Book Nerds Across America

"Bosque Mar haunts the dreams of both Adne and Logan, trying to escape for the Nether, where Calla, Shay and the other Guardians trapped him in the final battle in the War of All Against All...

Will he turn Adne to the dark side? Will Logan reclaim his birthright? And will darkness take over our world?" (from Goodreads)

Flo's Review
There's something nice and comforting about coming home, and this is general feeling I got when reading Snakeroot. While we did not have Calla and her pack, many of the characters that we came to know in Wolfsbane and Bloodrose take center in this one. Also, I was really happy to see one particular character return. If you've followed the Book Nerds for awhile, you'll have no problem figuring out who I'm talking about ;-) The new characters also were notable -- Shiloh, and also Holt who I loved to hate.

Detouring to talk about Holt, it was crazy everything that was going on with Anika and the Searchers! Honestly, that all stressed me out even more than the whole, "Oh Bosque Mar is trying to come back" thing.

This was a shorter read than Andrea's other books, so I was able to speed through it in no time. I should have known there would be a cliffhanger ending, but I got so involved in the story that I forgot what Andrea does to us until I reached the end and was like, "Whaat? The book is ending now?!?"

After I finished this, my immediate thought was, "I need to read Captive now!" (Unfortunately, I didn't have it with me.) This is testament to the fact that I love Andrea's writing and this world. If you liked the Nightshade books then you won't be disappointed with this one.

When I started reading this book I thought it was the second book in a prequel TRILOGY.  I have since discovered that it is a duology and the series has come to a close.

Rift left off with a very action packed last third of the book and I assumed the momentum would continue throughout Rise.  Unfortunately, there was some action at the very beginning, but then there was A LOT more discovery, world building, and tension before we received another dose of excitement at the very end.  While I enjoyed learning about the history of the Keepers and Searchers and what led up to the events in the Nightshade series, there wasn't enough here to hold my attention for an extended period of time. 

The relationship between Ember and Borrow was a tease most of the book, which became frustrating as the chapters went on.  I realize the book is set in the 1400s and times were different than they are today, but REALLY? 

Rise had the feel of a middle book.  Maybe the intent was simply to bridge the gap between Rift and Nightshade.  If that is the case, it was very well done.  If this was supposed to provide the type of closure for these characters that we received in Bloodrose, it fell short.  Don't get me wrong...I think Andrea is an excellent writer.  The tale is eloquently told, but it lacked the spark that her other books have had. 

The rise to power of Eira and Bosque and their developing relationship was one of the highlights of this book.  We are also able to see how the Guardians came to be, which was a fascinating element as well.  Overall, I think any fan of the Nightshade series will enjoy the history this book provides.  I just wish I could have read it before Nightshade.  I would have had a better understanding of the magical elements the books contain and I could have ended the series on a high note.

Jacque's Review:

I am a HUGE fan of the Nightshade series, so I was ecstatic to hear that Andrea Cremer was going to release a prequel series.  Rift is set in the 1400's in Scotland, so clearly we have a whole new set of characters...with one exception.  I'm not giving away any spoilers since Andrea said in an interview that one character from the Nightshade series makes an appearance in this book.  For the life of me I couldn't figure out who it would be until the individual appeared.  In retrospect, I should have known.         

This book starts out with Ember, a sixteen year old girl from a noble family who wants nothing more than to leave her father's house to join the warriors at Tearmunn.  They are a religious order that protects their lands from other worldly dangers.  Her father does not want her to join the order, but he has no choice.  When Ember was born both mother and child almost died and the family called upon Conatus's healers to save them.  In return, the child was pledged to serve Conatus. 

Jacque's Review:

It was a really long wait from the time I finished the ARC of Wolfsbane until the release of Bloodrose, but it was well worth it. 
The final installment in this series presents the guardians and searchers with the task of collecting the remaining three pieces of the elemental cross in order to rid the world of the keepers and their magic.  Of course, each piece is in a remote location and is protected by magic and enhanced creatures. 

