Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
"Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?"- summary from Amazon

Cremer has created an amazing, original world that is compelling and hard to put down. I loved what she did with her werewolves, creating a whole new mythology and atmosphere. There's still the pack environment, and she writes about that very well, but there's also some new added layers that add some new questions and suspense.

This book is the real deal- it's got a fierce, spunky heroine, a sexy love triangle, tons of mystery, and also has some great friendships and family relationships here. It's not all about the romance and while a good part of the book is set on that, everyone else doesn't fade into the background. I enjoyed reading about all the other pack members, especially two gay wolves who are in a relationship with each other. They were so cute! I loved them.

For me at least, there are levels of cliffhangers and this one was similar to Paranormalcy's. The story isn't over yet but the first part is over. There's enough questions still left to leave you wanting more, but not enough that you're throwing the book across the room because you have to wait 8 months for the next book (Book 2 will be out in Summer 2011!) and you're going to die waiting that long for the answers.

Overall, this is a really good book and such a fresh, fun perspective on werewolves. I highly recommend it. Also, obviously, I'm Team Shay. :) Who wouldn't be?

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.