Review Detail

Move over vampires., it's time wolves got the spot light. And not just any wolves; werewolves. Let’s face it, regular wolves are great, but it’s that much better to think said majestic beast can either turn into a toned fella ready to sweep you off your feet or potentially stay bloodthirsty and rip your face off.

Maggie Stiefvater’s "Shiver" is the perfect example of such tension. There are multiple things I love about the wolves Stiefvater presents in the first book of her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. First, these guys don’t turn into crazy feral beasts of lore. Instead they just turn into regular ol’ wolves. That makes them that much sexier that they become a beautiful part of nature as opposed to something that is trying to destroy life.

Next, these guys ain’t trying to get up all in people’s business. They don’t have any beef with vampires, they’re just trying to lead their own wolfy lives. Furthermore, in sort of a twist in the werewolf genre, the Mercy Falls wolf pack in particular is trying to find a way to live in a world full of bloodthirsty humans who want nothing more than to see wolves dead. Who says werewolves have to be the bad guy?

Ultimately, what I love the most about the werewolves of "Shiver" is that Jacob Black doesn’t live among them. That’s because where Jacob roams Bella Swan is soon to follow and she is my least favorite literary character of all time. Stiefvater’s Grace is so much more headstrong and likable and it’s no wonder she can cruise just fine with a pack of wolves.