Andrea Cremer

Oh, expectations, you turncoats. Always there when I start out, and off who the fuck knows where as I suffer through an uninspired book. Before you start telling me I shouldn't have finished this book, believe me, I know that was an option. However, by the time I was sure I wouldn't like it, I was too far into the book to DNF. Once I've read twenty percent or so, it's happening, and that's all there is to it. Invisibility isn't necessarily a bad book, but it's certainly not what I was hoping show more for, and will likely only please those who have not yet tired of the standard paranormal romance formula and tropes. Warning: this review will contain some spoilers.

My mistake, and I will admit it was mine alone, was that I assumed Invisibility would be something like Levithan's Every Day. Admittedly, I have yet to read that book, but the premise blows my mind, and, based on friends' reviews and recommendation, I will love it. In that book, I understand that Levithan takes a sort of metaphysical and philosophical look at a unique way of existing, and uses that to reflect on sexuality and love. With Invisibility, I hoped for something similar. What I wanted was the tale of an invisible boy, born that way for no rhyme or reason, and how he comes to find meaning in his existence. Again, this was solely my mental creation. If you had similar hopes, quash them, because Invisibility is just a paranormal romance of magic and curses.

To give Cremer and Levithan their dues, the world building for the magic is unique, if strange. They did at least expend the effort to come up with something a bit out of the box. The curses, especially, are very cool, and some of them legitimately freaked me out, so that was well done. Unfortunately, their hearts weren't in that aspect of the book, so the world is uncovered and explained through a series of chapter-long infodumps. The teens go to an adult, ask for information, and receive and infodump. Then they go to another adult and repeat the process. It's a dulling way to receive information.

All of that could easily have been saved with well-done characters, though, since characters are where my true love lies as a reader anyway. Sadly, Stephen and Elizabeth are static, with no motivations except the ones given to them by their romance. Elizabeth does have a second motivation in protecting her mother and brother, but, when push comes to shove, she always chooses Stephen over them, so that hardly counts to me.

When two authors team up to write a novel in dual perspectives, I generally assume that they both take a perspective to write. Thus, I'm excited to read books composed in this way, because I love dual perspective done well, and it should be so easy for two separate authors to create two distinct perspectives. Somehow, though, I found that I had a lot of trouble distinguishing whether I was reading an Elizabeth chapter or a Stephen chapter until one of their names was said.

Perhaps, though, Elizabeth and Stephen are so indistinguishable because they lack individual interests and personalities. Very little effort is expended to make them feel like real people. Stephen, for example, has been on his own since his mother's death, but he apparently does nothing but order food to eat, angst, and people-watch. Though he has absolutely no one to talk to, he has no solitary hobbies to do while alone in his apartment. Um, Stephen, may I suggest the internet? I'm in my home alone right now, but, if I break from writing this review, I can go on Twitter and talk to any number of friends. Though no one can see him, he could make a network on the internet, where no one can see your physical form anyway, unless you choose to share a photo. Or, Stephen, how about reading? No wonder he's so miserable, since he doesn't ever do anything.

Then there's Elizabeth, who Cremer and Levithan really tried to make cool and nerdy. Her dream in life is to be a comic book writer and illustrator, both because doing just one is lame to her. Awesome, right? I should totally love this girl. And yet. For all her supposed love of comics, her interest in comic books has been added solely as a plot device by which she can realize her own special powers, which she has been secretly using to create the world in her comic book. When her brother, Laurie, introduces her to another comic book fan, she shows no interest in ever talking to him about them. When the group ends up going several times to a really bitching comic book shop with tons of special editions, Elizabeth never once stops to peruse the selection. Yeah, she's dealing with some serious stuff, but there is no universe where I would be able to walk through a bookstore without noting titles as I walked through or trailing my fingers along the spines. Don't try to connect to nerds with such a shallow attempt, because we do see through that.

