Review: Wolfsbane

Book three of the Rebel Angels series
By Gillian Philip
Available now from Tor (Macmillan)
Review copy
Read my reviews of Firebrand and Bloodstone

It's a little hard for me to accept that there's only one more Rebel Angels book to go.  I've been enjoying the hell out of this series.  It's sprawling and twisted and based on characters who make mistakes because they can't be anything but themselves.  And, of course, the villain who takes advantage of that.

WOLFSBANE did feel a bit like a holding pattern before the end.  The stakes weren't quite as high, the protagonists didn't lose quite as much - but the antagonist didn't win as much either.

The first two books centered around the relationship between brothers Seth and Conal MacGregor.  WOLFSBANE focuses on a new relationship, that of Seth and his son Rory.  Queen Kate wants Rory in her power, but he's safe on Seth's lands.  Unfortunately, he's also a teenager and sick of staying close at home.  (Especially once he meets a teen girl).

WOLFSBANE takes place almost entirely in the world of the Sithe, with very little in "our world."  It's a chance to get a closer look at the Sithe who aren't in the center of the struggle and what they think of Seth's rebellion against Kate.  Few know that the center of their struggle is the fate of the Veil, but they can still decide who they want to side with based on how their vassals are treated and other criteria.

The time jump between BLOODSTONE and WOLFSBANE allows a variety of relationships other than Seth's and Rory's to progress.  There's romance, new siblings, and hate.  Seth's past mistakes haven't always won him friends, and some of those enemies are making their move.  The action in WOLFSBANE might be smaller, but it's closer.

FIREBRAND was an unexpected favorite of mine, but I'm glad I came across it, especially since the sequels have been so wonderful.  I can't wait to see how the Rebel Angels series concludes when ICEFALL comes out in the US.

Review: Wolfsbane

Nightshade trilogy (Book 2)
By Andrea Cremer
Available now from Penguin Philomel (HC) and Speak (PB)
Read my review of NIGHTSHADE

Part of the Breathless Reads tour

NIGHTSHADE is full of questions, but WOLFSBANE begins with an avalanche of answers. There are a few bursts of action in the first half of WOLFSBANE, but for the most part it is exposition heavy. Calla and Shay are now in the custody of the Haldis group of Searchers. They include the leader Monroe, angry Ethan, sleazy Connor, newbie Ariadne, and a few others. (Connor, I think, isn't supposed to be sleazy per se, but I interpret him that way because he takes his flirting too far. This is mostly redeemed by Calla refusing to put up with his advances.)

But once the action gets going, WOLFSBANE moves quickly. Almost all of the characters that I learned to love in NIGHTSHADE were put in danger by the events of the climax. Calla must mount a rescue. Which is where Shay becomes annoying.

As Calla and the Searchers plan, Shay constantly tries to undermine her. Now, he could just help them devise a safer plan. But he tries to insist Calla shouldn't go at all since it's dangerous. But as Shay himself points out, she's not a child and can make her own decisions. And the Nightshade wolves truly need help. If Shay stays with Calla he'll be their alpha, so it would be nice if he cared more for their safety.

I thought WOLFSBANE was an excellent sequel to NIGHTSHADE.  The first half of the book might be talky, but I loved knowing more about the world too much to mind.  I thought most of the new characters were fun additions and rejoiced when familiar faces came back into play.  I thought the love triangle was well-played too.  Ren might not be onscreen for most of WOLFSBANE, but Andrea Cremer made him feel like a legitimate threat to Shay and Calla getting together.  (Even if only because Calla wants to fully break things off with her former fiance before sleeping with Shay.)

Once more, things end in a precarious position, ready for BLOODROSE to pick up the action right where it leaves off.