Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls 1) – Maggie Stiefvater

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


I’ve heard a TON about this series, and it’s been on my TBR list, but I never made the leap to do more than download the samples of the books to my Nook app for perusal later.  Someone should come up behind me and slap me now!!!

When Grace was ten, she was attacked by wolves in her backyard.  She was saved, from what was certain death, by a wolf with strange yellow eyes.  Since then, Grace has always been drawn to the wolves that live in the woods behind her house, especially that yellow eyed wolf she considers to be hers.

Sam has lived as a human boy during the warm summer and fall month and as a wolf during the cold winter and spring months.  Even with these 2 distinct lives, there has always been one person that he connects with, the person he loves and that’s Grace.  She doesn’t know him, but he knows her in both his forms.

So it’s no surprise that Sam should turn to Grace when he gets into trouble and is shot during an attempt by some to drive the wolves from the woods.  Grace knows immediately that the injured boy on her back porch is her wolf, the wolf that she loves, and does whatever she can to help him.

Sam’s not sure how he’s managed to become human, especially with the weather the way it is, but he’s determined he’s going to have this time with Grace.

The story grips you right from the very beginning, connecting you with the two main characters, and leaving on the edge hoping that Sam can fight to stay with Grace.  You need him to fight for Grace, because he brings her out of her shell and introduces her to things I don’t feel she would have looked at before.  But she’s good for him as well, helping to keep him “human” and to believe that your life is not always what you’ve been told or expect it to be.

We’re also introduced to several secondary characters who I’m sure are going to play a pivotal roll in the remaining books of the series.  Rachel and Olivia, Grace’s best friends.  Isabel, the sister of the boy attacked by a wolf.  Beck, Jack and Ulric, members of Sam’s pack.

I’m always a sucker for those brooding, silent, sometimes moody type of heros and Sam is right there on the cusp for me.  If I were a teen again, I would so be in love with Sam right now.

4 Cocktails