Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer (REVIEW)

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. (Goodreads.com)

I have wanted to read this book since I read the last page of Nightshade about a year ago. I must say, I am NOT disappointed. Cremer created compelling characters, a juicy history, and a luscious romance with Nightshade and as I learned more about all of those things in Wolfsbane, I found myself loving the series even more. Mind-blowing secrets are unveiled and heartbreaking decisions are made.

This book really explains a lot of things that were unclear to me in Nightshade. It delves further into the history of the Keepers, the Searchers, and the Guardians and introduces great new characters.

One thing I think is important about this series is that it is NOT about werewolves. Upon reading Nightshade, I made the mistake of believing that it was a werewolf tale, But as I learned more about the characters and witnessed the challenges that they faced I realized that it was so much more than that. This series is about love, about sacrifice, about protecting those you love, about making life-altering decisions, about learning who to trust. This series is so much more than a werewolf story and it has a uniqueness all its own.

• The protagonist. Calla Tor is independent, strong (both physically and emotionally), and she has a tongue as sharp as her teeth. She would do anything to protect the people that she loves and she has an iron strong will. Nobody gets away with messing with her. She has to make a lot of extremely difficult decisions for the sake of her pack and her heart. She is a fearless leader, ready to jump into battle at any time. She's not afraid to ask the questions that nobody else would dare ask and she has a tendency to get to the bottom of things.
• The lust. There is PLENTY of that in this series and it is refreshing compared to the mushy crap that takes place in a lot of books. Because while there is plenty of love in this book, there's also a whole lot of temptation to rip clothes off.
• The history. Me saying that I like the history of anything is not a frequent occurrence. I've always dreaded history of any sort, but the history of Nightshade is full of deception, blood shed, and other awesome factors that make me actually want to learn more.
• The deaths. It seems a little harsh to LIKE people dying, but what can I say? I guess I'm a harsh person. Because when you are shoved into the kind of situations that the characters from Wolfsbane are shoved into, people are going to die. Not everybody is going to make it out of those ordeals.