology. Cala is a Guardian, a race that can shift from wolf to human appearance at will. Guardians are a warrior race whose job is to protect the Keepers,an ancient race of witches. Cala's also the alpha of her pack and is promised to fellow alpha, Ren. Their union is planned for Samhain and will herald a new pack which Ren (with Cala by his side) will run. However, despite these long-held plans Cala saves a human, Shay, from a bear attack which starts a forbidden relationship. Now, when I say sexy I mean it. There's a thrilling, under the surface longing that runs throughout the book which inevitably bubbles up to the surface. After all, Cala is a seventeen year old girl who's expected to live a nun-like existence in a modern world. Nightshade is so well written that I never felt that the kissing scenes were unnecessary or overdone.

Cala is an enigma. Although she's a Guardian and extremely strong she has to abide by strict rules of the pack and of the Keepers. While Ren is free to do what he likes Cala must keep herself pure for their union. The rest of her pack aren't expected to live by such archaic laws but of course Cala is different. Initially I couldn't see the attraction of Shay. Although he's the forbidden he doesn't quite have the, erm, animal charm of Ren. I found I quite liked Ren despite his many failings and felt as sorry for him as I did for Cala. A thread of threat runs through Nightshade and the pack are always trying to avoid upsetting the Keepers. The passages where the Guardian's and Keepers interact where quite creepy and unsettling which made me want to know more about the traditions that brought their relationship about.

Shay, of course, is the human outsider and as confused by their world as the reader. The information about this strange world becomes clearer as Cala begins to trust him more. Shay is a great cynic, he needs evidence before he's prepared to accept something at face value. The use of the beliefs of Thomas Hobbes is used by Shay to show how far from accepted philosophy Cala's world is. A great deal of research lies behind the story of Nightshade and it's this that makes it not just another Young Adult paranormal novel. The mythology is flawless, intricate and absorbing. Shay encourages Cala to ask more about the world she inhabits and as they research it together they grow closer and we get to learn more through their discoveries.

The book becomes more tense as Cala and Ren's union gets closer. Cala begins to question more and more and her situation becomes impossible. The two packs are great secondary characters and their stories are almost engrossing as Shay and Cala's. The pace is fast which barely a chance to catch your breath before the next big event. Did Shay win me over in the end? I must admit that he did - I loved his rationality and genuine concern for Cala. I read this book in two sittings and would recommend it. It's one of my favourite reads of this year, up there with Nevermore, Clockwork Angel and Angel.

Guest Blog: Andrea Cremer

We're very excited here on MFB about the release of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer and to be part of the blog tour. Andrea has been kind enough to write us a brilliant piece about pack etiquette and the mythology behind the book. We hope you enjoy it!

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In the weeks leading up to Nightshade’s release I’ve been thrilled by the number of reviews and the amount of excitement my book has generated – it’s more than any debut author could ever hope for. A common response to Nightshade from readers is the comment that it’s one of his or her favorite werewolf books. As much as I understand where that idea comes from, I think it’s time for me to take and stand and say Nightshade is not a werewolf book. Here’s what I mean:
I’ve lived long in the realm of paranormal/fantasy proudly bearing my badge of vampire girl. That’s right; I came on board as a fan of vamps, not werewolves. I was Team Edward for all four books of Twilight. I prefer Bill and Eric to Sam in True Blood. But before you start throwing tomatoes, let me tell you why.

Friends who knew I was a vampire girl presumed that meant I love ALL forms of paranormal, so they’d push werewolves at me enthusiastically. I wasn’t interested, and I couldn’t figure out why. After all they were fierce, strong, magical – all things I liked. So what was the problem? And then it hit me – I didn’t like werewolves because I love wolves.

That’s right – I’m a wolf girl, but a real wolf girl. I grew up so far north in Wisconsin that it’s practically Canada. Wolves roamed the forests of my homeland. I also loved National Geographic television specials even more than cartoons. So by age 9 I could rattle off biological and ecological info like a pro. Wolves to me were beautiful, intelligent, social, and graceful.
Werewolves seemed to be none of these things. The werewolves I’d encountered on page and screen were hideous – half man/half beast, usually ugly, often unintelligent, driven only by rage or bloodlust. And worst of all: they didn’t want to be wolves. Lycanthropy occurs as a curse, or a disease. The endgoal of most werewolf tales was to kill the wolf or free the affected person of the wolf curse. I couldn’t come to grips with that idea. If someone asked me – hey wanna turn into a wolf? I’d say “heck, yeah!” Wouldn’t you rather be a wolf? From what I know of wolves, the answer is indisputably YES.

Nightshade’s Guardians are my way of coming to terms with my love of wolves and my trouble with classic werewolf tales. Calla – the alpha female who narrates Nightshade – is powerful and revels in her life as a wolf. Her troubles arise not from her ability to shift, but from the ways in which her masters try to limit her power, to restrain her freedoms. Calla started it all because I wanted to write a story about a female character who wasn’t being pulled into a magical world – she was already in the middle of it, a leader and a warrior. The world of Nightshade came as I tried to figure out how someone like Calla, a girl who I knew was incredibly powerful, could be afraid and angry. What was controlling her? Why would she be fighting against her own destiny? I realized that she was facing off with something even more powerful than herself.

That’s where my background as a historian came in. I teach early modern history (1500-1800) – a period of immense, violent change in human societies. This is the time of witchhunts, religious warfare, colonization, the Inquistion; all types of cataclysmic social transformation that turned the lives across the globe upside down. The more I thought about Calla I thought about the ways in which wolf warriors and witches could have intertwined lives. The mythology in Nightshade is a blend of history and lore, new twists I invented along the way…and wolves in the wilderness the way I always imagined they would be.

Wolves also inspire me because of their sociability.
Pack relationships offered a wonderful way to explore a world of friendship, servitude, loyalty, and betrayal. While Nightshade is about Calla’s journey, it’s also the story of her pack. The other wolves in the book play key roles throughout the trilogy. Wolves offered a wonderful framework around which to explore relationships, love, fear, and rivalry.
I still love vampires, but I have to say I think I’m switching teams. Wolves carry a magic and mystery to me that captured my heart and hasn’t let go. It was just a matter of finding my own way to tell their story.