Shiver

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

Grace was savaged by a pack of wolves when she was a child, yet she isn't afraid of them. She finds herself particularly drawn to a yellow-eyed wolf and spends all her extra time watching him in the woods behind her house. Unknown to Grace, that yellow-eyed wolf is actually a werewolf named Sam. He's watched her from a distance all these years since he only gets short periods to be human during very warm times. However once they finally meet while they are both humans, their feelings cannot be put back in the box. With a love doomed from the start, they know they are in for one heck of a fight to keep each other, as the cold and the future's uncertainty are looming over their heads.

This romance between Grace and Sam was absolutely beautiful! It was so heartfelt and sweet, making it probably the most enjoyable relationship to read about in any YA book that I have ever read. While they definitely had a physical attraction to each other, their relationship was so much more than that. It just felt natural, like they were truly meant to be together. It actually is amazing that they were even able to develop such a strong bond together at all considering the circumstances. I really hope they are able to stay strong in the future, no matter the obstacles that may try to come between them.

While this book is technically a YA paranormal romance, the characters really aren't paranormal in the strictest sense. When the werewolves shift into wolves, they do not retain their human minds as in most other books. For all intents and purposes, they are just regular wolves. In fact, once they make the final transition to complete wolf, they only live the live span of a normal wolf, about ten to fifteen years. The only thing that makes them paranormal at all is that they spend some time as human, and they heal faster than normal. I found this to be a really interesting take on the "werewolf" aspect, making it seem more like an accident of science than mystical or magical. 

This book kept me up into the wee hours of the morning as I made the mistake of starting it right before I went to bed. I just simply could not put it down. The ending almost seemed to stop mid-stride, but still left me with a sense of happiness and satisfaction. I'm extremely glad I already have the sequel so I won't have to wait. However, if it is even half as good as Shiver was, then I have a feeling the wait for the final book will be agonizing. If you enjoy a good love story mixed in with a little conflict, then Shiver is definitely the book for you.

Rating:

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Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls)

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