The only characters I liked and cared about at all were Laurie, Elizabeth's brother, and Sean, a boy in the building Laurie is crushing on. After her parents' divorce, their mother moved the three of them to New York City to escape homophobia so severe that Laurie was hospitalized with multiple broken bones. The father basically blamed Laurie for provoking the attack, so the dad's obviously scum. Briefly, Laurie is a real plot point with a burgeoning romance, but we never get to find out how that's going for him, and he becomes just a pawn to be manipulated by the bad guy. Even then, Laurie's still more useful than Stephen. Laurie gets shit done.

Worst of all is the romance. First off, we have the invisible, personality-less boy and the pretending-to-be-a-nerd girl. Shock of shocks, she is the only person in the whole wide world who can see him! They touch and feel things. Their connection is made of magic and wondrousness and they fall in love in an unclear amount of time. However, their romance cannot have gone on for long, since she's still a ways from school starting and summer is not that long. Hello, instalove.

It gets better, though! Without establishing any real emotional connection between these two, which would be difficult, since they don't actually have personalities, they declare their love and begin arguing about who gets to die for the other one. Is anyone else sick of reading books about teens who are desperate to sacrifice themselves for someone they've only known for a month? Going back to what I mentioned earlier, Elizabeth is already willing to save Stephen's life over that of her brother's when forced to choose, though, obviously, she'll manage to save both. No, bitch, your brother comes first, not the invisible kid you've known for a month or less. Also, and here's where things really crossed the line, Cremer and Levithan never offer a convincing excuse for why Laurie can see Stephen, since her own powers don't explain shit. It was a convenient way to make them feel like they must have some mystical connection.

The ending did manage to surprise me just a bit, so I will give some credit for that. Cremer and Levithan didn't go for the obvious, easy ending that I'd predicted, so I will applaud them for finally stepping outside of the box, though I would have been grateful if it had happened 340 pages sooner.

If paranormal romances relying heavily on baseless instalove still work for you, by all means procure a copy of Invisibility. If, on the other hand, you were hoping for something deep and meaningful along the lines of Levithan's Every Day, you might want to spare yourself the disappointment. show less

Review

Okay, first things first: the overall book look. I love the roughly cut, old school pages that they gave his book. That’s a literary bonus for me that sets me up right from the start. However, I do not like the cover. I am not a purple girl, and stunning models on book covers don’t do much for me except make me think that this is a girly whirl book that I will not enjoy. According to Calla herself, she is not a girly girl either, so why she’s done up with super trendy heavy eye show more makeup on the cover is beyond me. Plus, the damn thing sparkles. Now, what do you think of when you hear the words ‘sparkle’ and ‘paranormal book’? Yeah, ‘nuff said. Personally, I think the cover design folks could have done better.

And then there’s the tagline. Prepare yourselves. Deep breath. Go ahead, take another. You’ll need it.

"She can control her pack, but not her heart."

Cliché. Gag. Upchuck. Boooooo-ring! C’mon, publishers: we deserve better. Even though I don’t like the cover, it could have stood alone without the tagline. Someone needs to start channeling his/her inner Don Draper, stat.

Now, here’s the good news: Andrea Cremer’s writing more than makes up the marketing and design cover sins.

In this book, wolves are known as Guardians. There are two packs of Guardians in Nightshade: the Nightshades and the Banes. Calla is the alpha of the young Nightshades, and Ren Laroche is the alpha of the young Banes. Their bosses/masters are known as Keepers, and they have ‘matched’ Calla and Ren to be mated and form a new pack with their respective young pack mates. Yep, you read that right. Calla is heading into an arranged marriage right from the get go, and on her eighteenth birthday, too. Calla seems to have mixed feelings about it, but her sense of loyalty and duty stays her course. However, those mixed feelings intensify quite a bit after wonderfully intelligent and attractive Shay enters the picture. She does something for him that puts her in jeopardy and makes her start keeping secrets. Those choices start opening her eyes to a lot of other issues at hand, ones that not only have huge consequences for herself, but for her friends’ and family’s entire way of living.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve had this much fun drawing connections since the Harry Potter series. To be honest, I wasn’t sure this was going to happen for me with Nightshade. The first chapter puts Calla in unfamiliar territory, and the way with which she handles the situation had that paranormal same old, same old, “I-feel-compelled-to-help/protect-this-person-even-though-I-shouldn’t-but-I-just-can’t-help-myself” tone. Very Edward Cullen. Edward is so not my type.

