Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1
392 Pages
From Goodreads:

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.

Oh my gosh, this is by far one of my favorite werewolf stories. The story alternates from Grace and Sam's POV and it works beautifully. It also states the current temperature at the beginning of each chapter, it added a certain charm to it, like watching a documentary (I don't know how else to describe it). I instantly connected with the two main characters since the story began with their first encounter years before. They both seemed like great people, patient and good but missing a certain someone... When they finally do meet (Sam in human form) their relationship takes on a new level. It seemed to me that they had been "dating" for years now in a long distance relationship type way. It was sweet to read as they seem like soul-mates, it is by far in my opinion one of the most romantic relationships in the YA genre. They are both loyal to each other and would do anything to be together. A lot of literary couples now-a-days go through a lot before they reach the "happily ever-after" finish line, but I believe that these two go through much more. Grace's determination to help Sam stay human was admirable and his resolve to stay human was heart-wrenching, fighting your own body and running from the inevitable is something I cannot imagine most people being capable of. Their love for each other was solid and gave them strength when all hope was lost. Listen to me rattle on about their love, there is more to this story than just Sam and Grace. There are other people out there running away from the wolf curse, but the big mystery is: What can be done about it?

I give this book 4.5 owls!

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls)