Book Review: Bloodrose

Title: Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)

Author: Angela Cremer

Publisher: Philomel, 2012

Format: Ebook and Print

Genre: Young adult fantasy/paranormal

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.

 

Ahhh, the final book in the Nightshade series. I have really enjoyed reading this series. Most people know what a werewolf lover I am and these books really prove that something that has been written about a million times before can be done in a fresh way.

Angela Cremer is a wonderful writer. She paints a picture well with her words and creates characters that really grow on you – characters that you really come to love.

Bloodrose is the conclusion to the Nightshade series and it really didn’t disappoint. I really, really enjoyed this book. The characters went on adventures and the reader got to go with them. They went from the jungle to the snow all by traveling through doors that a magical weaver created. It was kind of like traveling the world in a single book. I loved the setting and the variation of the setting. It kept things interesting and I kept wondering where we would go next. I liked the different creatures and shifters in the book from the bats (creepy!!) to the bears and panthers…There was something exciting around every corner and it kept me thoroughly entertained.

I enjoyed Calla’s internal journey throughout the series and even more so in this final book. I like that she knew who she was and she made no apologies for it. She faced many hard decisions and I thought that she handled them all very well. She is for sure a true Alpha and she deserved the respect that she got.

Ren – ahhh Ren. He is a favorite of mine. So strong and stubborn. He was dealt a lot of crap in this series and had to face a lot of personal issues. He was also a character to really had to discover who he really was. He had to push past who he thought he was – who he was told he had to be to figure out what he believed in.

In the beginning of the series I wasn’t a big Shay fan. In fact in the first book I really didn’t like him at all. I think he was one of the characters that grew the most throughout this series. He really found out who he was and he owned it. He became a lot stronger than I thought he could be and he too grew into a great Alpha.

I definitely understood Calla’s predicament in trying to choose the alpha for her. As far as love triangles go this one was one of the better ones. It was hard for all of them and I think that made it hard yet somehow easier to read. I guess I say that because I felt like they were all hurting and there wasn’t one who seemed to wield the power and use it to hurt the other. I thought Calla was smart to not choose until the very end.

Did I like her choice?

I understood it. I think that she did make the choice for her and I honestly felt her pain at making it.

I’ve heard some rumbling that a lot of people aren’t happy with Calla’s choice, they think that Ms. Cremer took the easy way out… I don’t think that’s true.

I think that Ms. Cremer is connected to her characters in ways that a reader can only begin to understand. I think she knows Calla very well and that Calla made her own choice, and the author just followed Calla’s lead. Was it easy to read? No, not really. But it was a GOOD read. It really grabbed me. I was surprised by the ending (and not just Calla’s love choice) by the way the series came to a close. I was not expecting that at all.

A lot of people were angry at the way events transpired. I say that even eliciting such a strong negative reaction is what makes it a good read. Not every book is going to end the way the reader wants but isn’t that life? Not everything in life goes according to plan so I think that this book is a very real portrayal of that.

It definitely tied everything up neatly and the reader came away knowing that everyone involved was where they were meant to be but I was still a little shocked. Lol.

I was definitely compelled and I think that by ending it the way she did she made a name for herself in the writing world. A name that won’t be forgotten easily.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. I would recommend it to any fantasy/paranormal lover. I can’t wait to see what this talented author comes up with next.

So there you have it. My opinion.