Len spends most of her time ruminating on her writings that never made it to paper; keeps sane by reading books and listening to music. She reviews most of them out of love and the joy of it.
Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)
by Andrea Cremer
January 3, 2012: Philomel
"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."
Review
In this final book of the Nightshade trilogy, the war will change everything. Calla will have to learn to balance her feelings and her determination to see this war thru if she hopes to lead her pack and the rest of the Searchers against the Keepers.
Picking up where the second book (Wolfsbane) left, Calla managed to persuade Ren to come back with her and side with the Searchers. But this creates conflict Shay, and concerns among the Searchers. Ren's presence also makes Calla's emotions go haywire, either putting both alphas at arms-length or questioning her decisions. She struggles to keep her feelings and both of them intact while she and the others focus on finding the rest of pieces they need for the elemental cross, if they hope to defeat the Keepers and the Harbinger.
The Nightshade trilogy is one of the series that I really loved and is hard to put down for me. Even this heart-wrenching conclusion to the story. I'll try to be un-spoilery as much as possible in sharing. But to those who have read the two books, you are in for a ride. The story starts in tension with Ren coming in. That's the least of the problem really. I was half- afraid that Calla would change her mind, confused with her feelings, and might realized that her place is with Ren all-along. Half of me is afraid that Shay would die. He might die either fighting Ren for Calla or with his search for the rest of the Elemental Cross. He has that sort of adventurous/fearless attitude towards challenges, like when they had to cross a bottomless pit. Goodness, Shay was the only one excited.
Then there's also the constant threat of betrayal. With the success of winning the war, not only dependent on the Elemental Cross and Shay, but also on the cooperation of others in the story that have a shady character. Death is not the only threat that is constant in their war, but also the possibility of traitors among their midst.
There is no war without tragedy, without the pain of loss, and without making hard decisions that will affect the future. A truly haunting and fitting end to the trilogy.
