Why can’t they all be this good?

When she was a small child, Grace was attacked by one wolf, and saved by another.  ”Her” wolf has reappeared every winter since then-it watches her, and she watches it right back.  When a boy dies in the woods, it sets of a chain of events that reveals that some wolves were born as men-and that gives “her wolf”, one last chance to be human.

If you’re looking for a great paranormal romance-something like Twilight, but actually good-pick up Shiver.  In fact, pick up Shiver if you’re interested in reading a great YA novel, period.  Maggie Stiefvater is an absolute master of character, her take on werewolves is imaginative and fresh, and her and writing is as clean and crisp as a winter night.

As a note, they did a great job with the cover on this one.  It’s unique, distinctive, and communicates the themes of time, loss, and cold extremely well.  Note the tiny drop of blood dotting the “i”.  So appealing!

The book alternates between two first person perspectives-between that of Grace and “her wolf”, soon revealed to be Sam, who is human during the summer but invariably returns to wolf form as the weather turns cold.  Each year he spends less and less time as a human, so this might be his last time on two legs.  His fight to remain human provides most of the tension in the book.  It’s more of a slow meditation on the inevitability of love and loss than a rip-roaring action tale, and some readers will crave more action.  Not every plot point is tied up at the end of the book-I don’t know if I should consider this a fault or wait for the inevitable sequel.

Both Sam and Grace are smart, competent characters with a lot of depth.  Although they’re very different people (with instantly recognizable voices) it’s clear that they have real reasons to like each other, and that’s what makes their romance worth reading about.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book is how it deconstructs the benignly neglectful parents that feature in so many paranormal romances and adventure stories-Grace may have a lot of freedom to chase after werewolves, but she makes all her own meals, eats alone, and, as a child, was once accidentally left in the car, nearly dying from heat stroke.  And even though we see their worst traits, Stiefvater never takes the easy way out and turns them into paper cutouts.  This ability and willingness to grant humanity to even the most unsympathetic characters distinguishes Maggie Stiefvater from the bulk of her peers.

This is a very sensual book-both in the romantic sense and in how the characters interact with the world.  A touch too steamy for me to assign in any official capacity, this novel is both deeply engaging and weighty enough to hold up under inspection.

Grade Level Equivalent: 4.5 

Rating: ★★★★