Nightshade, by Andrea Cremer

This book was hard summarize in my own words. I've never had that happen before. So, here's the official:

"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."

First of all, let me say that I LOVED this book, it was complex, and the storyline was incredibly riveting. I WILL be reading the sequel and recommending this book to others.

BUT, there were a lot of similarities to other popular works. The Wraiths in her story have a lot in common with Dementors, she also uses giant arachnids.... also Harry Potter. The main character saves a boy from being killed by a grizzly bear....very Twilight-esque... I know these are probably coincidences, I just wish there had been no glaring paralells to other extremely popular stories.

That said, her writing style is incredibly descriptive. You will find very few "she said's" in this story, everything was a movement, a feeling, or an action. This author writes in a way that keeps you turning the pages, even if you don't like what's happening. If I had a star system, this would get a 4.

I LOVED the portrayal of romance in this book.

And, finally, let me just say.... this book is deceptive. You'll know what I mean once you read it.