As part of Lit Society’s Authors Review Program, members are reading and reviewing books by independent writers we think deserve more attention. This review reflects one reader’s honest experience and aims to spotlight exciting new voices.
A captivating tale about what happens when love and loyalty collide. A complex web of revenge, romance, and family ties that will draw in readers who love to mix business with pleasure.
The Verdict? 9/10. Couldn't put it down.
● Would You Recommend It? Yes
● Book Club Worthy? No, it’s a series, so not great for a book club unless you read both!
● Would You Read This Author Again? Yes
● Did It Change How You See Something? No
● Is It More Plot or Ideas? Plot
● Pace: Slow to start, then it goes fast
● Emotional Impact: Lingering
● Best For: Vacation read, quiet evening and long commutes
● Skimmable or Demands Attention? Close reading
● Would You Reread It? Yes
Nightshade asks the question, “Are you willing to open your heart to love or let your insatiable desire for revenge decide your fate?” The main character, Ophelia, finds herself at Sorrowsong University after a horrible tragedy has taken place in her life. She is trying to start over, but also, she is looking for revenge. These competing interests threaten to make her life even more difficult.
As if Ophelia’s life wasn’t complicated enough, Alex walks into her life—or rather, almost runs her over with his car. Their obvious chemistry is instant, even if neither wants to acknowledge it. Author Autumn Woods successfully builds tension with these two characters right from the beginning. Their sarcastic banter is a highlight of the book and also keeps you guessing,“Will they? Or won’t they?”
Despite Ophelia’s desire to ignore Alex and the feelings she’s developing, Alex keeps popping up in every facet of her life at Sorrowsong. She writes him off as a spoiled rich kid destined to be as miserable and evil as his CEO father. As the semester progresses, she starts to see that there may be more to Alex than she originally thought. This throws a wrench into her revenge plans. How can one successfully plot revenge with a cute boy on the mind? Especially a cute boy who may be the son of her intended target.
Though slow to start, the book picks up pace once gruesome events start to take place in Ophelia’s world, shattering her sense of safety. These events, coupled with a school project that Ophelia and Alex are assigned to complete together, are successful in bringing down both of their guards.
Autumn Woods skillfully crafts Ophelia and Alex’s slowburn relationship with humor, compassion, lust, and uncertainty for the future. This tortured couple is likable, and you find yourself rooting for them, even in the unlikeliest of moments.
As Ophelia says in the beginning of the book (even before she descends into a whirlwind romance), “Love makes a fool of us all in the end.” Whether that love is romantic, familial, or even self-love, it always comes down to exposing the deepest parts of yourself and being honest about what you truly deserve. Ophelia and Alex aren’t sure about what they deserve—in life or in love. The book explores what it means for these twin souls to lay themselves bare (figuratively and literally) when they finally find the one who truly understands them.
Favorite Lines? “I’m too complicated, Alex. I’ll only ever hurt you in the end.” “I hate it when you say that. It makes me want to punch whoever put that idea in your head.” “You want to punch everyone, all of the time.”
“She’s impossible to get close to, though. She’s like that dumb Jenga game. You think you’re getting somewhere, and then the tiniest move in the wrong direction and every little bit of progress I had made with her is gone again.”
“I’m smiling like an idiot. So is he, and I know why. This feels uncomplicated. This feels like raspberries in June and hot drinks on cold days. So wonderfully ordinary that it’s euphoric for the soul.”
Recommended Media? Two songs come to mind when I think of Ophelia and Alex:
“Call It What You Want” by Taylor Swift (for the Swifities out there)
“Earned It” by The Weeknd (Yep, their love can be tragic but Alex thinks Ophelia is perfect)
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