Review: Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)

Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) by Andrea Cremer
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Penguin ~ Philomel
ISBN13: 9780399256127
ARC received from: Penguin Canada for review

Goodreads Synopsis:
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.

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.

The Nightshade series has wormed its way into my heart, and after reading the first two I was utterly enthralled and dove right into the third,and final, book of the series.

There is always something bittersweet about ending a series because it's just so permanent. Good books bring you into their world; and I found myself personally invested in the outcome of Bloodrose and its characters.

I want to say this: Bloodrose broke me a bit. Forget the throat, these wolves went straight for the heart and didn't leave anything behind. And I am going to try very, very hard to write a review that explains my position without spoiling anything. So yes, as always, this review is SPOILER-FREE (although it may contain spoilers for the first two books).

1. A strong, captivating beginning:
   
   I was overjoyed as I was reading the first half of the book, as everything seemed to be turning out the way I hoped it would! Calla really impressed me with how she stood up for herself and you could finally see her coming around as an independent young woman/wolf. Her maturity becomes evident in so many ways (until she seems to falter a bit...) and you can really see how far she's come in the three books.Also, there are some really great scenes and plotlines involving Ren which were very well done.
2. Unexpected characters:
   
   I appreciated that Andrea took the time to develop some secondary characters that hadn't been dealt with much in Wolfsbane or Nightshade; Sabine ended up being one I thought was extremely well done in this way. I'm one of those readers who enjoys understanding secondary characters and their roles, both independently and in relation to the main characters. So I was ecstatic with how many people were further explored.
3. Adventure and death:
   
   It's war, and the last book of the series- you just know there are going to be some deaths. It's realistic to assume so, and I'm not going to reveal who dies, but there are some characters who we end up losing. But all of it takes place in the midst of the greatest adventure we have yet to see in the Nightshade world- finally we are off exploring and acting on this brilliant plan that Wolfsbane spent the entire time thinking up and proposing. FINALLY. It's extremely satisfying, but don't let that fool you- it's scary and leaves you holding your breath. Often.

I'm going to restrain myself from going on a spoiler-filled rant now; because there were a couple issues I had with Bloodrose. I'll save the spoiler chat for you another day (SOON). I will say that Calla did not live up to my expectations. I mentioned above that I loved her in the beginning- well, I didn't love her by the end. I felt like she had taken steps forward only to take a few strides back to where she was. It felt unnecessary to me, and I kept wanting to grab her by the shoulders screaming "WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?!" hoping to knock some sense into her. Alas, that did not help.

Also, the ending- say what?! It felt like a HUGE build up to being left with so little. All of this action and choices being made, and I just kind of sat there scratching my head, wondering what on earth had just happened. And why everyone in the book seemed so accpeting of it. So, overall? I liked it. But I didn't love it the way I loved the first two books. I was really hoping for more, and maybe I was just too optimistic. It could also just be that I'm sad that it's over and it was fun while it lasted, but now it's finished. I just really wanted to be left with something more besides nursing my aching heart.