Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Seriously, it's a miracle this woman can sell books with such an un-typeable name.  Yeesh.

So! I absolutely loved The Scorpio Races and was prepared to love this book too.

And, probably, if I hadn't already read The Scorpio Races I would have been happier.  Of the way, way too many supernatural books I've listened to on tape (in most cases out of desperation during the school year, when I only have time to consume any literature while doing homework for art classes), this was one of the absolute best.  Mainly because it just wasn't as supernatural. It was written before the Twilight explosion hit (if I remember rightly) and it's just so different from that type of book.  When the boy is a wolf - and he is either a wolf or a boy, nothing in between - he can't remember things, or think normally. He's just a wolf. When he's a boy he doesn't have a ton of, like, magical abilities.  The wolf thing seems more like a plot device to make the young lovers angsty than the point of the story - which is often not the case with these supernatural books.  One thing this writer does well is make decent characters.  I liked no-nonsense Grace and her negligent parents - especially the parents.

I'm not sure why I didn't love this book as much as The Scorpio Races.  This was the second time I've listened to it on tape - the first time I didn't get through it.  For some reason I just lost interest.  It seemed like there was too much "oh no he's not going to change let's be sad" in the middle, and that the pace got a bit lost.  But do I only think that because, both times, I was somehow unconsciously expecting the tightly-wound drama of The Scorpio Races? I don't know.

CONCLUSION:
Unusual. Good. I might check out the other books in the "cycle." (Just realized I despise the word "cycle."  Why do I despise it?  What a confusing night.)  But I won't be heartbroken if I never get around to it.

(P.S. Didn't realize that red spot on the cover was blood. Cool!)