Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Add to Goodreads

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My thoughts 

I very much enjoyed this book, and this version of werewolves that Maggie Stiefvater has created is intriguing, while it adds a kind of sadness and longing to the story.
While I liked the story and how it unfolded, I did think some of the plot twist seemed a bit unrealistic. That said you might claim that this is in fact fantasy, and therefore doesn't have to be realistic. And while I do agree to that in some extent, I think it has to be believable when you mix fantasy and reality. But it was a minor part of the book, so I didn't really mind much.

The characters were well developed, and they were very believable and likable. The story is told in turns by the main characters Grace and Sam, that blend well together, and enables an understanding of both characters.
I liked that Grace is an independent and strong character, who relied very much on herself, while Sam is more sensitive and fragile and depends a lot on his 'family'. It was nice for a change that the male character didn't have to have this strong, overpowering, I-take-care-of-you personality, though not saying Sam is weak or anything, but.. you get the picture.
Their relationship was melancholy, always like their time together would be the last, but it also made them cherish every moment and make them special.

What I liked the most was the writing. Maggie Stiefvater has a very poetic way of writing, which kind of leaves the impression that Sam's lyrics and his personality are in the whole story.

Overall, I liked the book very much, and there was both funny and sad moments, parts that were pageturning exciting, and parts that were sweet and romantic. A bit of everything really.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