In order to bring the love triangle back into the mix, Calla and one of the searchers rescue Ren and convince him to join their side of the fight.  The tension between Ren and Shay is high throughout the book.  I was on the edge of my seat until the very end just waiting to see if my team would win. 

The book was full of action and we were able to connect with several of the characters on a more personal level.  More relationships develop throughout the book and in some cases finally come to fruition after years in the making.  As Andrea already told us, war does not come without loss.  There are numerous losses on both sides.  Some were absolutely shocking to me, but in the end I was very happy with how this series came to a close. 

After looking back through my GoodReads account...I realized this is one of the few series in which I gave ALL of the books 5 stars.  This truly is an exceptional series.  Fortunately for us, with the end of the Nightshade series comes the beginning of Andrea's next series.  Rift will be the first installment in a Nightshade prequel series that is scheduled to be released on August 7th.  Since I am fortunate enough to be the one selecting the BookNerds read along in August, you can probably guess what it will be.

Mary's Review

I am going to dive right in with what I did not like about the book.  I know that the BookNerds really enjoyed this book.  On the other hand, I did not.  First, it bounced around too much for me.  Not just with the love triangle between Calla, Ren and Shay.  I thought that there was too much going on in the different areas that they went too and all the different missions.  I understand that there had to be to keep up with the storyline but I did not enjoy it. 

Second, was Ren.  I know and understood what Anderea was doing when she was writing Ren's storyline but I still do not have to like it.  With certain parts of Ren's storyline I was just thinking in my head "Really!? Where is this going?" 

Third, I did not like the ending of the book.  Again, I understand why Andrea wrote the storyline the way that she did, but I do not have to like it. 

Now with all of that out of the way I can tell you what I did like.  I loved the Sabine storyline! I thought what she did for Ansel was very thoughtful and caring! I really liked that.  I also love Connor and his comic humor throughout the book. 

Here is the surprise of the day...... Even though I am TEAM REN I did enjoy seeing Calla and Shay's love blossom a bit.  I felt that Andrea wrote their relationship well and you could really feel the struggle that Calla went through with Ren and Shay. 

I love the fact that Calla's Dad came to the rescue for her too and that he killed Emile.  I loved the ending with the wolves and Ren.  That was very moving and i am sure that was hard for Andrea to write.

Overall, I like the series but it is not one of favorites.  However, one thing is for sure ..... I am always going to be TEAM REN!

Flo's Review

Oh, Andrea Cremer! The emotion you put me through!! What an intense ending for this great trilogy. The first great thing about Bloodrose was that chapter one had an amazing Team Ren scene -- and the greatness continued from there! The tension between Ren and Shay was pretty thick throughout this book. The love triangle was definitely most defined in this one. At times their bickering was a little annoying, but overall it was great to see that both guys genuinely loved Calla. I also enjoyed a scene where Calla goes to Ansel and Brynn to talk about her feelings and she's struggling the whole time -- hilarious! Actually, there was a lot of funny dialogue in this book that kept me chuckling throughout the seriousness of the situation. Another funny scene was the one involving the Water part of the elemental cross...let's just say, wolves and water don't mix! I really enjoying seeing all the challenges they had to face to get the remaining pieces of the cross. Of the three books, Nightshade is my favorite, but I'd definitely put Bloodrose at second.

Teri's Review

WHAT. A. ENDING. Andrea Cremer had me from the beginning on this book, and I was glad because I had been a bit disappointed in the last one.Don't get me wrong, it was still good, but so many times Middle Books seem like filler to get us to the great ending waiting in the 3rd book. Seriously tho, I could not put Bloodrose down, and I begged my fellow Booknerds to hurry and read so I could vent to them! Talk about action...this book defiantly had it, you could barely take a breathe from one page to the next. And the ending.... Well, Okay..it wasn't REALLY to my liking, but it had to end and I thought Cremer did well at ending it.
Us Booknerds are "Team" people..we each have our teams we love, and they are not always the same ones. This series was hard for me. Usually I know right off which Team I will be joining. Nope, not this one. I spent my time as I read confused, Ren or Shay..Ren or Shay. Finally in the middle of Bloodrose, I knew without a doubt where I belonged and then BOOM the rug is pulled out from under me in the worst way ( I am refraining from telling you my allegiance due to spoilers for you who have not read yet) I will say this..if there was a Team for Mason ..or Connor I would def. hop on board. I loved these two. They provided me with laughs when I needed them without it being forced into the story.
This book was beautiful...it ended perfectly, tho there was a bit of a Twist in the ending and I didn't see it coming. Yet, its hard also for me to say I loved the ending...to me it was just Bittersweet.