Now, stick with it, true believers, because the rest of the book is freaking rad. Andrea took a common paranormal group and gave it a completely new mythology and society. If you like a good old-fashioned love triangle, philosophical and historical references (political or otherwise), gender issues, good vs. evil with a twist and a right hook, and mix in something of a dystopian flair, then oh, baby, you are going to like this read.

On top of that, the characterization is great – it seems like everyone, even the minor secondary characters, has a good backstory or personal conflict. Andrea paces the narrative so it comes out at a natural flow, and it’s very cool how she shows that personal issues affect group dynamics. Then, there’s the main show of the Calla/Ren/Shay love triangle. Calla has genuine affection for both, although she feels a greater pull towards Shay. Personally, I am not convinced that always will be the case. Her choice (if she ever gets one) would be a lot simpler if one of the guys was awful. However, Ren is not the asshole he initially is painted to be, and I suspect that Shay will give us a few surprises as we continue in the series. In a way, both guys represent the choice that Calla will have to make: despite Ren’s cockiness, he truly believes in his duty to care for and lead the pack (group identity), and Shay is a staunch advocate of personal choice and open knowledge (personal identity). Both care for Calla with a genuine fierceness that is both touching and overwhelming. Now, if that weren’t enough for our soon-to-be-of-age heroine to deal with, add in some parental pressure, realizing your bosses possibly are not the good guys (or maybe they are), and feeling responsible for everyone else’s happiness before your own. . . well, you can see why our girl Calla might be a wee bit stressed.

Here are the chief issues/ideas in this book:

*hierarchy and class issues (you think wolves would be at the top, but oh nooooo)
*gender inequality (seriously, some of the guys in this . . . shudder)
*personal identity/choice vs. group identity/responsibility
*lack of control over one’s own life
*duty vs. freedom
*ignorance and comfort as control devices

Also, if you are not familiar with philosophy, I think Andrea does a great job of giving the reader enough information to understand the story through dialogue. The way she does it is fantastic and keeps your attention. However, if you aren’t so familiar with classical philosophy, you may miss her fabulous nod to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.

And that’s all I’m giving you. Seriously, read the book. You will feel in the dark in the beginning, but I assure you, you will know everything about this world as you need to. Andrea keeps the book moving between the knowledge reveals and, all of the sudden, you realize that you are learning about this universe right along with Shay.

I’m hooked, Andrea. Color me a happy, happy fan.

Overall: A show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A compelling follow-up to a wonderful series, Wolfsbane pleasantly surprises you with magic, love, and more.

Opening Sentence: I couldn’t shut out the screams. Darkness surrounded me.

The Review:

Andrea Cremer’s Wolfsbane picks up almost immediately after Nightshade. Calla Tor, of the Nightshade pack, wakes up in an unfamiliar place. She finds herself surrounded by Searchers, away from her pack and any familiar faces. Shay has been show more deemed the “Chosen One,” but the legacy, the clouded past, and the truth has yet to be uncovered. With new knowledge, cooperation, and a common goal, Shay, Calla, and the Searchers have plans to rescue Calla’s pack. In doing so, the searchers have hopes to uniting with the wolves as allies in their war against the Keepers and the Banes. In a world unknown to her, Calla must rise up to become the alpha she has always known she was meant to be.

