Reading Rainbow: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

A few weeks ago, I posted a Waiting on Wednesday on Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. I was so excited to read this book, and happily, it not only lived up to my expectations, but exceeded them. Truth be told, I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK.

From Goodreads:

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.

For me, Nightshade was one of those, "ignore your children/husband/dogs/job/laundry/etc." kind of books. I couldn't put it down and I even had Nightshade dreams. And trust me, this is a good thing. Dreams about Ren or Shay are a good thing. I should explain. This book is hot. I think my exact words to Leigh were, "If only this weren't a YA book..." But even being YA, it was full of passion and it was, well, hot. And while I thought I was a little over the whole "love triangle" thing, Nightshade does it so well that I was back on board and ready to buy my Team Ren tee-shirt. Or maybe Team Shay. Or both.

Aside from the love triangle (and the hotness), Nightshade has an amazingly well told, multi-layered story. The hierarchy of the wolves was fascinating, and the history behind the Witches War has me completely sucked-in. And I say "has" because this story is really just beginning. The ending was a cliff-hanger that left me wanting MORE Calla, Ren, and Shay. Imagine my excitement when I saw that I could read the first chapter of Wolfsbane here! Also, the cover for the second book is just beautiful. Really.

See?

So, if Nightshade is on your TBR, move it to the top of the pile! You will thank me - I promise. And if it's not on your TBR, add it right now. This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year! If you have already read the book, be sure to go read the Author Chat with Andrea Cremer at Mundie Moms. I missed it live (because I was still reading) and went back and read the whole thing - it's definitely worth it. And not just for Sophie's BinBons avatar. *wink*