Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
Nightshade #3
Release Date: January 3, 2012 (US)
Publisher: Philomel
Rating: No rating

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. - Goodreads

Note: I have no idea how to rate this book so I'm just going to leave that out.

The plot started off really well and at a fast pace. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, as it had a lot of action and there were enough interesting scenes to keep me interested. Shay had to find the rest of the pieces of the Elemental Cross, and a small team went with him each time. During the second half of the book, it started to go downhill. The ending was absolutely appalling and I despised it. The way Andrea Cremer dealt with the love triangle felt like a cop out and I wasn't pleased with it.

Calla, our protagonist, was a complete idiot in this book. She has Ren and Shay fighting over her, and at one point she tells them that she's not making a decision until after the war is over. Fair enough. But then she complains CONSTANTLY about the two of them as they argue and get defensive over her. They're two alpha males who are after her attention, so I'm not sure what she was expecting. Calla is also a giant hypocrite. She thought about her 'difficult' decision at the worst times, and I was almost shouting at my Kindle to tell her to worry about stopping yourself from falling down a deep crevice rather than which guy you prefer.

Shay was also a moron. Like in Wolfsbane, he was immature, bratty and he tried to control Calla. I didn't like him in Wolfsbane and I despised him in this book. He was one of the reasons behind the undermining of Calla's character. She is supposed to be a strong alpha female, and yet this guy is trying to control her life and tell her what she should be thinking.

I love Ren, though. He has gone through so much character development in this series - more than Calla, in my opinion. He's protective of Calla, yet he doesn't try to dominate her in the way Shay does. Ren takes her feelings into account.

Like I said, I have no idea how to rate this book. It started off as 'Enjoyable' but then the second half of the book was 'Troll'-worthy. I really don't know.

Have any of you read this book? Let me know what you think of it if you have. I'd be interested to see what rating you gave it.