Calla is an alpha, but also a young teenage girl. For the amount of experiences that she has lived through in Nightshade and also in Wolfsbane, she has grown to be this young woman. She is intelligent, loyal, and definitely someone I would want to follow. Calla grows from her pain and those experiences, readjusts and moves forward. It’s not easy to be disconnected from her pack, her family, but she follows her instincts to make decisions never easy for a girl her age. It is a testament of her persona that people from both Guardians and Searchers are loyal to her. Alongside Shay and her allies, she has embraced the unexpected.

Shay has become a little more aggressive. I’m not sure if it’s due to his new role of leadership, or what, but he has become pushy. He must be feeling a lot of pressure to fill in the shoes of being the Chosen One, and to lead his people to victory.

Ren takes a backseat role in Wolfsbane. If you remember from the previous book, Nightshade, he helped Calla and Shay, and stayed behind to ensure their escape. Away from Ren, Shay seems to think about him more. Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder? Or is it because of Calla’s duty to her fellow alpha? Calla is definitely still connected to Ren, and you’ll have to read Wolfsbane to find out why.

Searchers, Guardians, Keepers become great supporting characters. Each group has their own sets of personalities, individually and collectively. In Wolfsbane, we really find out more about the history of the wolves, the humans, and the magic world. It’s interesting to see how deep Cremer goes into creating this world. It’s fascinating and interesting. I almost wish that there was a book based on their history! Maybe when Rift comes out, I’ll see a little more into their history.

Cremer has brought Wolfsbane into a different plot twist, cleverly weaving in new elements with hints of old ones. We find out more about the wonderful world that she has created, as well as learn about the undiscovered past of her detailed and intricate culture. Cremer’s writing is by far one of my favorite elements of the book. When reading Wolfsbane, and the other books of the Nightshade series, it is like time stands still. Surrounded by details, elements, emotions, and words, Cremer’s Wolfsbane is magical in itself.

I appreciated that Cremer wrote Wolfsbane to be a different story with all the familiar story elements. It was refreshing and invigorating. There were definitely plot twists and surprises, emotionally-crushing moments, and definitely young love heart pangs. Wolfsbane has substance and everything is complex, well just plain amazing. And yes, even though there is a love triangle, I was happy to see that Calla was adult enough to make decisions fitting for an alpha.

Notable Scene:

Ethan came forward, slamming his empty cup on the table. “Now that preschool is over, can we get moving? Anika had a point. We only have a few hours of daylight left.”

“Ethan!” Tess was on her feet.

“Easy, girl.” Connor stood up too. “He’s right. We need to head out.”

Lydia looked at me. “I’m sure you still have lots of questions. I’m sorry we can’t answer them all right now.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I rose from my chair, muscles humming. The caffeine buzz and the thought of getting into the forest had me itching to run.

It was time for this alpha to find her pack.

FTC Advisory: Penguin Teen provided me with a copy of Wolfsbane. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

Book RANT: For those unfamiliar, there are occasions when I'll read a book that SOUNDS perfect for me, and may indeed include details that suit me quite well, but SOMETHING ruins the entire thing for me. That's when I rant about my unhappiness and the injustice of it all.

Please note I will rant, rave and curse the gods for the author's writing and the book's content. I will never attack an author on a personal level and I do try to remain constructive.

Today we have Nightshade a Young Adult show more Paranormal that had me literally gnashing my teeth.

Since this book rant has spoilers, I'm placing the majority under a cut.

What I liked:
I really enjoyed the world building of this book. It was something different; you have the Guardians (the werewolves), the Keepers (the ones they protect, who keep the world in Balance), the Searchers (the 'enemy' the Guardians protect the Keepers from) and than the regular old humans who are stuck in the middle. The Guardians don't see any reason to keep themselves under wraps, as long as they don't go shouting to the humans 'hey we can be wolves!' all is good. The Keepers meanwhile are doing pretty much the same thing, just they don't turn into wolves. All that undercurrent tension makes itself very apparent to the humans who segregate themselves pretty far away.

