Shiver

I kind of had a hard time starting this book, and really wanted to not like it, because I have been such a "Twilight" fan.  That may sound weird, but I don't read many other vampire or werewolf books.  I have to say I did end up liking it a lot.  I found Grace to be an interesting character, but I found the first chapter uncomfortable and disturbing, I guess because it was so realistic, as far as the implied violence.  I did not understand her obsession with the wolves until I got into the story, and understood how the wolves' bites affected people, and how they apparently affected her.  After that, her obsession at the start of the story made much more sense to me, I understood her.  Sam is such a tortured soul, I liked him, his fight to be a human, even though he is an animal part of the year.  He does not enjoy this way of life that has been forced upon him, and it becomes even more painful when we find out how he became a werewolf, that Beck chose him to be what he is, and thus set in motion the horrific events that followed with his biological parents.  Sam's pain and anguish is very palpable, I felt the most for him in the story, even when it was Grace's turn, I still felt for him.  Grace is such a contrast to her parents, and their relationship is a curious one, they are more like the kids, and her the parent, which is very much like Bella and her mother, in Twilight, though Grace's relationship with her parents is more distant, and less loving, it seems.  She really wants them to pay attention to her, and to love her, but they don't seem to get it, and Sam does, he loves her, and she loves him and the attention he gives her.  She handles everything with a great deal of maturity, and I found her to be a strong, independent female protagonist.  The characters were described in such detail in this book, and were developed very artistically, I thought.  The switching back and forth between Grace and Sam was a nice way to see both sides, and doing it in first person, that made it very personal.  The connection between Sam and Grace, due to the wolf attack, made sense, their attraction is almost instinctual, and it worked.  I think the plot was developed nicely, there was plenty of suspense, and I enjoyed the way the author led us through the storyline.  I should have seen the wreck coming, everything was going well, and something always happens when things are going well.   I think that teens will enjoy this book, and that it was well written.  I am definitely looking forward to the sequel!