Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

"The pack circled around me, tongues and teeth and growls.

When a local boy is killed by wolves, Grace's small town becomes a place of fear and suspicion. But Grace can't help being fascinated by the pack, and by one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. There's something about him - something almost human. Then she meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away..."

Shiver is the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. When she was about 13, Grace was attacked by the local pack of wolves, but survived. Since then she's always been completely fascinated by them. When a local boy is killed by the pack, most of the town turns against them, but Grace is determined to protect them. There is one wolf in particular who's been the one she obsessed over. A yellow-eyed one. And when a yellow-eyed boy appears, she knows that it has to be her wolf.

This book is told in first person, from both Grace and Sam's (the yellow-eyed wolf) POV, giving a better view of the world and what both characters are thinking. The book started well, and held my interest, but I made it about a quarter of the way through and while it was holding my interest, I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. By the halfway mark, I still couldn't decide and my interest was fading rapidly. I forced myself to skim the final 100 pages to finish it, or I wouldn't have. There isn't anything particularly bad but for me, it didn't work. There were a few good moments, but overall I felt it could have been better. There was such a push early on for how the town were against the pack, wanting them dead or gone, then it just...stopped. And soon the whole book became about the angst between Sam and Grace and the 'situation' (not saying more for spoilers sake).

I can take angst, I can read something that is simply a love story. I can't take a wishy-washy love story that is only angst. From the review stats I've glanced at, and the opinions of some book buddies who's opinions I value highly, this is not the general opinion. But it's how I saw it. I got tired of the back/forth on certain emotions/problems and I found it repetitive. Grace isn't entirely passive, she does have some strong moments, which is good to see because most heroine's in young adult fiction right now seem to be far too passive and weak. But it's not nearly enough to make up for the over the top, constant angst. As hero's go, Sam really isn't one and I tired of him very quickly. I did like the werewolf lore here, but overall I felt the book could have been much better than it actually was. A shame, I was looking forward to this book. Won't be bothering with the next one. 3/10