Publisher: Philomel
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Calla has always welcomed war.
But now that the final battle is upon her, there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers' magic once and for all. And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.
But now that the final battle is upon her, there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers' magic once and for all. And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.
(Courtesy of Goodreads)
I loved the first two books in this series, Nightshade and Wolfsbane (click the title to the left to read my full review of each). I was reluctant to read Nightshade at first because I thought it was going to be a rip-off of The Wolves of Mercy Falls books (Shiver, et. al.), which I kind of hated. I could not have been more wrong. Not only was Nightshade amazing, but it was not even remotely similar. I am sad to see this trilogy come to end, but I'm so very glad that I took a chance on it in the first place.
Bloodrose was probably one of my most anticipated releases of 2012. I ran out on bought it on release day, and then waited...and waited...and waited to read it. I had read a lot of reviews and there were a lot of people who HATED the ending, and I was afraid that it might ruin my love for the series. It sat on my shelf calling me like a siren calls a sailor. Finally, I faced my fear and decided to read it. I was blown away.
I can't talk much about the actual story or the characters in this review because there will be way too many spoilers. I loved this book as much as I did the first two, even though there were a few times when I wanted to throw it against the wall. There was even one part that made me cry; not just a few tears, but THE ugly cry where snot bubbles out your nostrils and you get all red and blotchy. That said, I was happy with the ending. It wasn't at all what I expected, and it wasn't what I wanted, but it was satisfying and it made sense.
If you've read the first two books, and haven't read Bloodrose yet, GET ON IT. If you haven't read any of these books, DO IT. They are great and original, and the writing is beautiful. I'm looking forward to the prequel series that starts with Rift, and releases August 7th. I'm also looking forward to Andrea Cremer's unrelated books, coming out in 2013, The Inventor's Secret (a Steampunk novel) and The Invisibilty Curse (co-written with David Levithan!!!!). She is a true talent, I will always read anything she writes!
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Grade Level Recommendation: Because I recommended Nightshade and Wolfsbane to grades 8 and up (ages 13+), I will do the same with Bloodrose.
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I'm always looking for a new series to pick up and this is one that has escaped my radar but your 5-stars makes me want to read this like NOW!
ReplyDeleteshame, I never even tried to read this series when it sounds so good, I will really have to add this on my list! thanks for the great review Karis. x
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Dang it, this trilogy sounds amazing. I am going to have to pick it up, 3 more to add to the list! :) thanks! Great review by the way. Elisa
ReplyDeleteI just can't wait to read thsi one! *0*. I'm anew gfc follower, BTW. :)
ReplyDeleteI hopefully get this in the mail this week to finish off the series. I love the stars you have given it!!
ReplyDeleteMIchelle
I'm glad you liked this series. Unfortunatly for me I really didn't. I just kinda felt that there were pacing issues, too much information dumping in Wolfsbane and not enough action... and then loads of action in Bloodrose that I think could have been spread out through Wolfsbane to make that one better. But I, like you, was happy with the ending. I know some people literally hate the ending but I think she was brave to write that kind of ending so... Anyway, this is a really long comment so I'm sorry about that. I really like your blog btw... new follower :)
ReplyDeleteI loved this book so much too. Yes the ending was kind of sad but I thought it was great all the same. I had heard MANY mixed reviews as well. So glad I read these books. They were amazing!
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