This month's read along is the highly anticipated Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer, which will be released on January 3rd.  All of the BookNerds LOVED the first book, Nightshade , which we discussed earlier this year along with the love triangle.  We were fortunate to receive an ARC of Wolfsbane ,which we also reviewed.  The BookNerds were not in agreement when selecting which "team" we were on, which will likely cause some disappointment for at least one of us as the series comes to a close.  From this BookNerd's perspective, hopefully Team Shay comes out on top!!

-Jacque

Goodreads Overview:
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.

Mary's Review:

I was a little bit unsure about reading this book.  Nothing against Andrea Cremer but I was not sure if I wanted to get into another werewolf series.  But I gave it a chance AND fell in love with another book series.  Calla, Ren, and Shay (oh, how I adore a love triangle) are characters that you cannot forget.  I can tell you that I am TEAM REN.  Calla is a strong alpha female but Ren (who is to be her mate) is a strong, caring, bad boy. They have been matched to be mates since birth and they have known it all their lives.  Until Shay sweeps into Calla's life and turns it upside down.  Calla always followed the rules until Shay changed that.  However, she still cares for Ren and wants to keep her family and the pack happy, but how can she when she loves another.  On top of all that she has to obey the Keepers, the true leaders of her kind, but she begins to feel that Keepers are not what she thought.  With Shay by her side and still having Ren to be her mate Calla must choose a life she knows or a life of love.

This is a must read for everyone.

Jacque's Review:

I have to agree with Mary on one aspect. When I started reading this book the first thing I thought was....I know exactly why Flo made this selection.  Our Team Jacob girl turned us onto another werewolf series. After only a couple of chapters my opinion changed and I was hooked.  Andrea did not waste any time getting to the heart of the story.

I was undecided as to who Calla should choose, since she had great chemistry with both Ren and Shay.  There were times when I could truly see the positives that both had to offer.  Ren provided a sense of security within a life she has always known.  The Keepers would provide for them and she could maintain contact with her family and friends.  Shay on the other hand, shook up her entire world and allowed her to see life for what it truly is.  By the end, I was 100% TEAM SHAY.  They made an excellent team as they worked together to unravel the mysteries within the relationship between the Guardians (werewolves), Keepers (the masters of the guardians), and Searchers (who are considered to be the enemies of both).

The booknerds have an ARC of Wolfsbane, the next installment in this series, which is scheduled to be released the end of July.  We are BEYOND excited about this fact and can't wait to see what happens next in this love triangle.  Check back for our reviews of Wolfsbane.

Flo's Review:

The thing that immediately struck me about this book when I first saw it was the gorgeous cover! I love the purple tones that somehow bring a richness of color and yet still manage to represent night. I know there is currently lots of discussion going on about changing the covers, and I am in the camp of keeping the original ones.

It didn't take me long to get sucked into the complexity of Calla's world. The tagline on the cover so accurately and succinctly describes her dilemma: as alpha female, she is in charge of assuring the compliance and happiness of her pack...while she sees no way she can make any choices of her own. Nightshade is a longer book, coming in at 450 pages, but it reads like a breeze.

Another strength of this book was its plethora of fabulous one-liners!

As for the great Ren vs Shay debate.....I have to say I am firmly in the TEAM REN camp!  He is the no-nonsense, tough alpha male, but with Calla he is questioning and vulnerable, and I love that he has both sides to him.

Finally, I really enjoyed learning more about the pack as the book went on. We know in the beginning that the meaning of being a pack is having each other's backs, but throughout the book we get to see just how deeply that goes.

...and Holy Cliffhangers, Andrea Cremer! I cannot wait to read Wolfsbane!