Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

NightShade by Andrea Cremer

Note:  This is a re-post of my book review of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer from 2011.

Do you like books with bite?  Well, let me introduce you to Calla, who is the alpha of the Nightshade pack of wolves.  Calla is a sexy teenager, a bit unsure of herself, and she is betrothed to the alpha of another pack whose union will carry on an important tradition that has existed for centuries.  They roam the hills of Colorado by night and go to Mountain school by day.  Calla knows what her destiny is and intends to follow it until she meets a good looking human boy named Shay who literally changes the world as she know it.

Nightshade is a plant that is toxic to humans and animals but this book is not toxic at all, in fact, it was hard to put down.  The storyline moves fast and draws in the reader quickly.  It is intelligently told with history and philosophy intertwined within the reality of wolves who rule over humans.  It is a interesting, adventurous, paranormal read with Calla being an excellent main character.

Thomas Hobbes is a political philosopher mentioned frequently in the book.  Shay studies Hobbes, whereas the students in Calla's school have been forbidden to study his work. Hobbes was censored out of the Mountain school curriculum.   Here is a quote by  Hobbes that I think conveys some of the themes in Nightshade.

Moral philosophy is nothing else but the science of what is good, and evil, in the conversation, and society of mankind. Good, and evil, are names that signify our appetites, and aversions; which in different tempers, customs, and doctrines of men, are different.

There are several books in the Nightshade series.
#2 Wolfsbane
#3 Bloodrose

The are also 2 pre-quels.
Rift
Rise

Andrea's new series is called The Inventor's Secret.  It is being categorized as Steam Punk YA.