Book Review: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Pages: 400

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pub. Date: July 26, 2011

Source: ARC from Book It Forward Tours

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

*Haven't read Nightshade yet? Read my review here.

Goodreads says, "This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended-Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and 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."

Calla wakes up in one of the worst possible situations. She's with the Searchers, her enemies, or so she thinks. As she spends more time with them, she realizes that perhaps she was mistaken.  They present her with a plan to work together.  A plan that will free her and her pack from their masters and ultimately rescue Ren.  In the back of her mind, she is also worried about how Shay will feel regarding all this, but how can she leave her pack behind?  Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer is an action-packed and entertaining sequel to Nightshade.


Calla is an awesome heroine. She's a kick-butt alpha and I like that about her.  However, Calla is really torn in this book between Shay and her pack.  It's not just a love triangle in this book as there is more at stake.  As much as I love Calla, she annoyed me a bit in Wolfsbane.  She left her family behind at the end of Nightshade and caused all of these major problems for them.  I had a hard time understanding Calla when it came to her dealing with this reality and the consequences of her actions. I am not sure if it's because she's an alpha and/or is impassive, but with the news she receives in Wolfsbane, I was expecting more emotion and more feelings. She finds her family and friends in a precarious situation, (because of her choices!) and really doesn't deal with it emotionally.


Shay versus Ren is still quite alive and well in Wolfsbane.  If you read my review of Nightshade, I wasn't sure which boy to root for and after reading Wolfsbane, I was still not be 100% sure as there is definitely more than meets the eye with this crazy love triangle.  And it does get a bit crazy in Wolfsbane! There are some definite steamy moments that fans of romance will enjoy.


This book is action packed. Seriously. I was up reading way past midnight, my heart was racing and I was on the edge of my seat. There's a lot of fighting and a lot of planning to attack that will keep readers in suspense.  Plus, Calla and Shay learn the truth surrounding the Guardians and Searchers. Readers get a lot of back story and history in Wolfsbane, so the action really was a nice break from that.  At times, I felt all the information and backstory was rather confusing and monotonous, but thankfully, it didn't last too long and Cremer hits the readers up with a crazy action-packed scene to balance it out.


Wolfsbane ends with a nutty cliffhanger and this series is reminding me more and more of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. If you know me, you know this is a serious compliment.  I will definitely be picking up the third book in the series, Bloodrose, because the way that Cremer ends Wolfsbane will keep me wondering for awhile.  Wolfsbane is one of my favorite books of the year....now if only I could decide if I'm Team Shay or Ren?

*Pre-order Wolfsbane

*Buy Nightshade

*Pre-order Bloodrose