Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) by Andrea Cremer
Release: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Philomel
Pages: 414

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.

This one is not getting a rating because I just don’t know how I feel about it. Part of me loved it, part of me is just unsure. Which is usually par for the course in series-closers for me.

I’m horrible at writing spoiler-free reviews for sequels; I always want to give stuff away, but there’s a lot in this one and I know there’s still many waiting to read it so here goes my attempt!

Picking up right where Wolfsbane left off, you’re right away thrown into the action. Rarely does this happen, I find, and I loved it! Normally, people don’t pick up a sequel (I do have a friend who does this knowingly, though! Hence, “normally”) and think “hey this must be a first or a standalone novel” and read it first, confusingly. So the whole recap, we’ll-ease-you-into-this-sequel thing always drags on for those who read – and remembered – the previous book.

The characters are, as always, incredible. Especially the characters that were introduced in Wolfsbane. Connor remains my favorite, as well as Calla who is one of my favorite kick ass chicks and does plenty of that in Bloodrose. But I love them all as a cast; they all fit together so effortlessly. They may be one of my favorite ensembles from a book (that sounds like an awards show category).

I definitely liked Bloodrose a ton more than Wolfsbane. And with the action and the characters, I might have even loved this one but the end… I wasn’t thrilled with. This is a spoiler-free review so I won’t say anything about it, and I know a lot of readers will be happy with it, it just wasn’t what I wanted.