Shiver; Linger, Maggie Steifvater

Twilight is over. Shiver and Linger are here, and it's beautiful.

Stephanie Meyer, say goodbye. Maggie Steifvater is doing it better ten-fold.

I've said it before with Lament, and Ballad, and then Shiver, and now Linger. Maggie Steifvater is magic.

"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 comapny 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 can't be denied. Sam must fight to stay human-- and Grace must fight to keep him-- even if it means taking on the scars of his past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future." --(Shiver cover.)
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"the longing.
Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, this means facing a future that is less and less certain.

the loss.
Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life as a wolf while denying the ties of being human.

the linger.
For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two constant forces-- wolf and human-- with love baring its two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?" --(Linger cover)

The writing, the story, it's beatuiful and at times poetic. The realationship and love between Grace and Sam is strong and believable, and the situations and lives that they live are true to nature and, again, believable. It's not your typical Urban Fantasy with werewolves. The wolves of Mercy Falls are just that-- wolves. Either all wolf or all human, and the struggles and fight to stay one way or another is emotional and sometimes heartwrenching. These books are powered full of emotion, goodbyes, and fighting to accept life as it is, and fighting to keep love in it's equation. It's full of real problems, real emotions, and real love.

If you have ever wanted to read a love story, now's the time. Get out of that chair and find yourself a copy of Shiver, and you'll probably want to pick up a copy of Linger while you're there because it'll just save you a trip to the bookstore. Trust me, you're going to get sucked in.

I don't care if you're an Edward or Jacob, you will be a Sam. I don't care if you're a Jace or a Simon, a Seth or Keenan, a Niall or an Irial or a Devlin, a Damen, a Jude, a Mr. Darcy, a Mr. Rochester, a Colonel Brandon, a Prince Charming, a Harry or Ron or Hermione or Snape, or whatever ficitional character you're into, you're going to be a Sam. A Sam and Grace.

If I write anything even half as beautiful as Shiver (or Linger), I'll die happy.

Just.... ah. I've read good books before, but nothing this beautiful. Beautiful.