Nightshade -- Andrea Cremer

Rating: ✰✰

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she’ll

be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their

pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters’ laws by

saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence,

and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose

everything - including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

---

"Forbidden love"...ha...ha...haha...

I...I brought this upon myself. 

I'll admit it. 

I have no one to blame but myself. 

Having just started high school, of course the first thing I would want to do was check out the library, right? And so I did--but there are two problems with this. 

One: There is literally no time to go to the library for me. Five minutes between classes to get to the next class and get your things from a locker and navigate through masses of bodies fueled with hormones and pheromones? Really, school? My bus gets to the school at eight, class starts at eight twenty, and not to mention the "media center" is in a separate building, and, oh yeah, if you step foot outside the main school building you get LOCKED OUT. (The genius of my school and my school district never ceases to amaze.)

Two: The library's selection is horrible. And I don't just mean because this book is in it. I mean, out of all the shelves in the library, all of them except ONE are filled with books that are older than me, my mother, and probably my mother's mother. Blegh! No, thank you. The one shelf that is actually full of books from this century has about five rows of books, and the ones I can actually reach...well...had this in it. 

I don't know what I was thinking, probably that everything else on that one lone shelf looked just about as appetizing as eating my brother's toenails for breakfast. So I picked the book with the spine that leaped out at me, and, unfortunately, this was it. 

I took about two seconds to read the synopsis, then checked it out like "Eh, whatevah!" Because there was nothing to read and I was in the mood for a cliche, horrible book that I knew this would be. 

It started out promising enough, oh yeah. For once the girl was a powerful alpha of a werewolf pack. Oh joy! Forbidden human love interest?! I love humans in YA who aren't just pushovers or who don't turn into supernatural creatures later! (Of which I have yet to discover one...) Even better! And, guy who sounds like a douche just from "sexy alpha wolf"? Wooh, boy...this was going to get bad...

Yeah, I don't know what I was expecting from a book about werewolves, either, but there you go. 

The book starts out with Calla saving this human boy from a bear and of course they have all this ELECTRICITY and CHEMISTRY together just from him sucking on her blood from a cut on her arm...Mmm...so sexy. I can only hope that the man of my dreams (A.K.A. Jesy McKinney) and I will meet in the same way! 

Of course the human boy then goes to her school. Oooh, the plot thickens. And Ren, well, he's actually...not...as bad as I thought he would be at first...(Controlling manipulative jackass? HA. For once...it was the other guy who was supposed to be "sweet.")

Things just go on from there, and honestly, the thin, watered down "plot" is just Calla going "Omg! Who should I choose?! Ren or Shay?! Ren or Shay?!" (Shay being the human boy of course.) With this sort of other plot line having to do with some sacrifice that I really really couldn't care about that just gives Shay and Calla excuses to spend time with each other. 

I just...ugh. 

And considering Shay was not who I expected to be at all (as in, I expected him to be this completely cute and innocent guy who is intelligent and sweet and nice to Calla), I am SO DISAPPOINTED. His character frustrates me on so many levels.

For one, he is a complete and total JACKASS. For example, when Calla tells him about Ren's mother:

"How does Ren know anything about that?" he grumbled.
"Lay off, Shay," I snapped. "His mother was killed by Searchers during an attack that happened on Samhain. That's why he knows."
"Oh. Sorry." He tapped his pen on the table. "Searchers killed Ren's mother?"
"Yeah."
"How old was he?"
"It was on his first birthday," I said.
"Man, that sucks. Though it does explain a lot about him."

What. 

What. 

What?!?!?!

What kind of--I can't even--why would you--WHY?!?!?! Not only are you a stupid whiny jealous idiot who's completely immature, you just...!

I don't know anyone who would even possibly stoop this low. Knowing someone very close to me whose parent died and who is STILL struggling with that loss years and years later...This just pisses me off to NO END.

Why would anyone like this creep?! Why is he portrayed as so cool, innocent, lovable, likable, etc.?! 

LOOK AT ALL THE INTERROBANGS I AM USING TO QUESTION THIS PIECE OF SHIT FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!

And of COURSE the only thing I had liked about him (he was human) gets completely turned over when he gets turned into a werewolf by Calla. I just...urghh...!

He constantly played and manipulated with Calla's feelings to get her to do things with him like kiss him and to be with him. He was completely dismissive and disrespectful of her culture (which I know is screwed up, but what pissed me off was the fact that he knew just about nothing about it and then acted like she was a dumbass for growing up in it and then being unable to believe that what she learned was wrong. Andrea Cremer, you have absolutely NO idea what it's like to grow up in an accepted culture your whole life, do you? It took about two minutes of Shay saying "Open your EYES, Calla!" before she was completely accepting of the fact that her whole life was a lie. What?!). He kept making advances when she TOLD HIM TO STOP and that she was not allowed to be with him! He had no boundaries! None!

And then later he gets praised by the whole dang stinking pack for not being a douche. (Something about a fight that broke out with Ren and stuff, Shay could have told the authorities that Ren was causing trouble, even though he wasn't, and that would've gotten Ren AND Calla both in huge trouble. But he covered for them instead, and his cover-up must have took all of five seconds to think up.) So...basically he gets rewarded for being not a douche when it was just as easy as being a douche. I really don't see the logic in this. He gets high praises sung to him and everyone automatically now likes and trusts him because of that one stupid did.

