Wolfsbane

May 15, 2011

This second installment in the well-received Nightshade series puts 17-year-old alpha girl-wolf Calla into an alignment with her erstwhile mortal enemies, the Seekers, in an effort to save her pack and eventually the world.

This book picks up where the first ended, requiring familiarity with the earlier story and offering little explanation to new readers. Calla loves Shay, whom she rescued and transformed into a man-wolf in the first book. Yet she can't abandon her fierce attraction to Ren, her intended mate, left behind in Vail, Colo., to suffer torture at the hands of the Keepers, the powerful beings who control the wolves. Worse, Calla realizes that the Keepers will destroy her wolf pack if she doesn't save them with the Seekers' help. With alliances decided and exposition of Calla's new circumstances completed, Calla and the Seekers journey magically back to Vail to attempt a rescue of Ren and her pack. Cremer focuses this installment on plenty of action as the raid runs into trouble, referring only occasionally to her earlier theme of freedom. That battle does the job, however, along with the occasional hot-hot-hot sex scene, to keep readers hooked into the narrative. The series has plenty of oomph to continue beyond this story's cliffhanger. Fans will be satisfied and eager for the next installment.

Creative and absorbing fantasy. (Paranormal adventure. 14 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

Gr 10 Up-Calla awakens in a room where she has been held captive by the Searchers, a group of humans who fight the Guardians, a pack of werewolves. Having left her wolf pack to save Shay, she reluctantly allies with the Searchers. Led by the dark and stoic Monroe, they hatch a scheme to infiltrate the Keepers, an evil group that controls the wolves (Calla's pack in particular). New characters emerge in this sequel to Nightshade (Philomel, 2010). Adne is a weaver of portals and Monroe's daughter. Connor is a strong, witty, and flirtatious Searcher who carries a torch for Adne. Ethan is a powerful fighter with a chip on his shoulder. Meanwhile, Shay has been deemed "the scion," a legacy that destines him to be the one to defeat the Keepers. Calla is still in love with him, but racked with guilt over abandoning Ren and the rest of her family and pack. The crew embarks on deadly missions to try to save them and Calla warily trusts the Searchers yet finds herself questioning all she once believed in, including the nature of her own wolf-kind. Unrelenting action and an extremely confusing structural hierarchy make this a perplexing book for those unfamiliar with the first one. Cremer relies heavily on dialogue to explain the complex world, then jumps quickly to action scenes without much breathing room. All of this is interspersed with an occasional romantic interlude between Calla and Shay. The love triangle is less exciting because readers never really get to know Ren. Those who are already invested in Cremer's world will enjoy the strong female protagonist and breakneck action.-Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.