Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Book Review: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Publish Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers
Pages: 390
Series: Nightshade # 2
ISBN: 9780399254833
Source: From publisher for review

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

My Review:

Once again I was disappointed with Andrea Cremer's book. Sometimes I feel that I'm the only one who feels this way because I always see so many rave reviews floating around (maybe because on Cremer's twitter feed, it seems there's only ever RT's of the best reviews out there). First off, the cover art, not my favourite (and I know that I'm not the only one who feels this way) .The original was definitely better. The girl who is supposed to be Calla on the cover reminds me so much of Jules, the girl who played the wolf on The Vampire Diaries. Coincidence much? And the girl on the new cover, why the need to look slutty? So disappointing.
The story picked up right where Nightshade ended (I won't go into detail and spoil anything about that) and it seemed that we were off to a good start. I wouldn't say the beginning was great, but I wasn't losing hope just yet. But then it just went on and on and 10 chapters in I couldn't believe that I was already that far in because the story hadn't gone anywhere yet. Then imagine my surprise when I reached the last page and had a HUGE question mark on my face - "What? Really? That was it? That was Wolfsbane? What happened?"
We do meet some new characters thankfully, Connor and Ethan among them. Connor was a good addition since he added some humor and kept things mildly interesting. And obviously we still have Shay and sometimes he drives me nuts! He just wont let Calla make her own decisions, and sometimes he's just all over the place with his feelings. But Wolfsbane was short on one thing - Ren. I was really looking forward to seeing Ren again but where the story took us, Ren wasn't along for the ride as much as he could have been. And that's ok, I get that's where Cremer wants to take the story, but I missed Ren.
Andrea Cremer spent so much time on the history of the Seachers and the Keepers and informing the readers of everything that she missed the little details of the characters interaction, the characters appearance and things like that that play a huge role in the overall picture of the book. So again, another disappointment.
Overall, Wolfsbane didn't live up to my expectations and I wasn't happy about it. I was hesitant to read this one because of my feelings toward Nightshade, and I haven't been impressed so far, so Bloodrose wont be on the top of my TBR pile that's for sure.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wasn't crazy about this one either. It felt like a giant history lesson and I was so confused for most of the book (because I forgot what happened in the first one). I totally agree that Ren missing was a total bummer! There was just too much focus on back story and not enough time with the characters interacting. Shay and Calla made me nuts in this book. Though, Calla more than Shay - she was so wishy-washy in this book. I kind of didn't blame Shay for trying to force her into a decision.

Great review! And you're not alone!
Megan @ Read It, See It

Krystal said...

Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting on my review.
Calla, my oh my, I forgot about her in my review, because she drives me nuts too! She just seems like she wants to be such a "warrior" as she called herself numerous times in Nightshade, but yet she never acts like one. She acts so clueless, and it's hard to tell that she's an alpha wolf. Ugh, she's just such a forgettable character for me.
Anyways, thanks for stopping in, and it's good to see that I'm not alone with my thoughts on this one.



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