Wolfsbane 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.
I enjoyed Nightshade, for the most part. I had some issues with the characters, but the plot and the pacing were exciting enough to keep me interested and hope the characters would sort themselves out in the next book, Wolfsbane.

Well, not so much. My biggest issue with Calla in Nightshade was that she didn’t act like an alpha. She said she was, a lot, but her actions never matched those statements. The same thing happens in Wolfsbane, except she says it a whole lot more. It got tiresome after the first few chapters. Shay was the same forceful, arrogant, and closed-minded person that he was in Nightshade, amped up a few notches. I absolutely hated him by the end of Wolfsbane because he embodies everything a boyfriend should NOT be, especially at the end of the book. I was really bummed about that.

I was even more disappointed in Ren, though. I liked him in Nightshade. He was an obvious alpha, but he was also a good leader—he listened to Calla and respected her wishes. In Wolfsbane, he’s completely different. Even considering the pressure he was under from those around him, it still doesn’t explain his complete change in actions.

Most of all, there just wasn’t enough story to carry an entire book. The first 100 pages is all talking and posturing, and we still don’t learn much. When they finally go to rescue Calla’s pack, they make a stupid mistake—which is fine, because people make mistakes all the time. But they make the same kind of mistake when they go to Eden, and I just couldn’t overlook that. Plus, the 'big reveal' at the end didn’t feel so big because I’d figured it out in the first 50 pages or so. The plot in Wolfsbane wasn’t nearly as well thought out as Nightshade, which is really disappointing.

So many people are gushing about this book, and that’s great. I’m glad they’ve enjoyed it. I considered not finishing this book (which is HUGE for me), but wanted to know what happened to Ren so I kept reading. But it’s not at all my cup of tea, and I won’t be reading the next book.