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chapters_and_pages's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have finally finished rereading this trilogy, and it’s safe to say that I have some mixed feelings…
As this is the last book in the trilogy, I’m not going to go into the storyline, except for the fact that I thought it was okay. It wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t something I haven’t read in 50 over books.
In terms of the main characters, I found most of them to be a little on the annoying side. I’m not a fan of the love triangle in this series, or the 3 characters involved in general, and while I do like some of the side characters, others I found to be irritating for a range of reasons.
There is one minor aspect of the storyline that I want to mention that is technically a spoiler but it’s a small one, and I think it’s important to highlight it. In this book, there are two characters, Adne and Connor, who begin a romantic relationship, and my problem with this particular romance is the fact that Adne is a 16 year old teenager, and Connor is a 21 year old grown adult. I first read this series back when I was about 14 years old, so to be honest, I didn’t really pick up on this, however, as a 24 year old now, this relationship made me feel very uncomfortable, and even though nothing inappropriate or untoward was described or even hinted at, it doesn’t change the fact that these types of relationships are not okay, and shouldn’t be something that are glamorised in the media, especially in media that teenagers will read. In addition to this, I found the fact that the other characters were not only supporting this relationship, but actively encouraging it, was just a bit much for me.
On a bit of a lighter note, I absolutely loved the ending! I won’t spoil it but it felt like the perfect ending for Calla, Shay and the rest of the pack.
Overall, this series had its problems and it’s probably not something I’d often recommend but I have enjoyed rereading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Animal death, Grief, Blood, and Death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
aamethystash's review against another edition
5.0
all of these books are so amazinggggg ! i would sooo recommend the entire series ! (read the two prequels first - i didn’t know they were a thing until i was on this third book)
quietweather's review against another edition
4.0
WHAT.THE. FRICK.
That ending was Terrible.
Not only did the author purposefully kill Ren just to get him out of the way, but it looked like Calla was the only one that cared about his death. What I cannnot believe is what happened at the end with the pack, it was just like " WHY? Why do that?" They could have just lived as humans with the keepers, but no, they got turned into animals.
It just pissed me off
ALOT.
That ending was Terrible.
Not only did the author purposefully kill Ren just to get him out of the way, but it looked like Calla was the only one that cared about his death. What I cannnot believe is what happened at the end with the pack, it was just like " WHY? Why do that?" They could have just lived as humans with the keepers, but no, they got turned into animals.
It just pissed me off
ALOT.
racheljade100's review against another edition
3.0
honestly, very VERY disappointed with the ending...
(After managing to collect all the pieces of the Eternal Sword, there is the final battle between the Keepers and the Guardians and Searchers. Calla and Shay defeat evil uncle magic dude and in order to fully destroy the Keepers they have to seal a door that reverts all magically influenced creatures to their true form - wolves. Calla, Shay and their pack revert to wolves, Sabine transfers her wolf to Ansel and stays with her boyfriend Ethan, who is a Searcher. Ren dies in the fight (!) by Emilie and Calla's father kills him. Everything is finally at peace.)
(After managing to collect all the pieces of the Eternal Sword, there is the final battle between the Keepers and the Guardians and Searchers. Calla and Shay defeat evil uncle magic dude and in order to fully destroy the Keepers they have to seal a door that reverts all magically influenced creatures to their true form - wolves. Calla, Shay and their pack revert to wolves, Sabine transfers her wolf to Ansel and stays with her boyfriend Ethan, who is a Searcher. Ren dies in the fight (!) by Emilie and Calla's father kills him. Everything is finally at peace.)
pewterwolf's review against another edition
5.0
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf
Calla has always welcomed war. But now, the stakes are higher than anything she has ever faced, and even she is unready for this fight. And the situation keeps gets more complex. How will Shay, the forbidden love she fleed her former masters (the Keepers) for, react when she rescues Ren, her former flame and the man she was meant to be alpha with? How can she save her brother when he is so broken from the Keepers ripped out his wolf and destoryed it, and killing their mother? Will Shay and her new allies, the Searchers, get all four swords to create the Elemental Cross that will put this war to an end? And, when the final battle comes, who will survive? And who will Calla choose to be her mate… that is, if she herself survives, and she's not even sure of that fact any more…
The price for love has never been higher.
As you guys should know (or be a little aware), I ADORE Andrea Cremer since I got my hands on that shiny ARC of Nightshade (from my first EVER blogging event at Atom Books HQ! So, if you have a copy, you understand…). And since then, have read and devoured her books at a stupid speed. Whenever Atom have sent me a copy of her books, I have always reacted in the same way: very very excited, and tweeting/emailing my thank yous.
So, from the above paragraph, you must suspect that I had high expections for Bloodrose. And I did, but I always trusted the author to know what she was doing. I did that with big books (like Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, etc). I want an certain ending (like most fans), but I also trust the author completely. I know that they will give me an ending that will leave both of us happy/heart-broken. If I don't get my ending, that's fine as I know the author gave an ending that they wanted/knew that the story needed.
So… the book. Did it live up to my expeditions? Did it, like Nightshade and Wolfsbane, suck me in and want me rooting for Calla?
One big word answer: yes. This book was non-stop action and you kept going at a stupidly fast pace. It was almost a breathless read. Now, I know some of you guys are going to find it too much an action read and wish there was moments where it stopped and took a breath, but with some people classing Wolfsbane as the "info-dump" book, it kinda balances out. And Andrea's writing is wonderful. I can't fault it.
