Review: Wolfsbane

Title: Wolfsbane
Author: Andrea Cremer
Date Released: July 26th, 2011
Pages: 390
Rating: 5 out of 5

Description:
When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, 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. 

Review:
I don't think that there could be any words to describe how flipping awesome I personally think that this book is.  Well, I guess we could start off with, I LOVED THIS AND IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME AND I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL BLOODROSE COMES OUT IN FEBRUARY!  Whew, I think that that just about sums it up.

So, Wolfsbane starts off about a week after Nightshade, jumping right back into action.  Not only do you get a whole lot of action, but you also learn so much about the history of the Keepers, Searchers, and Guardians (especially the Searchers).  I seriously could not put this book down because there was never a dull moment in Wolfsbane with all the romance, action, and history. 

All the characters were still awesome, each holding their own various personalities, even though some of them might have changed like Ansel, Calla's little brother.  Calla has got to be my favorite character because despite everything that she goes through, she's still very headstrong about everything and tried to do everything that she can to save her pack, even if it might be reckless.  Actually, I have to say that one thing that kind of annoyed me about Calla in Wolfsbane was her inability to choose between Shay and Ren because you can't love both of them.  I really wonder who she'll end up choosing in the end...  Maybe another thing that annoyed be about Wolfsbane was Shay.  He was a tad annoying when he'd get all upset over Calla still being in love with Ren, but can't he not see that they have this connection since they were like... bound (is that the right word?) to each other?

Speaking of the end, the ending was kind of like an, "OMG! I NEED THE NEXT BOOK! PRONTO!  GAH! I HATE YOU CLIFFHANGERS!" moment.  It kind of made the book feel a little incomplete when Cremer sort of just left off there on that huge cliffhanger, but the good thing is that it seriously leaves you wanting more.  It was also sort of an unexpected ending, because what happened was, well... unexpected and maybe a little random, but surprising in a very good way. 

Overall, I loved Wolfsbane and I think that it was a great sequel to Nightshade, filling us in on a lot more history between the Searchers and the Keepers, and keeping the chemistry between Calla and Shay, as well as Ren, alive (although, I really sort of wished that she'd hurry up and choose someone... preferably Ren, but that's obviously not going to happen)  I definitely can't wait until Bloodrose comes out... Hurry up February!

Cover Review:
Quite honestly, I wasn't a big fan of the cover change that they had for the series.  I really loved the old Wolfsbane, but in some ways, this could work, too.  I love the model's wolfish crouching pose, although it looks kind of seductive...  And it has this really dark atmosphere with this flash of green.  I love how that put that drop of blood on the "f" in the title... It's a really cool touch :D

P.S. If you've already finished Wolfsbane (like, you seriously have to because then it'll just spoil the whole book for you) and you need a peace of mind, just click here, where you can read the first chapter on EW.com.  Trust me, you'll need it to hold you over until Bloodrose comes out. 
P.P.S.  Sorry for all the caps!  It's just my way of showing my excitement, so when you read those sentences in caps, read it in an excited girly voice :D

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com
**Review copy purchased.