Hey there, peeps! Since I don't have Bloodrose.... yet, I'm doing Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Now, I've read these books like two/three years ago and they've been right up there emotionally (I blame Shift, it made me all emotional/touchy/gooey, now I cry during books. Pah, I lie. I cry anyway.)
So here's the rundown, courtesy of Goodreads:
Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.
This is Shiver. However, the Goodreads version so does not do this series justice! Grace and Sam share a kinship, but more specifically, a profound bond shared by two teenagers. I mean, I'm not a big fan when we start throwing the "L" word around all over YA, because we're only teenagers. Our relationships are more of the "here and now" than full blown love. But, there are series that are correct to use love, because the characters have a strong connection to one another. (Hello, Shade anyone?)
ANDDDD I sound like a sappy teenager. Feel free to slap me anytime. :)
Anyways, Shiver is about Grace Brisbane, your average teenage girl in the middle on nowhere (Mercy Falls), Minnesota. She's near wolves and she's fascinated by them, often watching them from her house. So, this comes of a shock when we are taken to a point when Grace is little, she gets savagely attacked by the supposed docile wolves by her harms. And so she is saved by Beck, a wolf (and who is a wondeful adult in this series)
*cue your WTF reactions*
But Shiver is unlike many paranormal romances out there? And do you want to know why? Our main heroine (Grace) maybe sassy, but she isn't a deadpan snarker, ridiculously gorgeous (she's kinda plain), and she admits to making stupid mistakes. Sam isn't unlike your average YA hero. He's deep, and soulful. He plays the guitar and frankly, life had been shitty for him before he met Beck and the wolves. Also, their dimensions were like someone you'd meet down the street, they weren't like a typical paranormal romance. As well, they sorta had the instalove connection which usually drives me up a wall but they had a reason to. They were like two-halves of a whole, where like many romances they balance each other out but with the added twist that they didn't have to chase each other around.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WHY IT ROCKED. YOU'RE A GODDESS MAGGIE.
trust me, when you read Shiver, it'll rock your socks off. Claudia Donovan nods her approval.
rating: 8/10
