Shiver

AUTHOR: Maggie Stiefvater
PAGES: 392
WEBSITE: http://www.maggiestiefvater.com
TWITTER: @mstiefvater
ACQUIRED: The Book Elf

SUMMARY: (from book jacket)
the cold.
Grace has pent 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 company 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 cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human-and Grace must fight to keep him-even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

OPINION:
I loved this book so much. The book is just so well written. The flow is fantastic, the way the chapters are broken up. Graces obsession with the wolves is beautifully portrayed. She falls in love with Sam before he is even in human form. Now that might seems kind of creepy but it doesn't come off that way. The whole thing is just so romantic.

The characters are likable. I loved the characters actually and think you will fall in love with them too. You want their relationship to work, you want to keep reading about them. That is not always the case when reading YA it seems.

Grace is bitten years earlier but, unlike Sam, she has never changed forms. Sam is approaching his last year of being able to turn human, just as his and Grace's relationship is beginning. The struggle to find a way to stay together, with her inability to change and his to stay. Grace would run into the woods and live as a wolf with Sam if she could without hesitation and Sam would do anything, even face death, to stay human to be with Grace.

I found the ending of the book beautiful and touching, just as I did the beginning and middle. Most of you have probably already read this wonderful book but if you haven't READ it. I hope you love it as much as I did.

Although I thought the story ended perfectly, I am excited that there is going to be more books on this love story. Linger, coming this summer, and Forever in 2011.

Prophecy of the Sisters

AUTHOR: Michelle Zink
PAGES: 343
TWITTER: @MichelleZink
WEBSITE: http://michellezinkbooks.wordpress.com/
ACQUIRED: Library

SUMMARY: (from book jacket) Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.
Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.
They just know they can't trust each other.

OPINION:
I really enjoyed this book. I like the characters. I wish there was more on the relationship between Lia and James. The book is basically about Lia discovering her part in the prophecy and trying to stop it for future generations. Lia discovers, with the help of some unusual friends, how to deal with this responsibility that has been bestowed upon her.
Nothing is really resolved by the end of this book, but there is going to be a book 2due out August 2010, Guardian of the Gate. I think there is a really good story here, the first book just had to get the story started. I have a feeling Lia might find it harder and harder to do the right thing. Looking forward to the story continuing.

Before I Fall

AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver
PAGES: 472
WEBSITE: http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/
TWITTER: @OliverBooks
ACQUIRED: ARC B&N

SUMMARY: (from book jacket)
Samantha Kingston has it all- looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it's her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she relives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

OPINION:
I thought the beginning of the book was really hard to get through. I really didn't like Sam and her circle of friends. The book was kind of like Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day. Over and over again reading about this girl, who is just unlikeable, trying to convince you she is not as bad as she seems. I am glad the author didn't put on the blame on Lindsay, Sam's best friend. It seemed like that was the way she was going for awhile. I believe Sam was just as rotten as her friends and they are each to blame for the path they have taken. In her desperate attempts to move on from February 12 to February 13, Sam eventually becomes more likable as she takes responsibility for the person she was and tries to change the person she will be remembered for. The book didn't end the way I wanted it to, but that is for my own selfish reasons, the ending was perfect for the story.