And as for the ending - right, people are saying it's quite "surprising". Even the author said that it might surprise some readers. But, after reading it, it made sense to me why the ending that to be that. It might have felt a bit out of the blue, but Andrea laid down the clues through the book. You just have to look for them. But I sense that some readers might think it's too "neat", but it's fits with all the characters...
When I did finish the book, I was mixed on how I felt. I wasn't sure if I was going to be emotional because I was leaving a world and characters behind that I enjoyed and loved (and the last few chapters were emotional), or if I want to grab something sharp (a pencil or a basilik fang) and stab the book, cursing her to hell as I wasn't ready to leave this world (and we're not. The UK publisher, Atom, has confirmed that they are going to publish the prequels, Rift & Rise in the future).
So, yeah. I love this book. I love this trilogy. I love this author and I want her book children. And now, I'm off to mourn this trilogy and annoy Atom by asking/demand information on Rift. I want it now! I'm not 100% ready to leave this world behind. Not just yet…
Calla has always welcomed war. But now, the stakes are higher than anything she has ever faced, and even she is unready for this fight. And the situation keeps gets more complex. How will Shay, the forbidden love she fleed her former masters (the Keepers) for, react when she rescues Ren, her former flame and the man she was meant to be alpha with? How can she save her brother when he is so broken from the Keepers ripped out his wolf and destoryed it, and killing their mother? Will Shay and her new allies, the Searchers, get all four swords to create the Elemental Cross that will put this war to an end? And, when the final battle comes, who will survive? And who will Calla choose to be her mate… that is, if she herself survives, and she's not even sure of that fact any more…
The price for love has never been higher.
As you guys should know (or be a little aware), I ADORE Andrea Cremer since I got my hands on that shiny ARC of Nightshade (from my first EVER blogging event at Atom Books HQ! So, if you have a copy, you understand…). And since then, have read and devoured her books at a stupid speed. Whenever Atom have sent me a copy of her books, I have always reacted in the same way: very very excited, and tweeting/emailing my thank yous.
So, from the above paragraph, you must suspect that I had high expections for Bloodrose. And I did, but I always trusted the author to know what she was doing. I did that with big books (like Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, etc). I want an certain ending (like most fans), but I also trust the author completely. I know that they will give me an ending that will leave both of us happy/heart-broken. If I don't get my ending, that's fine as I know the author gave an ending that they wanted/knew that the story needed.
So… the book. Did it live up to my expeditions? Did it, like Nightshade and Wolfsbane, suck me in and want me rooting for Calla?
One big word answer: yes. This book was non-stop action and you kept going at a stupidly fast pace. It was almost a breathless read. Now, I know some of you guys are going to find it too much an action read and wish there was moments where it stopped and took a breath, but with some people classing Wolfsbane as the "info-dump" book, it kinda balances out. And Andrea's writing is wonderful. I can't fault it.
And as for the ending - right, people are saying it's quite "surprising". Even the author said that it might surprise some readers. But, after reading it, it made sense to me why the ending that to be that. It might have felt a bit out of the blue, but Andrea laid down the clues through the book. You just have to look for them. But I sense that some readers might think it's too "neat", but it's fits with all the characters...
When I did finish the book, I was mixed on how I felt. I wasn't sure if I was going to be emotional because I was leaving a world and characters behind that I enjoyed and loved (and the last few chapters were emotional), or if I want to grab something sharp (a pencil or a basilik fang) and stab the book, cursing her to hell as I wasn't ready to leave this world (and we're not. The UK publisher, Atom, has confirmed that they are going to publish the prequels, Rift & Rise in the future).
So, yeah. I love this book. I love this trilogy. I love this author and I want her book children. And now, I'm off to mourn this trilogy and annoy Atom by asking/demand information on Rift. I want it now! I'm not 100% ready to leave this world behind. Not just yet…
stella94's review against another edition
4.0
I was quite disappointed by the ending, especially considering my favourite character died! However, I did enjoy the series
thenightofcups's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this novel. Right up until the end. I knew in advance that Ren would bite it, so I prepared myself by focusing on his redemption through Adne instead of finding love through Calla. But I wasn't prepared for the senselessness of his death and the strange- seemingly forced- ending with Calla and Shay. I dislike love triangles intensely and I feel they're appallingly overdone in YA novels.
And how is everyone just okay with Anika not telling the Guardians that they'd return to wolf form? That was a big fat lie and almost just as bad as what the Keepers did. They withheld information in order to satisfy an end that best suited their point of view.
My favorite scenes were of Calla and her father. Those were truly amazing and added heart to a story that I'd begun to feel like revolved around incredibly self-important people. Also, Connor and Adne turned out to be two people I enjoyed hearing about.
Despite everything, though, I don't regret getting closure on this captivating series.
And how is everyone just okay with Anika not telling the Guardians that they'd return to wolf form? That was a big fat lie and almost just as bad as what the Keepers did. They withheld information in order to satisfy an end that best suited their point of view.
My favorite scenes were of Calla and her father. Those were truly amazing and added heart to a story that I'd begun to feel like revolved around incredibly self-important people. Also, Connor and Adne turned out to be two people I enjoyed hearing about.
Despite everything, though, I don't regret getting closure on this captivating series.