Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer

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.

Wolfsbane is the sequel to Nightshade and follows the path of Shay and Calla after escaping the union ceremony. In this book, an uncommon alliance is made that reveals the truth behind centuries of lies, uprooting Calla and everything she has been taught to believe in.  With new information on her masters, Calla is determined to save the pack she’s abandoned, and gain revenge on the one’s who’ve nearly destroyed everything.

I’m a little on the fence with this book. There is a lot of background information and history thrown at the reader right from the start. Almost the whole first half of the book is dialogue between Calla and the Searchers while they explain the truth behind hers and Shay’s existence. Although the information is crucial to the story and really adds to the plot (some of it is pretty crazy!), it makes the first half of the book a little slow.

The story does pick up in the second half however, and that’s when I got hooked on the story again. I was so glad to see the pack come back as I always enjoyed the banter and relationship between the different members. There were also a lot of new characters in this book who were fun to read as well. Cremer does an excellent job of bringing each character to life and giving them their own individuality and voice. No one ever fell flat for me.

The action that was in the story was definitely intense and vamped everything up. There were a few fighting sequences and intimate moments that really get your heart pumping and pages turning. I got choked up at a few parts when we learn the fate of some of the Nightshade wolves. The twists in the plot were also pretty mind blowing and most of them I didn’t even see coming. The story is just getting started and once again the cliffhanger at the end leaves me anxiously waiting for what’s to come in Bloodrose.