Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
Release Date –  Jan 3, 2012
Publisher Website –  Penguin/Philomel
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 406 pages
My Rating- 7/10
**obtained from  trading with fellow bloggers**

Here is the 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 unnameable 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

To say that I had mixed feelings at the end of this book would be an understatement. There are things I am happy with and things I have very strong feelings about. Sadly, I can’t discuss much of them without giving MAJOR spoilers so I will try to give a semi coherent review while my tears are still drying.

One of my favourite aspects of this series is how intricate and developed the world is. Andrea’s details and mythology is stunning. It makes the story rich and is much better as a result. In this novel all that world building and detail pays off, but she’s also kept some surprises that leave you reeling.

I can’t comment on Calla’s choice without giving it away, but suffice to say it was pretty obvious who held her heart, and I am not surprised it ended this way. Calla slightly annoyed me in this book though. She strung both guys along, even after she had basically made her choice. She did it because both Ren and Shay were needed to fight the war, but I think she was a little callous with their feelings. Shay and Ren fighting did provide some humorous moments, but mostly it was a sad situation for all of them.

There is a death in this book that I didn’t really feel adequate for the character. If this character was going to die I wanted it to be BIG. I wanted a blaze of glory, maybe taking out a certain other character with them, and have it mean something. Instead, it felt like a easy out to a bigger problem in the story.

Sabine ended up being one of my favourite characters in this book, whereas I wasn’t overly invested previously. She was much stronger than I thought. She was quite capable and her and Ethan provided a sweetness that I needed.

The ending of the novel was very bittersweet for me. I wasn’t expecting it at all. I am very impressed that the ending surprised me as much as it did. The last couple of chapters are filled with reveals and shocks  being hurled at you. The final chapter was especially bittersweet but quite fitting for the end of this series.

Andrea Cremer’s world building, wonderful descriptions and characters make this trilogy one I recommend. This last book would not be my favourite of the three, but is a fitting ending to Calla’s story.