Well, guess what you still are, Shay?

A DOUCHE!

Shay?

Shay, sweetie? Come here. Come here for a minute.

He has absolutely NO redeeming qualities for me at all throughout the entire course of this 400-page book. He pissed me off SO badly that the only reason I did not put this down and call it a day (and go to therapy to forget about this traumatizing experience) was because of Ren. 

Who actually turned out to be a wonderful, sweet, caring, sensitive guy despite the "bad/playboy" persona. He was one of the only people to actually care for Calla and respect her wishes--he never forced himself on her (unlike Shay, cough) and whenever she said "Stop," guess what he did?

He stopped.

He even stopped seeing/flirting with girls when they were arranged for marriage together, even though the dumb Werewolf Rules dictated he could have as many females as he wanted. And of course what does Calla do to repay him? She kisses Shay behind his back, a lot. 

I loved him and then of course Calla f*cking uses him and screws him over at the end. 

Speaking of Ren and Shay, Shay was constantly being affectionate to Calla in front of Ren on purpose to get him jealous. When it is clear that Calla is already Ren's girlfriend. And when Ren gets mad, of course Shay gets his panties (he does not wear boxers, trust me) all in a knot and accuses him of being an ass. Calla tells him off maybe a few times, but he still gets away with it.

She slaps Shay once in the book out of the hundreds of times she should have (and not even for the reason that he was freaking playing with Ren's emotions, but because because of Shay "everything in her life changed." Seriously, Calla?)

THEN at the end when Shay and Calla must escape from something and everything is so urgent and like "Oh ma gosh life or death here!!!" he has to help Calla undress out of a wedding gown...and you know, he makes out with her and touches her skin everywhere instead of being urgent. Gag me.

This book sucks and I only read it for Ren. It was highly predictable, boring, laughable, silly, etc. I guessed the ending WAY before the middle of the book, I knew that of course Calla was going to choose Shay and "follow her heart" or some shit, and I knew of course Shay was going to be Mary-Sue elevated to werewolfy status. That's not even a spoiler. If I ever have to read the second book of this shitty series, it will only be for my beloved Ren Laroche. 

F*ck you, Seamus Doran. You and your stupid name.

One star for Renier Freaking Laroche, one star for his awesome name. 

Meant to Be -- Lauren Morrill

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

---

I loved Meant to Be. I cannot stress this enough. I loved loved loved this!

I loved it enough that I procrastinated returning it to the library as soon as I was done reading it, two weeks before it was due (and not just out of sheer laziness). I pretty much kept this to re-read certain favorite parts over and over again (and boy, were there a lot--like, 90% of the book was my favorite). 

Meet Julia, swimmer, geek, hopeless romantic, and searching for her Meant To Be's heart--Meant To Be meaning, predestined, supposed to be together, perfect lovers. In this case, it's Mark Bixford, the boy she's had a crush on since they were neighbors when she was small.

The story takes place on a class trip to London, and besides all the interesting settings (come on, this is London!) that take place all throughout this book, there's also the plot as she searches for this mysterious texter (Chris) who's been sending her messages almost since she arrived in the country.

The main driving point of the plot, you could say, is the search for her MTB--is it Mark? Chris? Jason? And before you get started on the "That is so unrealistic she cannot have three boys pining for her at the same time!" just read the book.

Trust me.

Read. it.

This book is filled with so much squee-worthy moments it will have you rolling around on your bed or the floor or the couch clutching it to your bed and screaming because of the cuteness. (Or, at least, that's what it made me do--repeatedly. Again. And again. And again.)

It is, also, more than just a book to read because there are cute, hot guys in it (you will love Jason so much! Trust me trust me trust me!). It is a book that teaches you that sometimes, love just happens, and sometimes, it's not this perfect fairy-tale story that lasts forever...but that doesn't mean that the love isn't perfect.

I'll give a 10/10 for the story line because it was so cute and kept me interested enough to keep coming back to read it over and over again without ever getting bored.

As for the writing, I cannot tell you how impressed I was by all the show, don't tell going on in this book. The first time Julia says "I love swimming"? I rolled my eyes. Ha! I thought, tossing my head to the side haughtily. Just watch when there is no more mention of swimming at all in this book. Just watch! But she did it. She swam, a lot, and she showed all her geekiness (one of my biggest irks in reading is when a character calls his or herself smart and then doesn't show it at all!) and yes, her intelligence, and weird quirks.

Lauren Morril...thank you for saving my faith in the YA genre. This book is what we need. Not dumb stories of "We were meant to be forever and ever!" and perfectly packaged fairy-tale endings or circumstances, and no promises of forever--and this book will definitely teach you that, and you'll still be happy anyway even without those unrealistic expectations out of a relationship.

The characters were all lovable and wonderful and so well developed I just want to take them all home with me and hug them to death.

I really can't tell you how much I recommend this book, and I don't want to give too much away, so just go on! Go! What are you waiting for?!