Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

After buying Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater last year I have finally read it. Took long enough, I know. To be quite honest the reason I kept putting it off was because of the blue font. Looking at it bothered my eyes and I couldn't imagine sitting down and being able to focus on it without my eyes tearing up and crossing. However, once I started reading it the letters actually began to look black and wasn't even an issue.

Quick recap from the back of the book:

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.
 
On Goodreads I rated this book with 4 stars, but I have a feeling if I read this book when I originally purchased it I would have given it 5. It's nothing against the writing, which was beautiful, and nothing against the story, it was great and even unique. I'm just wolfed out.
 
I've read many reviews that compare it to Twilight and I guess I could sort of see where those reviewers are coming from, however, there were so many things I liked about this book that were not Twilightesque. First of Grace was never the damsel in distress. She didn't need Sam to save her. If anything she was always saving Sam and I appreciated her strengths as a character. Secondly, Sam wasn't overly protective to a point where it became possessive. Thirdly, she had friends she actually liked and cared for. I'm looking forward to next installment because I liked her friend Olivia and I want to see her development as a character. And fourthly, the writing blew Twilight out of the water. Maggie Stiefvater has a way with words and descriptions that had me hanging on to every single one.  
 
What I liked most was the wolf world she created. It was unique and not like anything I have read before. I liked that the cold made them vulnerable because it proved they weren't indestructible as I noticed so many authors do with characters that aren't necessarily human. I think weaknesses give a character depth and Maggie Stiefvater only benefited the story by amping up her characters weaknesses. 
 
I would definitely recommend this book and have already passed it along to my mom. Now I just have to buy the rest of the series. 
 
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