I liked that the Keepers were obviously power-tripping maniacs, who did bad things (a lot) and probably would win sociopaths of the year if anyone so cared to make that award. They had their own little clans (in this book its the Nightshades--Calla--and the Banes--Ren) they oversaw, had some fighting, but by in large they treated the Guardians the worst. There wasn't a single redeeming feature for them and for that I found them entertaining to read about.

I felt that the way Cremer handled the Guardians was refreshing. They don't so much as become wolves as they are always both, but never at the same time. Just depends on which body they want to walk around in. They retain some of their wolfy-ness as humans and vice versa. I also liked that the Banes and Nightshades may have been rivals, but they make a good effort to be more of an integrated group when the time comes. Calla and Ren's idea to begin melding the group before it was necessary was important and I thought clever.

I loved Ren. He was a playboy, and arrogant and pushed Calla, but he also respected her wishes. He tried to make things work between them, he took her advice and didn't sneer at her. He respected her as an equal Alpha leader--maybe he didn't agree with her decisions, but he didn't try to undermine her or take away her power. Was he a bit of a jerk and bully at times? Yeah, but he also showed real emotional turmoil when discussing what was happening in his own Pack.

What I did not like:
CALLA. No seriously. I was kind of intrigued with her in the beginning chapters, when it was obvious she was trying to mold her own future and do what was best for her Pack. I was kind of irritated with how standoffish she would be with Ren, than what a tease, than standoffish, than outraged...sure they couldn't 'consummate' their union until the actual ceremony, but for crying out loud! She was such a tease! She'd tell Ren they needed to stop, but would cave pretty quickly, only to get angry at herself (which quickly became anger at Ren) and start the cycle all over again. Then also she was something of a two-faced hypocrite. On the one hand she was planning her upcoming union with Ren, making him believe her whole heart was into it (well as much as he was, they were both kind of doom and gloom twins at times) and on the other it was 'Oh Shay...he makes me feel so wibbly wobbly'.

The Calla that was a good leader, and a strong alpha and who I wanted to read about would suddenly become a lovestruck idiot, flaunting common sense and authority. I understand that there is something fishy about the whole business of the Keepers and Shay, but Calla lost all sense when with Shay. Ren was bending over backwards to do whatever she asked of him in regards to their relationship and the upcoming Union, but she repaid him with lying and falling in love with another guy.

Which brings me to SHAY. Oh ye gods above. Half the time he was very milquetoast--worried, distracted and doing his level best to put himself into suicidal situations. The other half he was pushing Calla to flaunt tradition, get rid of Ren, love him more and trust him more. Some of Calla's very serious and very reasonable objections--like I don't know, the entire fate of her people?--just breezed past him. Let me say this once: love does not conquer all. If a person says something along the lines of 'we need to tread carefully because my masters have no compunction about killing us all if we are caught' the reaction should not be 'run away!'.

He didn't take her responsibility to her Pack very seriously I don't think. Or he chose to ignore it in favor of doing things to get himself killed.

I skipped around for the last two hundred plus pages of the ARC and unless I was missing all the dramatic shifts of character in the passages I wasn't reading, not much seems to change. In fact I think the end, where I thought Calla was going to do the right thing and finally trust Ren, and stop treating him like an unwanted stalker, she goes and does a very stupid thing. Karma kicks her butt for it though. And I won't lie I kind of rooted for it. Maybe, just maybe, in the second book she'll weigh her options a little and realize 'going this alone is the worst possible idea I've ever had'.

And god help her if she hurts Ren (emotionally speaking) some more. I'll invent a way to climb into this book and beat the snot out of her.


As you can see I had some very...strong...feelings about this book. Its not very often I'll come across a book that I want to enjoy with every fiber of my being, but can't because the main character makes me want to shoot her. But this is my purely bias'ed opinion. Around the blog-o-sphere the book seems to be quite popular, so maybe I'm just missing something. show less