Wolfsbane
Andrea Cremer
I enjoyed Wolfsbane as much as I did Nightshade. Calla wakes up in the hands of Searchers, and befriends them. After introductions to new characters like Monroe the Guide, or leader of the Haldis team, who seems to take special interest in Ren's well being, and Adne his daughter the Weaver who opens portals with tools that resemble knitting needles. Ethan is a Striker who holds contempt to Calla and is having a rough time of adjusting to Guardians as their allies. Connor, also a Striker, doesnt take much seriously and has a sense of humor that annoys most of the group,especially Adne, but they all love him anyway.
That night Shay and Calla pick up where they left off in Shay's bedroom, but Calla can't shake the guilt she feels for Ren and pushes Shay away.
A few days go by, Shay and Calla learn more about the Searchers including Tess and Lydia, a gay couple in the Haldis team.
The first mission is for Calla to be reunited with her pack. Adne weaves a portal to the mountain hoping to catch some of her pack on patrol. Only to find nothing, but Mr. Selby, a teacher and informant at the high school Calla went to, mauled. as the team of Searchers and Calla race back for the portal they are ambushed by Emile, the Bane alpha, who now seems to be leading both the Nightshade and Bane packs. Before they could all get through the portal, Emile gets Lydia between his jaws. She is not the first or the last to fall 'fighting the good fight".
Tess mourns her partner. Calla learns the swift and tragically beautiful way the Searchers deal with grief.
Shay and Calla are back in her room and the guilt of leaving Ren, running from everything she'd ever known, fearing for her pack back in Vail, proves too strong for anything romantic to happen with Shay. Just as their argument was about to escalate a frantic Adne knocks on the door. She informs them Ethan just took down a Guardian who claims to be Calla's brother, Ansel.
After barley saving Ansel, Calla's mortified to find out the Keepers took the wolf from him. As an example to anyone else who would defy them. not stopping there they also had Emile murder Calla's mom in front of her dad. They had been keeping both young packs in cells, sending wraiths on them. At the same ritual where the tragedies to her mother and brother happened, the Keepers publicly set a wraith to Ren, longer than anyone had ever seen. They told him he would have time to choose, them or Calla.
After reviving this information Monroe told the Haldis team to prepare to go rescue her pack. Before leaving Monroe gave Connor an envelope which Connor seemed reluctant to take but eventually submitted.
Adne, being the Weaver, the Searchers most important asset, was ordered to stay in a safe location above the action. Shay wasn't even allowed to come, being the Scion and all. The pack was being held at Eden, the Keepers club. Eerily silent the team made its way down only encountering a few Guardians along the way. Finding her pack members in pairs of two, all she had left to do was find Ren. While Guardians poured into the chamber she went to find him. When she reached him he looked better off than the others did, much better off. He wasn't chained or beaten. Regretfully he slammed Calla against a wall and cried, "They said I have to break you." In the midst of this Monroe walked in, who tried to coax Ren to come with them, but wad quickly interrupted by Emile. Connor came and quickly tore Calla out of the room reluctantly while Emile tore Monroe's throat out, calling Ren "a fool just like his father.
Back in the chamber the Guardians were still pouring in. Adne in the nick of time wove a portal, against orders and got them all out.
Upon getting back to Haldis headquarters, they find themselves under attack by wraiths, the Keepers had found them. Rushing to find Shay and Ansel, Calla gets mixed up in the fray.
Saving them all again, Adne weaved a portal to a corn field in Iowa, just outside the Academy.
Awaking to find Nev strangling their would-be Keeper master, Logan Bane, with them in the field Calla attempts to come to grips with what just happened. Logan, now in the arms of Searchers tells them that Ansel is the one who told the Keepers of their location. The Searchers take quick action to move the Academy... to Italy. The smell of the ocean and lemons welcome them. Heading to an assembly Calla runs out to the garden no longer able to bottle up whats been eating at her. She takes to her long pale blonde braid with pruning shears. Shay finds her. She tells hi to go away, but he doesn't comply. He holds her, fighting, snarling, and all, kissing her tears away. She looks up, kissing him with such passion they fall over and roll into the garden. Clothes come off and they finally give into the desire they hold for each other.
The next morning, after sneaking out of Shay's room, Sabine helps Calla fix her hair. Bryn, Callas beta, and Sabine admit to knowing what she did last night, they could smell him on her. So Shay assumed the new roll as alpha.
Amid all the mess, Adne had read her fathers letter Connor had been given to give to her. Ren was her brother, half-brother anyways. She pulls Calla into her room, informing her that the two of them were going to get her brother, another "under-the-radar" mission. Calla, having already known Ren was Monroe's son, agreed without to much persuasion.
The sequel ends with Calla slowly walking up to the house that would've been Ren and her's had she not abandon her destiny.
I'm glad to say this series is getting better as it goes along. As with any series I'm sad the next book, Bloodrose, will be the last of Calla's adventures. I can't wait to see how Cremer wraps up this delightfully intriguing world she has created.
