"Nightshade" (Philomel, $17.99), by Andrea Cremer: Guardian Calla Tor is a teenage alpha werewolf of the Colorado Nightshade pack. She's smart, strong and, at 17, has her whole life ahead of her. Too bad it's been mapped out for her by Calla's masters, The Keepers.
Calla has been selected to mate with Renier, a domineering alpha classmate, and together, they will rule a newly formed pack of teenage werewolves. Trouble builds when Calla reveals her powers to save lone hiker Shay Doran from a vicious animal attack. She then discovers he's the new kid in her class as well as the human ward of a high-ranking Keeper.
There is a definite class distinction. The Keepers are at the top of the chain, ruling over and dictating the coupling rites of their subordinate werewolf Guardians. They suppress potential uprisings by prohibiting Guardians from learning too much. It is forbidden to read the annals of their ancestors or those of their masters - and the Keepers are quick to quash any hint of rebellion.
After a kidnapping attempt by their enemies, The Searchers, Calla is ordered to protect Shay. In the short time they spend together, Shay encourages Calla to question the things around her, especially the people she serves, instead of blindly following her masters.
Torn between duty to Renier and her attraction to Shay, Calla becomes trapped in a love triangle that threatens the stability of her new pack.
"Nightshade" gets off to a slow start. In an attempt to build suspense, author Andrea Cremer risks frustrating the reader by revealing details piecemeal. Cremer spends a lot of time establishing the social structure of the wolf pack as well as the personalities of secondary characters. In Cremer's supernatural sphere, werewolves can detect emotions through scent and communicate telepathically while in wolf form; their blood possesses miraculous healing properties.
The story picks up steam when Calla agrees to help Shay decipher an ancient outlawed manuscript. They could be killed if they're caught deciphering the manuscript.
"Nightshade" is a mystical world with magical beings, secret rituals and a long-standing civil war. Cremer delivers a clever young adult saga that leaves readers on the edge of their seats with a climactic cliffhanger.
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